| Host | |
| Robert "Bob" Hanley | |
| Announcer | |
| Johnny Gilbert | |
| Broadcast | |
 | |
| Packagers | |
| Jay Wolpert Productions Metromedia Video Productions | |
"We've given one of these four people a fortune worth over $5,000 in cash and prizes, but not necessarily for keeps. The other three people want to take it away. But first, they've got to find out who it is that's got the loot. Is it you, (insert name & location)? [REPEAT FOR THE NEXT THREE PLAYERS] Well, whoever it/the faker is, you better watch out, 'cause here come the FORTUNE HUNTERS! And now, here is the host of Fortune Hunters, Bob Hanley!"
Fortune Hunters was an unsold pilot where four contestants competed for clues to the identity of the player known as "the Faker" (holding $5,000), while the Faker tried to protect his/her identity.
Gameplay[]
Main Game[]
Prior to the show, one of the four players was designated as the "Faker". That's the player declared the holder of the "Faker's Fortune", a jackpot of cash and prizes totaling over $5,000. And that's whom the other three players labeled the "Fortune Hunters" attempted to spot and catch, for the right to see who would challenge him/her in a final showdown for that fortune.
To spot the "Faker" those other three players, the Fortune Hunters were trying to earn clues to the identity of the Faker, while the Faker is trying to earn the clues themselves to prevent them from being seen by the others.
To earn clues, the four players must answer questions. To start, they are shown a list of four items and basically asked a "which one doesn't belong by this theme" question, similar to the short-lived 1977-78 NBC daytime game show Knockout.
Example:
- CHIRPING
- SINGING
- FLYING
- BLUE
Which is NOT a kind of nun?
In this case, the answer is CHIRPING. ("The Singing Nun" was Jeanne-Paule Marie "Jeannine" Deckers (aka Sister Luc Gabriel); "The Flying Nun" was a TV character played by Sally Field; and Blue Nun was a brand of table wine.)
Another Example of the question (seen in pilot 2A) could be these four items:
- THE PRICE IS RIGHT
- TIC TAC DOUGH
- SALE OF THE CENTURY
- LET'S MAKE A DEAL
Which is a FAKER because it wouldn't be said by a used car salesman?
In this case, the answer is TIC TAC DOUGH. (although all four items are references to classic game shows of the 20th century, "The Price is Right", "Sale of the Century" and "Let's Make a Deal" in this case would've been said by a used car salesman instead.)
In Pilot 3A, all questions were toss-ups, but in earlier pilots, some questions were toss-ups. In the earlier pilots, a set of three questions were asked (classified as "steps") with the first one being a toss-up. The first player to buzz-in and pick the correct answer earned control of the next question. Should the player in control miss the question, the other players would have a chance to steal. The first player to answer the third question correctly earned the clue. In pilot 3A, the first player to buzz-in and pick the correct answer earned one point, with two points needed to earn the clue.
After earning two points or answering the third question, a player was given a clue to who the Faker was (even if it was themselves) via a fact about another person, place or thing. This would be revealed via a covered screen that only that player could see. (The clue would also be read to the home audience, but neither the studio audience nor the other players would hear this.) The elements of the clue were then shown, one assigned to each player. Clues could be either visual (appearing on turning circular boards above each player), physical (given to each player through a "cubbyhole" in the wall behind them) or audio (sounded by each player by pressing a red button on their podium in pilot 3A or a portable box in the earlier pilots).
Examples:
- One visual clue given in the pilot was "Behind the Faker is the person who appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine most often". Then, pictures were revealed behind each player as follows (from left to right): Queen Elizabeth II, Grace Kelly, Franklin Roosevelt, Richard Nixon. Whomever was sitting in front of the picture that was the answer to that clue was the Faker.
- Another physical clue was "The Faker will show something which was created by the Japanese". A cubbyhole behind each player then opened and they revealed the objects therein: A Spanish Omelet, a can of Hawaiian Punch, a Roman Candle, and Venetian Blinds. Whomever was holding the correct item was the Faker.
- An audio clue given was "When the Faker presses the button, you will hear the sound the average American makes 382 times a year". The sounds made as each player pressed their button were: a sneeze, snoring, someone saying "Oh my God!", and the sound of a phone being dialed and a call trying to connect. Whichever player's button made the right sound was the Faker.
These and subsequent clues led to the Faker being identified as Player 4. (Nixon was on the most covers of TIME, Venetian-style blinds were created in Japan, and the average American makes 382 phone calls in a year.)
After the clue, additional questions were asked, and further clues to the Faker's identity were revealed. Once a clue was revealed, the player who earned the clue could keep playing for more clues or "Freeze" if they thought they knew who the Faker was. This would cause a "FREEZE" sign to spin and appear around the circular sign behind that player, and they would no longer be competing for clues, although they would still be revealing clues as they came up. Once a player "froze" with a guess, they could not change it. (The Faker was instructed NOT to pick themselves, so as to keep the audience and other players in suspense until they were revealed.)
The game was played until three of the players had "frozen", forcing the fourth player to immediately make a choice and "freeze" their guess as well, regardless if they were given any clues along the way. The order and positions of the players who frozed and guessed the fastest were placed behind them on their circular signs.
The first Fortune Hunter who was able to correctly identify the Faker won the game, $500 which was theirs to keep, and went head-to-head with them in the final round called the "Photo Finish", to determine who would get the Fortune. The other two players were given consolation prizes. (It is not known specifically what happened if no one got the Faker's identity correct.)
Photo Finish[]
To start this round, the winning player was given one "Flip" card (depicting a circular arrow) for each of the four players who correctly guessed the Faker's identity (up to three). For each player who did NOT guess the Faker's identity (not including the Faker themselves, as they were instructed NOT to pick themselves), they also earned one "Flip" card (up to two). These "Flip" cards would be hidden away by the players behind a gameboard.
Both players were then shown the gameboard, which contained 21 squares numbered 1-21. Each square had a randomly-placed picture that the players had to try to identify. (Some images were easier to recognize than others.) The round lasted for a limited amount of time (75 seconds (1:15) in Pilot 2A and 90 seconds (1:30) in Pilot 3A). It started when an additional separate "Face-Off" image at the top of the board was shown. That picture was a toss-up just-like the main round questions. The first player to buzz-in was the only one to answer. If they got it right, they would then call the first numbered square; if incorrect, the opponent called the first square.
Players took turns calling out numbered squares to reveal the pictures hidden behind them. The player was given approximately three seconds to identify the picture once it was revealed. Correctly identifying an image caused the player to score and kept control of the board for them to call another number. An incorrect guess or not guessing in time passed control to the opponent. (The opponent could not guess at the same image.) If a player found a "Flip" card instead of an image, it was treated as a wrong answer and control would immediately be "flipped" to the opponent.
In pilot 2A, the contestants scored the number they chose as points, while in a later pilot, all pictures were worth a single point.
When the time was up, whichever player had the higher score won the game and the "Faker's Fortune". However, if at any point before time expired one of the players reached a point goal (75 points in Pilot 2A, 10 points in a later pilot), the game ended immediately and that player automatically won, and the value of the "Faker's Fortune" would be augmented to over $10,000. (Again, no specific rules were given if the game ended in a tie.)
Music[]
Opening - "Another Fine Mess" by Pete Kelly (KPM Music)
Closing - "Far From Over" by Frank Stallone
(NOTE: The song from above here was later carried over and used as the instrumental main theme for another unsold Jay Wolpert produced game show pilot called Fast Friends hosted by Bob Goen in 1984 and before that, the sequel to the 1977 dance drama film Saturday Night Fever called Staying Alive.)
Trivia[]
This show was one of two shows CBS was considering to replace the 80's version of Tattletales in June 1984, along with another Goodson-produced game Body Language, but was passed over in favor of the latter game.
As with most shows produced by Wolpert, it has a cartoon opening. This one featured an animated detective. He snooped around the set, even analyzing the day's contestants as the announcer introduced them and each reacted accordingly. It ended with him climbing up the animated logo, only to fall down in the end. The logo would appear again on the screen in a giant moneybag before the host was introduced.
The bonus round also shares its name with another unsold pilot produced by Schneider-Kuretsky-Martin and was hosted by John Mahjor in 1990.
Gallery[]
Pilot 1[]
Pilot 2[]
Ticket[]
Studio[]
Tagline[]
"Everybody out there, join us tomorrow for a brand-new show, and a brand-new faker whose name will be… Uh-uh-uh! You'll find out soon enough on the next edition of… Fortune Hunters!"
YouTube Videos[]
Clips of pilot #1 (the full pilot is held by UCLA)
Pilot #1
Sneak Peak of Pilot #2
Pilot #2