From Indiana Jones to One Piece to National Treasure, the idea of hidden treasure and mysterious history has always been popular, but what if you could make treasure hunting a career? Well, brothers Marty Lagina and Rick Lagina have done just that by searching for treasure on The Curse of Oak Island. This reality show on the History Channel is all about treasure hunting on the titular Oak Island in Nova Scotia. After a decade of searching, you’d think they would have found what they are looking for by now, right? Well, short answer: they have not. The Lagina brothers have found no treasure and very few clues. However, since the start of The Curse of Oak Island, the treasure-hunting family has only grown, as has the fanbase.
Brothers Marty and Rick Lagina became interested in treasure hunting as children after reading a specific article about Oak Island and a mysterious curse. As adults, the brothers joined Dan Blankenship, who had read the same article as the brothers and became obsessed with the curse. Blankenship died in 2019, and his son, Dave Blankenship, left the show shortly after his father’s passing. However, despite their long-time friend and fellow Oak Island enthusiast passing away, Marty and Rick Lagina never stopped trying to find the treasure. As The Curse of Oak Island has continued, more treasure hunters have joined the team.
Treasure Hunting Started Long Before ‘The Curse of Oak Island’
Although The Curse of Oak Island began in 2014, the legend about the island dates far back to the 1700s, according to the History Channel. Theories about who stored treasure on the island range from pirates like Captain Kidd to the secret society known as the Knights Templar, both of which are discussed heavily in The Curse of Oak Island. The biggest clue is a stone slab with an unknown message was found buried 90 feet deep, which became one of the legend’s main catalysts. Attached to the legend is a curse that predicts that seven people will die in pursuit of the treasure before it is found. Unfortunately, despite decades of searching, very little has been found.
The Team Has Found Artifacts And Clues
Although the Lagina brothers’ team has not found the abundant treasure they have been looking for, it is unfair to say that the team has not found anything. The team has found quite a few clues, including cut wood burning deep that indicates tunnels. Another clue that has been brought up many times during the most recent season, Season 12, is the water’s high gold and silver content, indicating that precious metals are bleeding into the water supply of certain lots on the island. Unfortunately, these clues have still led nowhere.
Other than clues, the team found some objects while sifting and digging on the island. Notable finds include a Spanish copper coin from the 17th century, a garnet brooch, and some parchments that may have been part of a book. Unfortunately, none of these are any sort of El Dorado, nor do they indicate a treasure haul on the island.
How Is ‘The Curse of Oak Island’ Still Going?
After 12 seasons and nothing to show for it, many fans of The Curse of Oak Island have resigned themselves to the fact that there is no treasure on the island now, if there ever was, to begin with. There is a world in which the treasure existed and was found before the start of the show, but there is also a world where the Lagina team found the treasure and did not alert anyone. The Curse of Oak Island has lasted 12 seasons and, as much fun as treasure hunting can be, is a very repetitive show. Every episode consists of digging, sifting, planning, and more digging intercut with historical facts about the Knights Templar, Vikings, or pirates and sometimes even theories about the supernatural. Yet, there is a reason that this show is so lucrative. Even though no real treasure has been discovered, you can’t help but root for them.
‘The Curse of Oak Island’ Is a Treasure on Its Own
The charm of The Curse of Oak Island is the dynamic between the group. The show began with the Lagina brothers and the Blankenship father-son duo coming together to find something they have wondered about since they were young. The team started small, but as Marty Lagina notes in the first episode of Season 12, the family has grown since then. Marty Lagina’s son Alex Lagina, Marty’s college roommate Craig Tester, Tester’s stepson Jack Begley, and so many others have joined the search. Scientists, archeologists, historians, and other passionate treasure hunters have all tagged in to help with what might be a futile search. Will they ever find buried gold worth millions? Probably not, but the show has been airing for ten years because, ultimately, the group of friends formed from shared passions draws fans in. It may be cliché, but the only real treasure that The Curse of Oak Island has ever uncovered is friendship.
So, no. No treasure has been discovered on Oak Island. However, The Curse of Oak Island treasure is not gold or riches, but passion and family. Marty Lagina and Rick Lagina started as kids fascinated by a mysterious cursed island and then made a career out of trying to find Oak Island’s hidden treasure. So what if the treasure has not been found? So what if all they have discovered is old wood and potentially ancient coins? The Curse of Oak Island draws audiences in because, like the Lagina brothers, just the hope that there is hidden treasure is enough to keep digging and watching. The Curse of Oak Island airs on the History Channel and is available to stream on Hulu.