''The Runner'' is a

reality series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

on the streaming service

go90 go90 was an American Internet television service and mobile app owned and operated by Verizon Communications. The service was positioned as a mobile-oriented "social entertainment platform" targeted primarily towards millennials, featuring a mi ...

. The show has five "Chaser Teams" of two people each chasing down the runner around the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

in 30 days. The viewers have the opportunity to also win money by answering questions and/or befriending chasers. Every second the prize money goes up starting at $15,000 on July 1, 2016 and ending with $500,000 on July 30, 2016. The Runner and Chase Teams start off in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. ''The Runner'' could be watched live during the month of July 2016 at certain times in the United States. In the situation where the runner is caught, the team who caught them gets the current bounty and a new runner starts where the last one left off. The show is co-hosted by Matthew Patrick (MatPat) and

Kaj Larsen Kaj Larsen is an American journalist, correspondent, and producer who has worked for Vice News, CNN, NowThis News and Current TV. He worked for the ''Vanguard'' international news documentary investigative reporting show on Current TV beginn ...

. The show went through many years of development, picked up and dropped by

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

in 2002 and later, picked up and dropped by Verizon in 2016.

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Americ ...

and

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educationa ...

first sold The Runner to ABC in 2000. The series was slated for a midseason launch during the 2001-2002 season but was halted in the aftermath of 9/11 when security concerns compounded the already big challenges of the complex and expensive production.

Overview

''The Runner'' is a reality television competition, which consists of teams of five ("Chaser Teams") attempting to catch a runner, whose goal is to race across the USA. The race is divided into daily segments, which end when the Runner gets to the Safe Zone or is caught. If the Runner is caught, the Chase Team who caught the Runner is awarded the Runner's bounty, which starts at $15,000 and increases by $15,000 every day. If the Runner makes it to the end without getting caught, the Runner is awarded $500,000. The viewers are also eligible to win money. Every day, the Chase Teams and runner give out a cash prize in "Chaser" or "Runner Cash" to whomever they deem worthy of it. "America's Cash Task" are clues that are given twice daily that point in the direction of the Runner. Viewers can submit the answer online, and 10 people are drawn for each ACT to win a cash prize.

Competition structure

There are 3 episodes aired live every day for a month, at 12pm, 3pm, and 10pm EDT. The 12pm episode begins with co-host

giving the Chaser Teams a task, which usually provides a clue which needs the ACT 1 answer to be completed. The first ACT normally gives a city name or general location, which the Chaser Teams then begin driving to. The Runner is simultaneously provided his "Daily Op", which he must complete in order to escape for the day. The second ACT clue is released to the Chaser Teams when they are within a certain radius of the Runner, or during the 3pm episode, whichever one comes first. The clue, when deciphered, contains the exact location of the Runner's Daily Op. The Runner's Daily Op consists of a challenge, which when completed awards a Checkpoint Key. Every 5 days, the Runner must perform a "Daily Op on steroids", where they must use the past Checkpoint Keys to unlock a Finale Key, to be used on the final day. After every Op, the Runner is given instructions to an escape vehicle, and once they enter a certain area, they are deemed safe for the day.

Season One

The first season consisted of five original Chase Teams, followed by the addition of #RunnerAllstars midway through the season. The Chase Teams are: * #TheBrogrammers, consisting of James Stern and Alex Dadds. * #BrotherNature, consisting of Travis Smith and Koa Smith. * #SweetNSavage, consisting of Ashley Kelsey of

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's ''The Real World: San Diego'' (2011) and '' The Challenge: Battle of the Seasons'', and

Heather Rae Young __NOTOC__ The following is a list of ''Playboy Playmates of 2010''. Playboy magazine names its Playmate of the Month each month throughout the year. January Jaime Faith Edmondson (born December 30, 1978) is an American model. She is the ''Playboy ...

. * #FriendZone, consisting of Rafael Melo and Jen Brill. * #BravoSquare, consisting of Brandon Saunders and Brent Saunders, brothers. * #RunnerAllstars, consisting of the first two Runners, Bri Hill and Steve Young, introduced mid-season after they were caught.

Canceled second season

Season Two was confirmed by MatPat on July 30, 2016 at the end of the final episode of Season One. go90 was expected to continue to host the show. On July 31, 2018, go90 shut down its operations, leaving the show's future in doubt.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Runner (2016 Reality Series) 2016 American television series debuts 2010s American game shows