Oak Island update: the real treasure was the friends we made along the way

NOVA SCOTIA, Canada – The legendary Oak Island treasure has been found!

But if you were hoping for a treasure trove of gold, silver, and jewels, you’ll probably be disappointed. But for the island’s current residents, the real treasure is something far more valuable: the friends they made along the way.

“Do I still think there’s buried treasure on Oak Island? Of course I do,” said Rick Lagina, one of the principal owners of the island. “But after all these years, I think the real treasure is the kinship and camaraderie my brother and I have found among the treasure hunting community, here. No amount of gold can ever replace that. It’s priceless.”

“Yeah, but a few big treasure chests of gold and jewels would be really nice, too,” said Marty Lagina, Rick’s younger brother.

The Lagina’s have been involved in the treasure hunt since 2006 when they purchased a 50% stake in a company called Oak Island Tours Inc., which owns the island. Although their hunt for the alleged treasure trove has been ongoing for nearly 20 years, the search for the Oak Island treasure has been going on for more than 200 years after the alleged “money pit” was discovered. Since then, several adventurous souls have ventured to the tiny island in search of its secrets, spending millions of dollars only to come out empty handed.

That luck (or lack thereof) began changing when the Lagina’s started their hunt, however. Some may credit their deep pockets and modern technology for these advancements in the search. Others may credit the showrunners of their History Channel show, The Curse of Oak Island, for making sure the show remains entertaining.

“No one found anything of value on that island for 200 years and now that there’s a TV show, all of a sudden there’s mysterious objects and artifacts in practically every pile of dirt,” said Harold Masterson, a life-long skeptic. “Doesn’t that sound a little fishy to anyone else? Not to mention, this is the History Channel we’re talking about. Next season they’re probably going to find extraterrestrial evidence, or something, linking Oak Island to the pyramids in Egypt and the third moon of Orion, or some shit.”

According to the History Channel, however, there are no plans to introduce aliens into The Curse of Oak Island in its upcoming 14th season.

“Was the idea of bringing aliens into the Oak Island treasure floated around headquarters? Of course,” said Daniel Cummings, head of programming at History. “And while it may seem like a good idea to cross pollinate the audiences of two of our most popular programs, we ultimately decided it was best to keep that division in order to not alienate—pun intended—fans of one show and not the other.”

Cummings also said their decision to keep the audiences separate was also a key factor in transitioning the show into more of a buddy drama and focusing the friendships the Lagina brothers have made over their nearly two-decade long adventure on the island.

“Look, I don’t like being a pessimist, but it’s been over 200 years, and all these people have found is a few measly, rusty trinkets and sadness,” said Cummings. “If we want to keep this show on the air for another decade or more, we need to change things up. Plus, if the buddy angle doesn’t work, we can always go back to the aliens. I think the prop department over at Ancient Aliens has some pretty convincing stuff they’d be willing to let us bury out there for the guys to find.”

The Curse of Oak Island can be watched on the History Channel Sunday nights at 5 pm or on their website, history.com.