# Treasure Hunters 8/21 season finale (spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654 "2006-08-21T21:13:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/1 "2006-08-21T21:13:38Z")
Last week: stuff happened! Tonight: Stuff will happen! And it’s supposedly live! ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/2 "2006-08-21T21:33:26Z")
Not only that, but it’s the last week that stuff will happen on this season of Treasure Hunters. I wonder if the eliminated Hunters will be part of the finale, like when the eliminated Racers line the path of the final footrace on TAR. (Yes, yes, I do make too many TAR/TH comparisons). If that’s the case, we’ll get to see Kayte Fauxgal and the Wyld Hannlyns again. Woohoo! ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/3 "2006-08-21T21:46:35Z")
Description on Yahoo TV: _The final three teams compete in a battle of wits to solve the last puzzle and find the treasure; teams from the online game continue their treasure hunt on-air._ Sounds to me like Yahoo is confirming that, indeed, the actual competition is pre-recorded, adn the “live” section is from the online trivia game. Whoopie. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/4 "2006-08-22T01:16:38Z")
FSKEY? Yep, I’d still be down in that hole. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/5 "2006-08-22T01:18:46Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] FSKEY? Yep, I’d still be down in that hole. [/QUOTE] _Lawd sakes, yes_ … and I didn’t see a potty down there! More than 6 hours stressed out in a hot basement with no toilet? That’s a _disaster_ waiting to happen, people. _DISASTER_, I say! ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/6 "2006-08-22T01:22:01Z")
I almost said that no one with those fucking sideburns should win all that money, and then they started talking about all the good things they were going to do with the money. Wow, could Laird have more obviously called the other teams losers? Now, what to do with the remaining 40 minutes… ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/7 "2006-08-22T01:31:58Z")
I like how Laird’s job just went from “Max Headroom” to “homeroom teacher-slash-riot police” when he had to corral the Geniuses up on that stage. “Come join me! Sam! Join me! Francis! _Sam!_ Join – Francis! Sam! Join – _Charles!_ Come _here_, dammit!” ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/8 "2006-08-22T01:36:56Z")
OK, so when the next Race starts, everyone decide who they want to lose so I can root for them. I can’t pick a winner to save my life. Not only can I not pick a winner but the winning teams almost always turn out to be the one team that I actively dislike. OK, in this Hunt I actually actively disliked two teams, but I knew the Fauxgals had no chance. And good god, Francis has shaved his head but kept the sideburns? I don’t care how much the treasure is worth, _no one_ has enough money to make that look good. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/9 "2006-08-22T01:56:58Z")
I got the FSKEY after about ten minutes. So simple. I haven’t watche dthis like I did TAR - I dislike the sets, the set-ups. Give me TAR any day. StG ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/10 "2006-08-22T03:00:59Z")
Did anyone ever hear what the location of the treasure was for the on-line game? I missed about 5 minutes of the show tonight right when they started that portion. I wanna know if any of my guesses were correct. I hope it gets renewed and they tweak everythiing that needs tweaking! It’s also got me netflixing TAR, which I never watched before. That’s fun! (And, btw, only Seasons 1 and then 7 are on DVD? Weird.) ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/11 "2006-08-22T03:28:43Z")
I just reread my question and I worded it kinda poorly, but my daughter was fussing while I was typing! Of course I mean what location was the answer on-line. I tried Fort McHenry several times and I tried Washington D.C., but never more specific than that. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/12 "2006-08-22T03:54:46Z")
I was [close](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=7690013&postcount=45). Was it just me, or was the big finale just fundamentally backwards? “Here’s the team that just won millions. We’ll tell you exactly how much later in the show.” doesn’t exactly put me on the edge of my seat. Maybe to Genworth Financial that’s thrilling stuff, but not to me. Guys, it’s real simple. If you do this show again, tell us the prize up front and then just let everybody compete for it. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/13 "2006-08-22T07:45:26Z")
That ending was just completely unsatisfying. I stopped watching when they found it. Who cared after that? They really have no idea how to edit this show. Ah well. It was a nice summer break. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/14 "2006-08-22T08:50:35Z")
I actually stopped watching after the geniuses claimed their prize. Even though it was backwards, I was kind of grateful that I could just go to bed and not have to wait the full hour to see what happened. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/15 "2006-08-22T11:11:17Z")
[QUOTE=lorene] I actually stopped watching after the geniuses claimed their prize. Even though it was backwards, I was kind of grateful that I could just go to bed and not have to wait the full hour to see what happened. [/QUOTE] Yeah – but then you missed the _really exciting_ part. The part where, in the fine print shown after the closing credits, it says that the value of the treasure is only $3M _if_ the Geniuses take the annuity option over 25 years. Isn’t that _awesome_? They kept their mouths shut about winning for this long, only to find out that they still have to wait about a _squillion years_ to cash all the way in. Although, on the annual annuity amount, they’ll still be able to pay for med school – but _not so much_ with the parents’ and grandparents’ retirements, I don’t think. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/16 "2006-08-22T15:25:46Z")
Wow. Laird is the suckiest live-action host ever to suck, I think. He can’t even ask a question properly. And apparently, he _does_ wear pants. I was really hoping for a Katye Fogal Greatest Hits section, followed by Laird asking “What the hell is _wrong_ with you???” So, the ending wasn’t terribly satisfying, but really, who was still interested after we knew who won? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/17 "2006-08-22T15:33:08Z")
Gitta love the Fogals - “We live Christian principles, but only when other Christians are involved! Everyone else we screw over.” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/18 "2006-08-22T15:37:48Z")
Wait a second… Didn’t the MamajamaMessage say that there was some clue among the carvings on the walls what the code was to open the final cryptex? If there was, we never saw it. Teams have stumbled into things all through the hunt, but usually they made a point to show the audience what the hunters were missing. It seems like the only way to get FSKEY was to just try everything you could think of until it opened. Five rotors, 26 letters each; 11,881,376 combinations. Exhaustive search probably wasn’t the way to go. I still wonder if I could have cracked it. Once they opened it (the expressions were priceless. “Let me try something”, _SPROING_) they figured out the spinner and the star on the wall pretty quickly. [QUOTE=rockle] Yeah – but then you missed the _really exciting_ part. The part where, in the fine print shown after the closing credits, it says that the value of the treasure is only $3M _if_ the Geniuses take the annuity option over 25 years. [/QUOTE] I missed that part, and it does kinda suck, but it’s hardly the first time someone has hyped the value of a cash prize like that. I think it’s SOP for all the lotteries. **Draelin** , at least they did call the Fogals on some of the crap they pulled. And they sounded like they apologized without actually doing so. And L-Mac missed the obvious question. “Yo, Jessica, how’s your knee?” ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/19 "2006-08-22T15:59:19Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] I missed that [small print] part, and it does kinda suck, but it’s hardly the first time someone has hyped the value of a cash prize like that. I think it’s SOP for all the lotteries. [/QUOTE] Yes, it is. I just think it’s funny that they _didn’t even bother_ with the giant novelty cardboard check that all the other game show winners get. Instead, it’s like they got a whole bunch of mortgage paperwork to sign, with a Post-It note on top that said, “The check is in the mail.” ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654/20 "2006-08-22T15:59:43Z")
[QUOTE=Draelin] Wow. Laird is the suckiest live-action host ever to suck, I think. He can’t even ask a question properly. And apparently, he _does_ wear pants. [/Quote] I actually commented on that last night. He’s a real person…_with pants_! Earned me a look from my husband. [Quote=Draelin] I was really hoping for a Katye Fogal Greatest Hits section, followed by Laird asking “What the hell is _wrong_ with you???” [/QUOTE] That would have been _awesome_. [Quote=Lamar Mundane] Gitta love the Fogals - “We live Christian principles, but only when other Christians are involved! Everyone else we screw over.” [/Quote] Now…who does that remind us of, TAR fans? Seriously, who does that remind us of? I have blocked almost everything about that hateful family from my memory, except for young buck-toothed Rolly and the unfortunate camel toe incident. [QUOTE=Robot Arm] Teams have stumbled into things all through the hunt, but usually they made a point to show the audience what the hunters were missing. [/QUOTE] I thought of this last night. I think it was you who pointed out a few weeks back that teams could be bumbling idiots right up until the moment when they had to find an artifact, and then stumble onto it, regardless of skill. That was true right up until the very end last night, and I can imagine that Team Air Force, who were skilled in many ways, were just pissed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/treasure-hunters-8-21-season-finale-spoilers/369654.md?page=2)