Having spent the last 21 days on the run as Fugitives, both Holly and Jimi had struck out on their own, separating from their teammates just days before. Without contact, neither knew the fate of their respective partners, as they pushed on in the hopes that they’d be reunited at the final extraction point.
And in a thrilling final chase, both Holly and Jimi managed to escape the Hunters and make it to the helicopter, earning them a share of the $100,000 prize money.
Heading into the finale, Jimi and Holly were up against the clock, unaware they were the last ones standing in their teams. Meanwhile, father-son duo Tharren and Jordan had managed to spend almost their entire time on the run off the Hunters’ radar.
But mistaking a ground team for other Fugitives, Tharren and Jordan made their final dash to the MCG extraction point too early, and ran directly into the hands of the Hunters.
And as the Hunters celebrated, Jimi used that as an opportune moment to sprint into the stadium, make it to the helicopter, and become the first Fugitive to safely make it to the end of Season 2.
“I thought the Hunters had been alerted to my position behind a tree as there was a chopper overhead and Hunters circling the G looking up towards where I was,” Jimi told 10 Play. “I heard a noise behind me, turned, and saw two other Fugitives running.
“I looked at my watch and knew they were early and they disappeared around the corner,” he continued. “I waited until the moment that extraction was scheduled before making a run for it.” It wasn’t until the chopper began to take off that Jimi even realised it was likely the father-son duo had been captured.
With just moments to go, Holly made her final sprint to the extraction point, describing it as a moment of pure adrenaline. “So much stress, so much panic, so much sweat,” she laughed.
“That experience was one of the most daunting of my life,” Holly told 10 Play, “I had this incredible drive to get there and I knew I was going to do everything in my power to get there. Losing was not an option. Honestly? I was crapping myself.”
Having split up from Josh days earlier after the Hunters had uncovered a stack of intel on the couples’ plans, Holly still felt hopeful she would see him at the extraction point.
“All I was doing was looking around for Josh,” she admitted. “I was 120 percent certain he would be there… to find out after the fact that he was caught the day we separated I was devastated.”
Winning for the pair of them was, to Holly, the best outcome she could have imagined. “It’s a fairytale… to be the one to do it for us,” she said. “[Josh] is always the rock in the relationship so, to be able to return that favour was the most incredible experience.”
The couple had discussed splitting up ahead of going on the run, knowing it would double their chances while simultaneously splitting the Hunters’ resources, but in those initial discussions, Holly had always assumed she would be splitting from Josh as a sacrifice.
“Coming into the competition I honestly had such little self-worth, and always imagined Josh would be the one that would get all the way to the end,” she explained.
“The way it actually played out was completely different and was such a journey of self-growth and self-worth… I had to learn independence, I had to learn how to set up a tent… pack a sleeping bag… also knock on people’s doors.
“To be a young woman, out there walking the streets by myself, hiding by myself, doing everything by myself when, a lot of the time, Josh takes the ropes in these situations… it was daunting, but it was also so liberating,” Holly said.
“I wanted to do this for myself, I wanted to do this for all the women out there who want to believe they couldn’t do something like this, I think it was the best experience for me.”
Meanwhile, Jimi said he and Ed actually had a completely different plan heading into the final 48 hours, but realised they would need to double their chances of getting to the extraction point. While Ed continued on their original plan, Jimi went out on his own hoping for the very best.
“Those solo days were the most difficult because I didn’t have Ed there with me. With Ed, I always had someone who could make me laugh when I was feeling down and I could bounce decisions off,” Jimi said. “Being without him, I had to make sure I was going over every decision twice.”
Wandering the streets, Jimi was hoping to rely on the kindness of strangers in those final days, but a chance encounter with an old workmate scored him a safe lodging, and from then on his luck continued to improve.
“Not only did I have no plan, I was on my own and could only rely on myself,” he said. After staying with his friend, Jimi managed to find a hotel conveniently close to the extraction point who also were happy for him to pay cash, leaving no paper trail for the Hunters to follow.
“The moment that hotel door shut I knew that I would be making it to the final minutes of the game,” Jimi said. “[But] those 26 hours in that hotel room were the most difficult I had to face and to face them alone made it all the harder.”
Watching the season back, Holly said she was so much more aware of all the errors they made, as well as finally understanding how the Hunters were gathering their intel, and how close they were to catching her and Josh.
“I wish I did my hair or put some makeup on, but when you’re sitting in a bush the last thing you want to do is put makeup on,” she laughed. “I look absolutely crazy, but it’s fine. It’s understandable.”
For Jimi, watching the series back has been an absolute blast. “Seeing so many of our friends and family who helped us on TV has been a real highlight, and also watching the journeys the other Fugitives had has been epic!”
Once he made his way into the chopper, Jimi looked around waiting for Ed to run into the MCG. “When he never got on that chopper I was shocked and sad, and I just wanted to know what happened to him. But, at the end of the day, I was so proud that I was able to get on the chopper for both of us.”
“Looking back on the time away with Ed, I wouldn’t change a thing. He is such a great friend and after this experience even more so. Ed moved to London just a few days after filming ended and I miss him so much already.
“Coming into this I thought it would be a 21-day party but how wrong was I?! Everyday challenged me beyond my wildest imagination, having to truly dig deep to be able to keep going was, on some days, the most difficult thing I have had to do,” Jimi said.
“I learned what resilience truly is, but I am so proud that I never gave up and took it all the way to the end.”
Watch full seasons of Hunted on 10 Play.
