Part of what makes History’s “The Curse of Oak Island” so popular is the fact that the show offers viewers the chance to watch a real-life treasure hunt unfold right before their eyes. The island has been shrouded in mystery ever since a group of teenagers discovered a man-made pit on the island in the late 1700s (via History). Rumors of buried treasure quickly spread, and Oak Island became the obsession of many would-be treasure hunters for over 200 years — including series leads Rick and Marty Lagina.
Anyone who ever grew up dreaming that they could search the globe for lost treasure can sit down each week to watch the Lagina brothers and their crew do exactly that — and the series’ enormous fan base makes it clear that this desire for adventure is a feeling that many of us can relate to. Indeed, much of the Lagina’s crew have devoted their lives to this quest for the treasure of Oak Island, including Marty’s son Alex. Alex frequently appears in the series alongside the rest of his father’s team, but fans may not know him as well as other series regulars like Charles Barkhouse or Gary Drayton. Here’s a few things you may not know about Alex Lagina.
Like Marty, Alex studied engineering prior to becoming a treasure hunter
It seems like the apple plopped straight down from the tree when it comes to Marty and his son, as both men are engineers turned treasure hunters. Alex Lagina studied at the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering prior to joining the team from “The Curse of Oak Island”
After graduating in 2008, Alex returned home to help with his father’s business. It’s unknown what exactly his role was, but we know that for a time he worked for Marty’s oil and gas exploration company Terra Energy, which Marty later sold to the CMS Energy Corporation for $58 million dollars (via MyNorth.com).
Following the sale of Terra, Marty committed himself to the Oak Island treasure hunt alongside his brother Rick, and the two brought Alex along for the ride. Though he ended up in a somewhat unusual career path, Alex still puts that engineering degree to good use — constantly helping out with the more technical aspects of the excavation.
Alex isn’t actually searching for the treasure itself
Like his father before him, Alex Lagina is obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the mysterious Oak Island treasure. Alex is frequently seen scouring the island for clues alongside his father and his uncle Rick, and while he does genuinely think their search is worthwhile, his reasoning for the search is a bit different from the other Laginas.
Alex discussed his views in detail in a 2014 interview with MyNorth.com. “I would like to see, more than anything, some verification of things that have already been discovered,” he explained. “A lot of these discoveries have been lost during all of the excavations.” Alex spoke about how he mainly wants evidence of findings reported in records that can no longer be found.
In the interview, his father asked what he might do if they found the treasure right now, and Alex responded that such an event would be a “coincidence,” and reaffirmed that what he is looking for is confirmation about discoveries that have been lost to time and “existing theories,” not fortune.
Alex is also a producer for Oak Island and it’s spinoff… but it’s unclear why
Though most of the time we see Alex sitting around a table discussing theories with his father or out in the field helping out with an excavation site, it appears that he also has a role behind the scenes of the series as well. Alex is listed as a producer for both “The Curse of Oak Island” and its spinoff series, “The Curse of Oak Island: Drilling Down” (via IMDb).
Specifically, in each of his credits he is listed as an “associate producer” and a member of Oak Island Tours Inc. — the tourism company owned and operated by the Laginas and a group of likeminded, treasure-obsessed investors. Oddly, Alex is only listed as a producer for 46 of the show’s 155 episodes, despite the fact that he appears in over 100 episodes himself. It’s unclear what Alex’s role is as a producer for the two shows, and one has to wonder what exactly his job behind the scenes might entail since his producer credits don’t line up with his appearances.
Alex splits time between the family winery and the treasure hunting business
Unlike some members of the treasure hunting team from “The Curse of Oak Island,” the quest for the island’s legendary treasure isn’t a full time job for Alex. In fact, his main occupation is actually working for the family winery: Mari Vineyards. Mari Vineyards was founded by Alex’s father Marty in 1999, and named for Marty’s late grandmother. The winery is located on Old Mission Peninsula in Michigan and specializes in experimental red and white wines made with authentic Italian grapes.
Alex is currently the general manager of Mari Vineyards, which has been highly successful and sells their products across 16 states. In reality, it seems that his role as a treasure hunter is more of a side gig, as Alex appears to spend most of his time working at Mari Vineyards — which is constantly busy with events, according to its Facebook page — likely only spending the summer on Oak Island helping his father and uncle.
There are rumors that Alex is dead, even though he’s very much alive
Recently, there have been rumors circulating the internet that Alex Lagina passed away during the filming of “Oak Island.” It’s unknown where these rumors first originated, but there are a variety of articles and posts online that claim Alex died in his search for the island’s treasure — potentially fulfilling the “curse” that says seven people must die before the Oak Island treasure is found.
These theorists cite the fact that he hasn’t posted on social media since 2019 as evidence of Alex’s demise, as well as the numerous unconfirmed reports that have flooded the internet saying that he is dead (via TVstarbio.com). While there are an alarming number of reports out there that claim Alex has died, the truth is that he’s perfectly healthy and very much alive.
One can only wonder what caused people to spread these unfounded rumors, and what Alex must think of them. It’s odd that anyone would claim he is dead at all, since Alex continues to appear regularly in “The Curse of Oak Island” to this day.