70s Treasure Hunt klunks

[BrandonFG]

Last night, I watched a 70s episode where the first contestant decided to walk, taking home $1,300 and change. It turns out her box contained a klunk and that was that. In the second deal, the contestant kept her box, which started off as a klunk (a parrot), before Geoff brought her back and presented her a check for $8,000. I've seen the latter happen a few times in the 70s version (not sure if the '81 revival did this).

My question, was there ever a time when a contestant took the initial money, turned down a klunk, only for Geoff to say, "By the way, there was also $X,XXX" inside? Or was that only done when she took the box? In the interest of fairness and appeasing S&P, I'd think he'd have to reveal that there was also a check for $5,000+, esp. in mid-70s money.

Or maybe not?

[SuperMatch93]

I remember watching a clip where the contestant took the money and the reveal started as a birthday-themed klunk, with party favors and such, only for Geoff to reveal a check for "TWELVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!" at the last moment.

[Vahan_Nisanian]

I remember watching a clip where the contestant took the money and the reveal started as a birthday-themed klunk, with party favors and such, only for Geoff to reveal a check for "TWELVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!" at the last moment.

That was from the same episode as the Rolls Royce reveal that made the show popular enough to be featured in 60 Minutes, right?

[jmangin]

Yes, same episode. The birthday cake skit is one of my all-time favorites.

[BrandonFG]

I remember watching a clip where the contestant took the money and the reveal started as a birthday-themed klunk, with party favors and such, only for Geoff to reveal a check for "TWELVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!" at the last moment.

Thank you, and thanks to Joe for the clip. Will prolly watch tonight...this has become one of my favorites in recent years, and it's cool to see more and more 70s eps. surfacing, most from CBN reruns.

[Neumms]

In the clip, the woman took the box, not the cash. But even if the contestant took the cash, they went through the whole skit, didn't they?

Has anybody ever heard or figured out the odds of choosing a klunk?

[That Don Guy]

My question, was there ever a time when a contestant took the initial money, turned down a klunk, only for Geoff to say, "By the way, there was also $X,XXX" inside? Or was that only done when she took the box? In the interest of fairness and appeasing S&P, I'd think he'd have to reveal that there was also a check for $5,000+, esp. in mid-70s money.

In what I think was the same show as the first time somebody kept the money and had the $25,000 box, there was another contestant that kept the money, and the skit involved a man who lived about 100 years ago, and in the end, there was his bankbook...with something like 75 dollars in it.  "But...that was 100 years ago!  After 100 years of interest, it's now worth $9000!"

Another one: a woman kept the money, and the skit was about four men - George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, and Salmon Chase (of Chase Manhattan Bank); the reveal was that she would had won portraits of the four men.  "Well...there are four other portraits you would have won; Washington's on the $1 bill, Lincoln's on the $5, Hamilton's on the $10, and Chase's...on this $10,000 bill!"

In the clip, the woman took the box, not the cash. But even if the contestant took the cash, they went through the whole skit, didn't they?

Yes, if for no other reason than they had to fill the time.

Has anybody ever heard or figured out the odds of choosing a klunk?

I assume the number of klunks was not a fixed thing, so the odds would change from one contestant to the next (if, say, a klunk was replaced with a real prize).

[Adam Nedeff]

In the clip, the woman took the box, not the cash. But even if the contestant took the cash, they went through the whole skit, didn't they?

ABSOLUTELY. Take it from an ex-prize coordinator, if you have an opportunity to plug a prize and a supplier WITHOUT giving the prize away, you do it. That leads to more prizes.