Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Criminal capture competition more about greed than justice.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
BOUNTY WARS is a reality series that features three veteran teams of bounty hunters competing against each other to earn some extra cash. Bail bondsman Jeff Stanley gives each team a list of fugitives that they have to hunt down. The teams must capture as many bail jumpers as possible within five days in hopes that their bonds are high enough to bring in a good return. The team that brings in the most reward money earned from the bonds collected wins $10,000 in bonus money. It isn't easy, especially when they hit dead ends or fail to make a capture in time. But each team does their best to use their strength and savvy to make their captures.
Is It Any Good?
The series offers a look at the different ways bounty hunters search for and capture defendants in order to collect a percentage of the bounty that is earned as a result of the arrest. To make it more interesting, details about some of the team members' personal lives are revealed, and limited details about the defendants' backgrounds are discussed.
The activities featured here are motivated by greed rather than justice, something that is most apparent when a team is minutes away from seizing a wanted criminal and then walks away because the game is over. Nonetheless, fans of crime fighting shows will still find it voyeuristically entertaining.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the role of a bounty hunter in American crime fighting. Why does the court system rely on bounty hunters, a.k.a. bail enforcement agents, even though they are not officers of the court? Did you know that bounty hunters have more authority than police officers when arresting defendants?
What is the value of this kind of show? Why would someone want to appear on the show?
TV Details
- Premiere date : July 8, 2012
- Cast : Jeff Stanley
- Network : Discovery Channel
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 27, 2022
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