After nine days on the run, Byron and Tanase were tracked down by the Hunters in Hunted Australia 2023. On reflection, the siblings said that their mental health played a big part in the reason they were captured.

During an interview with Chattr after their elimination, Tanase explained that although they were only fugitives for a week and a half, the mental toll the chase took was extreme.

“There’s a lot they don’t show on TV,” she said. “You’re literally in a state of high adrenaline paranoia 24 hours a day. And there are so many things that happen that they obviously can’t fit it all into one hour.

“There is downtime, but you’re constantly on the go, you’re constantly thinking so it does take you out of your comfort zone and emotionally it takes its toll.”

Also sitting in on the interview, Byron joked that he believed he had “aged five to ten years during filming”.

“The whole time I was crashing on people’s couches and it was hard to sleep because it wasn’t always comfortable,” he said. “Then the stress of making sure that we’re up early and getting ready and packed, that’s always going on in the back of our minds constantly.”

How their emotional state affected their capture

Byron and Tanase were faced with the challenge of the Hunters asking for outside help by plastering Wanted posters of them around the town the Fugitives were hiding in.

When the brother and sister duo realised the Hunters were close, tensions were at an all-time high and they couldn’t make a decision on their next move.

Byron wanted to go bush while Tanase wanted to stay in the city and Tanase believed the stress caused an inability to think straight, ultimately leading to their capture.

“We did have a little bit of an argument the night before, so that took us down another notch emotionally so I was feeling quite weak mentally. So it does take its toll. Definitely.”

“I feel like I let Byron and I down because at that moment [of being caught] my mental strength was down. I was feeling a lot of pressure and the thought of going camping, I didn’t have that mental strength at that moment in time.

“[I needed to] just keep pushing forward because when you do have the moment of weakness, that’s when you’re likely to trip up because when you’re weak prey they’re going to hone in on you.

However, Byron refuted Tanase’s efforts to shoulder the blame for their capture by stressing that she was “not responsible for it!”

Were they relieved to be captured?

Despite retiring from the run after being captured, Tanase said that she didn’t instantly feel as though her stress eased.

“We were just so disappointed not to be in the game anymore. We would have loved to have been back in. Post-show they [Network Ten] give you a lot of support with a psychologist and you really do feel the effects [of the stress]. It’s almost like an emotional hangover for a week. I was just so flat and emotionally down.”

8 fugitives remain on the run as Hunted continues Sunday night at 7pm on 10 and 10 Play.

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