The Curse of Oak Island explained

Genre:Reality[1]
Creator:Kevin Burns
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:11
Num Episodes:205
List Episodes:List of The Curse of Oak Island episodes
Camera:Multiple
Runtime:60 minutes
Company:Prometheus Entertainment
Network:History
Last Aired:present

The Curse of Oak Island is a multi-season reality television series that chronicles a team of treasure hunters run by brothers Marty and Rick Lagina and its search for legendary treasure on Oak Island off the shore of Nova Scotia. The American television production delves into the Oak Island mystery, featuring efforts to search for historical artifacts and treasure.[2]

The program premiered on History on January 6, 2014.[3] The eleventh season premiered on November 7, 2023.

Premise

The Curse of Oak Island follows brothers Marty and Rick Lagina,[4] originally from Kingsford, Michigan, through their efforts to find the speculated treasure believed to be on Oak Island. The series discusses the history of the island, recent discoveries, theories, and earlier investigations of the site.[5] Areas of interest include the "money pit", Borehole 10-X, Smith's Cove, Site 2, "Nolan's Cross", the "Hatch", and the "Swamp".

Notable discoveries

While wholesale treasure has not been found, some coins and artifacts have been dug up on the island over the years.[6] [7] [8] [9]

Some have speculated the show is a hoax and false news, while others speculate that if there ever was any treasure, it is already gone.

Personnel

Oak Island characters

Initially, the cast consisted of a core group including Rick, Marty, and Alex Lagina, Dan and Dave Blankenship, Craig Tester, Jack Begley, Dan Henskee, Charles Barkhouse, and Peter Fornetti. Over time, the Oak Island team has expanded. Some specialists who have been brought to the island for specific purposes, such as Terry Matheson, Laird Niven, and Gary Drayton, have joined the team as full-time members.

Recurring appearances

A number of individuals have made recurring appearances, usually when their expertise is called upon in association with the treasure hunt. They may appear many times in one season and then far more infrequently in other seasons or not at all, depending on what is required during the ongoing search.

Other appearances

In addition to regular and recurring cast members, there have been several visits by people who have a significant and sometimes intimate association with Oak Island.

Background and production

Development

The Lagina brothers became fascinated with the island after reading the January 1965 issue of Reader's Digest magazine that features an article[30] on the Restall family's work to investigate the so-called "money pit".[31] Marty and Rick obtained a controlling interest in Oak Island Tours,[32] which reportedly owns most of the island. The brothers were later approached by Prometheus Entertainment to do a reality show, and engaged the assistance of father-and-son Dan and Dave Blankenship, permanent residents of the island who had likewise been searching for treasure since the 1960s.[33]

Theories

The series explores various Oak Island theories and conjectures through conversations with independent researchers. Persons featured have included Zena Halpern discussing her theory about North African gold and sharing copies of a French map of the island that she claims is dated to 1347,[34] J. Hutton Pulitzer discussing his theory of ancient mariner visitations, Petter Amundsen discussing his theory about codes hidden in Shakespearean literature and a secret project involving Sir Francis Bacon and the Rosicrucians, Daniel Ronnstam discussing his theory about the 90-foot stone being a dual cypher containing instructions on how to defeat the money pit flood tunnels with corn, authors Kathleen McGowen and Alen Butler discussing their theory involving the fabled Knights Templar treasure and an alleged relocation of historical religious artifacts to the island, and John O'Brien discussing his theory that the island contains treasures of the Aztec Empire. It has also been suggested by Zena Halpern, without evidence, that the Templars worshipped the Phoenician goddess Tanit.

Release

Series overview

See main article: List of The Curse of Oak Island episodes.

Online media

Along with The Curse of Oak Island being broadcast on History, the series can also be streamed on the television channel's website. On February 1, 2022, the show's eighth season could be streamed on Discovery+. February 1, 2023 marked the ninth season appearing on the subscription-based streaming service.

Home media

NameNo. of
episodes
Release dates
Region 1Region 2Region 4
Season 15September 9, 2014[35]
Season 210October 20, 2015[36]
Season 416September 17, 2019[37]
Season 516September 17, 2019[38]
Season 622November 12, 2019[39]
The First Six Seasons82December 10, 2019

Series spin-offs and extended episodes

The Curse of Oak Island: Drilling Down

The Curse of Oak Island: Drilling Down premiered on November 10, 2015, as a companion series following the parent show's season 3 episode "The Hole Truth". The series is a talk show where host Matty Blake, brothers Marty and Rick Lagina, and guests discuss specific details about previous episodes and the future of the search for Oak Island treasure. Guests are invited to the roundtable and interviewed about their research, knowledge, and Oak Island experiences.

The Curse of Civil War Gold

See main article: The Curse of Civil War Gold. Season one of History's The Curse of Civil War Gold debuted on March 6, 2018. In the spin-off series, Kevin Dykstra, Marty Lagina, and Marty's son, Alex Lagina, hunt for Confederate gold which disappeared during the American Civil War.

Behind the Dig

During the beginning of The Curse of Oak Islands 6th season (2018), Behind the Dig appeared as deep-dive episodes where Matty Blake, the Lagina brothers, and the Oak Island team present the viewers with behind-the-scenes footage of the treasure hunt and describe the processes the team uses in their findings.

The Curse of Oak Island: Digging Deeper

First airing on History on January 8, 2019, the Digging Deeper extended episodes exhibit the parent series' unseen footage and discuss further information about the island's discoveries.

Beyond Oak Island

Beyond Oak Island, which premiered on November 17, 2020, showcases treasure hunts from all across the world. Host Matty Blake and the Laginas discuss past and present searches, sometimes traveling to the sites for a first-hand involvement. The show ended after 3 seasons in January 2023.

Episodes

Other media

Video games

On May 13, 2015, Visionaire Studio announced they had received 50% of needed funds for The Mystery of Oak Island by posting on their Kickstarter page.[40] As of May 2023, the puzzle game is still in development.

Books

Editor, journalist, and author Randall Sullivan wrote The Curse of Oak Island: The Story of the World's Longest Treasure Hunt, documenting Oak Island's long history of treasure hunters and their successes and tribulations on and off the island. The book was first published in November 2018 by Atlantic Monthly Press.[41]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Curse of Oak Island (on History) . . December 6, 2017.
  2. News: January 5, 2014 . Treasure Hunters: U.P. Natives on History Channel tonight . . . Marquette, MI . March 5, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150926032921/http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/593851/Treasure-hunters.html?nav=5006 . September 26, 2015 . mdy-all.
  3. Web site: Kondolojy . Amanda . December 16, 2013 . History Announces New Series 'The Curse of Oak Island' . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131217001928/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/12/16/history-announces-new-series-the-curse-of-oak-island/222777/ . December 17, 2013 . January 4, 2014 . . Tribune Media Entertainment.
  4. Web site: Marty Lagina - Alex Lagina - Oak Island - Curse of Oak Island - Winery Traverse City . 2019-11-13 . www.marivineyards.com . February 1, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210201040735/https://www.marivineyards.com/winery/villa-mari-team . dead .
  5. Web site: About 'The Curse of Oak Island' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180323213605/https://www.history.com/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island/about . March 23, 2018 . January 4, 2014 . . . mdy-all.
  6. Web site: Is The Curse of Oak Island Fake: Is the Show Legit or a Hoax?. Geeks.
  7. Web site: Michigan Brothers Unearth 220 Year Old Treasure. Inbal. W. November 28, 2022. Traveler Master.
  8. Web site: The History of Oak Island's Mysterious Treasure | MetalDetector.com. www.metaldetector.com.
  9. Web site: Exploration Mysteries: Oak Island Treasure » Explorersweb. Kristine De. Abreu. March 1, 2022.
  10. Web site: Rhodolite garnet: Gemstones like one on The Curse of Oak Island were once worn by pharaohs. James. Wray. March 7, 2018.
  11. Web site: Roman sword found at Oak Island. January 6, 2016.
  12. Web site: Sword discovered off Nova Scotia's Oak Island questions history of Americas. The Daily Buzz, at Yahoo News. December 18, 2015 .
  13. Web site: Loading... . archeothoughts.worddpress.com. March 23, 2021 .
  14. Web site: Oak Island's stone formations | Oak Island Treasure.
  15. Web site: Inscribed stones of Oak Island | Oak Island Treasure.
  16. Web site: ShowMe - Oak Island Interactive Map: Inscribed Stone. www.oakislandmap.com.
  17. Web site: Inscribed (90 foot) Stone - Oak Island Money Pit Mystery. www.oakislandmystery.com.
  18. Web site: The Top 20 Oak Island discoveries helping to unravel the 200 year-old mystery | LincolnshireWorld.
  19. Web site: The Oak Island Ciphers (Part 1): the 80-foot rock cipher.... March 19, 2017.
  20. MacDonald . David . Oak Island's Mysterious 'Money Pit': There is something down there--but for 170 years no one has been able to solve the riddle of how to get at it . Reader's Digest . January 1965 . 8 April 2024.
  21. Web site: Rick Lagina FAQs . Instageeked . December 2020 . December 8, 2020.
  22. Web site: History Channel Bio . History Channel . n.d. . August 1, 2023.
  23. Web site: Marty Lagina Background . December 8, 2020 . Instageeked. November 30, 2020 .
  24. Web site: March 18, 2019 . Dan Blakenship passes .
  25. Web site: Cabral . Amanda . What Happened to Drake on "The Curse of Oak Island?" How Did Drake Die? . Earn the Necklace . 4 June 2021 . 8 November 2017.
  26. Web site: William A. Gerhardt Property Improvement . March 9, 2020.
  27. Web site: Meet the DetExperts . March 2, 2020 . Minelab.
  28. Tunnel Visions . The Curse of Civil War Gold#ep8 . The Curse of Civil War Gold . The Curse of Civil War Gold . . May 7, 2019 . 2 . 2 . 03:16 . For the past six years, underwater imaging expert Brian Abbott has been helping brothers Rick and Marty Lagina in their quest to solve the 223-year-old treasure mystery on Oak Island in Nova Scotia..
  29. Web site: Mike Jardine. LinkedIn. March 10, 2020.
  30. Web site: Classic . David MacDonald: A. Reader's Digest . Published 1965 . Originally . Is Oak Island Cursed? . 2024-05-04 . Reader's Digest Canada . en-US.
  31. News: Matthes . Ilsa . February 8, 2014 . Treasure or Money Pit?: History Channel Star Visits Escanaba School . . . live . February 12, 2014 . https://archive.today/20140212063907/http://www.dailypress.net/page/content.detail/id/546063.html . February 12, 2014 . mdy-all.
  32. Web site: OAK ISLAND - nova scotia . 2019-11-13 . OAK ISLAND - nova scotia . en.
  33. Conaton . Chris . January 5, 2014 . 'The Curse of Oak Island': Slow Going . January 6, 2014 . PopMatters.
  34. Web site: Zena Halpern from The Curse of Oak Island died earlier this year . 2019-11-13 . IMDb.
  35. Web site: The Curse of Oak Island Season 1 DVD. historystore.com. January 1, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20210514082741/https://www.historystore.com/collections/the-curse-of-oak-island/products/the-curse-of-oak-island-season-1-dvd. May 14, 2021.
  36. Web site: The Curse of Oak Island Season 2 DVD. historystore.com. January 1, 2024.
  37. Web site: The Curse of Oak Island Season 4 DVD. historystore.com. January 1, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240101200024/https://www.historystore.com/collections/the-curse-of-oak-island/products/the-curse-of-oak-island-season-4-dvd. January 1, 2024.
  38. Web site: The Curse of Oak Island Season 5 DVD. historystore.com. January 1, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240101200334/https://www.historystore.com/collections/the-curse-of-oak-island/products/the-curse-of-oak-island-season-5-dvd. January 1, 2024.
  39. Web site: The Curse of Oak Island Season 6 DVD. historystore.com. January 1, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20210919040907/https://www.historystore.com/collections/the-curse-of-oak-island/products/the-curse-of-oak-island-season-6-dvd. September 19, 2021.
  40. Web site: The Mystery of Oak Island – A thrilling adventure Kickstarter from the creators of Zak McKracken between time and space!. indieretronews.com. July 9, 2023.
  41. Web site: The Curse of Oak Island: The Story of the World's Longest Treasure Hunt. booksamillion.com. July 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20210114151703/https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Curse-Oak-Island/Randall-Sullivan/9780802126931. January 14, 2021.