To men who prey on children for sex, Chris Hansen is the monster in the closet. On and off for more than two decades, he and his television crew have partnered with American law enforcement agencies to lure online predators into homes where decoys posing as minors await, with Hansen lurking down the hall and police officers hidden outside in ambush positions. The stings are all captured on film, at first with hidden cameras, then with handhelds as each episode reaches its climax, when Hansen appears like a nightmare apparition, ominously intoning, “I’m Chris Hansen, and we’re doing a story about adults who try to meet kids online for sex.” He confronts the men with their phone transcripts and chat logs and asks if they want to explain themselves. They never can—at least, not to any reasonable human being’s satisfaction—and when Hansen finally tells them they’re free to leave and return the way they came, the cops pounce like lions.