[1] In the show, contestants selected a mystery package (originally a treasure chest, later a gift box) in the hopes of winning cash or prizes.
The contestant whose jack-in-the-box had a pop-up surprise, such as flowers or a doll, earned the right to go on the treasure hunt; the other two received consolation prizes.
Aside from the $25,000 grand prize, valuable items at stake in any particular game could include vacations, automobiles (sometimes expensive luxury models or sports cars), jewelry, furniture, appliances, and cash awards of several thousand dollars.
However, some boxes held booby prizes, referred to as "klunks" (a word coined by Geoff Edwards, similar in meaning to the "zonks" on Let's Make a Deal or "chascos" on Trato Hecho), that had very little value.
Edwards would instead engage the contestant in a comedic sketch, involving props and/or other onstage personnel in various costumes and roles, to intentionally mislead her to what she had finally won, prolonging the tension and the feeling of suspense.
At the end of each episode, if the grand prize had not been found in the second game, Edwards ritually asked security guard Emile Autuori if he had indeed hidden the $25,000 check.
Every episode from the second season forward began with a four-way split screen that displayed the $25,000 grand prize amount and three shots of Autouri walking down the steps on the darkened stage.
Autouri was an actual security guard assigned to the ABC studio parking lot when he was asked by Edwards to participate in the show.
The only person to whom Autouri would disclose the box number to was show director John Dorsey, who would in turn notify Edwards if a contestant chose the $25,000.
Announcer Johnny Jacobs would then begin his opening speech, speaking sotto voce at first and then slowly raising his pitch as he continued: "Ladies and gentlemen, this bonded security agent has just placed a certified check for $25,000 in one of these 30 surprise packages.
Edwards had experience as an actor in addition to his radio work and game show hosting, and the producers encouraged him to build the tension as he saw fit, even to unbearable levels.
Hysterics occurred following the revealing of the check: shrill sirens went off; confetti and balloons dropped from the ceiling; and, on a few occasions, the contestant was swarmed onstage by Barris staff members and humorously given roses.
This version of the show was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1974 for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design, losing to The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.
Johnny Jacobs returned to announce, but due to what would prove to be a terminal illness he left the show and Tony McClay replaced him.
The prizes in this version were of lesser value than the 1970s series, but the champion from any treasure hunt always returned to face a new challenger in the next one and thus had a chance to increase her winnings.
Automobiles were scaled back to economy models (specifically the Chevrolet Chevette); there were also no longer checks worth less than the grand prize.
The opening sequence from The New Treasure Hunt was retained, with alterations to reflect the number of boxes in play and the day's grand prize.
[3][5] In addition to playing on the presumed emotionalism of female contestants, the decision of Barris to allow only women in the game was reportedly a safety precaution – he was concerned that a male contestant might become angered by the show's antics (presumably including being led by a sketch, which typically ran for around five minutes or so, into a klunk) and physically attack Edwards or other staffers.
Gurin was partnered with veteran game show host Wink Martindale, with Mark Maxwell-Smith and John Ricci Jr. as producers.
In September 2015, Electus, along with the conjunction of Barracuda Television Productions,[10] acquired the rights to the show where the basic premise remains the same: a single contestant selects 1 of 30 treasure chests and wins what is inside, with comedic distractions to heighten the tension at each decision point.