Narromine pastor-turned-fugitive Tharren Hutchinson thinks his skills as a minister could help him become a strong contender in Channel 10's new season of reality television series Hunted.
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The 53-year-old dad who works as a minister and chaplain said he went on the show because his son and teammate, Jordan Hutchinson, asked him to - and the prize money could fund a house deposit for Jordan.
"My son has been a big fan of reality television shows and he looked at Survivor and then it was suggested that he do Hunted and of all his friends and family, he invited me to come along," Tharren told the Daily Liberal.
"If your son invites you, of all the people that he could ask ... like, what can I do but say 'yes, that's great'."
Tharren is the minister of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Narromine and also works as a chaplain at the Dubbo Juvenile Youth Justice Center. Jordan is a high school teacher and an ex-chef in Melbourne.
Tharren said being on the show was a great chance for the father and son to "reconnect".
"For a good period of time growing up we always did things together. I always took him to his footy and made sure that he went and saw all his sporting events and all that," Tharren said.
![Tharren Hutchinson (left) and Tharren Hutchinson with his son Jordan Hutchinson, competitors on season two of Channel 10 reality television program, Hunted. Pictures supplied Tharren Hutchinson (left) and Tharren Hutchinson with his son Jordan Hutchinson, competitors on season two of Channel 10 reality television program, Hunted. Pictures supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/QQwHRnUv9qYdvjDNLdqaup/86121334-8bbe-4fd0-95b2-5645d019f603.png/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"And then he took off to university and that was kind of the last we saw of him for a little while, as that happens. He met a beautiful young lady there and got married.
"Since then, it's sort of been Christmases and special occasions and being Melbourne, of course, the distance makes it a little bit trickier."
Tharren said it was difficult for Jordan to be away from his family during the filming and he missed his two-year-old son's birthday, as aired on Sunday, July 23's episode.
Tharren thought his own work at the Juvenile Youth Justice Centre - where it was "a real privilege" to work - could help him and his son win the competition.
"They're a great group of young men for all their problems, and I suppose for a number of them, they've grown up in a world of trauma," he said.
"From a chaplaincy role, it's mainly about the boy's spirituality, how they see themselves, how they can associate with others, how they see the bigger world and really just give them a range of ideas where they can build on from making different choices."
He said his work gave him the ability to talk to people and to be "resilient enough to allow people to be what they are to us as well".
The duo reportedly won't rule out sleeping in people's backyards or on church grounds as they attempt to evade the hunters throughout the show.
They have also made a pact to do one good deed a day, to pay it forward for all those people who helped them - which Tharren said goes back to his roots as a pastor.
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While on the run, the rules stipulated contestants could ask others for help but they had to open with the line: "Hi, we're two fugitives on the run."
Tharren said some people helped and others didn't, but he was surprised - and delighted - at how many people had watched season one of the show and were keen to be involved and help.
The show features ten pairs of ordinary Australians who transform into fugitives and with limited funds and resources, must think of clever ways to remain undetected for 21 days from a team of expert hunters.
The hunters are made up of investigators formerly of the Australian Federal Police, Australian Defence Force and British Intelligence, alongside skilled cyber analysts and intel experts.
There is $100,000 prize money for the winning team.
The central west is backing Tharren and Jordan for the win.
Hunted is on Channel 10 and 10 Play.
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