Real Life Manhunt Unfolds On Hit CBS Reality Show 'Hunted'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- When real life fugitives go off the grid, it takes experts, technology, and determination to bring them in.

A real life manhunt unfolds in the new CBS high intensity reality show, "Hunted." The hit show puts together teams of fugitives to see if they can make themselves invisible.

There's a catch -- a team of expert investigators is hot on their digital trail.

Former White House Chief Information Officer Theresa Payton is one of them.

"A lot of people think I'm going to go on the run," she tells CBS2's Mary Calvi. "What I'm going to do is I'm going to delete all my accounts the day I'm leaving and then I'll be good. You don't realize the pervasiveness of the digital tracks you leave behind. It's not just as simple as deleting your email and social media accounts."

Payton, along with Long Island based Lenny DePaul -- who spent over three decades pursuing the most violent criminals -- make it seem like the faux-fugitives may not be on the run for long.

"In the real world where I came from I chased bad people for three decades," DePaul said. "Terrorists, murderers, rapists, arsonists, the worst of the worst. So to do this, it's a human being on the run. For us, when that bell rings, we hit the ground running."

But is it possible for those who are actually trying to disappear?

"It's not just about you," Payton says, " but the people around you and whether they're off the grid too."

She refers to it as the circle of trust. If the people around you become more active digitally, those looking for you will eventually find you.

As part of the rules for "the hunt," fugitives must stay within a 100,000 square mile zone. They get a one hour head start before the hunters are alerted.

You can catch "Hunted" on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on CBS2.