Bait Car
The 2007 reality television program Bait Car is my guilty pleasure. The show’s premise is microscopically simple: people steal a car that the police are watching, and they get caught. To do this, the police retrofit a car with remote cameras, ignition disablers, and door locks. They place the car in a high crime area and watch it (on camera) from a nearby location.
A person walks/drives by the car and gets interested. Then they get inside and drive it away. How? The police leave the keys visible, and the doors unlocked. During their getaway, the police shut down the car and locked the doors. An arrest and interview follows. Every 30-minute episode of Bait Car has at least three incidents.
Many cities have bait car police divisions, allowing the show to travel nationwide. From reading the news, these programs are incredibly successful with a high conviction rate. Nabbing criminals and doing something entertaining? Yes, please.
Why was I so addicted? It was 100% real drama with real people—pure life. I loved watching excited people stealing a car while knowing they would get caught. Then, watching/listening to them invent stories about how they were not stealing the car. Amazing.
Why? Have you ever been in a conversation and suspected/knew the person was lying? How were you so sure? You might have known the facts behind the lie, but I bet you saw the visual clues. That is Bait Car solid gold. Viewers get to see all the visual and audio tells of a lie. Raising tone, winks, breaking eye contact, fidgeting, biting lip, pauses, and shifting body posture. The show taught me to be good at identifying these traits.
Often, the thieves are with friends, and the friends do one of two things. Encourage their friend to steal or warn them that stealing is wrong. During the drive, the thieves brag to their friends or say they are scared.
And the interview excuses? “This is my brother’s car.” “I was only borrowing it.” “I need a second car.” “I’m picking up my kids.” “I thought this was my car.” “Nah, you got the wrong person.”
Then, the police showed the thief a video of them stealing the car. Not even the best actor could display that level of utter shock. Some thieves break down, and others double down on their excuse. “That’s not me. I have a twin brother.”
And who are the thieves? One would expect down-on-their-luck people. No, not on Bait Car. The police catch people from all walks of life, from hardened car thieves with multiple convictions to upstanding families. Yes, the entire family got into the car in more than one episode, and Mom/Dad drove it away. Ten-year-old car thieves? You bet! This is a level of craziness that I cannot turn away from.
Unfortunately, the show went off the air in 2012 and was in reruns for about two years. I recall one Sunday, there was a Bait Car marathon, and I spent from eight in the morning until midnight watching it.
I suppose raw human behavior is the appeal of reality programs. People are doing what they do and getting filmed. Alas, the show is not available for streaming. There are a few clips on YouTube, but it is not the same as spending an entire Sunday binge-watching the craziness.
You’re the best -Bill
August 07, 2024
A person walks/drives by the car and gets interested. Then they get inside and drive it away. How? The police leave the keys visible, and the doors unlocked. During their getaway, the police shut down the car and locked the doors. An arrest and interview follows. Every 30-minute episode of Bait Car has at least three incidents.
Many cities have bait car police divisions, allowing the show to travel nationwide. From reading the news, these programs are incredibly successful with a high conviction rate. Nabbing criminals and doing something entertaining? Yes, please.
Why was I so addicted? It was 100% real drama with real people—pure life. I loved watching excited people stealing a car while knowing they would get caught. Then, watching/listening to them invent stories about how they were not stealing the car. Amazing.
Why? Have you ever been in a conversation and suspected/knew the person was lying? How were you so sure? You might have known the facts behind the lie, but I bet you saw the visual clues. That is Bait Car solid gold. Viewers get to see all the visual and audio tells of a lie. Raising tone, winks, breaking eye contact, fidgeting, biting lip, pauses, and shifting body posture. The show taught me to be good at identifying these traits.
Often, the thieves are with friends, and the friends do one of two things. Encourage their friend to steal or warn them that stealing is wrong. During the drive, the thieves brag to their friends or say they are scared.
And the interview excuses? “This is my brother’s car.” “I was only borrowing it.” “I need a second car.” “I’m picking up my kids.” “I thought this was my car.” “Nah, you got the wrong person.”
Then, the police showed the thief a video of them stealing the car. Not even the best actor could display that level of utter shock. Some thieves break down, and others double down on their excuse. “That’s not me. I have a twin brother.”
And who are the thieves? One would expect down-on-their-luck people. No, not on Bait Car. The police catch people from all walks of life, from hardened car thieves with multiple convictions to upstanding families. Yes, the entire family got into the car in more than one episode, and Mom/Dad drove it away. Ten-year-old car thieves? You bet! This is a level of craziness that I cannot turn away from.
Unfortunately, the show went off the air in 2012 and was in reruns for about two years. I recall one Sunday, there was a Bait Car marathon, and I spent from eight in the morning until midnight watching it.
I suppose raw human behavior is the appeal of reality programs. People are doing what they do and getting filmed. Alas, the show is not available for streaming. There are a few clips on YouTube, but it is not the same as spending an entire Sunday binge-watching the craziness.
You’re the best -Bill
August 07, 2024
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