The Curse of Oak Island: Rick and Marty Lagina Answer Fan Questions | History

I have a terrible answer for that. My answer is absolutely not.

An Alaskan native asks, “Did you ever think so many people would be addicted to this show?”

I knew it was interesting, I knew we’d been interested, but I really didn’t feel it would have the sort of worldwide appeal. Did I think that it would attract the kind of audience that it has attracted? Absolutely not. But we’re extremely gratified that it has. A surprise answer to me. I’ll just say I thought he was gonna say, “Yes, of course I thought so! It’s a super exciting thing!” But there you have it.

This question is submitted by Francis Owensby, and she writes: “When you find the big mystery of Oak Island, who actually gets to claim/keep the contents? Who will it belong to?”

Well, there are two parts to this answer. One is that all of our activities are covered by the treasure trove license (TTL). It’s been stipulated by the government that we, as the searchers, are allowed to keep treasure as defined by the TTL. We keep 90%, the government keeps 10%, but they determine which 10%. Is a gold cross, a solid gold cross encrusted with jewels, an artifact which the government keeps 100% of, or is it actual treasure? If the treasure is as historically important or grand as the works that hide it would suggest, I can guarantee you there will be multiple claimants. Any big treasure that’s ever been found in recent history has had lots of people reaching in to say, “Hey, I think that’s mine.”

LM PE Brandi writes and asks, “What do you guys do in the off-season? Hobbies besides digging in the dirt?”

Excellent question. Rick would answer different than I. I’m still involved in several businesses, so I have to do that in the offseason. I do enjoy woodturning; I like making things on a lathe. And I guess reading about history and things like that. As far as hobbies go, I mean, I’ve always loved history my whole life. I love to read, and sometimes it’s just nice to settle down with a good book in a nice chair and think about what life brings you in the next moments.

Timothy Foreignham writes: “Do you think the original money pit is just a false flag to deter and discourage treasure seekers?”

I don’t know. I’ve always said there’s only one way to make that determination, and that’s to find the one thing. If it is a decoy, it certainly has done the job exceedingly well. I mean, the vast majority of the treasure hunters have been fascinated and fixated on the money pit area. I think the one person who actually led the way in terms of trying to look at the island as a whole was Mr. Blankenship. He personally thought that the money pit was perhaps a decoy. Me, personally, you have to go back to the original story, and the original story is the money pit. So I don’t think we can abandon it, but are there other areas of significant interest across the width and breadth of the island? Yes, there are.

Has anyone ever checked for all the places marked on the Xena Halpern map that showed a hatch valve, etc.?

We have looked at every one of those places but not in a definitive sense. I mean, after we got the map, we went and looked at every one of those spots to see if there’s something obvious. Now we have to look for the non-obvious.

Kimberly Kari writes: “I love this show, but I love the friendship and respect you have with your brothers. What is your most proud moment of your brother?”

He’s just a nice guy through and through. He can be what I would call irrational once in a while, but he’s just got a good heart, and I think that’s what matters most. Proud moment? I mean, it’s the way he’s lived his life. Not only is he successful, but he’s raised two wonderful children and has a wonderful wife. He treats people on a daily basis with dignity and respect. But on the island, I think the most proud moment really is that he kept an open mind. He admits he was skeptic number one. I’m pretty proud of that. Why not? I mean, we should all keep an open mind about everything.

Vince Bielecki writes: “When are you gonna get a bigger table? The Fellowship of the Dig keeps getting bigger.”

You know, I guess until we get the answer, until we find the one thing, maybe we need more seats at the table. We welcome everyone’s participation. We’re grateful for it, and we’re better people for knowing them. Vince, I think you asked a damn good question. It is getting kind of crowded in there. Maybe it’s time for a bigger table!

Oh, Apath, I’m pronouncing that right, asks: “Do you ever get discouraged, and if so, what encourages you to keep going in those moments?”

We’re just not wired to give up. I mean, to some extent, being discouraged brings you the sort of Phoenix uplift of, you know, “Dang it, I’m not gonna be beaten by this.” So we kind of take discouragement and try and turn it back into incentive.

Question from John Cause Erin: “How many cellphones has Rick gone through? All the jumping in swamps and mud water, he’s gotta have trashed a few.”

I’ve only trashed one. Broken several, but I’ve only trashed one. Her younger sister brought me to task and said, “Look, the next time, empty all your pockets before you jump in.” I’ve kind of honored that deal.

Shelly McCutchen asks: “At what length are you both willing to go to find the answers on what the story is?”

I would say simply, when it becomes irrational to continue and if it becomes not fun, that it becomes a source of friction between us, for instance, that would end the quest. I think I see such stewards of a great mystery. I am unwilling to just sit on it. Up until now, I think our exploits, if you will, have indicated that we’re willing to go just about anywhere, talk to anyone, and do anything to get the answers. We’re hopeful that people will come along with us.