Mantracker

Mantracker
Genre	Reality (wilderness survival)
Created by	Ihor Macijiwsky
Starring	Terry Grant
Country of origin	Canada
No. of episodes	[27]
Production
Running time	24 minutes (not including commercials) - 44 minutes (Season 2-3)
Original release
Network	Canada: OLN USA: The Discovery Channel, The Science Channel
Release	April, 2006 - Present

Mantracker is a Canadian reality television series that airs on the Outdoor Life Network. It debuted in April 2006.

Two people take off into the bush with a map, a compass and a head start. The tracker is on horseback, armed with a local guide and an arsenal of forensic skills. The prey have 36 hours to reach a finish line some 40 kilometers away without getting caught. How they escape is up to them.

Each episode sees two people, who often have a pre-existing relationship, but not always, form a team referred to as the "Prey". The Prey must travel from the Start to the Finish without getting caught by the "Mantracker". The show always takes place in rough, remote terrain.

Mantracker has completed three seasons, the third of which is currently showing on OLN, Mondays at 9:00pm, and Saturdays 10:00pm EST

Rules

The prey begin their trek with (usually) a two kilometer head start, and need to reach a goal destination (often located over 40 kilometers away), equipped with a simple map and compass for navigation. The Prey have thirty-six hours in which to outrun and outwit the Mantracker and make it to the finish.

The Prey travel through varied terrain, often cutting through dense brush or rocky ground and even swimming across lakes to escape the Mantracker. Although they travel on foot, they are not restricted to that mode of transportation: for example, one episode featured the Prey hitching a ride for a short portion, and in another, rock climbing gear was used to scale down a steep cliff.

The "Mantracker" is Terry Grant, a 25-year-veteran of the Alberta Foothills Search and Rescue Team, and an expert in using clues such as footprints, probable path, and other signs of human presence to track prey. In each episode the Mantracker is paired with a local guide who knows the territory. Traveling on horseback, the Mantracker and the guide have no information on who they are tracking (other than a flare that marks the starting point of the Prey). The Mantracker takes every chase as a matter of personal and professional pride, considering his reputation at stake.

The race begins with a shot of a flare gun, and the pursuit starts. The trackers ride to what they believe is the starting point of the chase and center themselves to detmerine the direction of travel that their prey are headed toward. Usually the race contains an overnight stop along the way, but there is no set stopping and starting time for the nightly break.

The race ends if either the Prey successfully arrive at the Finish, or if they are caught by Mantracker or his guide. Mantracker does not have to physically catch the Prey but usually he and his horse will have to get close enough to the prey to be able to physically catch them.

Through the first two seasons, Mantracker has a successful capture rate of 68% (10 prey have reached the finished, 23 have been captured, and 1 contestant had time expire on him).

Episodes

Season 1

#	Title	Location
01	"Jeff & Magnus"	Alberta
Old school meets new school as Jeff and Magnus fuse their different lifestyle views in order to give Mantracker a run for his money in Alberta’s ranch country.
02	"Liisa & Nicolina"	Ontario
Liisa and Nicolina, two young women with steely resolve, want to make this the toughest challenge Mantracker has ever faced.
03	"Jim & Nicola"	Yukon
The old cliché “opposites attract” is put to the test as young city dweller Nicola is paired with experienced outdoorsmen Jim.
04	"Russ & Susie"	Yukon
Russ and Susie pit themselves against Mantracker, not to mention the toughest terrain the Yukon has to offer.
05	"Mike & Neela"	Yukon
Straight-edged Mike and free spirit Neela are out to prove something. They know the Yukon and they’re focused on beating Mantracker on their home turf..
06	"Vlad & Nate"	Alberta
Two grizzled military vets test their ‘take no prisoners’ philosophy against Mantracker in the foothills of Alberta. It’s commandos versus cowboys and Mantracker can’t afford to make any mistakes if he wants to apprehend these renegades.
07	"Jim & Dara Lee"	Ontario
Jim and Dara Lee know they can’t outrun the trackers, so they plan to outthink them.The tangled forests of Ontario’s far north might be the prey’s only chance at escape.
08	"Luke & Mike"	Ontario
30somethings Luke and Mike couldn’t have less in common. Mike’s a dedicated athlete who goes by the nickname “Mr. Everything”. Meanwhile, Luke takes pride in a dry wit and his paintball skills..
09	"Julio & Joe"	Yukon
In this special 1hour finale, Mantracker comes up against his most cocksure competitors yet in Julio and Joe. The extreme wrestler and wilderness guide forget their differences and pull out every harebrained scheme in the book to get Mantracker off their trail.

Season 2

#	Title	Location
01	"Chris & Brock"	British Columbia
Chris and Brock are two urban tough guys who want to show Mantracker that their Toronto street smarts and urban fortitude can translate in the mountainous country of British Columbia.
02	"Shannon & Stephanie"	Alberta
Shannon and Stephanie are bush smart, competitive athletes and close friends. They’re also moms out to smash some perceptions: just because you look great doesn’t mean you can’t bust it in the bush.
03	"Dustin and Ian"	Alberta
Dustin and Ian, childhood friends and Ultimate Frisbee teammates refuse to let fear and dehydration curb their quest for glory but a hungry Mantracker won’t be deterred by their savvy diversions or upstanding fitness..
04	"Brent & Brian"	Yukon
Brent and Brian have the bush experience and physical strength to cut it on “Mantracker”, and their training as firefighters and ability to stay cool under pressure raise the bar even further.
05	"Erica and Kendall"	Yukon
These city girls appear completely out of their element in the Yukon wilderness. But Erica and Kendall’s drive to succeed and prove their potential make them stellar opponents.
06	"Brian and Samantha"	Ontario
Brian and Samantha are very fit, very strong, and very, very determined. But they are also the youngest prey team of the season, and putting their relationship to the ultimate test
07	"Dan and Jared"	British Columbia
Dan, a former U.S Marine Corps sniper and personal trainer of massive proportions and Jared, a highly trained and disciplined Martial Artist and self described smartass, break out cheeky diversions and carefully crafted escape and evade techniques that force Mantracker to draw on all he’s got.
08	"Steve and Jeff"	Ontario
Steve and Jeff are among the most elite athletes in the world – Olympians. They compete in one of the most exciting, risky sports there is – freestyle aerials. The snow, mud and terrain of early winter in northern Ontario are a horse’s – and Mantracker’s - worst nightmare. And for the first time, “Mantracker” moves into the realm of urban warfare.

Season 3

#	Title	Location
01	"Al & Garfield"	Ontario
Al and Garfield are lifelong friends who draw on the history of the Underground Railroad for inspiration to escape the relentless Mantracker.
02	"Simone & Mike"	British Columbia
Never meeting, a flamboyant ‘city boy’ and self-proclaimed ‘punk-girl’ tree planter must quickly gel as a team to have any hope of surviving Mantracker and the rugged terrain northern BC .
03	"Jesse & Nathan"	Saskatchewan
Jesse and Nathan were raised on the mean streets of Hamilton. These steel town mates having never backed down from a fight, hope Jesse’s Aboriginal wilderness know how will lead them to victory through the rugged South Saskatchewan Badlands and the shadow of Chief Sitting Bull.
04	"Rob & Michelle"	Nova Scotia
Rob and Michelle are cousins from Cape Breton Island. Mantracker hounds his prey from the peaks of the Cape Breton Highlands to the depths of the Margaree River Valley.
05	"Mark & Taylor"	Ontario
Co-workers who hail from just down the highway, prove to be formidable opponents to the Mantracker. Mixing age and experience, with youthful exuberance, the wilderness and bush provide the perfect back drop as the two are determined to defeat the tracker and have a damned good time doing it ‘cause they know the land like the backs of their hands.
06	"Bruce & Sabrina"	British Columbia
'Team Aussie' as dubbed by Bruce battle the Mantracker and the bugs in Northern British Columbia. The whip-cracking, outback wild man & martial arts mom manage to get on Mantracker’s bad side. So now, it’s personal. The tracker is set on bringing them down.
07	"Buck & RJ"	Saskatchewan
It’s a test of strategy and psychological analysis. Two tactical officers with the Barrie Police Force, must reverse their roles of chasing criminals in order to evade and confuse the Mantracker. They’re smart, they’re tough, and they’ve prepared.
08	"Jordan & Suzie"	Quebec
Young lovers, only been dating for a year, battle the dense woods of the Laurentian Mountains and the weather to stay ahead of the tracker and keep the love alive.
09	"Josh & Kyle"	Ontario
University pals, these IT wiz-kids and aspiring film-makers, try their best not to get lost in the rugged environs of Elliot Lake, Ontario.
10	"Kaleigh & Alana"	British Columbia
Mantracker's youngest prey ever, these BC mountain girls are determined not to let ‘that Alberta import’ get them. The girls want to show everyone that a couple of pretty young things are tough enough to take on the challenge of brutal mountain terrain and the no nonsense cowboy..

External links

• Official Site