| Bogan Hunters | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Documentary comedy |
| Presented by | Paul Fenech |
| Opening theme | "Bogan Hunters" byHeaven the Axe |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes(inc.adverts) |
| Original release | |
| Network | 7mate (Australia)[1] TV2 (New Zealand)[2] |
| Release | 13 May (2014-05-13) – 15 July 2014 (2014-07-15) |
Bogan Hunters is an Australiancomedyreality television series created byPaul Fenech forSeven Network's7mate. The series provides an in-depth look into Australia'sbogan subculture, as the Bogan Hunters traverse the nation looking for Australia's greatest bogan. The show first aired on Australia's7mate on 13 May 2014 and onNew Zealand'sTV2 on 14 October 2014.[3] The finale of season 1 aired on 15 July 2014 in Australia and on 9 December 2014 in New Zealand.
On 8 February 2015, two Bogan Hunters specials aired titled "Summernats And The Hunt For The Great Aussie Hoon" and "Bathurst Conspiracy".[4]
The show follows the adventures of 'boganologist' Paul 'Pauly' Fenech, Shazza (Elle Dawe) and Kev the Kiwi (Kevin Taumata) as they travel around Australia in search of the nation's greatestbogan, tapping into a growing interest and fascination in Australia's unique version of thesubculture.[5][6][7] Their quest takes them to all of Australia's states and territories, except for theACT, revealing the diversity of bogan culture throughout the nation.[8] After searching in many regions with significant bogan populations, seven of the finest bogansdown under are selected by a panel of eight celebrity judges to compete in a Bogan Grand Final inSydney, where criteria such as appearance, attitude and sex appeal are measured. The winners of the 2014 showdown are granted a "GoldenThong Award", and a beer keg laden "Aussie pride 'Straya' ute" or a makeover.[9] Series 1 focused on suburban bogans, located about 20 minutes drive from the center of Australia's largest cities.[10]
Many of the shows' main characters and judges have previously appeared in theSBS television seriesPizza,Swift and Shift Couriers andHousos.
Tasmania was named the 'bogan capital of Australia' with Taswegians earning four spots in the final.[11] On the island of Tasmania, half the population has literacy and/or numeracy difficulties, and the unemployment rate is higher than it is in mainland Australia.[12][13]
The producers ofBogan Hunters wanted to interview Bertrant Cadert, the Mayor of the Municipality ofGlamorgan Spring Bay about the controversy surrounding the word bogan, after he labeled the residents ofTriabunna as "the most bogan of bogans" using the word in a derogatory sense.[14] Cadert declined the interview.[14]
The show has become a part of Tasmanian culture, with "Bogan Hunters" being the 11th most popular search term onGoogle in 2014 for users from Tasmania.[15]
The show, while light hearted and presented in a comedic fashion, accurately documents the widespread extent and manifestations of the real bogan culture in Australia.[16][17]
There is no pretence, you are what you are, it's a very honest way of living. You don't try to be what you're not. A lot of bogans (who) have had hard knocks in life are still smiling. To me that taps into the best part of Australian character — the humour, the honesty, the ability to laugh at ourselves.
Some of the show's finalists appeared in the 2014 motion pictureFat Pizza vs. Housos, which began showing in Australian cinemas on 27 November 2014.[19][20]
When asked about the production of the series and if the participants were enthusiastic about the project, producerPaul Fenech stated:
There are people who do classify themselves as bogans so I thought it would be a laugh because a lot of them are great characters. There's an optimism and an honesty and there's a real bogan culture and they seem cool with it. Sometimes we would drive to a suburb, get out and we'd be flocked by a range of different bogans. And then we'd just find the most obvious bogan and follow them around. There's maybe 2 per cent jokes in the show … and the rest of it is all real.
The show was praised by critics such as Scott Ellis and Louise Rugendyke fromThe Sydney Morning Herald's "The Guide".[22][23] They have speculated that some of the characters could use a little more help than is afforded to them, highlighting the importance of shining the spotlight on them.[23]
The 9:30pm premiere ofBogan Hunters on7mate rated 390,000 mainland capital city viewers and 589,000 viewers Australia wide, making it the highest-rating entertainment program ever to screen on the three-year-old digital channel and the second highest rating show to date.[24][25] It led in multichannel ratings for the night, far ahead of shows such asParenthood onSeven Network's primary channel.[1] The second episode was slightly higher with 393,000 mainland capital city viewers, and was also the night's highest rating program on a multichannel.[26]
Season 1 of Bogan Hunters enjoyed more viewers than many other Australian comedies of its era, such as theABC'sJonah from Tonga, which later screened onHBO in the United States andBBC Three in the United Kingdom.[27][28]
| No. | Original air | Multichannel Ranking (Australia) | Australian viewers | New Zealander viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 May 2014 | 1 | 589,000[21] | |
| 2 | 20 May 2014 | 1 | 554,000[29] | |
| 3 | 27 May 2014 | 1 | 321,000[30] | |
| 4 | 3 June 2014 | 1 | 341,000[31] | |
| 5 | 10 June 2014 | 15 | 247,000[32] | |
| 6 | 17 June 2014 | < 20 | 193,000[33] | |
| 7 | 24 June 2014 | 15 | 248,000[34] | |
| 8 | 1 July 2014 | < 20 | 191,000[35] | |
| 9 | 8 July 2014 | 2 | 325,000[36] | |
| 10 | 15 July 2014 | 9 | 232,000[37] |
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | iTunes release | DVD release | DVD features | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | + New unreleased footage | Region 4 | + | |||
| 1 | 10 | 13 May 2014 | 15 July 2014 | 15 July 2014[38] | 17 July 2014[39][40] |
| |
| No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date | Consolidated Australian viewers (Mainland Capitals) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Paul Fenech | 13 May 2014 (2014-05-13) | |
Seasoned boganologist Pauly Fenech, bogan translator Shazza Jones and security leader (andNZ beer drinking champion) Kev the Kiwi begin their search for Australia's greatest bogan atWestern Australia's Powercruise event at thePerth Motorplex where they encounter examples of the "cashed-up bogan" or cub. Later, they head to southernTasmania, where they discover the phrase 'obeastie', a recent addition the Australian vernacular. The episode also features a stop at theNed Kelly museum inGlenrowan,VIC.[38] | ||||
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Paul Fenech | 20 May 2014 (2014-05-20) | |
The Bogan hunters travel toGeorge Town,Tasmania, and then toFremantle,WA where they visit bogan iconBon Scott's grave and encounter a group of BoganBikers. Finally they travel to a popular Logan Bogan hangout spot, a pub inLogan, SouthernQueensland where a game ofthongs is used to settle a dispute.[38] | ||||
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Paul Fenech | 27 May 2014 (2014-05-27) | |
The Bogan hunters continue their search, playingwheel of goon inNar Nar Goon,VIC, and looking for "remote area bogans" to no avail near Stonor,TAS. Later the hunters split up, with Shazza making an important stop atHolden's soon to be closedElizabeth factory, and Pauly and Kev attending the King of the Ring Fight inDarwin,NT and performingburnouts inside aFannie Bay living room.[38] | ||||
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Paul Fenech | 3 June 2014 (2014-06-03) | |
The Bogan hunters' quest takes them toNew South Wales, Queensland,Victoria andSouth Australia. Shazza does her first burnout in aflanno covered car, visits theBig Merino and the team investigates rumors of a two headed bogan in the Tasmanian wilderness.[38] | ||||
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Paul Fenech | 10 June 2014 (2014-06-10) | |
Davey Cooper joins Pauly and Kev for a look around theSalisbury andElizabeth areas ofAdelaide,SA. InBrahma Lodge, the hunters attend aCold Chisel tribute concert. Later the crew returns to theNorthern Territory, where they meet thethong throwing champion of Darwin at the Corroboree Park Tavern. Kev loses against Pauly in a fishing contest, resulting in two penalties, firstly to be covered in snakes and secondly to go for a dunk with a largecrocodile while inside aperspex tank.[38] | ||||
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Paul Fenech | 17 June 2014 (2014-06-17) | |
The hunt continues with the team hanging out inRavenswood, Tasmania, and meeting with a bogan imposter in Queensland. Later, Shazza gets to give her first everhomejob tattoo to a mother inSt Helens,TAS.[38] | ||||
| 7 | "Episode 7" | Paul Fenech | 24 June 2014 (2014-06-24) | |
The hunters meet a crazy and sometimes naked Western Australian contender inRockingham, a bogan who lives in a Holden vehicle and the crew visit One Mile Hotel inIpswich,QLD to report on an officially registered sport - jelly wrestling.[38][42] | ||||
| 8 | "Episode 8" | Paul Fenech | 1 July 2014 (2014-07-01) | |
The Bogan Hunters recap on the highlights of their trip and the seven finalists found during their quest are revealed.[38] | ||||
| 9 | "Episode 9" | Paul Fenech | 8 July 2014 (2014-07-08) | |
| 10 | "Episode 10" | Paul Fenech | 15 July 2014 (2014-07-15) | |
After almost enjoying a pie fromHarry's Cafe de Wheels, the winners of the title of 'Australia's Greatest Bogan' are presented with the keys to the "Aussie pride 'Straya' ute" with beer kegs in the back, while the winners of the Best Bogan Female Award and the Overall Points Winner are invited to receive a complimentary 48-hour make over conducted by Henry Roth, complete with etiquette lessons fromJune Dally-Watkins and dental treatment from Haoey Dental.[38][43][44] | ||||
| Country | Network(s)/Station(s) |
|---|---|
 Australia (origin) | 7mate |
 New Zealand | TV2 |
