Although Geoff Edwards did most of the work on Treasure Hunt as its main host, many of the show's cast and crew members saw direct involvement in its workings.

Emile Autouri: Emile was the security agent that hid the $25,000 check. He always appeared at the end of each show to show Geoff what package the check was in. He remained completely stoic the entire time he was onstage, and except for two ad-libs during the 80's version, the only words he spoke were "Yes I did" when Geoff asked him to "verify the fact that [he] did hide the check for $25,000." No matter how hard Geoff tried, he could never get Emile to laugh or talk in any form or fashion, much less smile; however once he almost put Emile to sleep.

Even though the show gave him a "fan club" during the show's final season, Emile Autouri always remained expressionless.

Johnny Jacobs: Besides announcing the prizes and klunks, Jacobs participated in the skits himself once in a while, especially for those that involved a radio or tape player, in which he was the voice of the emcee. In the 80's version of the show, he actually appeared onstage at least twice; also, he once made sure a contestant didn't get near the box when Geoff left the stage to grab a snack from the commissary. Johnny Jacobs died during the 80's version of the show after becoming ill, and Tony McClay (who was an assistant to the producer in the 70's version) filled in for him for at least two different periods of time, the second apparently being during his final illness.

Models: Besides showing off the prizes, the various models also participated frequently in the skits. Memorable moments include model Naome DeVargas (who remained on the show during the entire 70's run) constantly battling the infamous Treasure Hunt Chicken during prize presentations, and Sivi Aberg (another mainstay) and Geoff Edwards actually kissing onstage. Toward the end of the 70's version, Sivi also presented a dozen roses to $25,000 winners (adding to the campiness of the absolutely insane celebration). In the clip I have it looks like she is trying to beat the contestant senseless with them! For several screen shots of the models in action click here.

Mike Metzger: He produced several shows for Chuck Barris Productions. He appeared occasionally in the skits, but his most prominent roles were those of T.W. Hunt Sr., the show's filthy-rich president in charge of all the show's prizes, and Rudolph Rassenpunk, the goofy man in charge of all the Klunks.

Ellen Metzger: Mike's wife. She participated in a few of the skits (especially in the 1980s version of the show), and frequently appeared in the 70s version as a nagging social worker who took custody of the stubborn "Treasure Hunt Child" that the show tried to "give away" to unsuspecting contestants. You can see pictures of Mike and Ellen in action on the characters page.

Steve Friedman: In the 80's version, he was the show's goofball, playing the show's stranger characters. Some of his roles include a cheating Dating Game bachelor, a drunk hobo, a gay makeup artist, a judge at a county fair, and the "Vend-a-Buddy" robot. Steve later did work in the 1980's as a producer of The Last Word and Wink Martindale's version of High Rollers, and is currently producer of The Early Show on CBS.

Chuck Barris: The executive producer and the brains behind The New Treasure Hunt. On occasion, he would appear in the skits.
On a more serious note, he almost ruined the show during its final season in 1976. Just when the show was presumed to be at the height of its torturous character, the ever-sadistic Barris had a talk with Geoff about making the program even MORE agonizing. A skit was written where a contestant was shown a new car, and just when she thought she had won it, she would be told that she won only the rear view mirror (with a close up of the mirror). Geoff felt that the skit crossed the line, and refused to do it. As a result, Barris fired Geoff. Shortly afterwards, however, Chuck told Geoff that he changed his mind and would like to have Geoff back on the show. However, Geoff realized that his return came with strings attached.
In the final season, Chuck wrote himself into many of the sketches, but at the VERY last minute, he replaced himself with anybody he could find, including his massage therapist. Quite frequently, Geoff was left to expect the unexpected and do his best with someone who hadn't previously rehearsed the skit. The New Treasure Hunt could have conceivably continued, but Geoff left the show for good after the 1976-1977 season. (Special thanks go to Matt Kaiser for this information).

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