Amid the limitless true crime docs that drop seemingly every day, an awesome docuseries that isn’t a few crime hit the Netflix schedule final week. Greed & Gold: The Hunt For Fenn’s Treasure tells the entire wild story of Forrest Fenn and his treasure hunt that fascinated and compelled hundreds of treasure hunters (similar to these on Netflix’s Outer Banks) over a decade-long search. I keep in mind following it from afar whereas it was taking place, and I’m shocked it took this lengthy for somebody to make a documentary about it. It was definitely worth the wait, although.
For Ten Years, The Hunt Enthralled Fenn’s Followers
In 2010, an enigmatic octogenarian named Forrest Fenn revealed a memoir about his life as a pilot in Vietnam and an artwork vendor in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Within the memoir, he included a poem that purportedly left clues to a treasure — like a real-life Nationwide Treasure — that he’d hidden someplace within the mountains “north of Santa Fe.” Earlier than lengthy, just a few individuals began trying to find the treasure, although who was even to know if Fenn was telling the reality.
I first heard concerning the treasure most likely in 2012 or 2013, I don’t keep in mind precisely. I adopted a rabbit gap after first studying about it on a message board, which led to a subreddit, which led to some tales in mainstream media. Tales concerning the man, the poem that included the supposed clues, and updates from individuals who have been making an attempt to crack the code and discover the treasure, which Fenn claimed was price tens of millions of {dollars}.
I Adopted The Hunt From Afar
For the following few years, I’d examine in on the subreddit and skim concerning the numerous theories individuals had about the place the treasure may very well be discovered. Apart from everybody agreeing it was within the Rockies someplace, there have been as many wild concepts as there have been individuals searching. I by no means tried to learn Fenn’s guide, nor did I attempt to crack the code, and I definitely by no means went “boots on the bottom,” because the hunters would say when within the wilderness searching, however I used to be entranced by the hunt. Was the treasure even actual? Wouldn’t it ever be discovered? Each child is fascinated by buried treasure, and right here I used to be, a grown man, nonetheless fascinated by the concept.
All of it ended considerably unceremoniously when Fenn introduced in December of 2020 that the treasure had been discovered. The hunt was over. The finder informed Fenn he didn’t need his identify launched ot the general public, in order that was just about it. It was discovered, and Fenn supplied some photographs of the treasure, and that was that. It was fairly anti-climatic. Fenn died about two months later, which solely added to the finality, although ultimately, the “winner” revealed himself to be a medical scholar who had been enjoying Fenn’s recreation for a very long time.
Lastly, The Complete Story Is Being Informed
The three-part Netflix collection is an excellent recap and retelling of the story. Fenn left behind numerous TV appearances on the Right now present and different retailers that the producers had loads of footage to combine of the person with tales from a number of treasure hunters who devoted large chucks of their lives to the search. Whereas the precise finder isn’t within the collection, loads of hunters are, they usually all say they aren’t dissatisfied they didn’t discover it and that the fun of the chase was all of the reward they wanted.
That could be how these of us really feel, however others took to Reddit and Twitter and different social media to decry that the entire thing was a rip-off, and Fenn was mendacity when he mentioned he wasn’t concerned within the discovery. Some treasure hunters sued his property, claiming that they have been cheated out of the treasure. The documentary, which is likely one of the finest documentaries to hit the 2025 TV schedule and a good way to fill your time ready for the ultimate season of Outer Banks, covers all of it and extra. It begins on the very starting and goes proper up till in the present day, together with what has grow to be of the treasure and the hunters who regarded so laborious for it.