The Traitors co-creator RTL Creative Unit and fellow Dutch producer Signal.Stream have joined forces for Catch Us If You Can, a continent-spanning reality game. The series will see six celebrity teams hunt three famous targets across Europe.
RTL’s Dutch streaming service, Videoland, has ordered the show, which is currently in production and will launch on the service on October 25. RTL Creative Unit and Signal.Stream are co-producing in collaboration with Talpa Studios’ StukTV, which has an exclusive development deal with RTL’s in-house creative division.
The format works with three celebrities becoming living targets, and are given an hour’s head start to find a secret hideout somewhere in Europe. Six celebrity duos then attempt to track them, one mission at a time. The duos can switch targets daily, while the targets themselves face public challenges that risk exposure, assigned by the ‘Gamemaster.’ Every night, the team furthest behind faces elimination.
“We aim to create formats for Videoland that truly stand out,” said Ralph de Beurs, Creative Director, RTL Creative Unit. “The collaboration with Signal.Stam has proven highly successful, thanks to their innovative approach to developing and producing new concepts.
The series was piloted on YouTube, where Signal.Stream often launches new formats.
“Catch Us If You Can combines the energy of a live studio show with the unpredictability of a real-world chase across Europe,” said Wouter van der Pauw, who co-founded Signal.Stream with Giel de Winter. “It’s a format where different storylines converge, and where the audience has the power to shape the game.”
“With Catch Us If You Can, we set out to create a chase competition that doesn’t just play out on screen, but also in the hands of the audience. Viewers don’t just watch – they shape the game. It’s a new kind of format, built for the streaming generation, kicking off live from the studio. From the tip line to the daily eliminations, viewers drive the tension. Piloted on YouTube and refined with audience feedback, it now arrives on Videoland at a European scale.”
The news comes a week before MIPCOM, the TV industry’s biggest international sales event.