Over the last 6 weeks, we've come to known 10 fugitives who have made the brave and foolhardy decision to go on the run and evade a group of crack Hunters for 28 days. If they win, then they get a share of £100,000.
3 days left and we only have 4 fugitives left: let's remind ourselves of how we got this far:
Firstly, we have Yorkshire girls, Anna May and Elizabeth Garnett. The girls are young and naive, but very spunky and endearing. They've managed to stay out of the Hunters' clutches by hitch-hiking and being unpredictable.
Secondly, we have Ayo from Hackney, London. Ayo originally started out as a pair with best friend Madu, but clashing personality differences led to the pair splitting. The organised, methodical Madu became infuriated with the loose cannon Ayo and left him. Although it's seemed to work out for the unpredictable Ayo as he's still on the run whereas Madu has been caught.
Lastly, we've come to my favourite fugitive, the family-man Nick Cummings. Having been a house-husband for 17 years, he went on the run to prove himself and he's managed to evade the Hunters by being constantly underestimated. However, he's gone from strength to strength and has a great chance of winning.
Let's start with Anna and Elizabeth. Last episode, the two girls returned to their home county of Yorkshire and it is revealed that they are hiding out with a stranger called Nigel in Wensleydale. Nigel tips them off about the social media campaign that the Hunters have launched against them and the two girls decide to hike to a service station to hitchhike their way to safety. To get to the service station, they hike their way through the Yorkshire Dales. However, the Hunters suspecting that this is the girls' plan, send teams to track them down before they reach the station. They send up a drone into the sky with thermal imaging technology that quickly spots the girls. Firstly, this is terrifying. How the hell do you hide from a piece of technology that can identify you from your body heat? Anna and Elizabeth weren't able to hide from it. Upon seeing the drone, they panic and run to the closest road where they hitch a lift from pensioner Maureen. Let's quickly acknowledge how awesome Maureen is. She unquestioningly helps the girls and even when the Hunters emerge and demand that she stop, she carries on driving. Again, what did the Hunters expect? They just yelled at this old woman and ripped her car door open. Of course she's going to drive off. Alas, this was only a brief respite for the girls. After Maureen drops the girls off, they are quickly caught by the Hunters when they're unable to find an escape route. Anna and Elizabeth were on the run for 25 days and although they didn't make it to the end, they should be very proud of themselves.
Onto loose cannon Ayo. After almost being caught after an ill-thought out plan to return to Hackney, a couple of episodes ago, we see that Ayo is hiding in Daventry with stranger Lisa, her daughter Hayley and boyfriend Kirk. Ayo is told that his extraction point is under a pier in Kent and he has to reach there by 1PM on the final day. The Hunters knowing that their time is running out decide to see if they can turn Madu against Ayo. They offer him a £1000 to betray Ayo, but Madu plays it smartly and asks for £50,000, which is instantly rejected. I think the Hunters missed out on a trick here. Maybe Madu could have helped to bring down Ayo. Back in Daventry, Hayley and Kirk decide to take Ayo part of the way, but then they call up the Hunters preparing to betray Ayo if the price is right. In the end, they decide against it as the money is too low. They come clean to Ayo and drop him off in nearby Bicester. Here Ayo makes contact with one of his friends who drives him to a nearby hotel for Ayo's final night on the run. I'm glad to see that Ayo has been learning from his mistakes and is refusing to take any more risks.
Lastly, we've come to Nick Cummings who started as completely incompetent, but is now a real front-runner. I fully acknowledge that I was wrong to undervalue him and I think that the smart money's on him. Deputy Ben Owen of the Hunters has constantly described him as a "grey man," which is a perfect description and one of the main reasons why I had so sinfully underestimated him. Nick is hiding in Buckinghamshire and is ratted out by a stranger, as well as being caught on CCTV. The Hunters go in for the kill, but Nick makes it out just in time. He hitches a lift and is taken in by a stranger called Sarah who tips him off about how the Hunters know what he looks like. He wisely changes his clothes and is taken to stay with Sarah's friend Barbara for his final night on the run.
Whilst the fugitives have been scrabbling to the finish line, the Hunters have been trying to discover where the extraction point is. Last year it was in an airfield in Surrey, so initially they consider this option. But then they start to wonder whether the fugitives could escape by boat. They notice a boat that is suspiciously hiding around the Isle of Sheppey and determine this is where the fugitives will be taken upon their escape. This was a bit weird to me. Why would the boat just be hanging around there? Surely that would be suspicious? Anyway, the Hunters then try their best to determine where the boat would pick up Nick and Ayo. Having determined this, they send all of their ground teams to lie in wait. This is when they realise that they are on the wrong side of the bay and scrabble to reach the other side, but their incompetency costs them dearly, as both Ayo and Nick have escaped to safety.
Words cannot express how happy I am that Nick managed to escape. He has been the heart and soul of the series and the dedication that he has shown to his family is just adorable. Nick, you have definitely proven your self-worth and you are so much more than just a house-husband. Don't forget that. You have made everybody proud.
And of course, congratulations goes out to Ayo. He has had a rocky journey due to his recklessness, but his sheer audacity has made him great entertainment. Just like Nick, he is a family man and now he has £50,000 to take home to his family. Although if the Hunters hadn't been so stubborn in refusing Madu's request, maybe Ayo wouldn't have made it to the end. Furthermore, the Hunters have all been a bit incompetent in this series. There were plenty of opportunities where they could have caught the fugitives, but they didn't.
That's it for one year, I hope you enjoyed it. And as always, never tell me your plans for going on the run in the comments below, who knows who's reading?
Top tips for going on the run:
1. As always don't trust anyone. This was the downfall of Anna and Elizabeth (worthy runners up) and could have been the downfall of Ayo.
2. Change your appearance like Nick. This keeps you unpredictable.
3. If the Hunters offer you money to betray someone then always ask for more. What do you have to lose?
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