Let's Search For Treasure!

Yesterday, I watched another new reality show that I'll be adding to my repertoire. Treasure Hunters combines the travel of The Amazing Race with the cerebral puzzle solving of The Mole. It's actually a very friendly marriage of the two. It's not quite as frantic as The Amazing Race; you don't find yourself gripping your seat as the show goes on. The videography makes it very clear that you are watching something that took place in the past, whereas TAR effectively puts forth the illusion that the show is unfolding as you watch. But the storytelling is still enthralling. The Mole was rather obtuse at times and it was difficult to keep track of all the different clues. Treasure Hunters is more linear, striking the balance between giving the audience a chance to figure out the clue on their own and leaving them in the dark altogether until well after the fact.

My biggest complaint rests in the relentless product placement. Not only must the show constantly remind you that the teams have Motorola RAZR phones and Visa credit cards, but it goes so far as to make the contestants wear Ask.com t-shirts. Then again, in the age of TiVo, in-show product placement will replace commercials for advertiser exposure. Just look at The Apprentice, which has managed to find sponsors for certain tasks even though they have nothing to do with the actual task.

My two favorite teams right now are the Southie Boys (Boston pride!) and the Geniuses (genius pride!). I find it quite ironic that the team calling themselves the Geniuses almost found themselves eliminated after the first round. They consistently overanalyzed things and dug themselves into a deeper and deeper hole by going to a wrong destination and refusing to admit they were wrong, and they were saved only by another team's fortuitous decision to make a phone call and find out why everyone else was missing. All in all, the show is a winner and I'll keep on watching. Too bad they're airing it at 9 p.m. on Monday directly opposite Hell's Kitchen. So, I'm double-booked in a slot while there's little else worth watching the entire remainder of the week.