Treasure Hunt question

[carlisle96]

Sorry if this as been covered earlier, but if someone finds the $25,000 in the first game, is another check hidden for the second game?

[golden-road]

Sorry if this as been covered earlier, but if someone finds the $25,000 in the first game, is another check hidden for the second game?

Yep.

[Mr. Matté]

Sorry if this as been covered earlier, but if someone finds the $25,000 in the first game, is another check hidden for the second game?

Yep.

Yes it is.

[whewfan]

This happened on a recently posted episode. I'm guessing they have the audience leave while the second check is placed. I wonder what they sacrifice to hide the second check, maybe a klunk, or a prize that's not part of the announced prizes offered on the show. Geoff told me for the 1980s run, that some boxes were duplicates, since there were 66 on that version. I wonder if they had duplicates also for this version.

[BillCullen1]

This happened on a recently posted episode. I'm guessing they have the audience leave while the second check is placed.

I would think they have a curtain they could use to hide the boxes from the audience while the second check is placed. Geoff said there has to be a top prize every time they play the game.

[SuperMatch93]

My guess was always that there was a brief stopdown during which the packages were removed from the set, a new $25k check placed, and the packages brought back out.

Although a curtain makes more sense.

[TLEberle]

This happened on a recently posted episode. I'm guessing they have the audience leave while the second check is placed. I wonder what they sacrifice to hide the second check, maybe a klunk, or a prize that's not part of the announced prizes offered on the show. Geoff told me for the 1980s run, that some boxes were duplicates, since there were 66 on that version. I wonder if they had duplicates also for this version.

no need to have them leave—pull a curtain or flat around that part of the stage and go to work. Also you would replace the check with the check and shuffle around whatever needs to happen.

[carlisle96]

My guess was always that there was a brief stopdown during which the packages were removed from the set, a new $25k check placed, and the packages brought back out.

Although a curtain makes more sense.

But were there still 30 boxes in the second game? If the check was found in Box 18 in game one, the next contestant would likely not pick #18 in round two, so there might as well be just 29 boxes instead of 30...unless Geoff explains that the prizes are placed in the boxes randomly, meaning it could very well be in #18 again....and I think I opened up a box of worms with my original post.

[whewfan]

My guess was always that there was a brief stopdown during which the packages were removed from the set, a new $25k check placed, and the packages brought back out.

Although a curtain makes more sense.

But were there still 30 boxes in the second game? If the check was found in Box 18 in game one, the next contestant would likely not pick #18 in round two, so there might as well be just 29 boxes instead of 30...unless Geoff explains that the prizes are placed in the boxes randomly, meaning it could very well be in #18 again....and I think I opened up a box of worms with my original post.

No, if the check is found in the first round, the box it was in is eliminated for the second game, giving the second player one less box to choose from, which is the case for any game. Geoff had to memorize many bits as it was, adding on one more would be pushing it!

[chris319]

It is possible that two $25,000 checks are placed simultaneously in different boxes. This changes the odds of picking the check but not by much.

[chrisholland03]

What if all the boxes are actually empty, then the selected box is filled during the commerial?  Functionally the prod company defines and documents the contents for every box prior to the game, and confirm the right contents were loaded. 

[SuperMatch93]

What if all the boxes are actually empty, then the selected box is filled during the commerial?  Functionally the prod company defines and documents the contents for every box prior to the game, and confirm the right contents were loaded.

This doesn't sound out of the question. Emile would have had to have placed the $25k prior to taping, but setting up the other 29 boxes after the selection would make sense from a production standpoint.

[TimK2003]

It is possible that two $25,000 checks are placed simultaneously in different boxes. This changes the odds of picking the check but not by much.

I believe that is the most plausible theory. 

Say if box 7 and box 8 both have a $25K check in them and no one picks them: I don't think Standards and Practices don't care if there is more than one box with the grand prize just as long as they reveal and show *either* box 7 or box 8 with the check at the end to prove there was *one* check in *one* box worth $25k. If in the first game the contestant chooses box 7, one check is revealed (win or lose), and thus box 8 will either have to be selected by the round 2 contestant, or that number and box will be revealed by Geoff and Emil and Geoff at the show's end.

I think the bigger concern is that if there were multiple boxes with the 52-day cruise at the start and the first was chosen in round one, they would need to replace the other box(es) that also had the cruise with a back-up prize or klunk.  It would look more awkward if both the round one and round two chosen boxes were the same prize or klunk than if there were two $25,000 checks.

So by the end of the show, you either have one check in a box to reveal, or you've already shown that there was a $25k check available in both rounds and both contestants picked the "grand prize". Whether the contestant kept the box or took the initial cash is a moot point.

[Brian44]

But doesn't Johnny Jacobs say, "Hidden inside ONE of these boxes is a check for $25K"? If contestant #1 picks the box with the $25K check but you're the second contestant, well, that's just the luck of the draw.

If Plinko is played first on TPIR and is the only cash PG played that day, and you're the fifth contestant called to come on down, too bad, so sad. You don't get the chance to win $50K.

Besides, didn't Treasure Hunt offer other prizes worth more than $25K?

[Adam Nedeff]

Besides, didn't Treasure Hunt offer other prizes worth more than $25K?

No.

Also, everybody here is giving completely plausible theories for how the show worked, but am I crazy for saying that Geoff explained how the show when he was alive?