Mantracker to be filmed next week

CORNER BROOK - And the hunt is on.

The Mantracker television program, which airs on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) and features full-blooded cowboy Terry Grant and his sidekick guide attempting to track down two people with a headstart in the bush, has chosen two applicants from the area and will film in western Newfoundland next week.

"There were lots of people in Newfoundland who were interested in beating the Tracker and we picked two that we think are going to give him a run for his money," said series producer Deborah Burgess, without divulging who those people are or where exactly the show will be taped.

The two successful applicants have to reach a finish line 40 kilometres away within a 36-hour time frame without getting caught by the Mantracker and his sidekick, who are on horseback.

"One of the really key traits for applicants is an enthusiasm for doing the chase and I think the ingenuity, imagination and ability to strategize is also very important," said Burgess of the selection process. "It's not just a chase, it's not just full out running for two days - it's strategy and it's trying to figure out how you can outwit this guy and get into places that he can't. You have to play games with his head and make him think you've gone somewhere else. Those are the things that really make the difference.

"Obviously people have to be fit," she added. "Because it is grueling and we don't want to endanger anyone, so they have to be really fit. Some experience in the bush is an asset because they'll have to be navigating their way from Point A to Point B and they don't get any help."

There are certainly plenty of people from this area who would know the backcountry quite well, but Burgess said that's not always the case when it comes to picking their prey.

"We had a couple of girls last season who really knew the terrain very well, of course they don't know where we're sending them specifically until the night before, but once they were there, they kind of had a good idea of what the lay of the land was.

"We've also had people that had no idea and were relying totally on compass."

The third season of Mantracker will begin airing on OLN in September, although the Newfoundland episode will be a part of Season Four.

"The show won't air until 2009," said Burgess. "We don't have a show order yet, so I can't say whether it's going to be on in April, May or June, but I would say somewhere in that first half of the season."

And as for why Newfoundland was chosen as a destination?

"We try and cover as many different landscapes as we can," Burgess said. "We've been to the Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and Cape Breton Island. I think it was Newfoundland's turn."