Hunt or be hunted is a popular program format, that much is clear to me aftera few months of paid television viewing. And there is little that gets me asworked up as that. Because whether you empathize with the hunter or the loot,in both cases it’s a lot of screaming ‘cunt’, ‘fuck’ and ‘goddamn’, constantrushing and rushing, and the end of the song is (almost) always that thehunter wins. So why start with it?
Hunted (AvroTros) I managed to avoid it for nine seasons, bad if it’s for myrest. But now I’ve been following six couples on Monday evenings for two weeksnow, who for weeks have to avoid the hands of a team of tactical and technicaldetectives who have all possible technology and all tap, hack and track powersat their disposal. And I notice a thick Amsterdam accent. In any case, it isthe sport to talk in jargon as much as possible. The hunters do not hit anempty house, no, the house is “one hundred percent negative”. They locate,race and listen, streets are kept ‘closed’, ‘attentions’ are thrown in the airand also arrows, by the way, in the hope that somewhere ‘balloons will pop’.And meanwhile the prey just run, cycle, ride with strangers to escape theircertain catch.
I can’t help feeling that the brainstorming session for this program wasattended by one or more investigative agencies that have a vested interest inshowing us what they can and are allowed to do, should they happen to belooking for us. The millions of surveillance cameras that film you all thetime, everywhere. The cell towers that tell you where your phone and laptopare located and so you probably do too. And then not one muscular man in aT-shirt and black combat pants has come to your family and friends to inquirewhere you are hanging out.
Pen and paper
In the new game show The Genius (NTR) attempts were made unsuccessfully onMonday evening to generate the same kind of tension. Ten candidates in acachot-like situation, a distorted voice-over that says it’s about eating orbeing eaten. But here it did not happen chasing and chasing, but sitting andwith pen and paper. The candidates play a kind of Werewolves or live Strategowith each other, games that I couldn’t keep up with all my attention inprimary school.
That’s why I bent on the hunt for the golden Televizier ring. An audienceaward, viewers vote and thus determine the nominees and the winner. NextThursday, the final vote and the award ceremony will be broadcast live ontelevision, but there is already a disgrace that programs have surfaced(again) due to flat voter recruitment. satirical program Until here ofBNNVARA would be a ‘regular’ contender, but the RTL docu-drama The Beavers_not. Well John de Bever and his husband / manager have indeed mobilized halfof Brabant to vote for the _real life series about their lives. Highwaybanners, radio calls, TV appearances. But the third nominee, The HuntingSeason from SBS6, could just be really popular. Especially when it was stilla YouTube program, a few million young people followed how a well-knownDutchman had to stay out of the hands of the three guys from StukTV for fourhours. Bit of the idea of Hunted without tracking techniques (just a GPSsignal) but with the same cursing and hysterical rush.
John de Mol took over StukTV in 2020, now duos are hunted in the TV variantand the candidates are also recognizable for an “older target group”.Followers became viewers, added together that is probably a lot of voters.