''Mantracker'' is a Canadian

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

created by Ihor Macijiwsky and produced by Bonterra Productions. It premiered in Canada in April 2006 on the

Outdoor Life Network OLN (formerly Outdoor Life Network) is a Canadian English-language Category A specialty channel. OLN primarily broadcasts factual-based and adventure-related reality programming aimed at male audiences. OLN is wholly owned by Rogers Sports & ...

. In the United States, the show aired on the

Science Channel Science Channel (often simply branded as Science; abbreviated to SCI) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel features programming focusing on science related to wilderness survival, engineering, manu ...

. In South Africa, it airs on the History Channel and in the UK on

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and Blaze. The episodes of the first six seasons feature Terry Grant, an expert tracker called the "Mantracker", who pursues two individuals in the remote

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

or American wilderness. The pursued, referred to as "

Prey Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

", must elude capture while attempting to reach a finish line within thirty-six hours. In season 7, Chad Savage Lenz replaces Terry Grant as the Mantracker.

Format

The object of ''Mantracker'' is for the Prey to reach a finish line some 17 to 60 kilometres away without getting caught by the Mantracker in a pre-determined time (usually 36 hours). The Mantracker's goal is to catch the Prey before they reach the finish line, within the designated time. There is no prize for succeeding, other than "bragging rights" and personal satisfaction. Each episode features a two-person team of Prey who usually (but not always) have a pre-existing relationship. The Prey have varying wilderness survival skills and physical fitness levels. The only items provided to the Prey are a map (that includes the location of the finish line) and a compass for navigation. The Prey carries the gear they consider necessary to complete the challenge. The Prey determine for themselves how to avoid capture. The Mantracker does not meet the team before the chase or know their destination. Traveling on horseback and aided by a local guide (known as the "Sidekick"), the Mantracker relies on his tracking skills, though some equipment (such as regular and infrared binoculars) is sometimes used. The Prey is given a head start, usually about 2 kilometres, although in more rugged terrain that distance may be greater. The chase is started by a flare gun fired from the Prey's position. The Prey head towards the finish, using the terrain to hide their location. The Mantracker and his Sidekick ride to where they believe the Prey began and attempt to determine the direction in which they are headed. The Prey travel through the terrain, often going off-trail and "bushwhacking" through dense brush, over hills, rocky ground, and rivers and lakes to reach the finish line and to escape the Mantracker. The race often includes overnight camping. There is no pre-set stopping point on day one or starting time on day two. Although the Prey commonly travel on foot, they can use other transportation modes. For example, in one episode the Prey

hitchhiked Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads hav ...

for a short distance. In another episode, the Prey used rock climbing gear to scale down a steep cliff. Unless time runs out, the race ends when the Prey successfully arrive at the finish line or if the Mantracker or the Sidekick captures them. To capture the Prey, the Mantracker or the Sidekick must tag or somehow block their movement. If the rider and horse get close enough, the Prey often concedes. If one of the Prey is caught, the remaining one can continue alone.

Cast

Terry Grant is a 25-year veteran of the Alberta Foothills

Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

Team, Chief Scout of

Scouts Canada Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association providing programs for young people, aged 5 to 26, with the stated aim "to help develop well rounded youth, better prepared for success in the world". Scouts Canada, in affiliation with the Frenc ...

, an expert in utilizing clues such as footprints, probable path and other signs of human presence to track prey. Grant announced that Season 6 would be his last due to a salary dispute with Bonterra Productions. In February 2011, auditions for the new Mantracker to replace Grant took place. In the Season 7 premiere, broadcast on 21 May 2012, it was announced that the new Mantracker would be Chad Savage Lenz. Without the popular Terry Grant as the Mantracker, the series concluded after a single season with Lenz in the starring role although no formal announcement about the series cancellation has ever been made by Bonterra Productions.

Sidekicks

* Phil Lemieux * Curtis Hallock * Leon Chow * Barry Keown * Martin Dillabough * Mark Murphy * Jeff Damberger * Neil Carey * TJ Maynard * Nate Bogusz

Production

The series is recorded primarily in Canada, but as of Season 4, two episodes were shot in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. By the end of Season 4, the

Provinces and territories of Canada Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

and

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

have yet to be featured. For the first time, in Season 4, an episode was taped in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and aired between April and June 2009. The show's typical production schedule has Grant arriving at the location on a Sunday; on Monday morning, the producer and cinematographer travel to the site with the Prey for pre chase interviews, to learn the Prey's strategy and to shoot background shots. The Prey never meet Mantracker until they are caught or make it to the finish line, whichever happens first. Mantracker and the Sidekick are on horseback and often finish the pursuit by galloping to the prey location. The hunt starts on Tuesday and lasts for 36 consecutive hours. Each episode is edited immediately, awaiting the season run on

OLN OLN (formerly Outdoor Life Network) is a Canadian English-language Category A specialty channel. OLN primarily broadcasts factual-based and adventure-related reality programming aimed at male audiences. OLN is wholly owned by Rogers Sports & ...

. In past interviews, Grant has indicated that the camera crew has him stop to prove where he sees tracks and also has at times sent out false Prey and production staff to prevent him from just looking for the actual camera crew. Additionally, the Prey's camera crew often change footwear, and are expert woodsmen who often mask their presence in various ways.

Episodes

Season 3 aired on OLN on Sundays at 9:00 pm, and Saturdays 10:00 pm EST. Season 4 finished filming in fall 2008 and aired Sunday, 26 July 2009 starting with "Billy and The Rev" on OLN with an encore on 1 August 2009. In spring 2009,

Citytv Citytv is a Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The licence of the original Citytv station, granted the callsign of CITY-TV by the CRTC on November 25, 1971 to Cable Television Ass ...

, another

Rogers Rogers may refer to: Places Canada *Rogers Pass (British Columbia) *Rogers Island (Nunavut) United States * Rogers, Arkansas, a city * Rogers, alternate name of Muroc, California, a former settlement * Rogers, Indiana, an unincorporated community ...

-owned station began airing repeats in local affiliates across Canada. Season 5 premiered on 3 September 2010. Season 6 premiered 17 April 2011. A pair of

Yellowknife Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...

women were shortlisted as prey for the season. For Season 6, Bonterra announced that one of its teams of Prey would include

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

player

Shane Doan Shane Albert Doan (born October 10, 1976) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player currently serving as chief hockey development officer for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Doan spent the entir ...

and his brother, Brook. Season 7, the final season, premiered 21 May 2012; the final episode, "Shaun & Vanessa", aired 27 August 2012.

Winners

Out of 38 teams, 16 teams have had only one member making it to the finish, and 13 teams have had both members making it to the finish. So far, the individual odds of beating Mantracker are 30%, and the team odds of beating Mantracker are 20%. In Season 1, 27.77% of contestants won. *1.02 – Nicolina & Liisa ( used car to win ) *1.06 – Vlad & Nate *1.08 – Mike In Season 2, 31.25% of contestants won. *2.03 – Dustin & Ian *2.04 – Brent *2.08 – Steve & Jeff In Season 3, 25% of contestants won. *3.05 – Taylor *3.06 – Bruce *3.07 – Buck & RJ *3.10 – Kaleigh In Season 4, 37.5% of contestants won. *4.02 – Lauren *4.03 – Rene & Dave *4.05 – Hainsley *4.07 – Tommy & Steve In Season 5, 29% of contestants won. *5.01 - Clayton &

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

*5.02 - Layney *5.04 - Brendyn *5.08 - Dylan & Travis *5.11 - Ben & Darrell *5.12 - Tim In Season 6, 33% of contestants won *6.01 -

Shane Shane may refer to: People * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946) * iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer * Shane (name) Shane is mainly a masculine g ...

& Brook *6.04 - Melanie *6.06 - Rusty *6.09 - Warren & Margriet *6.10 - Mike *6.12 -

Jesse Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' ( ...

In Season 7, 17% of contestants won *7.01 - Huck *7.04 - Les & Tyler *7.07 - Stacey

Hiatus and end

Following the end of Season 7 which featured new Mantracker Chad "Savage" Lenz, the show began an apparent hiatus. Official websites for OLN and Bonterra Productions for Mantracker have not been updated since Season 7 and show no mention of the show being cancelled or going on a break. It was confirmed in 2017 by Terry Grant himself, that Mantracker wouldn't return for an eighth season, marking the end for the Mantracker series.

References

External links

Mantracker
– OLN website (Canada)
Mantracker
–