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.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Eh, I'm still watching religiously. I understand that they slow things down to keep us watching, but I like it anyway. Also really like the Hunting Hitler show that follows it.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

This season has produced the best and most quantity so far. Many of these items would have been season finale reveals a few years ago.

So far from one area they have found:

- numerous pieces of pottery at depths of 160 feet down to 190 feet.
- piece of leather that is thought to be book binding after lab analysis.
- two different human bones have been found and tested. One is from the Middle East and the other is from Europe. They are dated late 1600s to early 1700s. There seems to be more bones found on next week’s episode.
- a machine detected a large metal object deep in the ground in this same hole.
- currently the drillers feel like they have drilled through a solid flat service and have found a void.

Other interesting things not from that specific hole:

- more metal spikes that are pre 1800s.
- old coin but can’t tell exactly what they are.
- just recently a metal cross made of lead was found on the beach that the metal detector guy thinks is at least 400 years old. It definitely looks the part.
- also as they keep looking at the stories the are finding some interesting leads centered around potentially Knights Templar and a well know French family who has some links to the region across generations.

The void is exciting, whether natural or otherwise. If there is "treasure" of some sort, it will likely be here. The cross find feels like it might have actually happened at another time and then they shoehorned it into the timeline after the trip.

[KCUnited]

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

This season has produced the best and most quantity so far. Many of these items would have been season finale reveals a few years ago.

So far from one area they have found:

- numerous pieces of pottery at depths of 160 feet down to 190 feet.
- piece of leather that is thought to be book binding after lab analysis.
- two different human bones have been found and tested. One is from the Middle East and the other is from Europe. They are dated late 1600s to early 1700s. There seems to be more bones found on next week’s episode.
- a machine detected a large metal object deep in the ground in this same hole.
- currently the drillers feel like they have drilled through a solid flat service and have found a void.

Other interesting things not from that specific hole:

- more metal spikes that are pre 1800s.
- old coin but can’t tell exactly what they are.
- just recently a metal cross made of lead was found on the beach that the metal detector guy thinks is at least 400 years old. It definitely looks the part.
- also as they keep looking at the stories the are finding some interesting leads centered around potentially Knights Templar and a well know French family who has some links to the region across generations.

Thank you very much for that, rep incoming

The thing that began gnawing at me a few seasons ago is... just how freaking advanced were the supposed people secretly storing a supposed artifact there way back in the days of the Templars?

I've come to think that some of these 'trap door/flooded tunnel' type things they keep encountering, are just natural geological features of the island itself

All of the modern technology in the world cant seem to bust through all of the little traps built in by people who fought with swords and thought draining blood from from sick people was medicine

I just have a very hard time seeing anything truly revolutionary being down there... not to be a smartass in ANY way at all, but its starting to sound like it was an ancient sinkhole where ancient explorers dumped their dead bodies and various junk

Granted, there have been a few features that seem to put the lie to my take... but I've just reached the limits of my imagination on what a few ships worth of explorers were able to accomplish given the tools they had at hand, and whats known of the technological prowess of that time

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

The void is exciting, whether natural or otherwise. If there is "treasure" of some sort, it will likely be here. The cross find feels like it might have actually happened at another time and then they shoehorned it into the timeline after the trip.

I felt the same way about the cross find actually. I still wonder about the legitimacy of that map though. It was interesting hearing that lady’s translation.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by Easy 6

Thank you very much for that, rep incoming



The thing that began gnawing at me a few seasons ago is... just how freaking advanced were the supposed people secretly storing a supposed artifact there way back in the days of the Templars?



I've come to think that some of these 'trap door/flooded tunnel' type things they keep encountering, are just natural geological features of the island itself



All of the modern technology in the world cant seem to bust through all of the little traps built in by people who fought with swords and thought draining blood from from sick people was medicine



I just have a very hard time seeing anything truly revolutionary being down there... not to be a smartass in ANY way at all, but its starting to sound like it was an ancient sinkhole where ancient explorers dumped their dead bodies and various junk



Granted, there have been a few features that seem to put the lie to my take... but I've just reached the limits of my imagination on what a few ships worth of explorers were able to accomplish given the tools they had at hand, and whats known of the technological prowess of that time

I think my view is still that basically all of the best stuff was found by that Samuel Ball guy or the original money pit discoverers. Let’s not forget that a descendant of one of those guys has a pure gold cross with some jewels that apparently came from the money pit. My hope is that there really was something deeper down though that wasn’t discovered and over the years fell and settled in this potential void and they are now onto it or perhaps it just wasn’t able to be reached. Or it’s simply possible they are finding the remnants of what was once there.

I also still think that swamp area looks odd. One thing they need to do for sure is a more thorough metal detecting job on the beach. Use the larger equipment they had in the swamp in the past.

I do think it’s cool though that they really seem to be proving something out of the ordinary happened here and that there is a good chance there really was treasure there at some point. They have quite a bit more evidence to support the stories than most of these types of things ever get. Whether there is any left to be found who knows, but hopefully there is still going to be some pretty cool stuff uncovered.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Eh, I'm still watching religiously. I understand that they slow things down to keep us watching, but I like it anyway. Also really like the Hunting Hitler show that follows it.

That show is really good too. Last season the evidence they came up with about Martin Bormann was really interesting.

[lcarus]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Eh, I'm still watching religiously. I understand that they slow things down to keep us watching, but I like it anyway. Also really like the Hunting Hitler show that follows it.

Same. I need to get caught up on Hunting Hitler. If you like both of those you should check out the Hunt for the Zodiac Killer. Only one small season so far which has concluded, but it was pretty interesting if you're interested in that case.

[lcarus]

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

I think my view is still that basically all of the best stuff was found by that Samuel Ball guy or the original money pit discoverers. Let’s not forget that a descendant of one of those guys has a pure gold cross with some jewels that apparently came from the money pit. My hope is that there really was something deeper down though that wasn’t discovered and over the years fell and settled in this potential void and they are now onto it or perhaps it just wasn’t able to be reached. Or it’s simply possible they are finding the remnants of what was once there.

I also still think that swamp area looks odd. One thing they need to do for sure is a more thorough metal detecting job on the beach. Use the larger equipment they had in the swamp in the past.

I do think it’s cool though that they really seem to be proving something out of the ordinary happened here and that there is a good chance there really was treasure there at some point. They have quite a bit more evidence to support the stories than most of these types of things ever get. Whether there is any left to be found who knows, but hopefully there is still going to be some pretty cool stuff uncovered.

The swamp and also Smith's Cove. Something peculiar about those areas. But I really don't know about all the bone they're finding. I'm guessing the bones they found in tonight's episode will turn out to be human as well. Just a hunch.

[jjjayb]

Originally Posted by kcfanXIII

Oh yeah. I agree its interesting. That's why I cant stop watching. Its just the pace and the narrator. Its interesting stuff, and the more they find the more questions there are. Would just like to get some answers, even if not the answer to THE question.

In the narrator's voice...."The Narrator? The narrator that does this show? Could it be the narrator gets on your nerves?"

He drives me crazy too. I think its the way he always repeats everything as a question.

"A small metal button? In the area of the money pit? Could it be related to the Knights Templar?"

"A piece of cloth? On the ground? Could it be clothing from the Knights Templar?"

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by Easy 6

Thank you very much for that, rep incoming

The thing that began gnawing at me a few seasons ago is... just how freaking advanced were the supposed people secretly storing a supposed artifact there way back in the days of the Templars?

I've come to think that some of these 'trap door/flooded tunnel' type things they keep encountering, are just natural geological features of the island itself

All of the modern technology in the world cant seem to bust through all of the little traps built in by people who fought with swords and thought draining blood from from sick people was medicine

I just have a very hard time seeing anything truly revolutionary being down there... not to be a smartass in ANY way at all, but its starting to sound like it was an ancient sinkhole where ancient explorers dumped their dead bodies and various junk

Granted, there have been a few features that seem to put the lie to my take... but I've just reached the limits of my imagination on what a few ships worth of explorers were able to accomplish given the tools they had at hand, and whats known of the technological prowess of that time

I don't think that's an unreasonable take at all. I tend to agree that there probably aren't flood tunnel traps at all and that seawater rushes in because they're below the water line. Still, though, I've interested in seeing what they find.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by lcarus

Same. I need to get caught up on Hunting Hitler. If you like both of those you should check out the Hunt for the Zodiac Killer. Only one small season so far which has concluded, but it was pretty interesting if you're interested in that case.

Already watched it. Loved it, although it was really short. Looking forward to next season.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by jjjayb

In the narrator's voice...."The Narrator? The narrator that does this show? Could it be the narrator gets on your nerves?"

He drives me crazy too. I think its the way he always repeats everything as a question.

"A small metal button? In the area of the money pit? Could it be related to the Knights Templar?"

"A piece of cloth? On the ground? Could it be clothing from the Knights Templar?"

A man named Smith? From Canada? Who is a Raptors fan?

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by jjjayb

In the narrator's voice...."The Narrator? The narrator that does this show? Could it be the narrator gets on your nerves?"



He drives me crazy too. I think its the way he always repeats everything as a question.



"A small metal button? In the area of the money pit? Could it be related to the Knights Templar?"



"A piece of cloth? On the ground? Could it be clothing from the Knights Templar?"

It’s even better on Ancient Aliens.

“How could ancient man have done this? And if they couldn’t, how did they do it? Did aliens intervene? Ancient astronaut theorist believe yes. What did these aliens want? What was their purpose? Could it be they were trying to teach their science and technology to help advance the human civilization?”

I love how in just a few sentences he goes from some ambiguity to why the aliens did it all while keeping the statements as questions.

[kcfanXIII]

Ancient aliens is a prime example of something that was interesting as a short mini series or a documentary, but loses its appeal when they try to stretch it out season after season.