Recap: Week 2
A much-anticipated night of rest came to an abrupt end when phones started ringing at 2:20 in the morning. For their next challenge, the teams had to follow in the footsteps of legendary explorers Lewis & Clark by driving over 600 miles to the Lexington Mine in Montana where the next clue was buried.
When Air Force arrived, they learned that the next clue would be found in a secret chamber 10,000 feet into the dark depths of the murky mine. Taking a train into the blackness, they came across a chamber where a bucket etched with the words "bend the light" awaited them. As they turned their flashlights on it, the wiggling form of dozens of snakes came into focus.
The Fogals and Miss USA came across the bucket - and the snakes - next. Mrs. Fogal freaked out and took off running as Air Force realized they had to pour water into the bucket to refract the light and force it to yield up its secret: Wood Bottom, Missouri River, Montana.
Air Force received the next instructions: Head to the Wood Bottom campsite and canoe 20 miles on the Missouri River. The Fogals were the next team to decipher the clue and head out to Wood Bottom, exiting the mine just as the Grad Students figured out the challenge.
It didn't take long for the Geniuses to spelunk their way into the mine and figure out the clue. They were quickly followed by Ex-CIA, leaving the Southie Boys, the Brown Family, and the Wild Hanlons bringing up the rear.
The Wild Hanlons thought they had the clue solved and headed out of the mine… they were wrong. The Browns, however, were on top of things, although the same couldn't be said about the Southie Boys, who for some reason were chipping away at one of the mine's walls.
After 11 hours in the mine, the Wild Hanlons still hadn't solved the clue. In a last gasp of inspiration, Ben decided to pour some water into the snake-ridden bucket. With the clue finally solved, they arrived at the campsite after 3 a.m., leaving them with only 2.5 hours until it was time to set off by canoe for the next leg of their journey.
At dawn, the teams hit the river to look for 14 stars along their 20-mile route. Forty paces beyond the last star would be the next clue.
Things took a bad turn for the struggling Browns when their canoe tipped over, throwing all three treasure hunters into the river. But they were still ahead of the Wild Hanlons, who hadn't even emerged from their tent yet. However, the Wild Hanlons had an ace up their sleeve: They were experienced canoeists and finally in their element.
At the seventh star, Air Force realized they had to get off the river and portage for three miles. When it was time for the Fogal Family to begin their portage, Kayte started bawling her eyes out over the difficulty of the task at hand. The Southie Boys stepped in to help the damsel in distress, but they reminded the Fogals that they expected the favor to be returned at a later time in the competition.
Keith Brown, who didn't know how to swim, was terrified of getting back in the water, but his brothers wouldn't let him be discouraged. Working together, they made it back to their canoe, but it was too little too late when the Wild Hanlons passed them on the river.
The Grad Students thought they hit on a great idea: Instead of portaging with their canoe over their shoulders, it would be easier to shove the boat along on land. The idea turned sour when Jessica stepped into a hole and sprained her ankle.
With 20 miles behind them, Air Force was the first to spot the elusive 14th star, but they discovered that finding the clue 40 paces away was harder than it sounded.
The Fogal Family, Ex-CIA, and the Southie Boys were tied in second place. Pastor Brad Fogal suggested that they'd missed a star and they should all stop at number 13 to scope out the area. When Ex-CIA and the Southie Boys docked their boats, the Fogal Family kept right on paddling, leaving the others in their wake in a surprise bit of deceptive strategy - this after the Southie Boys portaged the Fogals' canoe for them for nine miles.
With the Fogal Family hot on their heels, Air Force finally found the clue buried in a fire pit: a cipher for the secret language Lewis & Clark used to communicate with Thomas Jefferson to avoid interception by the French.
The Fogal Family solved the clue next and were soon on their way. In their vehicle, Margie tried to justify their deceitful actions by saying that it had been impossible for them to dock. Kayte suggested that they say a little prayer for the other teams. Brad didn't look to keen on the idea but let Kayte and his wife go ahead, anyway.
A medic named Scot arrived to help out the Grad Students. He suggested that Jessica not do any more physical activity, but with undaunted courage and a pair of crutches, she kept plowing ahead.
Only by cracking the complicated cipher could the teams discover the location of the artifact on "Tower Rock." And though there were nine teams, there were only eight artifacts - the last place team would be out of the game.
Air Force kept their first-place status when they found the artifact: a compass that would help lead them to the key to find the treasure. The Fogal Family, the Southie Boys, Ex-CIA, Miss USA, and the Geniuses discovered the compass next.
The Wild Hanlons were seventh to Tower Rock, but four hours after arriving they were still struggling to solve the puzzle. Arguing between Pat and Ben didn't help matters any, nor the fact that they decided to make an 80-mile round trip to get a hamburger. With bellies full, they returned to Tower Rock where Josh managed to figure out the clue ahead of the Brown Family.
Even with an injured treasure hunter, the Grad Students managed to best both the Brown Family and the Wild Hanlons by becoming the seventh team to find the compass. The Wild Hanlons weren't far behind with an eighth-place finish, which meant that the Brown Family was out of the hunt for good.
Source: http://www.nbc.com/Treasure_Hunters/recap/
A much-anticipated night of rest came to an abrupt end when phones started ringing at 2:20 in the morning. For their next challenge, the teams had to follow in the footsteps of legendary explorers Lewis & Clark by driving over 600 miles to the Lexington Mine in Montana where the next clue was buried.
When Air Force arrived, they learned that the next clue would be found in a secret chamber 10,000 feet into the dark depths of the murky mine. Taking a train into the blackness, they came across a chamber where a bucket etched with the words "bend the light" awaited them. As they turned their flashlights on it, the wiggling form of dozens of snakes came into focus.
The Fogals and Miss USA came across the bucket - and the snakes - next. Mrs. Fogal freaked out and took off running as Air Force realized they had to pour water into the bucket to refract the light and force it to yield up its secret: Wood Bottom, Missouri River, Montana.
Air Force received the next instructions: Head to the Wood Bottom campsite and canoe 20 miles on the Missouri River. The Fogals were the next team to decipher the clue and head out to Wood Bottom, exiting the mine just as the Grad Students figured out the challenge.
It didn't take long for the Geniuses to spelunk their way into the mine and figure out the clue. They were quickly followed by Ex-CIA, leaving the Southie Boys, the Brown Family, and the Wild Hanlons bringing up the rear.
The Wild Hanlons thought they had the clue solved and headed out of the mine… they were wrong. The Browns, however, were on top of things, although the same couldn't be said about the Southie Boys, who for some reason were chipping away at one of the mine's walls.
After 11 hours in the mine, the Wild Hanlons still hadn't solved the clue. In a last gasp of inspiration, Ben decided to pour some water into the snake-ridden bucket. With the clue finally solved, they arrived at the campsite after 3 a.m., leaving them with only 2.5 hours until it was time to set off by canoe for the next leg of their journey.
At dawn, the teams hit the river to look for 14 stars along their 20-mile route. Forty paces beyond the last star would be the next clue.
Things took a bad turn for the struggling Browns when their canoe tipped over, throwing all three treasure hunters into the river. But they were still ahead of the Wild Hanlons, who hadn't even emerged from their tent yet. However, the Wild Hanlons had an ace up their sleeve: They were experienced canoeists and finally in their element.
At the seventh star, Air Force realized they had to get off the river and portage for three miles. When it was time for the Fogal Family to begin their portage, Kayte started bawling her eyes out over the difficulty of the task at hand. The Southie Boys stepped in to help the damsel in distress, but they reminded the Fogals that they expected the favor to be returned at a later time in the competition.
Keith Brown, who didn't know how to swim, was terrified of getting back in the water, but his brothers wouldn't let him be discouraged. Working together, they made it back to their canoe, but it was too little too late when the Wild Hanlons passed them on the river.
The Grad Students thought they hit on a great idea: Instead of portaging with their canoe over their shoulders, it would be easier to shove the boat along on land. The idea turned sour when Jessica stepped into a hole and sprained her ankle.
With 20 miles behind them, Air Force was the first to spot the elusive 14th star, but they discovered that finding the clue 40 paces away was harder than it sounded.
The Fogal Family, Ex-CIA, and the Southie Boys were tied in second place. Pastor Brad Fogal suggested that they'd missed a star and they should all stop at number 13 to scope out the area. When Ex-CIA and the Southie Boys docked their boats, the Fogal Family kept right on paddling, leaving the others in their wake in a surprise bit of deceptive strategy - this after the Southie Boys portaged the Fogals' canoe for them for nine miles.
With the Fogal Family hot on their heels, Air Force finally found the clue buried in a fire pit: a cipher for the secret language Lewis & Clark used to communicate with Thomas Jefferson to avoid interception by the French.
The Fogal Family solved the clue next and were soon on their way. In their vehicle, Margie tried to justify their deceitful actions by saying that it had been impossible for them to dock. Kayte suggested that they say a little prayer for the other teams. Brad didn't look to keen on the idea but let Kayte and his wife go ahead, anyway.
A medic named Scot arrived to help out the Grad Students. He suggested that Jessica not do any more physical activity, but with undaunted courage and a pair of crutches, she kept plowing ahead.
Only by cracking the complicated cipher could the teams discover the location of the artifact on "Tower Rock." And though there were nine teams, there were only eight artifacts - the last place team would be out of the game.
Air Force kept their first-place status when they found the artifact: a compass that would help lead them to the key to find the treasure. The Fogal Family, the Southie Boys, Ex-CIA, Miss USA, and the Geniuses discovered the compass next.
The Wild Hanlons were seventh to Tower Rock, but four hours after arriving they were still struggling to solve the puzzle. Arguing between Pat and Ben didn't help matters any, nor the fact that they decided to make an 80-mile round trip to get a hamburger. With bellies full, they returned to Tower Rock where Josh managed to figure out the clue ahead of the Brown Family.
Even with an injured treasure hunter, the Grad Students managed to best both the Brown Family and the Wild Hanlons by becoming the seventh team to find the compass. The Wild Hanlons weren't far behind with an eighth-place finish, which meant that the Brown Family was out of the hunt for good.