X Marks the Spot – A Preview of Treasure Hunters by C. Brian Devinney -- 06/16/2006 What happens when you combine The Amazing Race with The Da Vinci Code? You get Treasure Hunters, NBC’s summer adventure show. Brian has a preview of the ten teams who will be searching for treasure. On Sunday, ten teams will race across the globe in search of a treasure worth millions. Treasure Hunters is NBC’s attempt to rip off CBS’s highly successful The Amazing Race (we’re still trying to forget about the “family edition” season) and attach its star to the movie based upon the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code – even the producers for the movie have signed on to the series, which has to tell you something. So who are the ten teams competing for this mystery prize? Let’s take a look and see if we can get some insight: Team Young Professionals From NBC.com: “Drew and Taryn are a brother and sister duo who have teamed with their childhood friend Chandra for a shot at fame and fortune. Having known each other for so long, the three don’t hold back and are very competitive. With intimate knowledge of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, these Young Professionals will either thrive under pressure… or self-destruct!” Brian’s take: I vote self-destruct! Oh, that was too easy. First of all, I kinda have to be nice to Taryn and Chandra since both of them live in the metropolitan-NYC area and I definitely don’t need them trying to stalk me down in the city. Second, this is definitely a smart, athletic trio with Taryn about to enter law school and Drew already in medical school, and they can do well if they can control one thing – each person’s need to always be right. If they can keep that under check, then they have a great chance of advancing far in the competition. I just wonder if it’s going to turn into the two women against the man, the brother and sister against the friend, or just everyone for themselves. Team Geniuses From NBC.com: “Charles, Francis, and Sam met as students at Southern Methodist, where they all still attend college. According to their IQ ratings (and near-perfect SAT scores), the three friends qualify as geniuses. Charles is the most conservative and attends SMU on a full scholarship. Francis is witty and sarcastic and thinks he knows everything about women. But it’s Sam, half-Indian and half-Filipino, who is the self-proclaimed ladies man. Will brains beat out brawn in the hunt for the gold?” Brian’s take: Please tell me that the producers gave them that name and not the actual team. If it’s the producers, then fine, I can live with that. If it’s the team, then I hope they have a heaping helping of hubris coming their way. On the plus side, they will definitely have the brains to pull off some of the more complicated mental tasks. After all, they all took organic chemistry (where one of them was the teacher’s assistant!) and got near-perfect scores on the SAT. However, there is talk in their bios about religious and political differences that could rear their ugly heads between these three (and the other teams!), and that could be fun to watch. I’m going to count on it being egos that bring this group down more than anything else. It might be fun to watch, but as a self-confessed egghead myself, it might be sad to see. Team Brown Family From NBC.com: “These three brothers used to play college football and are competitive by nature. They plan to make up for their large size by relying on their brains, wit, humor, and lifetime of playing competitive sports. They are a team of real-life treasure hunters/mystery solvers who enjoy discussing Einstein’s theories of the universe for fun!” Brian’s take: Hooboy. Einstein’s theories of the universe for fun. Book me for a dinner party at their place anytime. Their biggest disadvantage (and one they even admit to themselves) is their weight. Let’s just say that the football-playing days of the Brown family are pretty far behind them. I can’t really say anything myself since mine are a thing of the past as well – but I did take up rugby, which is just as fun. I’m really hoping that their mental skills balance out their lack of physical stamina because this really does look like a fun team that’s going to provide us with a lot of great moments. Do I think that they will win? Probably not, but I’m gonna root for them. Team Southie Boys From NBC.com: “These Boston boys have a great history. Twins Matthew and Martin, both firefighters on opposite sides of the country, grew up in South Boston with their pal John. With their good looks, Irish charm, and thick Boston accents, these guys seem to be able to sweet talk their ways out of any potential trouble. They joined the hunt to feel like kids again. Will this adventure also bring them to a pot of gold?” Brian’s take: Okay… I need someone to explain why the “Southie” boys are from Boston. That’s nowhere near the south. I’m assuming that it’s an Irish nickname of some sort that will come out during the first episode. Ah, check that… thankfully it’s somewhat explained in the bio of one of the guys that they hailed from South Boston. Physically, these guys may be the ones to beat. We don’t know much about their mental prowess but we do know that they can probably kick some major butt on the road to winning the prize. Will their brawn carry them to the finals? I’m going to say yes, it will. Will it help them win? Hmmm… I dunno. Team Miss USA From NBC.com: “Beauty AND brains, that’s what team Miss USA is all about. Don’t pre-judge these pageant women. Melissa was the president of her own company. Kristen has a degree in journalism. Kaitlyn is studying to be a veterinarian.” Brian’s take: You have got to be kidding me. I know they have an “audition tape” clip on the NBC website, but something tells me one casting guy was up watching the Miss USA Pageant and thought that having a trio of these beauties in the show would help with the ratings. It would have been more interesting to see them actually have former Miss USA winners than Miss USA wannabes, but that’s just me. Kristen (Miss Kentucky 2005) is a summa cum laude graduate and Melissa (Miss Florida) used to own her own granite business (no, I am not making that up). Still, I can’t help but think that this team isn’t going to go far. Team Ex-CIA From NBC.com: “They met as CIA interns, but will their top-secret skills give the ex-CIA team an edge? Jacob, Mark, and Todd are brilliant, but also know how to have a good time and used to share a ‘party house.’ Computer whiz Todd is definitely the confident ringleader among the trio. Mild-mannered, opinionated Jacob is doing the hunt for his 80-year-old parents and his nine older siblings. Mark is the self-described mediator between his outspoken teammates.” Brian’s take: This is my pick to win it all. I’m calling it now and calling it early – Team CIA will take home the prize. Of course, that usually means that they will be one of the first teams to go because that’s how it normally goes for me. Let’s just call this a pre-show pick and not hold me to it because I will probably change my mind halfway through the show. These guys are smart and in shape and have what it takes to stay cool under pressure and take home the top prize. Team Grad Students From NBC.com: “Twins Jessica and Melissa are best friends with Kat. All three are bartenders, marathon runners, and college graduates from San Diego, California. All three also happen to be gorgeous. They’re banking on their competitors underestimating their intelligence, giving them an advantage on the hunt.” Brian’s take: Okay… they’re pretty. Gorgeous might be pushing it just a bit too far for me. I mean, Kat is only 26, yet she looks like she’s easily five or six years older than that. Okay, let’s get past the looks and we do see that these girls do have some brains. But what’s really lacking for me with them is that killer instinct that you have to have on these shows to actually go in for the kill. I hope they demonstrate that early and often or they are going to be screwed. Team Air Force From NBC.com: “These dynamic Air Force officers met their first year of basic training. Matt and Brooke quickly fell in love and have been married for five years. Matthew Z. is godfather to the oldest of their two children.” Brian’s take: This is my runner-up to Team Ex-CIA in terms of who I think will take it all. What bugs me here a little is that I don’t think any of these three can play the role of “Indian” to someone else’s “chief.” What I also noted – all three have the Bible as their favorite book, which makes me wonder if Team Air Force is going to morph into Team Holy Rollers. They definitely look like they have the stamina and drive to go far, so this may be a team to look out for – if they can just learn to take directions from each other. Team Fogal Family From NBC.com: They look like the perfect California family. Brad, a senior pastor at the local church. His wife: blonde-haired, blue-eyed Margie. And their daughter: cute Kayte with her casual style.” Brian’s take: Ah… maybe this will be Team Holy Rollers? Hmmm, could an alliance between them and Team Air Force form based on religious beliefs? If they bond with Team Air Force, they will probably go as far as their alliance mates will allow them before they have to cut their throats and leave them behind. We’ve seen it done before plenty of times on The Amazing Race and I’m expecting it to happen here as well. Team Wild Hanlons From NBC.com: “The Wild Hanlon family is unlike any family you’ve seen on reality television. Proud mullet-wearing Pat owns a successful carpet-cleaning business. Big brother Ben has a huge smile that hides his quick temper. He also has his doctorate in medical administration and is an Air Force veteran. Pat’s son Josh seems soft-spoken, but can hold his own against his dad and uncle. Other teams might think the Hanlons are ‘hicks,’ but they are a clever team with hearts of gold.” Brian’s take: This trio is officially going to be called Team Mullet. How can I call them anything else? I mean, that’s some serious hair on Pat. Something tells me that these are going to be the team that everyone roots for and gets eliminated just before the last episode. Source: http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article6199.art&page=1