📍
State Is Confirmed via Bob Ross Clue
The mega-clue was the Bob Ross puzzle campaign. Sean confirmed: "The official Bob Ross clue is the puzzle that gives you the name of the state where the treasure is hidden." The community universally accepted the state. Sean called it a "mega clue."
↳ Mar 30 2023 • Dec 23 2023
🔢
There Are (At Least) Two Ways to Solve It
Sean explicitly flagged this as the single most overlooked early statement: "Is there more than one way to arrive at the answer? I said yes." He highlighted it again in Dec 2023, saying it was the question he was surprised nobody keyed in on.
↳ Dec 23 2023 • Mar 3 2020
📖
Book Is Fully Self-Contained
Confirmed in multiple interviews: "All you need is the book." Celebrity clues and Instagram are helpful hints, not required. You can solve without a smartphone. You can solve without Google Earth (though Google Earth is mentioned in the book itself).
↳ Dec 23 2023 • Mar 3 2020 • Feb 20 2024
🎁
Proxy Was Hidden Before Book Launched
Hilary confirmed: "We did hide it before the book came out." The proxy had been in place, untouched, for over two years as of the Feb 2024 stream. Either Hilary or Sean personally placed it — no third party.
↳ Mar 15 2024 • Dec 23 2023 • Mar 30 2023
🚫
Discard the Lawyer LaMore Clue
Sean's strongest negative guidance: "I would say don't waste any time on the lawyer LaMore clue. We already give another clue that's trying to accomplish the same thing in a much better way. Just throw out the lawyer LaMore clue."
↳ Feb 20 2024
⭐
Jason Ritter Clue Most Helpful (Sean's Pick)
Sean's favorite and most helpful celebrity clue: "The Jason Ritter clue — it's more helpful than anyone really knows yet, in a surprising way." Jason Alexander also praised: "That was our first clue and I think we gave a good one right off the bat."
↳ Feb 20 2024
🎨
Mark Paresi / Off the Mark Confirms Method
Hilary's favorite clue: "It definitely touches on method, and I think some people had a method and then gave up on it — so it does confirm if you had this method." Strong signal: if you had a working method and abandoned it, revisit it.
↳ Feb 20 2024
🔗
Eric Balfour Clue + Follow-up Are Linked
Sean: "I also wanted to give a special mention to the Eric Balfour clue and the follow-up clue that I think a lot of people correctly interpreted was trying to lead you back to the Eric Balfour clue. There's something we're trying to get across with the combination of those two."
↳ Feb 20 2024
🌐
Will Wheaton's Clue: State Hint + Confusion
The Will Wheaton clue tries to convey two things. Sean confirmed: "The other part of the clue was trying to convey the state in some way." It's a helpful clue but many people interpreted it very wrong. The "various secret places" phrase led to rabbit holes.
↳ Feb 20 2024 • Mar 30 2023
🔖
Instagram Post Descriptions Can Be Clues
Sean confirmed: "Are there clues that require the description of the Instagram post to solve? Yes, there are." This was a direct yes in the Feb 20 2024 stream — Instagram captions should not be ignored.
↳ Feb 20 2024
❌
Not Chicago — Confirmation Bias Warning
Hilary explicitly called out Chicago as a common wrong answer at STC 2026: "It's not in Chicago. A lot of you still think it's in Chicago, but I know it's really hard because you find a solution, everything fits." She used this as a confirmation bias example.
↳ STC Feb 2026
💡
Jesse Eisenberg Clue: Method Hinted in Book
Sean confirmed: "Is there a method in the book that hints on how we're supposed to solve the Jesse Eisenberg clue? Yes." The clue is solvable and something in the book tells you how to approach it. If you solve it, "you'll know."
↳ Mar 30 2023
📦
Proxy Is Something You Can Pick Up
Sean (Mar 30 2023): "Something you could pick up — okay, yeah I think that's fair." When you find the proxy, it has writing with it that tells you how to contact them. You don't have to turn it in — you can keep it. Contact info is included with the object itself.
↳ Mar 30 2023
🧠
Confirmation Bias Is the Biggest Enemy
Sean (STC 2026): "Sometimes you see people post online and they'll quote you out of context and use that as evidence for their theory... Everything the creator says is true to them in that moment in some way. But using it as a quote snippet is dangerous."
↳ STC Feb 2026
🏅
Max Foch Clue: Points to Multiple Things
Hilary: "I really love Max Foch's clue — it doesn't just point to one thing, it points to multiple things. So I think that clue could be very, very helpful." Max Foch is a YouTube comedian who has done treasure hunts including the Gold Foch hunt.
↳ Feb 20 2024 • Dec 23 2023
🏗️
Hunt Design: Intuitive Over Random
Sean (Mar 3 2020): "Our hunt is more intuitive. If something is multi-step, it would be intuitive — not kind of random. There are hints or clues in the book that tell you what to do if you figure out what they mean." Don't try things randomly.
↳ Mar 3 2020
How long has the hunt been going, and where are we now?
At STC 2026, Hilary noted the hunt is in its fourth year. The prize had grown: "It's $13,400 now — it used to be $10,000, but we add to it. We do fun things throughout the year to add to it. Like last year during the Super Bowl, we did prop bets — every time Xavier Worthy made a touchdown, we added."
STC 2026
Hunt Mechanics
Team Clues vs. Team No-Clues — where do you stand?
Sean acknowledged the divide: "There's people that are dying to get clues, and there's people that feel like they're close and don't want any clues at all. We've had a little break — no clues in probably about six months — but there is one coming today." The clue at STC 2026 was shared simultaneously on Instagram.
STC 2026
Hunt Mechanics
Are all celebrity clues equally helpful?
Sean was candid: "Definitely some of the celebrity clues are better than others." He added context: "In the beginning, when we got a celebrity on the hook that wanted to give a clue, it might not be the most potent of a clue, but I think people can certainly see by the time we got to Max Foch, that was a very good clue. The longer the hunt's gone on, the better the clues have gotten."
STC 2026
Clues
Which celebrity clues do you recommend focusing on?
At STC: "We like Eric Balfour's clue — it's great. And the Will Wheaton clue on our YouTube is very clever what he did. There are lots of books behind him, but I wouldn't count on that to solve Xavier. The clues we've harped on are probably because we're not seeing the answer being very popular out there."
STC 2026
Clues
Can a newcomer swoop in and win after years of community work?
Sean suggested yes: "The community is growing, and as the community grows, the portion of treasure hunters that want to share absolutely everything they find grows. You can get through 95% of our treasure hunt without even starting. If you buy the book today, swoop in at the end, beat all the people that have been crying for four years."
STC 2026
Hunt Mechanics
What's the most important lesson after four years?
Sean: "Everything the creator says is true to them in that moment in some way. But if you are using it just as a quote as a little snippet, I think that's a little dangerous." He also emphasized that the right answer should always be better than the wrong answers — once or twice they gave a clue to rule something out rather than rule something in.
STC 2026
Hunt Mechanics
Is it in Chicago?
Hilary explicitly denied this at STC 2026: "It's not in Chicago. A lot of you still think it's in Chicago, but I know it's really hard because you find a solution, everything fits. You know, that's it. And it's really hard to go away from that." She used this as a prime example of confirmation bias.
STC 2026
Location
How many clues have been released in total?
Sean at STC: "At this point we're probably on clue 16, 17, 20... yeah, we've given a lot of clues." Hilary noted this was the expected approach from the start: if it were going to err one way, make it too hard and give clues over time rather than end it early.
STC 2026
Hunt Mechanics
How is the TV/media pitch going?
Hilary at STC: "The most exciting thing is an Emmy-winning producer got the rights. He wrote a pitch, took Sean and I along. We pitched to Disney, Apple TV, a few others. Nothing's happened yet, but it was super cool." The LA Times article and Guardian coverage were also highlighted as major milestones.
STC 2026
Personal
Do you read searcher emails and DMs?
"We read them all and we don't respond to anything because we don't want to slip and give away a clue. Don't take that as an insult. We enjoy reading all of them." Sean added: "We can't tell you if you're really close. If you are really close — or whether or not you are — give us a lot of information, because we love to see where everyone's at."
STC 2026
Hunt Mechanics
What was the "super question" contest?
Hilary announced a contest: "Sean and I are going to answer one super clever question of your choice." Rules: one question per person, posted in YouTube comments, community votes on Facebook, creators retain right to eliminate any question they deem too direct (e.g., "what city is it in?" or "is it under home plate in a baseball field?"). The aim was to be helpful without creating a foot race.
Mar 15 2024
Hunt Mechanics
When did Jesse Eisenberg become involved?
Hilary: "About halfway through working on the book, we knew Jesse was going to be involved. Not when we started the book." This means the Jesse Eisenberg clue and his page in the book were designed with him mid-production, not as an afterthought.
Mar 15 2024
Personal
Will announcing a clue be intentional or accidental in streams?
Hilary clarified: "A while ago Sean and I said if we're going to give any more clues, we will say 'this is a clue.' So if there are clues in this video, it's not on purpose." This is a key filter: any genuine clue will be labeled as such by the creators.
Mar 15 2024
Hunt Mechanics
Is the proxy hidden high up or down low?
A searcher asked whether Xavier (short) or Fred the basketball player (tall) would more likely find the proxy — implying height matters. Hilary acknowledged the cleverness of the question. In the Feb 20 2024 stream, when the same question arose, Sean answered: "Xavier" — suggesting the proxy is not in a high location.
Mar 15 2024
Location
Why are you doing this stream after two years?
Hilary: "It's been two years — we thought it was going to be solved the first year for sure. Sean was afraid it was going to be solved the first day. People have come to a halt, are getting very frustrated. It's to just pump a little life back into this hunt, get you guys excited again, and try to be helpful."
Mar 15 2024
Hunt Mechanics
How should the super question be worded?
Hilary: "I want it to be subtle and clever. We're not going to answer if someone says 'what city is the proxy in?' or 'is it in a baseball field?' Maybe you'll understand [the question] but maybe no one else will — construct it in a very clever way. Something that amuses us, that makes us say 'wow, that's fun and clever.'"
Mar 15 2024
Hunt Mechanics
Is the "tree" nickname for Hilary's husband a clue?
Hilary directly denied this: "Tree, my husband, is not a clue, not a clue. It was just Sean and I were poking fun at him one night and it just stuck — because Stanford people think Stanford's such a great school and they have a tree for a mascot, which is ridiculous."
Mar 26 2024
Hunt Mechanics
Do you need to know what the proxy is before going boots-on-ground?
Hilary answered directly: "Absolutely. You do not have to know what the proxy is in order to solve the treasure hunt." She confirmed if you solve the location correctly, you will be able to find it even without prior knowledge of the proxy object itself.
Mar 26 2024
Hunt Mechanics
Is Hilary working on a new celebrity clue?
At the Mar 26 2024 stream: "I am working on the next celebrity clue which I am really, really excited about. We have to get to the question first — the question contest — but after that, fingers crossed that the celebrity will actually do it."
Mar 26 2024
Clues
Why did you do the super question contest?
Hilary: "There's no nefarious reason other than it's fun. I thought it would be a hoot to see what questions you come up with, and we also think it could be a little bit helpful. Sean and I would be thrilled if someone found it tomorrow, and we're fine if no one finds it for a few years — either way we're good."
Mar 26 2024
Personal
Where can searchers find all celebrity clues in one place?
Hilary: "The best and easiest way is to go on our website — xaviermarx.com — and on the homepage you'll see Will Wheaton and right below Will Wheaton is 'Celebrity Clues.' Click on that and all the celebrity clues are in one place."
Mar 26 2024
Hunt Mechanics
Is the treasure in a temple or place of worship?
At the very start of the Feb 20 2024 stream, before anything else, Hilary stated clearly: "The clue is not in a temple or any place of worship." This was one of the first sentences of the stream — a deliberate and unprompted clarification.
Feb 20 2024
Location
What is Sean's most helpful celebrity clue?
Sean: "The clue I picked as my most favorite is going to be the Jason Ritter clue. I think that it's more helpful than anyone really knows yet, in a surprising way for me." He also gave special mention to the Eric Balfour clue combination.
Feb 20 2024
Clues
What is Hilary's most helpful celebrity clue?
Hilary: "My favorite clue is Mark Paresi, Off the Mark. It definitely touches on method, and I think some people had a method and then they gave up on it — so it does confirm if you had this method. And also it was the first clue we had drawn for us." She also highlighted Max Foch's clue highly.
Feb 20 2024
Clues
What do you think of the Eric Balfour clue pair?
Sean: "I also wanted to give a special mention to the Eric Balfour clue and the follow-up clue that I think a lot of people correctly interpreted was trying to lead you back to the Eric Balfour clue. There's a reason we did that — something we're trying to get across with the combination of those two. It didn't get across with just the first one, so we tried to add something else to help it get across better."
Feb 20 2024
Clues
What is your least favorite clue and why?
Sean: "My least favorite clue, by far, is the Lawyer LaMore one. I would say don't waste any time on it. We already give another clue that's trying to accomplish the same thing in a much better way. Just throw out the Lawyer LaMore clue — focus on the other ones." Hilary: her least favorite was Will Wheaton — not the actor, but the clue: "A little confusing. Sean said the other part was trying to convey the state in some way."
Feb 20 2024
Clues
What did the Will Wheaton clue's two parts mean?
Sean: "The clue is trying to convey more than one thing — it's almost like there's more than one clue in it. The other part of the clue was trying to convey the state in some way. If you want to go back and see if you can figure out how we were trying to convey that, that could be a fun experiment. A lot of people interpreted it very, very wrong and it led to some really deep rabbit holes."
Feb 20 2024
Clues
Is Max Foch's clue one of the best?
Hilary: "I really love Max Foch's clue — the reason I like it is because it gives you a lot. It doesn't just point to one thing, it points to multiple things. So I think that clue could be very, very helpful." Sean agreed. Bob Ross clue was also noted as helpful in "more ways than one."
Feb 20 2024
Clues
Does "Secret online places" in the Will Wheaton clue refer to something real?
When the question came up (again in Mar 30 2023), Sean noted: "I would say just look for one clue that you think is going to help you in that clue." He cautioned: "Don't do anything dumb — if you think it led you to a website that wants to charge you $20 for something, don't give anyone money." He didn't rule out websites entirely but discouraged rabbit-hole chasing.
Feb 20 2024
Clues
Do the celebrity clues require Instagram post descriptions?
Sean confirmed: "Are there clues that require the description of the Instagram post to solve? Yes there are." This is a direct confirmation — the Instagram captions accompanying celebrity clue posts are not decorative; they are functional parts of some clues.
Feb 20 2024
Clues
Can the proxy be found with just the book — without Instagram or celebrity clues?
Sean: "Yes — the whole hunt was designed to be solved obviously just with the book. Everything else is more of a hint. The clues — what you need — are in the book. But you know, if you just had the book you could have solved it. It will be a lot easier with all the extra information if you're interpreting it correctly."
Feb 20 2024
Hunt Mechanics
Is "detective collective.com" relevant to the hunt?
Sean explicitly denied it: "'Secret online places' does not mean detectivecollective.com — that was one of the rabbit holes people were falling down. We don't want to get in the habit of saying every little thing that doesn't matter, because then obviously if we don't answer something, people will know it does matter."
Feb 20 2024
Hunt Mechanics
Is Jason Alexander's clue worth studying closely?
Hilary: "I really also like Jason Alexander's clue a lot. I'm a big Seinfeld fan and I think a lot of you really like that clue as well." Sean: "That was our first clue and I think we gave a good one right off the bat." Note: some searchers may have already partly figured it out.
Feb 20 2024
Clues
Is the proxy still there?
Sean (Feb 2024): "We are planning to check on it again soon, like we do check on it now and then. It was in place for over two years as of the last check — because it was in place well before the hunt even started."
Feb 20 2024
Hunt Mechanics
Would Xavier or Fred (the basketball player) more likely find the proxy?
When asked in Feb 2024, Sean answered: "Xavier." Hilary added: "I'm sure she's trying to get something there — interesting." This repeats the same question from Mar 15 2024 — Sean's answer of Xavier suggests the proxy is at a height accessible to a short person, not up high.
Feb 20 2024
Location
Is "lead pencil or lead singer" a relevant question?
Searcher Tristina asked: "Lead pencil or lead singer?" Hilary responded: "One of them will make sense, the other probably won't." Sean intervened: "I think I think we've been very helpful this stream so I think maybe we cut our losses." This suggests the question relates to a real choice in solving a clue.
Feb 20 2024
Clues
Are Sean and Hilary splitting their YouTube channels?
Announced Feb 2024: "We are going to split the YouTube. Sean is starting a whole new YouTube — starting with amazing treasures that have been lost for a very long time — and I'm going to continue on this YouTube with various projects I'm doing." Sean: "Hillary's going to be operating this current YouTube channel and at some point I will be announcing some own projects."
Feb 20 2024
Personal
Do you need the celebrity clues to solve the hunt?
Hilary was emphatic: "The big misinformation is that you need the clues to solve the treasure hunt. That is absolutely not true. You do not need the clues to solve the treasure hunt. All you need is the book — and we've said that from the start." She stressed clues are helpful, not required.
Dec 23 2023
Clues
What was the main purpose of the Bob Ross puzzle campaign?
Sean: "The main point of the Bob Ross puzzles was obviously to get everyone the state, which I think everyone is sort of figured out — the state in which the proxy is hidden. Could there be other stuff within the Bob Ross whole project that could be important? I would say definitely yes. There's probably some things that no one's even picked up on yet."
Dec 23 2023
Clues
Are celebrity bonus clues designed to help solve puzzles in the book?
Sean: "We've been following the plan we had since before the hunt even began with the celebrity bonus clues — sort of putting out the clues that we think searchers as a whole are probably going to need. A lot of times people tell us what they want the clues to be, but we're putting out what we believe people need the clues to be."
Dec 23 2023
Clues
Do color inconsistencies in the book artwork mean anything?
Sean: "There's definitely a lot of choices that were made by the artist. I would say the most logical answer, a lot of the time, is probably just trying to speed up the process — not saying there's no clues there. There certainly could be. But I would say the most logical answer a lot of the time is probably just that." Context: artist Sarah Martin worked quickly under deadline pressure.
Dec 23 2023
Book
Can you solve the hunt without a smartphone?
Hilary answered directly: "Yes. Yes you can. Simple answer: yes you can."
Dec 23 2023
Hunt Mechanics
Is there more than one way to arrive at the answer?
Sean highlighted this as the most underappreciated early statement: "There was one question I was asked early on in an interview that I think would have been something people would have queued in on — Cowlazars said 'is there more than one way to arrive at the answer?' and I said yes. And then he looks surprised, and then everyone's kind of moved on. That might be something worth thinking about: why or how there could be multiple ways to arrive at the answer."
Dec 23 2023
Hunt Mechanics
Can you solve it without the Roman numeral clue?
Sean: "At least one celebrity clue has related to the Roman numerals. Can you solve it without the Roman numerals? I don't necessarily want to answer that — I just acknowledged there's at least two ways to solve it, so I don't want to give too much information away about what each of those ways might be and what they might entail."
Dec 23 2023
Hunt Mechanics
Is it possible to walk within inches of the proxy without finding it?
Sean: "I suppose you could pass it by inches. There was someone — probably not a treasure hunter, but somebody — who came within one inch of the treasure at one point. So that was interesting." He declined to say how they track this.
Dec 23 2023
Hunt Mechanics
Do you need to know the heights of Xavier's classmates to solve any clue?
Hilary answered directly: "No, you don't need short and tall to solve the clue. Don't say I never gave you a direct answer to one of the clues."
Dec 23 2023
Hunt Mechanics
Is any external source (like a specific book) needed to solve the hunt?
Sean: "If anything is needed or suggested, there should be some sort of indicator in the book that you need to go to a certain place or find a certain source. You shouldn't have to go willy-nilly — if something suggests you go somewhere, go there and check it out." There should always be an in-book signal pointing you to any outside resource.
Dec 23 2023
Hunt Mechanics
Is there a reason all the books in the Acknowledgments were thanked?
Hilary (on the question of whether Treasure Island is needed): "Can't say whether it's needed or not, but there's a reason that all the books I thanked were thanked. So I think I'll end this with that."
Dec 23 2023
Book
Why hasn't the treasure been found yet?
Hilary: "I think it takes one thing to kind of click in and then everything will make sense. I just don't think that one thing has clicked in for any of you yet." Sean: "People have been close. Different people. The reason it probably hasn't been solved yet is just people being locked into maybe some of the wrong thinking on certain things."
Dec 23 2023
Searcher Progress
Are there other non-community groups working on the hunt?
Hilary: "There are other groups working on this as well, besides the treasure hunting community. There's an alumni group from Stanford that's working on it. There's a group from MIT that's working on it. And some other people that aren't even in the community. So it would be really interesting — I don't hear from them but I know they're working on it."
Dec 23 2023
Searcher Progress
How do the creators check on the proxy, and has it been touched?
Sean: "We do check on it every now and then. As of last check it has been in place, untouched, for over two years. And if you read the rules of the book, we do have things in place just in case you find the spot and it's not there — we don't think that's going to happen, but we really wanted to be prepared for any possibility."
Dec 23 2023
Hunt Mechanics
What other projects are Hilary and Sean working on separately?
Hilary (Dec 2023): working on a college campus treasure hunt series (first at UCLA, pitting students vs. expert hunter), and other projects. An Emmy-winning producer pitched the book to Disney and Apple TV. Sean is also working on separate non-Xavier projects. Neither is waiting for Xavier to be solved before moving forward.
Dec 23 2023
Personal
Did they use red herrings in the book?
Hilary made this clear: "Sean and I don't like red herrings and we did not use any red herrings on purpose. When we hear misinformation out there, we know this hunt is difficult enough and we really don't want you guys to be led down a wrong path."
Dec 23 2023
Personal
What is the official scope of the Bob Ross clue?
Sean confirmed: "The official Bob Ross clue is the puzzle that gives you the name of the state where the treasure is hidden. Okay. Anything else is like fair game — anything we do is really fair game. But the one big clue for Bob Ross is the state. But there certainly could be other little things hidden here or there that might help you out."
Mar 30 2023
Clues
Is the Jesse Eisenberg clue a standalone or does it need the book?
Sean: "Is there a method in the book that hints on how we're supposed to solve the Jesse Eisenberg clue? Yes." Also: "If you solve it, then you'll know." He did not confirm whether it's standalone or requires prior book steps, but confirmed there's in-book guidance for the approach.
Mar 30 2023
Clues
Has anyone correctly identified what the proxy might be?
Sean: "I believe at least somebody has correctly surmised what the proxy might be." But emphasized: "We haven't confirmed anything to anyone. We won't. If you send us a private message, no one's getting any special information."
Mar 30 2023
Clues
Is the proxy something you pick up, or fixed in place?
Sean (Mar 30 2023): "Something you could pick up — okay, yeah I think that's fair." He also confirmed: "They need to contact us but they're not going to need to turn anything into us. Whatever it is they find, they can keep."
Mar 30 2023
Hunt Mechanics
Do celebrities know the solution or location?
Sean: "None of them know the whole solution or the exact location. No. Even Jesse Eisenberg doesn't know the exact location." Each celebrity was given guidance on what their clue needed to convey but not the full picture.
Mar 30 2023
Hunt Mechanics
How are searchers doing a year and a half in?
Sean (Mar 2023): "I've come to understand why it hasn't been found — you kind of see what people are doing and you're like okay. There are people keeping secrets still. The community is very open right now and accepting of helping people." He expected it to be found by end of 2023 but acknowledged that was his thinking in 2022 too.
Mar 30 2023
Searcher Progress
Does knowing masquerade (the Kit Williams hunt) help solve Xavier?
Sean: "It never hurts to know how other treasure hunts work. Masquerade is mentioned in the book — yes it sure is, along with some other nonsensical ones. Could there be a reason? I don't know — right, that's one I don't know if anybody solved."
Mar 30 2023
Clues
Is there a particular page in the book that's a key to solving the puzzle?
Sean: "I wouldn't necessarily say there's one particular page. A lot of pages are important — it's a long book. We're not hiding the entire thing on one page."
Mar 30 2023
Hunt Mechanics
Is the hunt solvable without years of study?
Sean: "I don't think it's something somebody needs to have been working on for years. Especially with — it seems like the community is very open right now. Someone could still solve it pretty quickly. It's very solvable."
Mar 30 2023
Searcher Progress
Does Jesse Eisenberg's clue reveal the entire solve?
Mike asked: "Is solving the Jesse Eisenberg clue the solution of where to go, or is it just a piece of where the proxy is?" Sean: "If you solve it, then you'll know." This implies solving it thoroughly leads to definitive direction — not just a partial answer.
Mar 30 2023
Clues
Did Jesse Eisenberg create his clue, or was it given to him?
Sean: "Jesse's involvement — he was involved. We didn't tell him what to do exactly, but obviously we gave him some guidance because we needed it to be a certain type of thing." The pattern for all celebrities: "We basically let them be involved to whatever level they wanted. Some of them did straight-up create their clue."
Mar 30 2023
Book
Is there more than one way to solve the puzzle? (First interview ever asked)
Sean (Mar 2020, earliest interview, hunt 4 months old): "That's an interesting question. There could be more than one way. I don't think there's more than two ways, but there might be two." This was later highlighted in Dec 2023 as the most overlooked early statement.
Mar 3 2020
Hunt Mechanics
Is everything you need to solve it in the book?
Sean (2020): "Everything you need is in the book. Yeah, you just have to solve it. But everything you need to solve it is in there. I mean, at some point you have to go to a location — you might need something with the book — but at some point you're going to have to end up in a location using the book."
Mar 3 2020
Book
Where in the United States is the treasure?
Sean confirmed scope (2020, before state was revealed): "The area boundaries — it's somewhere in the continental United States. The 48 contiguous United States." The state was later confirmed via the Bob Ross mega-clue in 2022–2023.
Mar 3 2020
Hunt Mechanics
Is the artwork reuse throughout the book meaningful?
Sean: "Why is so much of the artwork reused throughout the book? The most obvious answer sometimes is the right answer. Then that most obvious answer would be — if you're trying to point attention to it, maybe. I'm not sure what the most obvious answer is, right?" Declined to elaborate further.
Mar 3 2020
Book
Is the spot where the proxy is hidden special to Hilary or Sean?
Sean (2020): "Nope. So yeah — knowing me or Hillary is not going to help. It's all in the book." The location was chosen for puzzle reasons, not personal sentiment. There's no "forced spending" — no connection to their personal histories that would give it away.
Mar 3 2020
Hunt Mechanics
Is the hunt left brain or right brain — logical or lateral thinking?
Sean: "We put it pretty well in the LA Times article — it's a combination. I think it would be hard for one person to solve it entirely on their own unless they're a really well-rounded individual. Left brain thinkers, right brain thinkers — you need both." Collaboration is encouraged.
Mar 3 2020
Hunt Mechanics
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