The Curse Of Oak Island - General Discussion

[merylinkid]

OMG.   I just can't sometimes with this show.

"I've always said the answers to Oak Island are off the Island."   No dude, you just wanted a free paid trip to Portugal.

There's a STONE ROAD in PORTUGAL.   Just like there is a STONE ROAD on OAK ISLAND.   SAMESIES.   Or you know, the Romans left stone roads all over the freaking empire and everyone went "hey cool way to build a road" and did it too.   If they had gone to SPAIN, they would have found a stone road, if they had gone to ALBANIA they would have found a stone road.    Like JUST STOP IT.   Everything is not automatically connected to Oak Island.   

Aaaaand finding the musket bit just proves my point.   It was a Navy yard at some point.   Which would have had a garrison.

[AZChristian]

I can't figure out the relationship between the stonemason's mark in the church in Portugal and the identical mark on the 90-foot stone.

Did the Portuguese stonemason take a cruise to Canada?

And - sorry members of the "fellowship" - not everything on Oak Island is related to treasure.  Like a hinge might have been for a big wooden door, or a chest that did NOT contain treasure.

I think I'm out.  They're really straining at gnats to make the search relevant.

[rmontro]

23 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I think I'm out.  They're really straining at gnats to make the search relevant.

I'm not out, but I could see why someone would be.  These last huge digs without finding anything has to be damaging to the myths.  They found some old wood, but not a trace of treasure.  In a place where, really, if it was there, it should be there.

[merylinkid]

Okay they got me.

I was all "OF COURSE the stone roads look the same, they are stone roads.   How many ways are there to do that?"   

But when they got to the Castle and the Initiation Well.   PRESUMING the "money pit" is 13 stories high, etc. then they have found a connection between the Templars and Oak Island.   Still doesn't mean treasure.   I mean its an Initiation Well not a Wishing Well.   BUT, this is the first concrete thing they actually have.   

[AZChristian]

2 hours ago, merylinkid said:

Okay they got me.

I was all "OF COURSE the stone roads look the same, they are stone roads.   How many ways are there to do that?"   

But when they got to the Castle and the Initiation Well.   PRESUMING the "money pit" is 13 stories high, etc. then they have found a connection between the Templars and Oak Island.   Still doesn't mean treasure.   I mean its an Initiation Well not a Wishing Well.   BUT, this is the first concrete thing they actually have.   

Maybe instead of looking for the money pit, they should start looking for a circular stairway.  LOL.

[pezgirl7]

I think they’re kind of grasping at straws, trying to find connections, but I’ve actually enjoyed the Portugal parts just because of how beautiful the places that they’ve visited have been. Adding Portugal to my bucket list!

[Mindthinkr]

2 hours ago, pezgirl7 said:

I think they’re kind of grasping at straws, trying to find connections, but I’ve actually enjoyed the Portugal parts just because of how beautiful the places that they’ve visited have been. Adding Portugal to my bucket list!

A few of my neighbors have traveled there recently. All came back with glowing thumbs up. 

[rmontro]

20 hours ago, pezgirl7 said:

I’ve actually enjoyed the Portugal parts just because of how beautiful the places that they’ve visited have been. Adding Portugal to my bucket list!

Will you be taking the Templar tour?

[Turquoise]

On 12/22/2021 at 9:02 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??

 

Mr Turquoise is into this show...I have been known to make myself a nice margarita and sip every time they get excited about wood, shafts, etc. It does liven the show up.

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, Turquoise said:

Mr Turquoise is into this show...I have been known to make myself a nice margarita and sip every time they get excited about wood, shafts, etc.

You must be taking in a lot of alcohol then.

They had the Initiation Well in Portugal on "Mysteries of the Abandoned" last night.  What a beautiful place.  Not a single mention of treasure, notably.

[merylinkid]

They keep digging holes and hitting bedrock at abbbbbouuut the same depth.    I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say there is no "money pit" but just bedrock all through the Island.

The only place they find really cool stuff is the Swamp and along the stone path.   I would be concentrating there as much as possible not trying to find the non-existent Money Pit.

[rmontro]

14 hours ago, merylinkid said:

They keep digging holes and hitting bedrock at abbbbbouuut the same depth.    I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say there is no "money pit" but just bedrock all through the Island.

I say they bulldoze the whole place all the way down to the bedrock until they find the treasure.  :)

I tend to agree that there's nothing there, but what about the tests that showed traces of silver and gold in the water near the money pit?  Usual skeptic Marty always brings that one up.

[satrunrose]

Not sure how to explain the silver, but there's naturally occurring gold in a river (appropriately named Gold River) about a 10 minute drive up the coast. I think it's likely that the gold traces come from there.

[rmontro]

11 hours ago, satrunrose said:

Not sure how to explain the silver, but there's naturally occurring gold in a river (appropriately named Gold River) about a 10 minute drive up the coast. I think it's likely that the gold traces come from there.

Another thing to consider:  Is the gold and silver only in the money pit area, or did they find traces of it in other parts of the island also?  If it's only the money pit area, I might believe that it's more significant.  Maybe they've covered this during the show, but I was asleep during that part.  It's getting harder to pay rapt attention to this stuff.

[Quilt Fairy]

9 hours ago, rmontro said:

Is the gold and silver only in the money pit area, or did they find traces of it in other parts of the island also?  If it's only the money pit area, I might believe that it's more significant.

Would they be testing any other area? 

ETA: Asking for a friend; I only watch the show vicariously through this forum. 

Edited May 6, 2022 by Quilt Fairy

[Pingaponga]

Every time they do an aerial shot of the Money Pit area, there is an area right where they are digging with grass and massive boulders - why aren't they digging there? Mr Ponga and I are sure that at this point that seems to be the only place they haven't dug.

[merylinkid]

Premieres November 15, 2022.  

Yes I am in.  No I don't believe there is any treasure.  But let's what wacky theories they come up with this year.

[rmontro]

Expert:  "The "gem" you have here is glass".

Gary:  "That is some fantastic news you are telling us, mate".

Lol.

[merylinkid]

I know, oooh its a brooch and must be really important.   It's glass dude.   To go with the LEAD cross.   I'm thinking Lot 8 was the garbage dump, that is why they are finding so much stuff there.  

Still not buying the whole Templars sailed ALLLLLLLLLLL the way to Oak Island off the coast of a continent many did not even know was there to hide their treasure.   HOWEVER, the void they found is intriguing.   Could just be a drainage ditch.   But it is interesting.

I also noticed a whole lot of rock landscaping around the "money pit" area that I don't remember being there before.   Trying to pretty the place up?    

We also saw a lot of just plain heavy equipment workers lugging stuff around.   I thought, you know at least this probably bringing decent paying jobs to the area.   

[Arynm]

So... the "garden shaft" that has been there filled with water for the entire show so far is actually the money pit and you are telling me that they did not know that?

Come on! I have seen that water feature for years. I am thinking this is the hail mary, they need to find something, it has been at least 10 years of nothing.

[pezgirl7]

14 hours ago, merylinkid said:

I also noticed a whole lot of rock landscaping around the "money pit" area that I don't remember being there before.   Trying to pretty the place up?    

It’s been there a while. I remember them calling it a memorial rock garden. Here’s some more info. 
https://m.facebook.com/RedBeardofOI/posts/3832175363493001

Would be odd if they decided to dig up the memorial!

[AZChristian]

We watched some of the show.  Unless the new tubes are plexiglass, how will they see out the sides to know when to extend into a tunnel going off into another direction?  I'm really not "getting it" - other than suspecting this will be millions more dollars spent to find glass brooches.

[Pingaponga]

Do these guys do any real research into the history of the island itself, and who owned land and where? They are so surprised to find ox shoes and whatnot, but people have owned property on Oak Island for over 200 years. Researching my husband's ancestry, I have learned that his 4th great-grandparents owned Lot 4 for about 3 years in the early 1800s. I'm assuming they farmed the land, as they lived on the mainland. I do wonder what they'd make of the exclamations of "It's an ox shoe!"

[merylinkid]

OMG, that is so cool that you have a connection.

No they did not do any research other than anything that could lead to "TREASURE."   Even Samuel Ball, he MUST have found treasure because no way a simple cabbage farmer got rich.   The wharf -- only for unloading treasure NOT for, I don't know, shipping cabbage for his growing cabbage empire.   

Oh the empty square hole they found -- PROOF, PROOF I tell you that treasure was there and removed.   NOT, in any way, shape or form, could it be a root cellar.

[Whodunnit]

Does anyone else think that the latest item they found (the thin copper one) looks like it was etched with pictures of Tongs?

[AZChristian]

Question.  Rick - whose articulate manner of speaking I enjoy - referred to something as a "Bravo Tango" situation or moment.  Anyone know what that means?  We know that Bravo Tango is military parlance for the letters "B" and "T" . . . is he using this phrase to mean "Big Ticket" (expensive) item???

ETA:  saw one discussion board where they think it means "Buried Treasure."  That would fit!

Edited December 21, 2022 by AZChristian

[pezgirl7]

5 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Question.  Rick - whose articulate manner of speaking I enjoy

I was just thinking about that while watching the last episode. I, too, enjoy the way he speaks, even though some might find him a little too over the top or emotional at times. It's a nice change of pace.

I LOL'd at Jack asking Gary what old chains were used for. And Gary's response... to wrap around a heavy treasure chest of course!

[AZChristian]

27 minutes ago, pezgirl7 said:

I was just thinking about that while watching the last episode. I, too, enjoy the way he speaks, even though some might find him a little too over the top or emotional at times. It's a nice change of pace.

I LOL'd at Jack asking Gary what old chains were used for. And Gary's response... to wrap around a heavy treasure chest of course!

We've gotten to the point where whenever anyone says anything around the table in the war room, we swing our heads back and forth with a big grin (as they do).  We also are laughing out loud at the multitude of "yes" and "yep" that greets almost every word from the mouth of either of the Lagina brothers.

And yet we continue to watch.

[merylinkid]

15 hours ago, pezgirl7 said:

LOL'd at Jack asking Gary what old chains were used for. And Gary's response... to wrap around a heavy treasure chest of course!

Yeah and they ask Laird what the strap was and he was all "Could be anything."   Gary was being Gary (I find him SO annoying) was saying "could be used for a treasure chest."   Larid was rather indifferent "Maybe."   You can tell Laird is so over the treasure idea.   But he wants to keep exploring the First Nations site so he puts up with the rest of it.

Another week, another ALMOST got the garden shaft open.   It's going to be the season finale and then a cliffhanger right?

 

[Meredith Quill]

On 12/22/2022 at 1:02 PM, merylinkid said:

Yeah and they ask Laird what the strap was and he was all "Could be anything."   Gary was being Gary (I find him SO annoying) was saying "could be used for a treasure chest."   Larid was rather indifferent "Maybe."   You can tell Laird is so over the treasure idea.   But he wants to keep exploring the First Nations site so he puts up with the rest of it.

Another week, another ALMOST got the garden shaft open.   It's going to be the season finale and then a cliffhanger right?

 

Gary's constant and relentless use of the word 'mate' really began to grate on me this season (and wtf is that accent, it's hideous). I'm English myself, so the word mate isn't alien to me whatsoever but his incessant use of it is super annoying. When they brought the jewellery expert in an episode or two ago and he kept calling him 'mate' over and over - cringey af. To avoid it becoming teeth-gnashing, I've turned it into a game from this episode on; The Gary 'Mate' Counter (TGMC), which I will keep a running tally of from here on, lmao.

TGMC 

Episode 6 - 11

[OoohMaggie]

Having been raised in SE London  I’m probably more accepting of the word “Mate”  than most, yet I have to agree his use of the word seems somewhat unnatural considering his accent, which seems to be  based somewhere way farther North of London. and to the East of the country.

Im all for positivity, but Mr Drayton can come across as somewhat annoying, especially as he is obviously being paid for his enthusiasm! 🙄

[Meredith Quill]

14 hours ago, OoohMaggie said:

Having been raised in SE London  I’m probably more accepting of the word “Mate”  than most, yet I have to agree his use of the word seems somewhat unnatural considering his accent, which seems to be  based somewhere way farther North of London. and to the East of the country.

Im all for positivity, but Mr Drayton can come across as somewhat annoying, especially as he is obviously being paid for his enthusiasm! 🙄

My childhood stomping ground had had a big influx of so-called 'London overspill' folks move there during the 60s/70s, so much so that half the town had an East End accent while I was growing up. Meaning, it is an accent that is very familiar to my ear, same goes for the slang. 

As for Grate-y Gary, it's like he's almost performative with his 'otherness' from the Canadian and USians, and that right there, that's what is irksome. And yes, his base accent is 100% northern but it's been corrupted with something else so it sounds really odd to me. The 'mate' thing didn't used to bother me so much, if at all, (his accent always has, oof) so I have to wonder if he's amped it up as time has gone by or something? 🤔

[merylinkid]

Something tells me that Gary has ALWAYS been the overtop over much guy.   I think no matter the situation he would be this way.   Put him on Deadliest Catch and he would be all "Look at all those crabs, mate.   Did you ever see such big crabs."   "Oh we are near the ice, must be a sign of crab right?"   Just whatever he does he does he turns it up too far.   Which makes him annoying.

[rmontro]

I'm actually surprised to hear Gary Drayton is from England, I would have guessed him as being from Australia.

[OoohMaggie]

On 1/2/2023 at 12:40 AM, SilverStormm said:

My childhood stomping ground had had a big influx of so-called 'London overspill' folks move there during the 60s/70s, so much so that half the town had an East End accent while I was growing up. Meaning, it is an accent that is very familiar to my ear, same goes for the slang. 

I’m guessing Essex and all those “new towns” that had to be built, we had a similar influx from those demolished tenements and slums from south of the river, “New Addington”  was the closest to me, near Croydon. How to ruin a lovely place in one easy step! The people making those decisions never did think it through properly, instead of spreading people around so they could integrate gradually, let’s just dump thousands in one spot and hope for the best 🙄😱

[OoohMaggie]

19 hours ago, rmontro said:

I'm actually surprised to hear Gary Drayton is from England, I would have guessed him as being from Australia.

Having travelled widely across the US, I was more often than not asked if I was Australian, despite having quite a strong London accent, I can’t hear it myself.

It does sound as though Drayton has picked up a bit of a US accent, I don’t know if or how long he may have lived there, but TWD’s Maggie has a similar issue, being raised and living in both countries, after Drayton I can understand how annoying Lauren’s accent might be for some.

[Meredith Quill]

1 hour ago, OoohMaggie said:

I’m guessing Essex and all those “new towns” that had to be built, we had a similar influx from those demolished tenements and slums from south of the river, “New Addington”  was the closest to me, near Croydon. How to ruin a lovely place in one easy step! The people making those decisions never did think it through properly, instead of spreading people around so they could integrate gradually, let’s just dump thousands in one spot and hope for the best 🙄😱

No, in the East Midlands, Northamptonshire, where Princess Diana was from and later buried.

[OoohMaggie]

22 hours ago, SilverStormm said:

No, in the East Midlands, Northamptonshire,

Wow, I had no idea London folk were spread that wide, that must have been an even bigger culture shock for all those involved.

[rmontro]

On 1/1/2023 at 11:45 AM, SilverStormm said:

To avoid it becoming teeth-gnashing, I've turned it into a game from this episode on; The Gary 'Mate' Counter (TGMC), which I will keep a running tally of from here on, lmao.

I had to laugh and think of this discussion last night when Gary turned up in last night's episode and finished each of his first three lines with "mate".  Then when they talked to the expert guy on the screen, he said "Hi, mate".

I think I thought he was Australian because the Crocodile Hunter and Crocodile Dundee both said "mate" a lot.

[AZChristian]

According to IMDB, he grew up in Grimsby - right on the eastern coast of the UK, about halfway between London and Edinburgh.

I like Gary - my daughter got me a Cameo of him for my 75th birthday, and it was delightful.  But I must agree - the increased frequency of the use of "mate" is a bit annoying.

[Meredith Quill]

I don't dislike him as a person, it's just the mate and strange accent that is grating imo.

I haven't watched the latest episode yet - will be back tomorrow night with the new TGMC update! 😉

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I like Gary - my daughter got me a Cameo of him for my 75th birthday, and it was delightful. 

Is that where they record a video for you?  Come on, tell the truth, did he call you mate?  I'd be disappointed if he didn't.  😞

[AZChristian]

8 hours ago, rmontro said:

Is that where they record a video for you?  Come on, tell the truth, did he call you mate?  I'd be disappointed if he didn't.  😞

I just went back and watched it - just to see if he called me "mate."  He didn't.  He used the word one time when describing himself as an ordinary bloke who people come up to talk to because they recognize him from the show.  "I listen to their suggestions for what we should do next and say, 'Thanks, mate.'"

The video is about 4.5 minutes long.  He called me by name about 6 times, said "bobby-dazzler" about 10 times and - best of all - referred to the lead in my favorite fictional book series as 'arry po''er.  He said as a Brit he drops his H's and doesn't use T's in the middle of words.  

[rmontro]

8 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I just went back and watched it - just to see if he called me "mate."  He didn't.  He used the word one time when describing himself as an ordinary bloke who people come up to talk to because they recognize him from the show.  "I listen to their suggestions for what we should do next and say, 'Thanks, mate.'"

Hey, I'd say that's close enough.  For those playing the game, take another drink.  And we won't even get into "bobby dazzler".

[Meredith Quill]

TGMC

Episode 7 - a measly 5

However, it's fair to say that he didn't have as much screentime in this episode as the last but I'm not invested enough in this game to monitor that as well lol!

On 1/5/2023 at 1:54 PM, AZChristian said:

and - best of all - referred to the lead in my favorite fictional book series as 'arry po''er.  He said as a Brit he drops his H's and doesn't use T's in the middle of words. 

Heh, I think some (not all) of us English folk are commonly the most guilty of doing that along with perhaps some Scots? I don't think the Irish or Welsh folks do it so much, but then again I'm no expert on the dozens and dozens of accents across this green and pleasant (not to mention currently wet*) land.

*Shocker, said no-one.

[merylinkid]

I swear Gary set a record for the number of times he said "mate" in a single sentence last night.   When he was in the lab with the coin, I swear every other word was mate.    He has to be putting on an act.   They are also forcing him from and center.   When they announced the Laginas bought lot 5 (oh goody more holes in one of the few places WITHOUT holes), there was a direct question to HIM.   Not the archeologist, not anyone else.   Just Gary.   STOP TRYING TO MAKE GARY HAPPEN.   

Other than that, not a whole hell of a lot.    They aren't going to get into the garden shaft until the season finale.  

[rmontro]

On 1/11/2023 at 7:53 AM, merylinkid said:

Other than that, not a whole hell of a lot.    They aren't going to get into the garden shaft until the season finale.  

Really, at this point, what is so interesting about what they pull out of the ground by metal detector?  They've already established that people were active on the island hundreds of years ago.  Finding another spike or oxen shoe isn't going to prove anything.  The meat, if there is any, is in the deep digging.

[AZChristian]

3 hours ago, rmontro said:

Really, at this point, what is so interesting about what they pull out of the ground by metal detector?  They've already established that people were active on the island hundreds of years ago.  Finding another spike or oxen shoe isn't going to prove anything.  The meat, if there is any, is in the deep digging.

If the ground-penetrating sonar (which provides incredible detail, if you listen to them) goes down to 130 feet, why don't they take it over near the Garden Shaft?  They think the tunnel there is less than 80 feet.   Surely they could find out if the "Bravo Tango" is in that shaft.  

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

If the ground-penetrating sonar (which provides incredible detail, if you listen to them) goes down to 130 feet, why don't they take it over near the Garden Shaft?  They think the tunnel there is less than 80 feet.   Surely they could find out if the "Bravo Tango" is in that shaft.  

Good point.  I suppose they want to keep a variety of activities going at once to decrease boredom, and to hide the fact that very little is actually going on, progress-wise.  

[AZChristian]

I've enjoyed watching past seasons of "The Detectorists," a British comedy show about two guys who spend a lot of time with their metal detectors.  Watching that made me aware of the "gold dance" they refer to on Oak Island, as well as other terms and ideas about the process.

They came out last month with a feature-length episode.  In it, one of the guys actually does find (among other things) a piece of gold about two inches square, but keeps it secret from his friend at first.  Eventually, they contact the archeology powers-that-be, and a full-scale "dig" is begun.  In my mind's eye, the bulldozer driver looked like Billy, and Laird was hiding in the background.

In those "among other things" Lance found was a "bit o' poh'ery" which was an intact small cup.  He kept it, but figured it was just another of the many bits he'd found in the past.  They tossed it into the detectorist club's "lost and found" box and never gave it another thought.

And now for the fun part:

Spoiler

The museum that helped with the dig held a press conference.  At the press conference, they announced that the gold square was probably part of a small treasure box.  Boxes like that were used to protect precious religious artifacts.

The movie then switched to a silent historical vignette of the pottery cup being used by Christ at the Last Supper.  It was saved after dinner, and placed into the box.  The box was then presented to the king, who silently ordered some Crusaders to hide the box.  Next scene:  crossing the ocean.  Next scene:  a battle, during which the box was damaged and the cup went rolling off into the mud, where it lay buried for centuries until it was found (and not given any importance) by the detectorists.

After hearing of this, the final scene was the duo speeding off back to the about-to-be-demolished clubhouse to look for the cup.

Darn, maybe the gang on Oak Island should go back and double-check all those pieces of "poh'ery" Gary has found  LOL.