[leadin]How fast could you run for $1 million? That’s what Ben Affleck and conjoined best friend Matt Damon are hoping to find out with their new reality game show, launching this summer, titled The Runner.[/leadin]
The exact makeup of the competition is unrevealed at this point, but casting is open to U.S. residents age 21 and up, and a cool million dollars is the confirmed prize.
What is known is that the game will be a cross-country chase, featuring a Runner who is tasked with “racing toward an undisclosed city.” They have 30 days — filming will run from June 27 to July 31 — to make the journey successfully undetected.
Standing in the Runner’s way will be eight two-person teams called Chasers, whose jobs will be to intercept the Runner. These teams are each competing for that very same $1 million prize, provided they can “capture” the Runner and outwit the other Chasers.
We figure our readers are prime candidates for this competition. The official website of The Runner cautions applicants that “Challenges may include running, climbing, lifting, carrying, driving, operating equipment, puzzle solving, long periods without sleep, and exposure to extreme and/or unpredictable weather.” If that’s not a Gear Junkie dream getaway, what is?
Prospective Runner applicants “must be shrewd, tough, physically fit, and independent! You have no one to rely on but yourself. The ideal RUNNER is adaptive, resilient, street smart, and great with strategy.” Interested Chasers “must be outgoing, clever and, yes, in good shape! It doesn’t matter if you are friends, relatives, or co-workers, as long as you can work together, strategize, and win!”
Even if, for some reason, you’re not into the physical challenge, you can still win prizes. The show will be available through Verizon’s Go90 video app — users who provide tips on the Runner’s whereabouts are eligible for rewards.
The Runner is a production of Pearl Street Films, Adaptive Studios, and Pilgrim Media Group. It will be featured on the Verizon network through the Go90 video app.
