The Curse Of Oak Island - General Discussion

[12catcrazy]

On 5/6/2021 at 8:49 AM, kn51 said:

My god, we did it folks.  We made it through another season!  Let's all take a moment to celebrate this masochistic achievement.

I was fairly surprised in regards to the 700 artifacts.  Not so much they found that much stuff, just for the fact they recorded where they found all of them.  Probably due to the Canadian government clamping down on their procedures.

I always enjoyed the simple items that turn into the find of the century after the small group talks about it for a couple moments.  An ox shoe?  Could these shoes belong to the oxen that hauled the Ark of the Covenant under the direction of the Knights Templar?  And if so, will this clue lead to the Money Pit.

 

Yeah "masochistic achievement" is right - we all deserve to raise a glass to ourselves and take a good long gulp.  

I guess that this is now showing us exactly how tedious archeology really is.  You watch NOVA and get to see all the exciting stuff without the tedium.   And does anybody else wonder if Rick and Marty actually believed all the Knights Templar and ark of the Covenant stuff?  Those things are a far cry from buried pirate treasure.

Now that "Oak Island" had the season finale,  the "Mystery of Sky Walker Ranch" has started up again.  Same production company, but so far, it's intriguing.  

 

[Quilt Fairy]

On 5/5/2021 at 7:01 PM, AnnA said:

I didn't know there was another brother.    I'm guessing Rick and Marty want to employ as many family members as possible.

Coming to your TV screen soon:  Oak Island: The Next Generation

[deirdra]

On 5/13/2021 at 1:43 AM, Quilt Fairy said:

Coming to your TV screen soon:  Oak Island: The Next Generation

Marty has one living daughter and there are two additional (Gardner) nephews (from their other sister) and two nieces (by their two sisters) that we haven't seen yet.  Alex is already getting grey hairs.

Too bad they didn't engage real scientists earlier in their quest. It only got interesting after Spooner and the geophysicists got involved in the past couple of years.

[merylinkid]

Wow Rick and Marty are starting to look old.   This never ending treasure hunt is taking a toll.

Remember, it's not a MANDATE, they are voluntarily not digging a hole in one place because they are such good people.

Gary Drayton is still annoying.   Also they aren't even pretending with his "finds" anymore.   He "finds" something on the cleared path, puts it in a baggie and then throws it back on the hole.   Instead of then using that as a point to begin the search, he and his "helper" wander well off the path into the weeds and oh look another "find."   This time the mysterious lead piece.

Last year:   We can't test for gold with this water assay test.   this year:  oh hey we found a lab that will do the tests to see if there is gold.     And wouldn't you know it -- GOLD.   GOLD.   And the assay test is good enough to judge how much gold and silver is buried.   From a few particles showing up in water they know there's a truckload there.    I have many questions about this test.   Has it been replicated?   What is its accuracy rate?   Peer reviewed?   Other REPUTABLE scientists accept it as valid?   They might as well just stick a pick ax in the ground and lick it to find the "treasure."

[Quilt Fairy]

There are still people watching this show? 

[AZChristian]

10 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

There are still people watching this show? 

Don't tell my son-in-law (who is a big fan and got us started watching at first).

I now watch it almost as a comedy to see what new cockamamie idea they're going to come up with next.  It's also a great learning opportunity for young actors who are watching.  "This is how you look over-the-moon excited about absolutely nothing."

[AnnA]

20 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

There are still people watching this show? 

Yes but I haven't watched it yet.  My DVR has custody.  I'll watch it Friday when I'm off.  I used to be a real Oak Island Junkie but after so many seasons of wet wood and an occasional top pocket find, I opted to watch the World Series last night instead.

Edited November 4, 2021 by AnnA

[rmontro]

22 hours ago, merylinkid said:

Last year:   We can't test for gold with this water assay test.   this year:  oh hey we found a lab that will do the tests to see if there is gold.     And wouldn't you know it -- GOLD.   GOLD. 

I thought everyone looked pretty underwhelmed by the news.  Even the guy giving the news who claimed to be excited seemed to be forcing it.  It just seemed like it was business as usual, just another cockamamie theory that probably won't amount to anything.

[satrunrose]

I would imagine if the guy giving the news knew the area at all, he's be aware that Gold River (named because there was natural gold found in the river) is about 3 miles up the coast so...

[12catcrazy]

So far, another snooze fest.  I think if the Lagina Brothers weren't just so damn likeable, this show would have been done a couple of years ago.  

It seems that they are really grousing (while trying to appear otherwise) about all of the permits and restrictions that have now been put upon them by the govt.   It would appear that the politicians in Nova Scotia feel there's gold in them thar holes (History Channel gold that is) and they're going to get some of it.  

[merylinkid]

Yeah the complaining about having to follow rules was annoying.   Especially when they come across modern junk they "bag it and tag it" and then leave it there.   but if they find something historical, they snatch it out of the ground and walk off with it.   Like, they don't have to document what it looked like when it was found and the surrounding area.    Removing the things from their location without proper documentation really screws up the archeology.    I have to hope what we are seeing is recreations of findings and they did all the right stuff THEN rolled camera.

The heavy equipment just gouging away always really irks me.   Goodness knows what historical record they are destroying.   But you know, anything to find the money pit right?

12 minutes ago, 12catcrazy said:

It would appear that the politicians in Nova Scotia feel there's gold in them thar holes (History Channel gold that is) and they're going to get some of it.  

Nah, I think they did find a previously unknown settlement, possibly Viking, possibly First Nation (leaning more this way because of some things that were said about "cultural significance") that the authorities REALLY DO NOT WANT messed up in their blundering around for gold.   

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

I would think if Indians or Vikings made a settlement, they would have made it on the mainland where there would be a vast amount of wildlife and fresh water, plus plenty of acres of land to grow crops. The mainland would provide an  abundance  of trees to clear for building purposes. 

[Lovecat]

On 11/2/2021 at 11:12 PM, merylinkid said:

Gary Drayton is still annoying.   Also they aren't even pretending with his "finds" anymore.   He "finds" something on the cleared path, puts it in a baggie and then throws it back on the hole.   Instead of then using that as a point to begin the search, he and his "helper" wander well off the path into the weeds and oh look another "find."   This time the mysterious lead piece.

 

20 hours ago, merylinkid said:

Yeah the complaining about having to follow rules was annoying.   Especially when they come across modern junk they "bag it and tag it" and then leave it there.   but if they find something historical, they snatch it out of the ground and walk off with it.   Like, they don't have to document what it looked like when it was found and the surrounding area.    Removing the things from their location without proper documentation really screws up the archeology.    I have to hope what we are seeing is recreations of findings and they did all the right stuff THEN rolled camera.

I noticed Gary leaving bagged stuff in the hole, too, but I think he does it with everything they find so that Laird can come back and properly document what was found where before it is removed.  When we see Gary (or rather, the day's designated shovel bitch) dig, it is at a flag that has already been placed; he's made mention that he and Peter previously placed flags but couldn't dig until Laird gave the OK.  Hey, at least it's Laird giving the OK; it could be worse if they had to wait for someone from the Provincial government to come out!

[Pingaponga]

On 11/2/2021 at 11:12 PM, merylinkid said:

I have many questions about this test.   Has it been replicated?   What is its accuracy rate?   Peer reviewed?   Other REPUTABLE scientists accept it as valid? 

The guy analyzing the samples was from Queen's University, which is in Kingston, Ontario. It is one of the top universities in Canada. So I have no idea if other people will consider it accurate, but he isn't just a Joe Schmoe from a private company trying to get his company's name out there.

[merylinkid]

I was wrong ... but I was right.

 

Wrong:  I said last year  Oak Island was a shipyard.   It wasn't.   It was a trading post where the surrounding First Nation tribes could come to trade with the Europeans.  

Right:   I said the parts being off limits might be connected with First Nations.   

That's why there's no record of it.   It was  First Nations place and they only had oral traditions.   No one cared enough to pay attention (or deliberately stopped the passing on of the knowledge -- hello Indian Schools) to then later it record it.   

Man the Laginas were whiny about having to stop their rampaging all over the Island with their heavy equipment.   They just found an original archeological site that has not been destroyed by previous searchers and all they can complain about is its stopping their search for gold.   I also noticed a NOTICEABLE difference from the season preview where they were VERY QUICK to point out they VOLUNTARILY stopped digging.   They said specifically no one forced them to.   Well, in this episode it was quite clear they either stop or their permits would be yanked.   

Let me tell  you THIS dig is really cool.   I don't need Gary Drayton running around saying "Gold baby."   I want to know more about what went on there and why it was eventually abandoned (attack, military coming in, disease???).   

[kn51]

Do yourselves a favor and watch the intro of "Red Notice" on Netflix.

Trust me, it will give you a good chuckle.

[Pingaponga]

On 11/16/2021 at 10:09 PM, merylinkid said:

Man the Laginas were whiny about having to stop their rampaging all over the Island with their heavy equipment.   They just found an original archeological site that has not been destroyed by previous searchers and all they can complain about is its stopping their search for gold.   I also noticed a NOTICEABLE difference from the season preview where they were VERY QUICK to point out they VOLUNTARILY stopped digging.   They said specifically no one forced them to.   Well, in this episode it was quite clear they either stop or their permits would be yanked.   

As a Canadian, I get the government's position. Last summer they uncovered stuff that was substantial and about which there is no record. So of course the government wants everything from hereon in properly documented and excavated. It turns out this island actually has a history beyond the story of buried treasure, and the only way to determine what that history was is by properly excavating and documenting everything they find.

This kind of thing happens all the time. As inconvenient as this may be for the Laginas, they should talk to people in the UK who plan to build shopping malls or condos and then discover their plans have to be put on hold because they discover the remains of Roman villas or the bones of Richard III and the entire site has to properly excavated.

It looks like they'll whine even more next week. Pfft.

[merylinkid]

I gotta say they ARE finding interesting things.   The tumbaga (sp?) gold is cool.   Trade with the Indigenous folks there?    I still HIGHLY doubt there is treasure.   But they are finding out about real history of Oak Island, beyond the treasure hunting  (which would be a much better title and storyline).

[rmontro]

A shame the show is losing its eye candy with the blond archeologist girl.  I always thought Marty's son had a thing for her.  Now she's out of the picture, and out of a job too, apparently.  Thanks to bureaucracy.  

I just feel like if they really want to find out if there's anything down there, they need to build this huge pit 100 feet deep about the size of a football field.  Until they do that it's just going to be drilling and pulling up wood.

[kn51]

This show is phoning it in beyond what I even thought was possible.

Twenty minutes of recaps, ten minutes of metal detecting, 5 minutes of bore drilling, and the rest yapping in the war room.

 

 

[rmontro]

On 11/18/2021 at 10:27 PM, Pingaponga said:

As a Canadian, I get the government's position. Last summer they uncovered stuff that was substantial and about which there is no record. So of course the government wants everything from hereon in properly documented and excavated. It turns out this island actually has a history beyond the story of buried treasure, and the only way to determine what that history was is by properly excavating and documenting everything they find.

Hasn't Rick been saying all this time the history was the treasure?  Now he's changed his tune, "At the end of the day this is a treasure hunt".  

But there's something more important at stake here than the Laginas' ambitions.  The Canadian government is getting in the way of our TV show.

 

14 hours ago, kn51 said:

Twenty minutes of recaps, ten minutes of metal detecting, 5 minutes of bore drilling, and the rest yapping in the war room.

That is the formula, isn't it?  Except now you can add five minutes of complaining about the government.

Edited December 12, 2021 by rmontro

[AZChristian]

So . . . today is my 75th birthday.

My daughter had mailed a package to me with strict instructions that I could not open it until today.  With difficulty, I succeeded in waiting.

When I opened the package, there was a treasure chest.  I looked at my husband and said, "Oh, look!!! I've found the treasure of Oak Island."  Inside were a couple of little bags of Gold Mine Nugget Bubble Gum (?), and then we noticed a little thumb drive in the bottom of the vault chest.

Popped it into my computer and spent the next 5 minutes laughing until I cried as I watched a Cameo presentation of Gary Drayton wishing me a customized "Happy Birthday."

Folks, you have not lived until you've heard Gary Drayton say . . . 'arry Po''er.  (He even said, "I can't even say that!!!!")

That Cameo, to me, is the Oak Island treasure. 

[rmontro]

7 hours ago, AZChristian said:

When I opened the package, there was a treasure chest.  I looked at my husband and said, "Oh, look!!! I've found the treasure of Oak Island." 

Have you had it carbon dated?

[MDL]

At the risk of sounding like a 7th grader-

Am I the only one who snickers when the team members checking out the core samples, slice open the plastic bag, and say "We've got wood"  and the y all get excited??

 

[AZChristian]

38 minutes ago, MDL said:

At the risk of sounding like a 7th grader-

Am I the only one who snickers when the team members checking out the core samples, slice open the plastic bag, and say "We've got wood"  and the y all get excited??

 

I love when they find a tool (like the adze a week or so ago), and identify it as something used to create planks for the side of a tunnel. 

Like a cabbage farmer wouldn't need planks to build wagons to haul his cabbage to the pier?????

[Quilt Fairy]

3 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I love when they find a tool (like the adze a week or so ago), and identify it as something used to create planks for the side of a tunnel. 

Like a cabbage farmer wouldn't need planks to build wagons to haul his cabbage to the pier?????

The wild and optimistic speculation appears to be unexhaustible on this show.

[merylinkid]

5 hours ago, MDL said:

At the risk of sounding like a 7th grader-

Am I the only one who snickers when the team members checking out the core samples, slice open the plastic bag, and say "We've got wood"  and the y all get excited??

 

No, no you are not.

 

4 hours ago, AZChristian said:

ike a cabbage farmer wouldn't need planks to build wagons to haul his cabbage to the pier?????

Silly @AZChristian nothing on Oak Island EVER has a mundane explanation.    Treasure all the way baby.   (I hate myself for that last line)

Edited December 22, 2021 by merylinkid

[merylinkid]

I like what they did to Smith's Cove to restore it after the coffer dam was removed.   I will give them that.

 

Oh look the Portuguese who were known to FISH in those waters, stopped by to drop off gold.   Yep, only reason they were there.    A ship facility for repairs while they were fishing makes a ton of sense.   The "money pit" was an old abandoned well probably abandoned when it was flooeded by seawater.    Which explains all the debris found in it.   Once a well is abandoned it becomes a dump.   The 90 foot stone?  never believed that translation.   You go to all that trouble to hide your gold, then you still a big old sign saying "right here folks, come get me gold."

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, merylinkid said:

The 90 foot stone?  never believed that translation.

Didn't the stone itself disappear?  Kind of like Joseph Smith's golden plates? 

[rmontro]

Oh look, they found more wood.  Yawn.  Borrrring.  Sorry lads, digging up wood is really getting boring.  No matter how many time they say it might be part of a tunnel, shaft, or chamber.

Laird is a funny name.

General question:  In the intro, they talk about the legend that one more will have to die before the treasure is found.  I know the stories about the Money Pit and all the people who have searched for the treasure, sometimes tragically.  But where does this legend come from that one more will have to die come from?  Is it even a real thing, or did they just make it up because it sounds good?

[12catcrazy]

On 12/22/2021 at 10:02 AM, MDL said:

At the risk of sounding like a 7th grader-

Am I the only one who snickers when the team members checking out the core samples, slice open the plastic bag, and say "We've got wood"  and the y all get excited??

 

You're not the only one.  To the folks scratching their head about this, I read a book about the Mitchell Brothers of 1970s Porn movie fame.   The book mentioned that during on-set production, an actor would be "fluffed" and when the desired result would be achieved, a set assistant would cry out "We've got wood" and then the scene would proceed.   I don't know if MDL above is thinking the same thing, but that is always the first thing that pops into this dirty mind.   And it's more interesting to think about THAT than when I'm seeing the 500th piece of wood taken out of the drilling cores. 

[deirdra]

I don't think there has been a single episode in the past year where they didn't say "we've got wood" at least once !

[badhaggis]

On 1/9/2022 at 9:54 PM, deirdra said:

I don't think there has been a single episode in the past year where they didn't say "we've got wood" at least once !

And I giggle every time lol!

[merylinkid]

Well they found more wood.    

At LAST they are putting together all the finds instead of going "oh hey a button."   "Oh hey an ox shoe."   They are piecing all the clues together.    It still ain't treasure.   But its actually showing the history of Oak Island.   Which is apparently the freaking cross roads of the world STILL.   But at least evidence supports a wide variety of people actually being ON the Island instead of just theories.  

[AZChristian]

When they had the air blasting up out of the borehole, hubby turned to me and said, "Why aren't they bagging that air for carbon dating?????"

I love the concept of the show, but it really has turned into "Much Ado About Nothing."

[rmontro]

Okay, so they're finally bringing in the big 10 foot cans for digging.  If they don't find anything now, I don't know how they're going to explain it.  If they did find anything, it would have been in the news, so I have to assume they don't find anything.  Oh well, same old same old.

I don't know why they didn't do this almost from the start.  Or why they don't dig directly for the "ship shaped anomaly".

[pezgirl7]

8 hours ago, rmontro said:

I don't know why they didn't do this almost from the start.  Or why they don't dig directly for the "ship shaped anomaly".

I thought it was because they had to find the exact spot to put it, so it would intersect with the supposed treasure vault. That's why they put down all those smaller caissons first. And I thought they have been digging for the ship? But they've just been finding small pieces of wood, which seem like they could be from any number of ships that once docked at the island, or even washed ashore.

It was interesting that part of the episode made it seem like it was the first episode of the season. It confused me at first, I thought maybe I was watching a repeat. lol

[rmontro]

So the bag seal turned out to be the type used for large bags of cloth, lol.  All those dreams of sacks of gold coins come to naught.  "Forty feet below, two million pounds of dirty laundry lie buried".

[merylinkid]

I see they had the Premier of Nova Scotia come out for some screen time.   Was it in exchange for getting  permission to dig in other areas?   Or not be told to stop if they do find something when they drop the cassons (finally???).

Other than that -- just a ton of build up to dropping the cassons.   Which happens next week.

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, merylinkid said:

Other than that -- just a ton of build up to dropping the cassons.   Which happens next week.

I thought the Premier's comments were marvelously noncommittal, and didn't really lean one way or the other.  Basically, he didn't really say anything.  In other words, a real politician.  Can't hurt to give the Premier a little free exposure in the hopes for some favor though.

As for the caissons, in the previews it looks like they bring up some huge chunks of wood.  Could be searcher structure though, I'm guessing.  They said they had used eight foot cans before, which I guess I had forgotten (these are ten foot cans).

[kn51]

Good grief Gary really put the spouting bs of every find into overdrive. 

[rmontro]

19 hours ago, kn51 said:

Good grief Gary really put the spouting bs of every find into overdrive. 

I was thinking the same.  But I guess that's what he's there for.  He's a hype man as much as a metal detector.  It's amazing that after nine seasons, anyone can still get so excited over an ox shoe,

[Lovecat]

On 12/22/2021 at 10:02 AM, MDL said:

At the risk of sounding like a 7th grader-

Am I the only one who snickers when the team members checking out the core samples, slice open the plastic bag, and say "We've got wood"  and they all get excited??

 

My husband and I are very fond of talking back to the teevee, and we both yell "WE'VE GOT WOOD!!!" every. single. time.

On 1/5/2022 at 1:30 AM, rmontro said:

Laird is a funny name.

General question:  In the intro, they talk about the legend that one more will have to die before the treasure is found.  I know the stories about the Money Pit and all the people who have searched for the treasure, sometimes tragically.  But where does this legend come from that one more will have to die come from?  Is it even a real thing, or did they just make it up because it sounds good?

"LAIIIIIIIIIIIIIRD!" is another frequent refrain here in the 'cat house.

...along with "WHAT LEGEND?  THE ONE YOU MADE UP???"  We amuse ourselves.

On 2/9/2022 at 4:47 PM, rmontro said:

I thought the Premier's comments were marvelously noncommittal, and didn't really lean one way or the other.  Basically, he didn't really say anything.  In other words, a real politician.  Can't hurt to give the Premier a little free exposure in the hopes for some favor though.

Mrs. Premier was quite the fangirl!  Not judging, because Mr. 'cat and I stopped by Oak Island while we were in Nova Scotia on our honeymoon, but Mr. 'cat was far more enthusiastic a participant than the Premier.

[Quilt Fairy]

Slightly OT, but last month I started seeing a lot of promos for another History/Discovery show, The Mystery of Blind Frog Ranch or something like that.  When I started watching, after 5 minutes I realized it was another "bunch of grizzled old guys looking for stuff to finally make them rich and/or famous and give their life meaning" kind of show, i.e., another Oak Island.  Does anyone know if it's actually worth my time? 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Quilt Fairy

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Does anyone know if it's actually worth my time? 

Short answer no.  I watched the first season, that was enough for me.  It makes Curse of Oak Island look like Shakespeare.  Reminds me a bit of Appalachian Outlaws in that it looks badly scripted in the silliest of ways.  Aside from the treasure hunters, there are supernatural factors at play, and a mysterious outside group that is working to prevent them from finding whatever they think is there.

That's not to say you might not find it entertaining (I actually perversely enjoyed Appalachian Outlaws, for awhile - I can enjoy stupidity at times).  But be aware of what you are walking into if you decide to watch it (it's fake).

[Quilt Fairy]

18 hours ago, rmontro said:

Short answer no. 

Thanks.  

[TexasTiffany]

On 2/14/2022 at 11:12 AM, Lovecat said:

My husband and I are very fond of talking back to the teevee, and we both yell "WE'VE GOT WOOD!!!" every. single. time.

Same here and you have to talk back to the tv. At this point it just comes out.

Beyond Oak Island? I'm ready for them to do "Oak Island Mystery Theatre 2000"? Rick and Marty having a pint, and sharing sarcasm of their own show. 

[merylinkid]

Well last night was interesting.   They found the rock they drilled through.   An old rubber boot.   And of course WOOD.   

The rubber boot couldn't be ANY old boot of course.   It had to be FDR's rubber boot.  

[rmontro]

Call me a gullible schmuck, but I thought the dig portion of this last episode was actually close to exciting.  Not that I expected them to bring up treasure, but there seemed at least a possibility that they might pull something interesting up. 

[kn51]

32 minutes ago, rmontro said:

Call me a gullible schmuck, but I thought the dig portion of this last episode was actually close to exciting.  Not that I expected them to bring up treasure, but there seemed at least a possibility that they might pull something interesting up. 

Yeah. What rains on my parade is that if they really found anything worthwhile I figured it would get leaked and be in the news months ago.