Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Curse of Oak Island - Season 4 Finale (sort of)

Well, that certainly was a disappointment. After a week of teasing us with the discovery of a gold coin from deep in the fourth hole they dug, and with their archaeological expert (Dr. Lori and whose last name I didn’t write down) saying that it was an important discovery, we finally learn the truth. It wasn’t a gold coin but a gold-plated button and Dr. Lori wasn’t talking about the button when she talked about the amazing artifact but about the cross that a couple of the McGinnis sisters had which had been handed down through several generations. We’d seen it before.

Or, in other words, the tease had been deceptively created to give a false impression that something very important had finally been found during their dig, pointing to a treasure in the Money Pit. That wasn’t the case.

In the two-hour season finale, we got the same old tired rhetoric that they were on the verge of finding proof that there was a treasure hidden in the Money Pit. And when the two, somewhat boring hours were over, they had found nothing to prove there was a treasure, only that lots of people had spent lots of time, lots of effort and lots of money to come up with just a few, tiny gold relics, some old British coins, and lots of wood that had been used in all the other attempts to find the treasure.

The most important revelation, which had been made before, was when the McGinnis sisters returned. One of the three had died of cancer and the remaining two had a small, glass globe with some of her ashes in it to be buried on the island. And while I certainly emphasize with them for their loss, it wasn’t actually relevant to the hunt for the treasure.

They also brought with them that small, gold cross that they had shown to the Lagina boys some time ago, saying that it was part of the treasure recovered by their ancestor. But here’s the thing, or rather two things. First, if what they say is true, then the treasure is gone, found by that ancestor and his two pals, and second, there really is nothing to prove that the cross came from a huge treasure trove. Their expert, Dr. Lori, said that it was old, of a style that suggested it was of Spanish origin, and that at one time it was covered by jewels (emeralds) that had been removed.

Once we have disposed of this, and seemingly forgotten about the gold-plated button, they returned to continue their digging which reportedly has cost three or four million this year alone. They keep pulling up wood until they hit a metal obstruction that others had reported in the past and had failed to penetrate. But in the world today there are methods that weren’t available a century ago and they break through. They had pulled up pieces of metal that might have protected or been part of equipment used in those earlier excavations. They don’t know what they have other than it doesn’t seem to be modern and a suggestion that it is not from a treasure but from the search of others for the treasure.

Having penetrated the metal obstruction, they continued down but had to stop because their casing which guided the equipment wasn’t long enough to protect the equipment. In other words, they could lose a valuable piece of equipment and the owner/operator didn’t want to take the risk. Digging, for the season, was over.

They did pull up another bit of metal that was bent in the middle and had several holes in it. Again, they thought it looked old. They returned to Dr. Lori who told them that the piece of metal was just the sort of thing they would use on treasure chests back in the time of pirates and chests of gold. The problem, as I understood it, was that the metal would be used on all sorts of chests including those storing clothes and other personal but not necessarily valuable items. On Oak Island, everything is related to pirates, treasures or the Knights Templar.

Dr. Lori looked at other things they had found including the spike that she identified as part of an old sailing ship which also suggested pirates, the old coins which were established as British, and then learned about the wooden planks and parts found in the swamp. This seemed to underscore the theory that a ship had been sunk into the swamp centuries ago which bolstered Dan Blankenship’s theory that they hid the treasure, or parts of it, in plain sight.

So, let’s recap the four years of digging, diving, traveling, exploring (and maybe throw in some stuff that went on decades and centuries ago). They have found lots of wood from other attempts to find the money. They remind us that there was a stone found at the 90-foot level that had strange makings on it but that no one bothered to photograph and that has since disappeared. There was a three-link gold chain of which we do have pictures. And then all the stuff that is not particularly valuable or relevant for us. Nothing that proves there is treasure on the island, only that people have been there for centuries, many of them looking for the treasure.

I don’t know how much money has been spent, I do not know what the Laginas or any of the others are paid for being on the show and I don’t believe they will ever find anything of value because there is nothing of value to find. Had they taken the money and invested it in blue chip stocks or even money market or savings accounts (and with the amount of money they had, they could have hit some very favorable rates) they would have made a great deal more.


Next season they will be back but I’m not sure (with the exception of the Blankenships) if they still believe they will find anything of value. It might just be for the excitement of doing a TV show, getting a nice summer vacation without having to pay for it, and getting a nice check for being a reality TV star. If there is money to be made on Oak Island, it is in the TV show and in any books that are written about it and not treasure from the Incas or the Aztecs or the Knights Templar or the Spanish pirates or British pirates. As I have said, the real treasure is in the TV show and not the ground.

25 comments:

Unknown said...

I find it amazing that three young kids back in the early 1800s or late 1700s can find more treasure or artifacts with crude tools then these guys can with all the amazing state of the art equipment they have at their disposal. Maybe everything is been found or maybe there was nothing there to begin with but it's disappointing to watch a show after show with nothing worthwhile coming out of it. I think I'm done

Unknown said...

Finally, someone said it! You hit it right on the nose! This article is treasure in itself. I'm through watching the show repeat everyone's names as if we all haven't been watching the series and spending roughly 20 mins recapping last week's episode where they found absolutely nothing. Reminds me of the movie national treasure without that Hollywood ending. Great article!

Mr. Sweepy said...

Kevin,

At they didn't say that the "flat sheets of metal" was from Spanish armor chest plates. I am almost afraid to suggest that because they might pick up the idea.

Other than that this show has been a 4 year history lesson that will have at least one more year added on to hear a complete rehash of the same old thing.

cda said...

We don't get Oak island over here. Sounds like it would make a welcome change from Brexit. (Forgive me going off-topic).

Lorna Hunter said...

Kevin, you know we're still going to be watching next season!

KRandle said...

Lorna -

Of course I'll be watching next season but not because I expect them to find a treasure. I'm just curious as to how far they can drag this thing out... but I fear that many of the new episodes will put me to sleep.

CDA -

Obviously you have the Internet... the show, if you actually care to see it, can be accessed through the Discovery Channel web site. We can watch the episodes on line that way... if you really care to see them.

Unknown said...

You might think they could put together another book with more definitive explanation on Oak Island - but honestly what they have shown over the past season is what a mess past treasure hunters have made of the island. Anything found at this point is tainted by the fact it could have lost by original and successive groups. Sadly, because of the mess I don't think there will or can be a decent answer to the Mystery. Real archaeological excavations on the Samuel Ball lots may give insight of a possible military camp, whose traces may have left the impression that something else happened on the island. Either way, maybe it all should be left to the imagination, because sometimes the reality of the situation is nowhere near as fun.
The show could do me one enormous favor / forbid the narrator from saying "It's the beginning of another day on Oak Island.." and "has (person) just found another important clue.."

Unknown said...

We do get it in the UK on the history channel! I got hooked in Jamaica and went back and watched everything on demand but this series has been disappointing.

Moethedog97 said...

Kevin Randle's view is incorrect. A recent interview with the show's producer Ken Burns states that the Laginas bankroll the dig and the show is not paying for the operation. Burns said that he will have to go back and convince them again to allow the cameras to follow them in their quest. Unlike the Kardashians, these guys aren't in it to be television stars. They may not have found treasure, but their thoughtful and respectful manner in operating the search is refreshing and they are providing factual evidence to support the myths of pirates from the south and British troops digging on Oak Island. The Laginas are supporting Canada's history and economy. For that reason alone, I would watch another year or two.

Unknown said...

They are certainly dragging out the show these days. I guess that is because advertising revenue from two episodes is better than one, but damn. I hope they do a couple episodes less next season. We have seen the same animations and voice over bits too often.

Unknown said...

I have to be honest . I've followed this from the very beginning an I'm done . How much more can people be expected to watch . If they even sold all the wood they have dug up they'd off made a few bob. Even the spoils could be used for land fill in someone's garden but nah , we are expected to keep believing that in this day and age with all our technology that we can find a single gold coin . Nothing .Nada. the lads who produce each week are the ones who really seem to be the only ones who are coining it .

Unknown said...

Wow, so much speculation and wild imaginations. What ever is on oak island it has been part of Nova Scotia folklore for centuries. It is bringing in tourism dollars and interest to the area. So I say let them dig dig away.

Unknown said...

I think the way they try to find the "treasure" does not make any sense at all. Only way to solve the "mystery" is to dig open the whole area and at the same time use modern techniques to prevent any water coming in.

Drilling narrow wholes is just crazy. If there would be e.g. a chest down there, the chances of finding it by drilling is close to zero. Secondly, if they would happen to hit it, the drill and that massive thing with "jaws" would destroy anything valuable there and they could be able to get only some fragments.

All the 4 seasons have been disappointment after disappointment. Nothing really have been found. The stories with Knights Templar are ridiculous. And what about Shakespeare original writings inside a wet muddy cave 200 feet down??

Unknown said...

The comments here go to show what kind of instant gratification society we live in. Anyone who expected a treasure to be found/dug up in 4 years (after centuries of others failing to get to it) isn't being realistic. Even with technological advances, there isn't equipment that is specifically made for this type of project.

The most interesting thing about this show is the process...how to retreive/what could possibly be buried/who could have buried it. If a treasure is ever brought up, that will be the most boring part of the show, in my opinion.

Unknown said...

Thank you.

Unknown said...

The show is a lot more interesting than most of the junk airring on other networks. Having watched 6 seasons of Lost, I can put up with a 5th season of Oak Island, even if little is found.

fatwheel said...

instead of complaing and whineing about the oak island show why dont you get off your asses and get out there in the world and do sumthing like they are. no one is holding a gun to your head to force you to watch the show. stop hideing behind your computer critisizing real people and get a life like these guys.

KRandle said...

fatwhell -

Since I have been out in the world chasing something (UFOs, Roswell, Socorro, etc.) and have been providing a lot of information here for free, I thought maybe people would like to hear a fresh take on this. I don't believe I'm hiding behind my computer since my picture appears at the top of the blog, and information about me is freely available on a variety of platforms...

However, you don't actually address the point, which is that in all the screwing around on Oak Island, they have yet to provide any proof that there is a treasure, that there ever was a treasure or that they are close to finding a treasure. The show was to suppose to tell us about that treasure, but the only real revelation they have made is when the McGinnis sisters showed up and said that their ancestor had maybe found the treasure some 200 years ago... and if you don't like the commentary here, you are free to ignore it.

Auadroy said...

Nice discussion about the show!
This one is a true test because in this show we cant really know whats going to happen. Its not a done deal! yes its boring and it repeats itself because we are seing the process of hunting for a tresure with a group of people who want to do it right and who like to have some drinks in the pub at the end of the day. They entered in a very old tresure hunt and in most of the scatered episodes i've seen, they are cleaning up the mess made by others. They now belong to the history of the search for the oak island treasure and it's like they have to begin from scratch. Of course the episodes drag on into a point that it seems like a sopa opera: meetings, planing, digging, finding nothing, seing some guy with a new teory and ending the day in the pub. But one thing that we can really believe it by just watching it laing in the couch: there is or was someting buried there of some valor at some point of history!

Mr. Sweepy said...

Auadroy,

Are you in anyway a PR person for the show or network?

Cyber Baby said...

As a builder and author...why would you dig a 12 ft deep hole 15+ feet above sea level to find a tunnel that must be, by logical inference, below sea level by several feet. I have yet to see any scientific methodology in the whole series. Interesting series compared with a lot of junk we get about the fact that we humans were incapable of building anything in the past without cosmic intervention.

Astral said...

Well, I have followed this keenly and also have a few observations... first and most obviously, the ex-slave Sam seems to be the only guy that must have found something, otherwise where did all his wealth come from? We had one episode on that! Secondly, why when they dig and find water, are they so intent on sending a diver down given various other technology and remotes that are available? I don't think they have adequately considered alternatives. Thirdly they (IMHO) shoul hold a free for all open day for season 5 and just let inventors, tech geeks and leading edge blue chips 'give it their best shot'! Now THAT WOULD make for an interesting series ;)

irwinsinspain said...

A BIG THAN YOU--just finished season three and decided to see if I could "strike it big" and find out if I could save hours of tv watching by getting the scoop on season 4! Cha-Ching! I just saved hours off of my life. Thank you for this treasure!

Unknown said...

Best response. Totally agree.

Writeblog said...

I'm really getting tired of all the filler. They just seem to stretch it out. I don't think there's anything of value there, it's just TV.