Interview with Tonny Brown from NBC's Treasure Hunters
Of all the teams on NBC's Treasure Hunters, one of the more memorable and controversial was Team Brown Family. Realivision is pleased to have been able to have Tonny Brown take some time to answer a few questions for us and bring us up to date on his brother Keith's injury.
***
Hello, Tonny! First I have to say I love the nickname. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
I am probably the least interesting person you will ever write about. But here goes. Tonny is not a nickname if that is what you are referring to. It’s spelled this way on my driver’s license. I have been married for 13 years to my lovely wife Terri. We have no children but we have 2 dogs that we love very much. I enjoy writing and am currently working on several book projects one of which I hope to have published via Tate Publishing later this year. We also have a comic book that will be available this year and a host of other things. Just stay tuned!
How did you come to find yourself on Treasure Hunters?
My brother Keith is always full of ideas. He came across the casting call for Treasure Hunters and then called me and said he was making the drive from Florida to Texas attend and wanted to know if I would join him. I said yes. We originally asked our cousin Garth Ray to join us and he did the initial interview. He could not continue so we asked our brother Terrance to join us and the rest is history as they say.
How have show nights been around the Brown households?
My wife and usually watched the show alone. I get calls from friends and family on show nights. Everyone is asking me what is going to happen. They ask me do I like this team or that team. Its maddening.
It's been brought up on the show that Keith didn't start to learn to swim until three weeks before starting the hunt. Did you do anything personally to prepare yourself?
I started working out and running 5 miles a day. I still do. I lost about 30 pounds and am still losing. I feel great!
Speaking of Keith, are you able to tell us how badly his leg was injured, and how he's doing now?
He tore his quadricep. He still healing but is doing fine.
Some of the most heart-tugging moments have been him coming face-to-face with his fear of drowning and then overcoming that fear to keep going. Since the game has he done any more swimming or boating?
Keith used to say that one day he wanted to buy a house near the water. Since the game he has been looking for desert property (I’m joking!). He still wants to learn to swim but he is in no hurry.
There have been a couple of controversies surrounding Team Brown, both of them surrounding decisions of the producers, not your own actions. The first of these was when Team Grad Students had to withdraw due to injury and so it was decided to have your team go back into the hunt despite having just been eliminated (which, by the way, I thought was the right move because it kept the season and the hung balanced). The Wild Hanlons didn't like the decision and it led to a confrontation between the two teams, as well as a great moment between yourself and Josh Hanlon on the lighthouse. Have you talked to the Hanlons since the show and have things smoothed over?
We all keep in contact as much as we can via e-mail. The relationship between Pat Hanlon and me is still a bit rocky. As to whether it will ever improve is more up to him than me. He still has a problem with what happened. It’s almost like he thinks if the Grads had stayed they would not have went home at the lighthouse. In my opinion, they would were going home regardless. The Hanlons were no match for the Grads, of this I am sure. I would also bet that they would still be in the game right now.
The other controversy was after Keith's injury. Many people felt it was unfair that you and Terrance were allowed to continue in the hunt after the Grad Students had withdrawn due to Jessica's injury. What are your thoughts on this situation?
During this part of the hunt the option was given to every team to leave a player behind. That option was not offered at the river. This option was scheduled to go into play at the plantation not before. There were several hours that passed between Keith getting hurt and we being given our 6 hour penalty, all being told we had to wait closer to 11 hours before we could resume the hunt.
Controversies will always exist especially if it is because something didn’t go your way. If you take a moment to reflect back on the game you will see that we rarely received help from other teams and we were rarely in groups. We mostly had to fend for ourselves. The Air Force and The Geniuses were great helps to us. But I will leave that for another time.
Early in the game the most controversial team to arise had been the Fogals, though they really changed their style later on. I've heard that outside the game they are wonderful people, so did it surprise you when you first discovered some of the moves they made, and how did it make you feel about your own gameplay?
The Hunt is the Hunt and the Game is the Game. There were things that happened during this game that were just too unreal. It did bring out a kind of desperation to do whatever it took to continue. But we believed that there is nothing under heaven that one should consider of more value than one’s own integrity and commitment to always do what is right. It is a moral stand that we choose to live by rather than preach about. That is all I will say about that.
There is a surprising amount of cooperation amongst some of the teams considering it's a competition, some more than others. How do you think has affected the game?
It changed the face of the game. There are some teams that were able to advance solely because of this fact. I won’t mention any names. They know who they are and if you have been watching you should know who they are as well.
If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would trust my gut more. There were a lot of times (more than I care to remember actually) where my gut told me one thing and I actually did another only to regret it later. If I had listened to my gut we would not have lost round two and there would be no controversy concerning this.
Do you feel closer to your brothers as a result of your Treasure Hunters experience?
My brothers and I have lived through one of the most traumatic things siblings can live through and that was the loss of our mother as children. She succumbed to cancer when we were kids. Subsequently we have been able to forge a bond through the years that is pretty amazing when you think about it. Whatever we do we do it together.
What did you learn about yourself from the hunt?
I will answer this by using a famous quote from Robert Downing when he asks - "Are there not, dear Michal,
Two points in the adventure of the diver,—
One, when a beggar he prepares to plunge;
One, when a prince he rises with his pearl?
Festus, I plunge."
Paracelsus. Part i.
What have you been up to since the show?
Working on my children’s book and our cartoon/comic book. I have also been working with a cousin of ours, Joseph Brown, on several music projects. He came up with our theme song. I’ll send it to you later. I think you’ll like it.
Would you ever consider doing another competitive reality show?
It would largely depend on if it were a team endeavor or solo. I have no aversions to physical activities; I just prefer the cerebral contest.
Can you tell us a little about your website, www.teambrownlive.com?
Teambrownlive.com is about to explode! We so many different projects we are working on it is impossible to list them all here. This is a way for us to keep focused and in touch with those that believe in what we are doing. We are very interested in helping others and that is exactly what we would like to use our 15 minutes for. I would just like to mention Trisha Curtis, a co-worker of mine at Bank of America. Her son passed away from leukemia. Please visit www.BDCFoundation.com for more info. We are also serious about contributing to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Do you have a favorite team left in the hunt?
Yes!
Favorite movie?
The Bourne Identity
Favorite book?
This one because I wrote it - Adventures of Jack and Sidney Episode of "The Gold Coin". This is the first in a series of books with these characters. Be sure to pay attention to the order of the names. The book will be told from the stand-point of the character whose name appears first. This episode will be told from Jack’s point of view.
Favorite airline?
The one that gets me there safely!
Thank you very much for your time, Tonny, and best wishes for whatever life brings you!
***
Treasure Hunters airs Mondays on NBC in the United States and Global in Canada.
***
Hello, Tonny! First I have to say I love the nickname. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
I am probably the least interesting person you will ever write about. But here goes. Tonny is not a nickname if that is what you are referring to. It’s spelled this way on my driver’s license. I have been married for 13 years to my lovely wife Terri. We have no children but we have 2 dogs that we love very much. I enjoy writing and am currently working on several book projects one of which I hope to have published via Tate Publishing later this year. We also have a comic book that will be available this year and a host of other things. Just stay tuned!
How did you come to find yourself on Treasure Hunters?
My brother Keith is always full of ideas. He came across the casting call for Treasure Hunters and then called me and said he was making the drive from Florida to Texas attend and wanted to know if I would join him. I said yes. We originally asked our cousin Garth Ray to join us and he did the initial interview. He could not continue so we asked our brother Terrance to join us and the rest is history as they say.
How have show nights been around the Brown households?
My wife and usually watched the show alone. I get calls from friends and family on show nights. Everyone is asking me what is going to happen. They ask me do I like this team or that team. Its maddening.
It's been brought up on the show that Keith didn't start to learn to swim until three weeks before starting the hunt. Did you do anything personally to prepare yourself?
I started working out and running 5 miles a day. I still do. I lost about 30 pounds and am still losing. I feel great!
Speaking of Keith, are you able to tell us how badly his leg was injured, and how he's doing now?
He tore his quadricep. He still healing but is doing fine.
Some of the most heart-tugging moments have been him coming face-to-face with his fear of drowning and then overcoming that fear to keep going. Since the game has he done any more swimming or boating?
Keith used to say that one day he wanted to buy a house near the water. Since the game he has been looking for desert property (I’m joking!). He still wants to learn to swim but he is in no hurry.
There have been a couple of controversies surrounding Team Brown, both of them surrounding decisions of the producers, not your own actions. The first of these was when Team Grad Students had to withdraw due to injury and so it was decided to have your team go back into the hunt despite having just been eliminated (which, by the way, I thought was the right move because it kept the season and the hung balanced). The Wild Hanlons didn't like the decision and it led to a confrontation between the two teams, as well as a great moment between yourself and Josh Hanlon on the lighthouse. Have you talked to the Hanlons since the show and have things smoothed over?
We all keep in contact as much as we can via e-mail. The relationship between Pat Hanlon and me is still a bit rocky. As to whether it will ever improve is more up to him than me. He still has a problem with what happened. It’s almost like he thinks if the Grads had stayed they would not have went home at the lighthouse. In my opinion, they would were going home regardless. The Hanlons were no match for the Grads, of this I am sure. I would also bet that they would still be in the game right now.
The other controversy was after Keith's injury. Many people felt it was unfair that you and Terrance were allowed to continue in the hunt after the Grad Students had withdrawn due to Jessica's injury. What are your thoughts on this situation?
During this part of the hunt the option was given to every team to leave a player behind. That option was not offered at the river. This option was scheduled to go into play at the plantation not before. There were several hours that passed between Keith getting hurt and we being given our 6 hour penalty, all being told we had to wait closer to 11 hours before we could resume the hunt.
Controversies will always exist especially if it is because something didn’t go your way. If you take a moment to reflect back on the game you will see that we rarely received help from other teams and we were rarely in groups. We mostly had to fend for ourselves. The Air Force and The Geniuses were great helps to us. But I will leave that for another time.
Early in the game the most controversial team to arise had been the Fogals, though they really changed their style later on. I've heard that outside the game they are wonderful people, so did it surprise you when you first discovered some of the moves they made, and how did it make you feel about your own gameplay?
The Hunt is the Hunt and the Game is the Game. There were things that happened during this game that were just too unreal. It did bring out a kind of desperation to do whatever it took to continue. But we believed that there is nothing under heaven that one should consider of more value than one’s own integrity and commitment to always do what is right. It is a moral stand that we choose to live by rather than preach about. That is all I will say about that.
There is a surprising amount of cooperation amongst some of the teams considering it's a competition, some more than others. How do you think has affected the game?
It changed the face of the game. There are some teams that were able to advance solely because of this fact. I won’t mention any names. They know who they are and if you have been watching you should know who they are as well.
If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I would trust my gut more. There were a lot of times (more than I care to remember actually) where my gut told me one thing and I actually did another only to regret it later. If I had listened to my gut we would not have lost round two and there would be no controversy concerning this.
Do you feel closer to your brothers as a result of your Treasure Hunters experience?
My brothers and I have lived through one of the most traumatic things siblings can live through and that was the loss of our mother as children. She succumbed to cancer when we were kids. Subsequently we have been able to forge a bond through the years that is pretty amazing when you think about it. Whatever we do we do it together.
What did you learn about yourself from the hunt?
I will answer this by using a famous quote from Robert Downing when he asks - "Are there not, dear Michal,
Two points in the adventure of the diver,—
One, when a beggar he prepares to plunge;
One, when a prince he rises with his pearl?
Festus, I plunge."
Paracelsus. Part i.
What have you been up to since the show?
Working on my children’s book and our cartoon/comic book. I have also been working with a cousin of ours, Joseph Brown, on several music projects. He came up with our theme song. I’ll send it to you later. I think you’ll like it.
Would you ever consider doing another competitive reality show?
It would largely depend on if it were a team endeavor or solo. I have no aversions to physical activities; I just prefer the cerebral contest.
Can you tell us a little about your website, www.teambrownlive.com?
Teambrownlive.com is about to explode! We so many different projects we are working on it is impossible to list them all here. This is a way for us to keep focused and in touch with those that believe in what we are doing. We are very interested in helping others and that is exactly what we would like to use our 15 minutes for. I would just like to mention Trisha Curtis, a co-worker of mine at Bank of America. Her son passed away from leukemia. Please visit www.BDCFoundation.com for more info. We are also serious about contributing to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Do you have a favorite team left in the hunt?
Yes!
Favorite movie?
The Bourne Identity
Favorite book?
This one because I wrote it - Adventures of Jack and Sidney Episode of "The Gold Coin". This is the first in a series of books with these characters. Be sure to pay attention to the order of the names. The book will be told from the stand-point of the character whose name appears first. This episode will be told from Jack’s point of view.
Favorite airline?
The one that gets me there safely!
Thank you very much for your time, Tonny, and best wishes for whatever life brings you!
***
Treasure Hunters airs Mondays on NBC in the United States and Global in Canada.
posted by Tabby at 12:14 a.m.
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