The Curse of Oak Island

[mr. tegu]

Has anyone else started watching this show? I am a sucker for this kind of thing and so far it has been very interesting. You can watch the first two episodes in the link below. Since this was filmed over the summer, if any of you have figured out what happens please use spoilers for anything that hasn't aired yet.

http://www.history.com/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island

For those who aren't familiar, very briefly, it is about an island on the eastern shore of Canada that is rumored to have buried treasure from possibly the Knights Templar dating back to the 1300s. In 1795 an apparent secret hiding space was discovered in which levels of wooden planks were buried every 10 feet. Digging down around a hundred feet, they found some gold link chain and a few other things. Eventually they dug to a point that causes the hold to be flooded by sea water as if it was some sort of boobie trap, which is believed to come from some type of tube that is out in the ocean.

Another person in the 1970s dug alongside the original hole but also got his hole flooded by sea water. These guys now who are on the show purchased most of the island and are trying to solve the mystery with help from the guys who dug their own hole in the 1970s. The hole curse aspect is just kind of meh and I don't really pay attention to it, but I am sure the producers just like the added element it presents. The mystery and adventure is really interesting. It is nice to see a show like this that is actually producing some results so far.

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

What scientific progress will confirm the coin wasn't planted there? Should some independent researcher go out there and try to replicate the find? What you are asking for doesn't really make sense.

I wouldn't call this a reality show. I would call it a produced/edited exploration documentary. There is no reason for them to get the coin or process of finding it further analyzed when as far as we know, they know it was legitmately found there. Lets not forget, when something needed verification, they went out and got in the form of cocunut fiber from the 14th or 15th century. They are investing their own private money and want to do it right.

There really is no way to confirm the coin wasn't planted. I would just like to see PEER REVIEWED evidence of the coin, the coconut fiber etc before I believe what they are saying. I mean part of the show was 'OMG THERE IS A CURSE AND GHOSTS AND PARANORMAL ACTIVITY INVESTIGATORS'

And I think we all know THAT is total bullshit. So its hard for me to believe anything I have seen on there without a grain of salt.

I will continue to watch the show with skepticism and intrigue, as I have already. (provided it returns)

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by hometeam

There really is no way to confirm the coin wasn't planted. I would just like to see PEER REVIEWED evidence of the coin, the coconut fiber etc before I believe what they are saying. I mean part of the show was 'OMG THERE IS A CURSE AND GHOSTS AND PARANORMAL ACTIVITY INVESTIGATORS'

And I think we all know THAT is total bullshit. So its hard for me to believe anything I have seen on there without a grain of salt.

I will continue to watch the show with skepticism and intrigue, as I have already. (provided it returns)

The curse stuff is just attention grabbers for that group of people. I think and hope most people are watching it for the hunt, and not because of the curse stuff. Luckily they didn't spend too much time on it.

[rocknrolla]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

The promos say season finale. Not series.

My bad, I thought I saw them say series finale a couple of times. In regards to this being a reality show, I don't watch any others. On this one there is no drama or bickering between everyone. They haven't done anything without doing a research first, yes it's drawn out for viewership. I can deal with that, I'm really pulling for these guys.

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

The curse stuff is just attention grabbers for that group of people. I think and hope most people are watching it for the hunt, and not because of the curse stuff. Luckily they didn't spend too much time on it.

I agree with that. Every time it was mentioned me and the fiance had 'why this shit?' conversation.

To be fair, though I am skeptic, I enjoyed the show and the whole theory.

[patteeu]

I remember being fascinated by this mystery when it was featured on the old "In Search of..." series with Leonard Nimoy. I'd love for them to actually recover some treasure, but the fact that it hasn't been found after all this time makes me think it's not real.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by patteeu

I remember being fascinated by this mystery when it was featured on the old "In Search of..." series with Leonard Nimoy. I'd love for them to actually recover some treasure, but the fact that it hasn't been found after all this time makes me think it's not real.

I find it hard to imagine it isn't real in some way, shape or form. The cocunut fibers weren't there for not reason. The hole with the boards wasn't there for no reason. The rocks with some strange placement and markings weren't there for no reason., etc.

Now the question is who put it there, what was there, and did someone come retrieve it after it was put there but before the island was settled. The presence of that coin could very well indicate that someone retrieved whatever was there 200 years or so after it was put there.

But if they really find something significant, these guys will get there investment back ten times over, not just from what they find but from books, tv specials, and no doubt an eventual movie or two. A real life National Treasure would be really cool.

[aturnis]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

What scientific progress will confirm the coin wasn't planted there? Should some independent researcher go out there and try to replicate the find? What you are asking for doesn't really make sense.

I wouldn't call this a reality show. I would call it a produced/edited exploration documentary. There is no reason for them to get the coin or process of finding it further analyzed when as far as we know, they know it was legitmately found there. Lets not forget, when something needed verification, they went out and got in the form of cocunut fiber from the 14th or 15th century. They are investing their own private money and want to do it right.

Disagree. How much is each person on the show being paid? Is that pay funding or partially funding the hunt? If so, wouldn't it be in their best interest to do another season?

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by aturnis

Disagree. How much is each person on the show being paid? Is that pay funding or partially funding the hunt? If so, wouldn't it be in their best interest to do another season?

I don't follow. What do you disagree with? They are no doubt being paid something, but their investment began long before the show started. I am sure they would love another season and I hope they get one.

[Lprechaun]

Originally Posted by aturnis

Disagree. How much is each person on the show being paid? Is that pay funding or partially funding the hunt? If so, wouldn't it be in their best interest to do another season?

How much do you think it takes to buy an island. Im sure they are making a bit of money off of it but I can tell you also that a lot of these shows are brought to the networks not the networks going after the show. The show "Tanked" was filmed by the owners of ATM the first season with no outside help. The company themselves paid for the production and then shopped the episodes around. A TV show is one way to recoup some money they may have spent but it wont come close to what they spend in the long run UNLESS they discover something.

I really feel this was two brothers who wanted to make this an adventure, and in the grand scheme of things like the younger brother has mentioned it isnt about the treasure its about the adventure. If they get a payoff all the better but if they enjoyed the time while they tried than they enjoyed the time. He seems to be smart enough to go ahead and pitch the idea for a TV show just to offset some of the costs AND get it documented without him forking out the dough.

[keg in kc]

All of these shows are essentially reality shows. It's a cookie cutter formula established by the prior UFO hunting, ghost hunting, bigfoot hunting, what have you shows. And they're all, let's say, 'creatively produced'. Anything big that happens is not just a coincidence. Nomatter what the onscreen talent may want, the network they're on controls everything, and the only thing that matters to those folks is ratings.

[Pitt Gorilla]

I've really enjoyed this show. It's not clear how much of the history of the island is true and how much is fabricated, but it's fascinating nonetheless.

[aturnis]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

I don't follow. What do you disagree with? They are no doubt being paid something, but their investment began long before the show started. I am sure they would love another season and I hope they get one.

Sorry. I misread your comment. Thought you were saying they had no reason to fake the finding of the coin. I think they, cast or crew, could have faked it in order to bring some fruit to the labor and sustain interest in the show.

[redfan]

Found a gold coin at the bottom of the pit?
Eerily similar storyline to an episode of "Bones" from 2006.

[lcarus]

Originally Posted by redhed

Found a gold coin at the bottom of the pit?
Eerily similar storyline to an episode of "Bones" from 2006.

Could be the same writer.

[mr. tegu]

There will be a season 2 this year but the exact dates have not yet been specified. I don't really have a link but there are some posts about it on their Facebook page.