SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Two Yellowknife women have made the shortlist to be on season six of Mantracker, a reality show that throws its contestants into the Canadian wilderness for 36 hours while they are hunted by an expert tracker.

Gayle Esch, left, and Tamara Statchook, pictured here on April 29 on the rocks behind the Arnica Inn, are on the shortlist to be selected as Mantracker's prey on the next season of the reality show. - Tim Edwards/NNSL photo

Tamara Statchook, 31, is a Grade 7 and 8 teacher at Weledeh Catholic School, and Gayle Esch, 22, is a project coordinator at Central Mechanical. The pair have been running the airport loop, about 11 km, six to seven times a week in preparation, and this week they started running with their backpacks on.

"We are actually training for this now, whenever we hike or run," said Esch.

Statchook said they try to make every move as if they were being pursued by Terry Grant, the Mantracker.

"We're like 'if he was there and we were here, would we really cross the road like this?'" said Statchook.

Esch said she suspects the pair garner strange looks while out jogging in their wilderness gear, and jumping across the rocks and through the back trails surrounding Yellowknife.

"We probably look stupid but we really have to train hard for this," said Esch.

Statchook and Esch are one pair of "at least a dozen" on the selection shortlist to be on the show, according to Christine Zaher, production coordinator for Mantracker, though she would not give Yellowknifer an exact number. Zaher said the pairs will selected " probably within the next few months."

The show airs on the Outdoor Life Network and re-runs on CityTV, with between eight and 10 episodes per season. On each show, a new pair - referred to on the show as "prey" - is tracked through new terrain by Grant, who tails them on horseback with the help of a guide who is familiar with the area.

The prey are given a 2 km lead, and Grant is not told where they start.

They must make a 35 to 40 km trek to the finish line without being caught by Grant to win. There isn't a prize, unless you count some pretty hefty bragging rights.

Statchook and Esch sent in a video to the show's producers last year. In it they appear to expertly manoeuvre around the rocky terrain of Yellowknife, and plunge into icy water. The video was made by Esch's boyfriend Mikey McBryan, who is a star on Ice Pilots NWT, a reality show shot in the North following the employees of Buffalo Air.

"I remember Ozzy Osbourne said in the future everyone will have their own reality show," said McBryan.

"It looks like it's coming true."

McBryan said he tried to offer some tips to Esch on how to act in front of the camera, but said Esch is determined to do things her own way.

"It's amazing. They're working really hard," said McBryan.

The two will have to work hard if they want to keep away from Grant, a 25-year veteran of the Alberta Foothills Search and Rescue Team who has been professionally trained to track humans - but Statchook and Esch have little doubt they'll come out on top.

"We're not just in it now to compete - we're gonna win," said Statchook.

To see the duo's video go to www.nnsl.com/arts.