Hunted Australia’s Akec and Joe narrowly missed out on making it to extraction after their helper Malaan spilled the beans on their location.
The friend duo decided to spend their last few days on the run between multiple contacts’ houses. However, after helper Malaan dropped them to another contact named Sami, the Hunters showed up at her house and began to interrogate her.
The scene that played out on TV made it look as though Malaan gave up information about their whereabouts straight away, but Akec said that wasn’t the case.
“It wasn’t just the minutes that we saw there [on TV], it was a longer interrogation, they were talking to her for a very long time,” the 2024 Fugitive told Chattr in a post-elimination interview.
“They had to really get the information from her to help them piece together their investigation. They would have been bad at their job if they left that place with no information,” she added.
Akec and Joe don’t blame Malaan for their elimination
After staying with Malaan, Akec and Joe gave her their bank card and asked her to use it at a random location in order to throw the Hunters off their track.
The transaction led the Hunters to Malaan’s house, and, upon arrival, she quickly confessed the street name where she’d dropped Akec and Joe. She also told the Hunters the name of the contact the Fugitives were currently with.
Despite giving away vital information which ultimately led to their elimination, Akec and Joe understand why Malaan caved.
“You’ve got professionals dressed in all black – strangers to you – who aren’t smiling, saying ‘Tell us this, tell us that’,” Joe explained.
“Of course, with the pressure, you will crack. So, I’m not mad at Malaan. I completely understand.”
Akec said that while fans may think that Malaan gave up the information too easily, they may have forgotten how experienced the Hunters actually are.
“Honestly, people think it’s easy but it’s a lot. The Hunters are former detectives and former people that were really good at their job,” she said.
“They have to do whatever they have to do to get information so then they can try to piece together where we are and they can piece together how to capture us.”
But, while Akec and Joe don’t blame Malaan, they listed a way that she could potentially make it up to them.
“She does owe us a dinner,” Akec laughed. “Not 100 thousand dollars, but a dinner.”
Considering the Fugitives narrowly missed out on the $103,000 Hunted prize money, perhaps somewhere like Nobu will ease the sting?
Watch the Hunted grand finale on Sunday, September 8 at 7pm on Channel 10 and 10Play.
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