The return of "Treasure Hunt"?

[colonial]

Deadline is reporting that a revival of "Treasure Hunt" is in the works, courtesy of Barry Poznick (who's helming ABC's "To Tell the Truth" revival), Wink Martindale and John Ricci.

http://deadline.com/2015/09/treasure-hunt-game-show-reboot-barry-poznik-1201528033/

The article suggests that the "basic premise" of the game will remain the same, but no details on who this may be potentially pitched to (or if a network is seeking such a show).


JD

[Nick]

Considering the gong show television has become, this might actually work.

/Pun absolutely... Yeah, I don't have to say it.

//Still wondering what happened to that Celebrity Sweepstakes reboot Winc was reportedly getting off the ground a couple of years ago.

[BrandonFG]

If this avoids the Endemaul route, and doesn't go for sappy backstories or pregnant pauses, this could be pretty good.

[Matt Ottinger]

//Still wondering what happened to that Celebrity Sweepstakes reboot Winc was reportedly getting off the ground a couple of years ago.

If you find yourself wondering about every project you heard was being developed, especially in a reasonably well-informed group like this one, you'd find yourself in a constant state of wonder.  Projects start and stop for any of a million different reasons, and for every show that makes it to air there are dozens upon dozens of potential shows that don't.

[TLEberle]

If this avoids the Endemaul route, and doesn't go for sappy backstories or pregnant pauses, this could be pretty good.

The problem is that the format is the equivalent to cotton candy: there's nothing there but empty calories.

If the host asked "What number do you want?" "OK, so you picked 87, inside that is $6,000, you can either keep that money or hope that a check for a quarter-million dollars is in there." "You've chosen to give back the six grand and that means you've won...a hill of beans!"

You could probably play three games in a half hour and have plenty of room to breathe. The whole point of the show is tension and suspense, and unfortunately what that meant in 1973 is different than what it means in 2015. Personally I wouldn't mind if there was some sort of play-in event to see who gets to pick one of the 99 surprise boxes rather than having the mini-documentary that we got for each of the contestants on Take It All. Could it work? Yes. Am I dubious? Yeah buddy.

[BrandonFG]

You could probably play three games in a half hour and have plenty of room to breathe. The whole point of the show is tension and suspense, and unfortunately what that meant in 1973 is different than what it means in 2015. Personally I wouldn't mind if there was some sort of play-in event to see who gets to pick one of the 99 surprise boxes rather than having the mini-documentary that we got for each of the contestants on Take It All. Could it work? Yes. Am I dubious? Yeah buddy.

Agreed that the show was mostly fluff, and that if there's a format that benefits from padding, it's this one. I like the play-in game idea (kinda along the lines of Singled Out or the Temptation pilot from the early-80s, just scaled down). I also wouldn't mind keeping the sketches and goofy banter from Geoff's versions. I think you could still get two games in with say, a 10 contestant play-in game. Allow the remaining nine in a second play-in and give them a $100 gift card for their time.

Winc being behind this is encouraging...it's network tampering (assuming it's for one) that concerns me. Sketches are fine, melodramatic video packages are not.

/Esp. if it's NBC

[Nick]

If you find yourself wondering about every project you heard was being developed, especially in a reasonably well-informed group like this one, you'd find yourself in a constant state of wonder.  Projects start and stop for any of a million different reasons, and for every show that makes it to air there are dozens upon dozens of potential shows that don't.

True, though I never recall hearing anything as to why it didn't get developed.  If I missed something that was once announced in  this group, then mea culpa on my part.

[BillCullen1]

Maybe it will go back to the format of the original Treasure Hunt that Jan Murray hosted with a Q&A format and "pirate girls" handling the boxes - that's what Jan called them. And yes, I know this is a long shot.

[Neumms]

Maybe it will go back to the format of the original Treasure Hunt that Jan Murray hosted with a Q&A format and "pirate girls" handling the boxes - that's what Jan called them.

We can also hope klunks revert to the term "booby prizes" and that the host pronounces "booooby" in the lecherous way Jan did.

I'd love to see The Newer Treasure Hunt and skits with actual production value and capable actors. But the whole conceit of the show, to find the craziest people possible and drive them crazier, is from a by-gone era. Seems like the surprises in the boxes need to involve further games or risks.