Treasure Hunters

OK, so it's final four time for the Treasure Hunters. Ex-CIA, Air Force, Geniuses and Southie Boys round out the bunch. The Geniuses being there is somewhat of a surprise because they were bringing up the rear for a couple of episodes.

I personally like this show but I feel it has lost some steam in the past few weeks. The idea of hunting for artifacts about our history is very appealing but it lacked that extra oomph. Last nights' episode, in my opinion, picked up the energy just in time for next weeks live finale, and I am still trying to figure out how they are going to pull off a live finale with this type of show. Did they give them a final task that takes three months to solve?

On to last night's show: The teams end up in New York at the Waldorf Astoria hotel. It seems most of the teams have never been to such a fancy hotel, especially Mark who seemed to indulge in his fare share of alcohol. With a 9 a.m. wake-up call, I am sure he was needing some Aspirin and a jug of water to kill his hangover!

Off to the Great Americans Hall of Fame in the Bronx, N.Y., a little lesson for me — I didn't even know this was there or what it was for. See, TV can be educational, kids! Armed with a Susan B. Anthony coin, they search for their clue. The Geniuses pull ahead in this leg and get the clue and are off to Philadelphia. Francis of the Geniuses is excited because this is his hometown, and they dub him "the Philly expert." We will see how well that turns out.

They end up at the Land Title Building in Philly where they are instructed to send one member to the highest floor. There they are supposed to use their VISA card security code number to gain access to the hotel room. (So that's what those security card numbers are really for!) Once inside, the team member has to go on the ledge and walk around until they find a plaque and read it, all while being instructed on where to go by their teammates on the ground. It's a real hard job they have. These poor people's only safety is this pathetic looking rope hanging loosely from their back. This challenge had me sweating at home — it was pretty scary.

The ex-CIA members left their VISA card downstairs and refused to go back down and get it, figuring that he will just wait until another team gets theirs and will go in when they do — BAD IDEA! That broke the rules and put them automatically in last place. Take a clue from a woman: always have your credit cards on you people!

Next, everyone is off to Girard College to the Founders Hall for the last clue. Thank god. This episode seemed to last forever. The Geniuses managed to take the longest route possible despite their "expert" Francis and went from first place to last — ah, what a shame. Air Force, of course, is the first team to get there, they figure it out, and are on their way to the live finale as one of the final three teams. That was really no surprise to anyone, I hope.

The Southie Boys almost beat the crap out of each other outside for at least 10 minutes while saying "Shut up!" and "I'll kill you!" about 100 times. If only they could put that energy into the game. After the fighting, they do manage to make it inside and receive the clue putting them in the finale.

So it comes down to the Geniuses and ex-CIA. It was a tight race but the Geniuses pulled it out in the end, taking the final spot. I admit I like having two teams in the finale who are underestimated, like the Southies and Geniuses. Here is to one of those teams beating the cool kids next week and taking home the prize!