The Hunt Begins - June 18

Well, it's out there...somewhere in the world the producers of the show have hidden a treasure. But there are 5 teams, positioned at the Arctic Circle poised to find it. But what they don't know is that there are 5 teams in the South Pacific also looking to find it as well...when one team finds the 7 artifacts, that will lead to the treasure....on Treasure Hunters!

We start with 2 groups of teams, one at the Independence Mine in Alaska and one on the USS Jefferson in Maui, Hawaii. Host Laird McIntosh explains that they (each teams of three) have three items that will help them: a Motorola RAZR phone (plug #1) which will give them clues, a laptop with access to ask.com (plug #2) and a Visa Card which will be used at other opportunities (plug #3). The teams first challenge is to find the location of their next clue. All of a sudden they hear Morse code...and they all rush around the ship to decode the message, which is also being printed out.

Team Air Force, and the Geniuses are two teams in this group of 5. The Geniuses have 9 majors and 1 Masters degree between them. They find the Morse code book and the Grad Students follow "the coattails of the Geniuses". The geniuses quickly crack the code and give the solution to the boat master which is DIVE HANA BAY, 26.74 S 56.872 WEST.

At Independence Mine, They have to do the same thing...and hear the same Morse Code. We have teams that included Ex CIA, Young Professionals, the Southie Boys (who are Boston Firefighters), The Wild Hanlons (who seems to be fish out of water good old Southern Boys), and the Ex Cia's solve their clue first which says SEARCH GLACIER 61.44N 44.739W. We also have a team of Miss USA Contestant who never won, and they are going to use Manipulation later on. Everyone solves the clue except the Miss USA team. They are heading the Matanuska Glacier in Alaska.

Back on the USS Jefferson, the Fogal Family is seasick, Brad (the dad) is a Pastor. Margie is a High School Grad. Kayte is a Teacher. And the Brown Family is a family of brothers who are African-American. Fogals defer to another team and the Air Force is Third. Keith Brown has only swam for only three weeks. Keith flounders in the Pacific Ocean, but makes it. Keith: "3 weeks of swimming doesn't prepare you for swimming in the ocean."

At the Glacier, EX CIA aren't physically strong, but their reasoning will make up for that. Drew of the Young Professionals tells everyone to enjoy the scenery. Laird tells the audience that the clue is frozen in the ice. The block says the words STILLWATER WASHINGTON. The teams have to follow the cairns to the block and take it out.

Back at the mine, Kristen think the Hanlon's mullet is sexy. Harlons ride in the helicopter in 4th, even though Stevie Ray Vaughan crashed in one. Hanlons and Miss USA team arrive at the Glacier. CIA arrives at the rappel point and realize they have to swim through a much deeper pool of cold water to get to the block. Southie Boys are 2nd and Young Professionals are 3rd.

Frozen in the block is a map of Alaska with hundreds of locations and the word DIG on the back. The teams have everything they need to go to the next location. But they have to figure out where the next location is and tell the landing coordinator where to go. The Hanlons/USA team pass out but they keep going.

The EX CIA figure out through looking at the map, and the clue of STILLWATER WASHINGTON that the next location is LAKE GEORGE. STILLWATER=LAKE and WASHINGTON=GEORGE. EX CIA is first, Southie Boys are 2nd and the Young Professionals are 3rd.

Team Miss USA get to the block and instead of taking the block out, they chisel the map out of the block of ice.

Lake George is 58 miles from the Glacier. The teams final clue in Alaska is somewhere here under one of hundreds of cairns. But they need to know WHERE to dig to find it. Hanlons leave fourth from the Glacier and after a lot of guesses Miss USA is fifth. All three teams are digging and the CIA find the last clue, a cylinder with symbols which is a key to a code. The teams have to go to Lincoln, Nebraska and the state capital building, South Entrance. They leave, Southie Boys are 2nd and feel the CIA is the Biggest Concern. Hanlons are fourth. Young Professionals find the cylinder and leave. Hanlons are 4th and USA 5th.

Back to the Hana Dive Site.. Air Force Team say they are bright. Geniuses to First to the Dive Site. They get a "Motorola Message" and are told they have to dive and get one of 5 steel boxes which has the plane log of the Monticello. The log has the location of the next clue. Geniuses get it and are off to it. The Fogals are "winning at any cost" as the preacher wins a fight to grab a clue packet. On the Black Sand Beach, the next clue leads them to the crash site of the "Monticello". The Pilot Log will lead them to the final clue. The Geniuses are 1st and the Air Force are 2nd. They head down to the plane wreckage and inside the cargo boxes are locked cases. What they have to figure out that there are 2 pieces of the umbrella that are used to open the box and find the final clue. Geniuses get lost and the Air Force are there at the site. Air Force are first to unlock the box and find a coded map on one side and a painting on the back. They are told by Laird to get to the landing strip and head to Lincoln, Nebraska and the North Entrance of the state capital.

The Brown Family are last to the beach and are glad to see land on the feet. Back at the site, the Geniuses went from first to Fourth after getting lost. Fogals leave for Lincoln 2nd. Geniuses are third. Young Prof's are 4th. Laird calls the Browns after they find the map and told they are not eliminated, but they need to get to Lincoln...as they have all what they need.

Back at Lake George, the Hanlons and Miss USA Work together. And Team Miss USA gets that same phone call. USA felt the day was "worth it".

24 hours later--The Hawaii Teams arrive at the North Entrance and The Alaska Teams arrive at the South Entrance. They both meet at the statue of Lincoln on the west side of the building. Everyone reacts now that the teams have jumped from 5 to 10. Laird meets them and tells them that they are now going to work in teams to get to their next location. The teams are decided by order of finish in Hawaii and Alaska. So the teams are:

1. EX CIA/Air Force
2. Southie Boys/Fogels
3. Young Professionals/Geniuses
4. Hanlons/Graduates
5. Miss USA/Browns

Laird tells them there are 5 buses going to take them to their next location. Here is the catch. You have to figure out where the next location is, and each team has both parts of the puzzle to help them solve it. The bus driver will not stop until a location is a given. The bus driver is instructed to go to 2 locations, one of which will set on the right path and one that is far away from the next location. They have their phone, laptop, Visa Card and booking on Orbitz.com (plug #4). Each team picks a bus and leaves. Laird tells the audience that the map is coded with the words MT. THEODORE ROOSEVELT on it. But if the teams were paying attention to all the clues given (with WASHINGTON, LINCOLN, JEFFERSON AND ROOSEVELT) they should be going to...MT. RUSHMORE. But if the bus driver is told MT. THEODORE ROOSEVELT, they will be on the wrong path.

Teams start figuring out the clues and the Miss USA/Browns team jump from last to first with their correct solution. EX CIA/Air Force are 18 minutes behind. Southie Boys and the Fogals are 25 minutes behind. Geniuses and Young Professionals struggle to figure the clue out. Hanlons and the Graduates are 45 minutes behind. But the Geniuses and the Young Professionals are the only one who tell their driver to go to Mt. Roosevelt. They pass a sign that says "Rush to where the treasure stands" Genworth Financial (plug #5).

The Geniuses/YP don't like their solution but they travel on anyway. Browns/USA arrive at Rushmore first. Kathryn says the scene is unreal. Laird alerts the teams that everyone is for themselves now. The first of the hidden artifacts is here. They need to head "to the view where you can only see 2, but remember history has a way of changing the natural order of things." They are 9 maps and 10 boxes/time capsules. One team's journey ends here. 2nd and 3rd place teams arrive.

The Geniuses/YP arrive at Mt. Roosevelt and see a reflective cylinder on a table.. and nothing else. What they don't realize is that they have the clue right in their hands. The painting, if placed on the table will reflect Mt. Rushmore onto the cylinder, and the correct location.

Students and Hanlons arrive. The Hanlons look everywhere. Southie Boys search. Back at Mt. Roosevelt, the Geniuses/YP are stuck. They call the Hanlons and realize they are in the wrong place. They head to Rushmore.

Teams discover the time capsules which have a combination. If they have 1 beep, they are wrong, 2 beeps--the box will open and they move on. The combination is "right in front of you." Hanlons miss the clue. The Grad Students are the first to figure out the combination which if you remember the earlier clue...("History has a way of changing the natural order of things.") goes like this:

The order of presidents were:
1-WASHINGTON
3-JEFFERSON
16-LINCOLN
26-ROOSEVELT

But on the face of Rushmore, Roosevelt is before Lincoln....so the code is 1-3-26-16. Inside the capsule is a map...which is the first of the 7 artifacts needed to find the treasure. Miss USA Finds it Third...Fogals 4th, and CIA 5th. Geniuses and YP are last to arrive at Rushmore. The Hanlons find the trail. Grad Students are 6th. 4 Teams and 3 Maps to Go. Browns are 7th to open the boxes. 3 Teams and 2 maps. Hanlons are lost in the conversation and want to break it open. Hanlons ally with the Geniuses and the Hanlons are 8th. 2 Teams and 1 map to go. YP/Geniuses fight for the last box and the Geniuses find the last map. Young Professionals..."Your Hunt Ends Here."

Who will be next to be eliminated on "Treasure Hunters" as the journey around the world continues?