“There is something down there,” teased a 1965 issue of Reader’s Digest. “But for 170 years no one has been able to solve the riddle of how to get at it.”
Almost 60 years after it was published, this article is framed in Rick and Marty Lagina’s war room on Oak Island. For nearly 10 years, viewers around the world have tuned into the History Channel to watch the brothers — now 71 and 68, respectively — live out a modern treasure hunting epic they dreamed of as boys in “The Curse of Oak Island.”
As they continue their hunt for buried treasure, we’ve dug into the depths of the “Oak Island” lore to unearth pieces of the legend that may have been lost over the years. Now in Season 11, the reality series has been dismissed by some as a cynical hoax and the documentation of a colossal fool’s errand. But for Rick and Marty, every step of the journey is as real and meaningful as the feeling of adventure sparked by a chance encounter with a magazine article six decades in the past.
The Curse of Oak Island was once the highest rated show on the History Channel
The story of the Oak Island money pit (the so-called shaft of treasure said to be dug and abandoned somewhere in the area) has not only captured the imagination of ’60s kids like the Lagina brothers, but modern-day viewers across the country as well. In fact, so many people have tuned in to witness the tale of the world’s last great treasure hunts, that “The Curse of Oak Island” was at one point the highest rated show on the History Channel in terms of weekly viewership.
Season 4 — which aired in the early months of 2017 — contained some of the most-watched episodes of the series, including Episode 14, “Sticks and Stones.” Premiering in mid-February, this installment of the Laginas’ adventure was the biggest program to air that night and was watched more than “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” news programs like “Hannity” and “Anderson Cooper 360,” and even “WWE Smackdown!.” As of May 2023, the series continued to see viewership well above 2 million every week — sometimes approaching 3 million.
The TV show slows down the search for the treasure
Though some may think that the Lagina brothers are only able to search for the Oak Island money pits because of the History Channel’s backing, having to simultaneously produce a television show while hunting for treasure has proven to be extra difficult. As Marty Lagina told Reality Blurred in a 2017 interview, hunting while making “The Curse of Oak Island” “slows down the exploration effort.” He added that though he and his brother set the daily agenda, whatever they choose to work toward “takes a lot longer to do because of the setup of the cameras.”
Rick Lagina shared a similar sentiment two years earlier to the Northern Michigan magazine MyNorth.com — though he expressed a different attitude about the slower pace. “There’s no doubt that we would move faster without the filming,” he said. “But it’s all a balance. We wanted to tell the story to a wider audience and the History Channel is the proper venue for that — and [the production company] Prometheus Entertainment has done such an amazing job captivating a large audience.”
There have been five deaths since the start of the series
Arguably the justification for its arresting title, part of “The Curse of Oak Island” is that — according to the island’s deadly history — one more soul will have to be lost before the money pit can be found (in order to meet a victim total of seven, as legend dictates). Curses and legends, fickle as they are specific, may have requirements for a death to “count” — but it’s worth noting that, just within the confines of making the series, five people associated with the show have sadly passed away.
In 2016, Fred Nolan (one of the original Oak Island treasure hunters) died at the age of 88 years old. The following year, Joyce McGinnis (a descendant of Oak Island historical figure Daniel McGinnis) and Drake Tester (the teenage son of series cast member and Marty Lagina’s business partner, Craig Tester) both passed away as well. Zena Halpern, who presented or otherwise attempted to validate some of the series’ wilder theories, died in 2018. And Dan Blankenship — a core cast member and another original Oak Island treasure hunter — died in 2019.
Oak Island is actually a dangerous place to explore
It might be assumed by many viewers that most of the danger on “The Curse of Oak Island” is manufactured by the production company to increase the series’ entertainment value. Whether this is true or not (the History Channel certainly wouldn’t confirm such claims), exploring Oak Island is apparently more dangerous than skeptical viewers might expect.
Speaking to MyNorth in 2015, Rick Lagina described the risks of searching for the Oak Island money pit as “inherent,” with construction and surveyal in and around the land compromising the integrity of the environment. “There are tunnels, shafts and excavations that probably weren’t filled in properly,” said the elder Lagina. “There’s always the possibility that a shaft or tunnel might open up literally under your feet.” Once again, however, Rick feels as though the risks and drawbacks are worth the potential reward of answering this unsolved mystery. “No one wants to get entombed under Oak Island but at the end of the day if you are not willing to engage in some activities that may possibly be risky, what is the point of being there?”
A former president once searched for the treasure
Though the History Channel and “The Curse of Oak Island” may have made Rick and Marty Lagina two of the most famous people to ever hunt for the infamous Nova Scotian bounty, there’s at least one treasure hunter who was even more famous (and even more obsessed) than they are — U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the early and mid-1900s, before the great communicator was elected to the highest position in the land, he began investing in a salvage company specifically because it had been exploring the island.
FDR even traveled to the island personally several times and came close to making one final venture six years before his death in 1945. His hope specifically was that in finding the treasure, French jewels from the Revolutionary Era would be uncovered. Instead of solving the mystery, however, Roosevelt has become part of its lore, discussed with reverence on tours of the island today — as well as on a few episodes of the History Channel series.
Before they were millionaire treasure hunters and TV personalities, the Laginas had very different careers
If Rick and Marty Lagina seem to be around retirement age, that’s probably because hunting for treasure in Nova Scotia appears to be how they’re enjoying their retirement. The two brothers had entire careers before starring on “The Curse of Oak Island,” neither of which particularly lent themselves to treasure hunting.
Prior to being worth a whopping $2 million, Rick had a surprising career as a U.S. postal worker. Marty, meanwhile, was an oil engineer who, after starting his own company, sold it to CMS Energy for $60 million in 1995. Many folks presume that it’s primarily with this money (and the revenue from Marty’s other ventures) that the pair finance their efforts on Oak Island. In fact, when the History Channel first approached them about making “The Curse of Oak Island,” the initial upside for Marty was that the island could become yet another one of his profitable investments — a tourist attraction that fans of the series would be drawn to for years to come. For Rick, however, it’s always been about the treasure and the history — not good television.
Rick Lagina doesn’t watch the series
Being on primetime television might be a unique experience for many, but it’s not one Rick Lagina seems to particularly relish. Though the “Curse of Oak Island” star certainly doesn’t appear ungrateful for the exposure the History Channel and Prometheus Entertainment have secured for him and his mission, he’s not one of the millions that tune in every week.
“I tend not to watch any of [the episodes],” he told MyNorth ahead of Season 3. Rick doesn’t see himself as the hot-shot reality TV star fans of the series might. “We’re just a couple of Yooper boys, ya know.” He continued, “It’s hard to watch yourself on TV in my opinion. I am not a big fan of that.” Knowing Rick, Marty Lagina, and the rest of the crew actually live the events of the series might make this fact seem inconsequential, but it’s actually a rather important thing to keep in mind while assessing the veracity of the show. Goofy as the treasure hunt might seem through the lens of the History Channel, Rick’s perception of it is very different from that of the viewers.