Capture, aired on the CW network, is basically a high tech game of hide and seek. Twelve teams of 2 compete for a prize of $250,000. So far, I have watched six episodes.
The partners on each team know each other. They might be friends, siblings, or neighbors, for example. They can be all male, all female, or both genders.
Before each hunt, a hunter team is chosen. They have two days (four hours each day) to capture two teams. If they capture two teams, the other teams vote to decide which team is eliminated. They hunt inside a forested compound with a 10-mile perimeter (4,000 acres). The terrain is supposedly located near Yosemite, with rock formations, water, brambles, and what appear to be logging trails.
To capture a team, you affix an electronic "talon" to one of their vests. Usually, this means running them down. The entire game is monitored on a map by use of a GPS system that can identify each team. Each team is equipped with on-shoulder cameras. Cameramen also accompany each team, tracking the action. This leads to the biggest question: how can any team's actions be covert if they are accompanied by another human?
As with all reality shows, the two basic default strategies apply: 1. The social game. 2. Alliances.
Other strategies come into play as the game progresses, because the producers interject other factors into gameplay on a daily basis. For example, there may be reward stations where you can enjoy some food and drink (at the risk of revealing yourself) or mystery boxes that give those who find them special powers that change the game. These factors have proved to be effective in keeping the game interesting.
The game is hard enough during regular play, because all teams are subject to coldness, the effects of altitude, and lack of food. When the other factors are introduced, the game becomes more unpredictable. There is a risk that tinkering with the rules during the game could seem arbitrary or unfair, but so far the producers have managed not to cross the line.
Like The Amazing Race, I think this show works best for viewers who can project themselves into the action and relate to what the teams are going through. So far, I have enjoyed the game.
One last note: a prey team cannot just hunker down in hiding, because if a team does not move for three minutes, the hunter team is pointed in their direction for the rest of the session via indicators attached to their wrists.
