Almost skipped this story because I was already familiar with it. Chose to try it & loved it. The host did an excellent job. Production was excellent. Glad I found this podcast after all episodes were released, so was able to binge it.

My only complaint is that I couldn’t binge it all in one day.

The treasure part of the story was interesting, but the personal episodes about Daryl were not (no offense to him) and ended very flat. It seemed a VERY far reach to relate the treasure hunting to Daryl’s life and felt forced.

Outstanding!!

He’s followed the laws all along. He has a passion for this and thank goodness. Without him many of these amazing artifacts would be lost to time and appreciated by no one.

The premise is great: Lost treasure and follow the quest. But there are entire episodes where the personal lives of the participants are followed. And frankly, they are not that interesting. This story can be cut in half and made much better. Stop making it something it is not.

We didn’t want it to end - excellent content, suspense, storyline and ending. Hope to hear more episodes soon.

I stumbled across this one and literally could barely put it down to do basic life activities. Peter Frick-Wright threw himself into this with no holds barred and it clearly shows in the quality of his storytelling. He also demonstrates such a personal interest in Darrell Steyler’s (treasure hunter) wellbeing it clearly became more than just a product of his work as a reporter. Well done Peter and I look forward to your next one!

Impressed & inspired as a very early-career journalist:)

I wanted to like this, but couldn’t get past the journalist pretentious descriptions of everyone and everything in the first 15mim.

Incredible story, incredibly well told.

Great story and well told. The second I started paying attention to the hosts deep breaths at the beginning of each sentence I couldn’t I unhear it. A little editing to take it out and it’s gold.

I listened to the first 3 episodes and read transcripts of the rest. First, criticism: Listeners will notice that the narrator does not treat Forrest with the same humanity that he treats everyone else. It’s clear that he doesn’t like Forrest. You can make up your own mind whether that’s warranted. Yes, the story goes too long but that’s normal for podcasts. Idk why but they all take a 3-episode story and turn it into 9-10. The praise: I had never heard of the treasure hunt and this was a fun way to learn about it. I thought the narrator was funny at times. The episode recaps were a nice touch and it was nice that he credited everyone at the end of every episode. I can tell a lot of people worked hard on this show.

I loved listening to this story. Well done!

Disappointed by the ending. Wasn’t expecting a moral ending. We just had to accept that someone found the treasure, although there was still a lot of mystery if it was really found.

I found the podcast to be frustratingly forced and unnatural. The writing seems overly studied, lacking the organic flow that makes content engaging. The structure feels more like it’s trying too hard to be intellectual or clever, rather than delivering genuine insights. It’s difficult to connect with the content because of how antagonistic the tone feels. Overall, it doesn’t come across as natural or authentic, which really detracts from the listening experience.

This is such a beautiful story. I enjoyed every episode.

I loved this story! This is one of my top podcasts so far! Can’t wait for a new season.

It’s that if you’re a male, you can abandon all your offspring and blame the females in your life for situations you were able to remove yourself from. Good story otherwise.

Story was interesting first couple of episodes. But you can tell reporter was an amateur when he started this, there was so many awkward moments or buttons that he pushed when interviewing ppl. Felt like he could've gone in more depth with questions or just interactions. But he is a great narrator. I do like that there was some attention brought to the native tribes and artifacts.

This podcast waste more time talking about a missing dad then it does about a missing treasure. It you think your going to get a podcast about treasure hunting , your not . It most about a broken person looking for there dad.

This is an interesting true story told in a very in-depth thought provoking approach. I loved the psychological aspect.

Half of the story is about a quest to find the Fenn treasure. The other half of the story discuss the all too common dysfunctional family dynamics in America that contributed to the trauma of one of the treasure hunters. It’d be more interesting if the back story wasn’t so prevalent.

I loved this series! I appreciated how the host dug into the motives of both the treasure hider and the treasure hunter. It gave a deeper meaning to the story and search, and really makes you think more deeply about your own life choices and motives. Overall it’s a great mystery story with more to gain than just entertainment.

Excellent journalism and interesting lives involved. Highly recommend!

The headline really does capture the premise more than one might think. There is tension, release and eventually, the only kind of closure that really exists in this world. Brilliantly told and organized. I’ll look out for more from Peter and the team.

As someone who tuned in to hear about this infamous treasure hunt I was disappointed to discover only half the content focused on it. With the other half the creator delves into the life of the protagonist. This may be of interest to some but, if you’re just interested in the hunt like I was, there are some more straight-to-the-point sources out there.

Covers a lot of very rich ground. You’ll see yourself in there are one point or another. Will leave you wondering why you do what you do.

Unfortunately this podcast moved way too slow and wandered pretty far off base from the treasure hunt itself. Would’ve loved to hear more about the history of the area and about the hunt itself.

They spend a lot of time on some guy with dad/mom issues. Less of this guy and more about the treasure would have been nice.

Fascinating story, well written & well told. I enjoyed it from start to finish in one long afternoon while tending my garden. Best series I've heard so far in 2024.

The podcast is best when it’s focused on the mystery of the treasure and the wild subculture of treasure hunters. When it veers into uncomfortable sentimentality, completely undermining the advertised premise… let’s just say you’ll do a lot of fast forwarding. Darrel is not nearly as compelling as the host seems to believe. I still have questions, and the only answers we’re given are about some random guy’s father.

I don’t often stick by stories of treasure hunts, but this one reveals itself to be more than what meets the eye. The discovery of self is truly remarkable, and it’s beautiful hearing the connections these clues cross over. Highly recommend, couldn’t sleep because I got so engrossed! Haven’t experienced that in a while!

I was giving it 5 stars until episode 3 when it fell off the rails demonizing the 80 year-old who started the adventure and episode 4 that fell into racism. Is it so hard to simply just tell the story any more?

I listen to a lot of podcasts and have often become “obsessed” with one or another. I binged this one and have to say this has been the best! How on earth you managed such difficult subject matter, getting psychologically deeper and sociologically more and more significant with each episode - down to the last (!) and still manage an ending that found me unconsciously beaming … smiling a toothy smile with my heart singing - is a feat! For “a kid” looking for a story to “launch” a career - Wow! My favorite line in the entire series, “I was right to believe in you.” So … not only a great writer, but a sensitive human being who can find the perfect words on the spur of the moment - I’m pretty sure you didn’t think he’d throw the question back at you! I’m writing this having paused the final credits - it’s fresh. And my heart is still full!

Captivating

Darrell— it’s never too late to have a happy childhood. <3

I loved this podcast, I had never heard of this treasure hunt and you did an amazing job of telling the story of the hunt and bringing in the journey taken by someone who was deeply invested in it. Great job. When I slow walk the final couple episodes, as I did with this podcast, not wanting it to end, tells me what a gripping story it was. Thanks.

Forrest’s treasure is great subject matter. It’s a wonder it hasn’t been covered more extensively. The podcast is well done in the sense it draws you in and I applaud the producer/narrator’s ambition. The cringe factor for me is the exploitation of the subjects in the doc. It prods for drama. Ironically, uncovering the real story is done at the expense of destroying its subjects - like a archeological dig done poorly. Take the interrogation of Forrest himself. The creator of the pod was granted an interview with FF and went full Maury Povich trying to stir up drama with him. Agree or disagree with FF lifelong motivations or the ethics of treasure hunting in general, but there is a certain responsibility that comes with the access this podcaster was granted. Demonstrate some journalistic respect in letting the story unfold. Don’t badger the subjects for the sake of content or drama. I get that it might “make for a better story” for some, but to me it was an overreach. I doubt the subjects of this work would be pleased with being included in hindsight. While that’s not required of a good doc, it feels a little slimy for a story that didn’t need any adulteration to be good. I found myself annoyed as much as I was entertained.

Very fascinating part adventure part physiological thriller

Very original and imaginative journalism, perfectly executed and produced. 10/10 human interest listen

I was not expecting this story about the treasure hidden in the Rockies to be so profound and gripping. I loved this so much.

I wasn’t exactly looking for this but it’s turned out to be a pleasant, unique podcast….experience.

Totally captivating amazing storytelling!

I couldn’t stop listening. I was so intrigued, sucked in, and invested. Thank you for a well put together podcast.

I listen to A LOT of podcasts. This is one of the very few I’ve binged. I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

I listen to tons of podcasts and have been listening for years. This series is my favorite of all time. Great story, wonderfully told. Should be on all of the "Best of" lists.

An enthralling story and so well told.

Great show but skip last episode, it’s to sappy and creator was trying way to hard to make some emotional connection.

I’ve literally never reviewed a podcast before but this one deserves a warning in big ALL CAPS. This is NOT about treasure hunting. It’s about a man/men on the brink and at times it’s super boring. The breakdown - 20% treasure hunting, 80% semi-boring human interest podcasting. Half of the recordings are quiet or garbled or overrun by noise. The plot is nonexistent. The actual treasure hunt is interesting, but the story of Failure Darrel and his entire extended family is incredibly boring. Don’t waste your time.