Real-life treasure hunt ‘worthy of Indiana Jones’ races up Netflix chart

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Netflix viewers have rushed to watch a series about a jaw-dropping real life treasure hunt.

Since being released earlier this week, the three-part documentary series Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure has become one of the most-watched programmes in the UK.

It follows the wild idea by enigmatic art dealer and author Forrest Fenn, who in 2010 orchestrated a treasure hunt for the 21st century.

Fenn was a decorated Air Force pilot who went on to become a notable art dealer. After being diagnosed with kidney cancer, which had a small chance of survival, he beat the odds and was then inspired to organise the treasure hunt.

At the age of 80, he hid a chest filled with gold and jewels in the mountains north of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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The items he hid included around 476 gold pieces, coins, jewellery, and other precious artifacts, valued at $1,000,000 (£772,000).

Netflix viewers are rushing to watch a series about a real-life treasure hunt (Picture: Netflix)

All he left for those willing to undertake the mission to track it down was a cryptic 24-line poem.

As teased by Netflix: ‘The audacious act ignited a decade-long quest for which a ragtag band of adventurers abandoned their jobs, families, and in some cases even their lives in pursuit of Fenn’s hidden fortune.’

Although Fenn had reassured people anyone could solve the poem by keeping the search simple and consider locations an elderly man could access, some treasure hunters travelled into dangerous locations where they faced whitewater rapids, sheer cliffs, and dangerous wildlife.

Ahead of the show hitting screens, many viewers expressed their excitement.

‘Nooo way! I was literally thinking about this the other day. I’m pretty excited!’ user jonesaukitoga8222 commented on YouTube.

Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure details how treasure hunters risked their lives to track down art dealer Forrest Fenn’s prize (Picture: Netflix)

‘I spent almost 10 years searching. It was a great time. I’ll never forget it,’ PJBASS8225 shared.

‘I’m not going to lie. I was big into this, too. I bought his book hoping to figure it out just like everyone else. Forrest was a genius. He probably made more on the sales of the book than he spent hiding the treasure itself. Its smart,’ michaelll added.

Despite many people becoming committed to the search, several lost their lives in the process, which led to New Mexico State Police urging Fenn to call off the treasure hunt, a move which sparked backlash from the hunters and members of the public.

The treasure was indeed eventually found – by 32-year-old medical student Jack Stuef, who discovered it in the Rocky Mountains a decade after it was hidden.

The hunt went on for a decade (Picture: Netflix)

‘The moment it happened was not the triumphant Hollywood ending some surely envisioned; it just felt like I had just survived something and was fortunate to come out the other end,’ he wrote in a blog post.

‘This treasure hunt was the most frustrating experience of my life. There were a few times when I, exhausted, covered in scratches and bites and sweat and pine pitch, and nearing the end of my day’s water supply, sat down on a downed tree and just cried alone in the woods in sheer frustration.’

Following its discovery, the treasure was put up for auction, where it was purchased by an anonymous buyer for more than $1.3 million.

Fenn died aged 90 in 2020, soon after the hunt ended.

Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure is streaming on Netflix.

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