Manhunt with Joel Lambert

Take an inside look at this chase-and-action series and the dangerous conditions battled during production. Former Navy SEAL Joel Lambert takes on some of the world’s most specialized tracking units as he puts them to the test, and challenges them to try to physically capture him over a period of up to 36 hours. Shot in some of the most remote and exotic locations of the world, we meet each of the hunting forces and learn about the difficulties Joel experienced in trying to escape and evade each unit. The making of the series proves just as challenging as treacherous terrain and weather plague the crew, all while trying to capture this intense game of cat and mouse.

Joel faces off against an elite team of Maori warriors in the lush and picturesque Buchannan Mountains of New Zealand. He has just 36 hours to traverse over 15 miles through the rough and unforgiving landscape of glacial fields, rocky slopes, forests and river plains all while being pursued by a group of native Maori warriors. In addition to tracking spoor, the Maori “listen” to nature to try and capture their prey. Joel is familiar with military and law enforcement tactics, but with the addition of traditional Maori tracking techniques, this hunt becomes a challenge he never expected.

Just south of the U.S. border, on the outskirts of Tijuana, Mexico, Joel takes on the elite Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado (PGJE) Mexican State Police Force. Specializing in kidnapping, robbery and extortion, the unit hunts down local criminals as well as fugitive Americans who attempt to flee into Mexico. Joel has just 24 hours to navigate through the city of Tijuana and across 12 miles of mountains, open fields, desert scrub and ranch land to reach his extraction point. Using all available assets to hunt Joel, including helicopters, ATV’s and city wide surveillance cameras, the PGJE is up for the challenge.

Joel must outrun the Aiken County Sheriff’s Bloodhound dog tracking unit. Bloodhounds are notorious for their keen sense of smell and have been known to track human scent trails that are days old. Considered one of the best bloodhound tracking units in the United States, the Aiken County team responds to over 200 calls a year. Outsmarting humans is a common occurrence for Joel, but trying to outsmart – and outrun – a team of bloodhounds will take incredible skill and a bit of luck. In a hunt different from any he’s done before, Joel has just 12 hours to make his escape or become another statistic for Aiken’s finest.

On the west coast of Scotland’s rugged highlands, Joel takes on one of his toughest opponents yet, a team of traditional Scottish Ghillies. He has just 36 hours to escape capture from this 5-man team of expert deerstalkers and hunters. Each of them lifelong outdoorsmen, today this team works to protect land from poachers. These “ghillies” know these hills intimately and their age-old skills and techniques originally formed the basis for modern military snipers. With the infamously changeable Scottish weather being an additional challenge, has Joel finally met his match?

The Mongolian hunters have just 36 hours to track, hunt and capture Joel through the challenging and frigid winter conditions of Mongolia. Some of the world’s most proficient horsemen, the Mongolian team will not only have its trusted ground support, but also a strategic air asset – the golden eagle. With eyesight eight-times sharper than a human, the golden eagle is able to spot movement several miles in the distance and alert the hunter of prey. To make matters even tougher, Joel must also contend with unforgiving winter weather, finding himself in temperatures as low as -22 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s Joel vs. traditional tracking skills and animal instincts in a race to his extraction point.

Joel is back on US soil facing a challenge he has never come across before – a homegrown Survivalist unit. Trained in tracking, hunting, survival and military tactics, this unit feels right at home in the forests and swamps of Florida. They spend every spare moment tracking and hunting animals through this inhospitable environment, but they’re not familiar with tracking an expertly-trained former Navy SEAL. Both Joel and the survivalist unit have their skills put to the test, while also being on guard for venomous snakes, alligators and wild panthers – it’s a hunt like no other.