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COVER STORY Keno twins help homeowners find 'Buried Treasure' on Fox By John Crook © Zap2it Mention the word "antiques" to many people, and their eyes immediately glaze over with boredom. That's probably one reason you won't find the A word any- where in the title of "Buried Treasure," a new four-week Fox series premiering Wednesday, Aug. 24. The series, which wasn't available for preview, follows contemporary treasure hunters and collectibles experts Leigh and Leslie Keno ("Antiques Roadshow") as they travel America to go into homes in search of hidden valuables. Some of the stuff trotted out by homeowners is truly valuable, while some of it is, well, trash. But along the way viewers also will get some engrossing insight into what makes an object valu- able (or not) as well as a mov- ing human-interest story about the owners of each piece. And make no mistake, some of the Americans spotlighted in this series are long overdue for some good news. "These are real-life situations with, in many cases, people in dire need of help," says Leslie Keno, who came up with the idea for the show with his twin, Leigh, and executive producer Tim Miller, a longtime colleague. "In some cases their house is about to be taken away from them, or they can't pay for their daughter's operation that she needs to live, or their business has burned down and they've been left with almost nothing. We go into their home and find centuries-old heirlooms that bring them over six figures, giving them a chance to get started again. It's an honor to be chosen for this." "It's like an epic treasure hunt show with heart," Leigh Keno says, "because we get to go into people's homes and change their life. When we wake up in the morning and go to a shoot, we don't really know what we're going to find.We may have seen a few photos of what they have, but often it's the things in the background that turn out to be the really good stuff.We get to go into their homes and find the true nuggets, the real treasures, and change their lives. Ninety- nine percent of the time these people are selling because they really, really need the money." Sometimes, however, the ob- ject in question may hold such a powerful emotional connection 2 – AUGUST 21 - 27, 2011 – BRAINERD, MN/DISPATCH for the owner that ultimately he can't bear to part with it, Leslie adds. "Occasionally, the owner turns down an offer of a few hundred thousand dollars and just says, 'No, I can't sell it.' It's a true reality show in that sense," he explains. "We don't know what's going to happen, and I think that's what viewers are going to love.You never know when there's going to be a really emotional moment. Sometimes the objects are like family members themselves, because these heirlooms have so many associations for the owners.We're the catalyst to give them choices about what they want to do." Sometimes, of course, the Kenos are forced to deliver bad news, but fortunately there's usually a silver lining even in disappointing moments like that, Leigh points out. "That happens quite a lot, unfortunately, where the cher- ished object they've always been told was something great is actually a fake or a copy," he great historical and cultural sig- nificance. Often we are finding things that are museum quality, things that are considered by experts in the field to be a miss- ing link of that genre. These are things that have been sought by collectors for, in some cases, hundreds of years." And while Fox may seem a somewhat offbeat venue for a show like this. Miller thinks the network offers a chance to reach a whole new audience for a show that is, first and foremost, just very enter- taining. "The guys broadened the Leigh Keno hosts "Buried Treasure," premiering Wednesday on Fox. 1 x 5.5" ad Expressions North says. "That's part of the show, but the good news is that the vase next to it, or the painting hanging behind it, or maybe the jewelry that was hidden away in that drawer is the high end of the roller coaster." Creator and executive pro- ducer Joe Livecchi, to whom Miller brought the idea for the show about 3 1/2 years ago, says he is convinced the time is right for "Buried Treasure," with the economic downturn forcing many Americans to search everywhere for extra cash to get them through a rough patch. "The truth is that anyone out there could have something that is worth a lot of money, and we find it almost every time we go out on a story, Livecchi says. "Almost everyone has at least one thing in their home that they think holds some potential value, whether it's something as pedestrian as a baseball card or maybe some kind of bowl that could be from some ancient Chinese dynasty.We're really finding things that have demographic of people who watch PBS and 'Antiques Road- show,' but this one is going to allow them to reach an even wider audience," he says. "We're finding young people who are collecting things, so we thought the Fox opportunity was one that hadn't really been taken advantage of.We wanted to create a show that moved and had a lot of emotion. Fox was the place that we wanted to be, and it's a time in the economy, too, where everyone is looking through their house or attic or basement trying to find that one thing. All these shows have prompted that great American treasure hunt.We thought it was the right time for a show like this, that has heart and is unique, and that Fox would give us the opportunity to develop a new audience." Who doesn't like saving money? Click &Clip COUPONS Money tied up in old furniture? Sell it in the Classifieds!!! 1 x 4" ad 855-5898 Tender Care Nursing 2 x 4" ad Crosslake Drug 50% Deals & GIFT CARDS off

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