''Manhunt'' is an American reality television series that aired on

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...

in 2001. The contestants on the show posed as

fugitives A fugitive (or runaway) is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also known ...

who tried to escape actors who pretended to be

bounty hunters A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

. The one who eluded the bounty hunters the longest would receive a cash prize. ''Manhunt'' was plagued with problems during its brief run. First, a deal collapsed with the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

(where '' SmackDown!'' aired in the same network) in which a number of their "superstars" were to be a part of the show's cast. Then, the bottom fell out when separate investigative reports by Peter Lance and game-show enthusiast Steve Beverly revealed that portions of the show were being filmed at

Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park includes popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the Ameri ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, rather than entirely on location in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

as claimed. The show was originally shot in Hawaii, but portions were later reshot at Griffith Park after the producers were not satisfied with the original material. It later came out that Paramount Television had convinced a producer to rig the show in favor of a particular contestant, which violated FCC regulations put in place following the

1950s quiz show scandals The 1950s quiz show scandals were a series of scandals involving the producers and contestants of several popular American television quiz shows. These shows' producers secretly gave assistance to certain contestants in order to prearrange the s ...

. The program was pulled after six episodes.

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...

(then a WWE developmental talent) and former American Gladiator Raye "Zap" Hollitt were among the cast members.

References

External links

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''Manhunt'' overview on Reality News Online
UPN original programming 2000s American reality television series 2001 American television series debuts 2001 American television series endings English-language television shows Entertainment scandals {{US-reality-tv-stub