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.

[lcarus]

Originally Posted by Frazod

This. I'm just far too jaded to buy into this bullshit.

Seems like the whole show is basically episodes that promise great things, building up to finding some tiny little trinket that wouldn't haven't have meant shit to anybody when it was made, then rinse and repeat.

I feel the same way. The only reason I watch it is because I've been fascinated with the Oak Island mystery for a long time. And I don't really watch much else on tv these days.

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by lcarus

I feel the same way. The only reason I watch it is because I've been fascinated with the Oak Island mystery for a long time. And I don't really watch much else on tv these days.

Ditto.

Only TV i watch is football. So when i need some background noise, something to fall asleep to or just something on the screen in general, i throw on Oak Island.

[ToxSocks]

There's something about the narrator's voice that's like....soul food.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by lcarus

I feel the same way. The only reason I watch it is because I've been fascinated with the Oak Island mystery for a long time. And I don't really watch much else on tv these days.

It kind of reminds me of the show Burn Notice. Every season involved the hero looking for the higher up that ****ed him over. At the end of the season, he'd find that person, kill them, but with their dying breath, they'd identify somebody higher up who ordered them to **** him over. Next season, same thing. Eventually I just quit watching. I have no idea how the series ended.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by Frazod

This. I'm just far too jaded to buy into this bullshit.

Seems like the whole show is basically episodes that promise great things, building up to finding some tiny little trinket that wouldn't haven't have meant shit to anybody when it was made, then rinse and repeat.

There's no way this is real. It's just another fake reality show.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by patteeu

There's no way this is real. It's just another fake reality show.

What are you basing this on?

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by patteeu

There's no way this is real. It's just another fake reality show.

Is it your belief that these guys are making more money from the commercial shares on the History channel than they are putting into their operation to find very little of substance?

These guys own damn near the whole island. Marty Lagina has a networth of $40M. Not sure what is fake about that.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Is it your belief that these guys are making more money from the commercial shares on the History channel than they are putting into their operation to find very little of substance?

My belief is that there is a search for treasure, and then there is a TV show that needs to occasionally have a little pay off to keep ratings up and advertising dollars flowing in. And the TV people don't give a crap if little things they find are real or not, as long as their audience thinks they're real.

Look, I'd love it if they hit the jackpot and found a vault full of gold and jewels or the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant or Excalibur or whatever, but it's quite likely that they've been doing this for years and haven't found jack shit, but still want to do whatever it takes to keep the cash rolling in.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

What are you basing this on?

It's my opinion.

[jd1020]

I guess I just dont see how the History channel is going to get their hands on some 600+ year old artifact and talk the owner into letting them bury it in dirt.

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by jd1020

I guess I just dont see how the History channel is going to get their hands on some 600+ year old artifact and talk the owner into letting them bury it in dirt.

I walk past a coin shop in Chicago every day that sells ancient coins and whatnot. Find one in Italy, it's no big deal. Valuable, sure, but not that much.

Take that same coin found in Italy and bury it in the mud in Oak Island, though, and HOLY SHIT LOOK WHAT WE FOUND!!!! An expert dates it back 1,000 years. Well, sure; it's a thousand years old. Doesn't mean the producer didn't drop it in the mud while the cameras weren't rolling.

I do hate being so cynical, but there's a reason for it.

[ghak99]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Is it your belief that these guys are making more money from the commercial shares on the History channel than they are putting into their operation to find very little of substance?

These guys own damn near the whole island. Marty Lagina has a networth of $40M. Not sure what is fake about that.

I don't think people realize this isn't your typical reality show.

The pawn stars business model doesn't apply here.

[Frazod]

I'm betting Marty's net worth has increased as a result of this show. And would probably suffer if the show went off the air because they never found anything.

I'm not questioning his desire to find something. I'm just saying that sometimes you do what you've got to do to keep things moving.

[hometeam]

Originally Posted by Frazod

I'm betting Marty's net worth has increased as a result of this show. And would probably suffer if the show went off the air because they never found anything.

I'm not questioning his desire to find something. I'm just saying that sometimes you do what you've got to do to keep things moving.

he makes 500k per year for the show.

I have heard they are spending millions of drilling and costs associated with it, but they get a couple million in grants per year, and its funded by both the laginas, craig tester, and a silent partner.

I have to think that they are losing money devoting time and energy into oak island, instead of focusing on the gigantic energy business and winery they have.

[lcarus]

Originally Posted by hometeam

he makes 500k per year for the show.

I have heard they are spending millions of drilling and costs associated with it, but they get a couple million in grants per year, and its funded by both the laginas, craig tester, and a silent partner.

I have to think that they are losing money devoting time and energy into oak island, instead of focusing on the gigantic energy business and winery they have.

Marty Lagina looks like he's juuuust about through with this shit. Rick is looking tired as well, but he's of course a lot more devoted to the hunt than Marty is.