[TV Profile] The Curse of Oak Island

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The Curse of Oak Island is a Reality TV series that airs on the History Channel, starting in January 2014. It follows the journey of two brothers, Marty and Rick Lagina, in their attempts to get to the bottom of what's buried on Oak Island. According to the History website;

"Oak Island, a small wooded island just off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, is said to be the hiding place of a mysterious buried treasure. An ominous legend says that seven people must die in pursuit of the treasure before Oak Island will reveal her secrets. So far, the body count stands at six."

I've been watching this series since it first aired, and it's one of my favourites. Season 5 is currently airing and will be wrapping up soon. I can't call this a documentary series, and apparently neither can IMDB, mainly just because it airs on the History channel. I wouldn't trust Discovery or History as far as I could throw them. There are also some dubious guests on the show as well, most notably one Zena Halpern (who I'll get to later). None of this stops you from enjoying the show though, it's a fun ride.

I have maximum respect for brothers Marty and Rick Lagina, and in fact their whole team. This is clearly a life-long passion of theirs, which according to them, came about after reading about the Money Pit on Oak Island in a copy of Reader's Digest during their youth. The core team is made up of Marty and Rick, Craig Tester, Charles Barkhouse, Jack Begley and David Blankenship. David is the son of Dan Blankenship, Rick and Marty's partner and the man who knows the most about Oak Island, its legends and its tightly guarded secrets. He has spent the second half of his life searching for the infamous treasure supposedly buried on Oak Island. He isn't the only person to have spent an untold fortune and many years in search of this fabled treasure. Former American Presidents, Freemasons and Engineers are but a few of the souls who have toiled on Oak Island, looking for answers.

To doubt the sincerity of these passionate people would be a mistake. My skepticism comes into play with some of the guests they have on the show, for example Zena Halpern who I mentioned above. Zena is a "historian" who has made several appearances on the show, and has made many claims about having copies of medieval documents that connect the Knights Templar to Oak Island. Zena presented some maps that she claims are of medieval origin, although this is disputed by other, arguably more reputable experts. The main argument that the maps are more than likely fakes is the inclusion of longitude on a map that's supposedly from 1179. There is no original map, only copies which instantly should make viewers skeptical. Now, I don't believe anyone is implying that Zena herself has fabricated these maps, more that she is just pushing misinformation in an effort to publicise a book she plans on releasing (I have no idea if she has or not yet). Zena's inclusion on the programme just brings doubt to all theories presented on the show regarding Oak Island in my opinion.

There are other so-called experts who have dubious credentials, with theories covering everything from Shakespeare's lost works to the Ark of the Covenant being buried at the bottom of the money pit. Ignoring this speculative rubbish however, and just focusing on the Lagina's efforts on the island, there is an interesting story emerging. Previous searches have turned up interesting items, but the authenticity of some of these can be called into question, such as a supposed stone unearthed on the ninth platform down in the money pit that had strange hieroglyphs carved onto them. This stone no longer exists, so I tend to ignore it myself, although the show does bring it up in at least every other episode. The brothers have found bits of pottery, leather bindings and parchment, various types of wood and even human remains from as far down as 165ft. Oh, and there was also a supposed Roman sword found in the bay near Oak Island, it was mentioned in maybe two episodes and then never mentioned again I believe. A quick look online soon shows that the sword was quickly proven to be a fake.

It's all this fakery that really detracts from the show, plus the added drama at the beginning of each episode about the supposed curse that requires one more person to die, but without that they would still have a really good show. It might not pull in as many viewers, I see many online really getting into the speculative stuff, but it would at least be a bit more honest. It sounds like I don't like the show, but I really do. There's so much about the show that is overwhelmingly honest and genuine, as I say, mainly the core team and their friends and family who are on this adventure with them.

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I strongly recommend anyone who enjoys a good mystery should watch this. Take a great big pinch of salt with it, but it's still very enjoyable. While doing the research for this article, I noticed on the official facebook that there is a new show involving the brothers called The Curse of Civil War Gold. I've posted the trailer below if anyone is interested. Let me know what you think about this show, or if you fancy giving it a go now, down in the comments. Thanks for reading, and make sure to follow me for the latest Pop culture, Crypto and other updates. Peace!

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Sources:

History: The Curse of Oak Island (https://www.history.com/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island)

The Curse of Oak Island Official Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CurseofOakIsland/)

Longitude on the 1179 Oak Island Map; Plus: A Fringe History Site Accuses a Rival of Cyber-Harassment by Jason Colavito (http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/longitude-on-the-1179-oak-island-map-plus-a-fringe-history-site-accuses-a-rival-of-cyber-harassment)

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