When the Curse of Oak Island Season 6 finale aired on May 7, 2019, the ultimate episode didn’t evoke quite the global frenzy that Sunday’s Game of Thrones finale did, but it was just as momentous in its own way for its own fan base.
For starters, the May 7 finale was technically the second finale of the season, a bombshell revelation that was announced after the show was thought to be over on the official end date of April 30. But in true bewitching Oak Island fashion, the History Channel announced the airing of a special bonus episode with news so intriguing it couldn’t wait till next season.
Was the extra episode worth its weight in gold? Not if you thought the tantalizing tease was all about pirate gold being discovered on the island. However, the last, last show did reveal that there may be a ship in the swamp, and featured a special tribute to the late Dan Blankenship.
Oh, and Matty Blake informing fans to look forward to Season 7! In years past news of renewal was something fans had to wait months for, so this tidbit was like manna from heaven.
Which brings us to the main point: was Season 6 a waste of time or worth every minute? Based on my experience of watching and writing about the show, there are two types of Oak Island fan: past, and forever-in. (There are also hopefully future ones, for who this article is written).
No lie, I hear only two responses when I ask the question, “do you watch Oak Island?” And those responses are split pretty evenly down the middle, 50/50. The first response is, “I used to, but they never find anything!” The second response is, “Yes, I can’t wait till they find something!”
And so Oak Island fanship, or the lack of, boils down to one’s personality apparently — do you see the island as half full, or half empty? Depending on your point of view, the island is either ripe for discovery or past its due date.
In a very informal survey, I found that reviews of the show, whether or not it was good television, were predicated primarily on what was or wasn’t discovered, and secondarily on the enjoyment to be had watching a family-friendly show full of likeable characters, plenty of historical mystery, big equipment and even bigger disasters, and the occasional ramblings of an off-beat theorist or two.
So if you’re wondering if you should give the Curse of Oak Island a look-see this fall, here are a few pithy, honest assessments from real-life fans that should shed some light on your own likelihood of becoming a past fan or a forever-in fan after catching an episode or two.
When asked, “when the Curse of Oak Island season 6 ended, was it worth it?” diehard fan responses ranged from, “Yes. There’s always the lure of them finding something in the next episode,” “yes, you want them to succeed following all these years,” “yes, I want them to find the secret of whatever is down there,” to “yes, I want to know more about the history of the island.”
Conversely, past-fan replies ranged from, “No, there’s been too many seasons and not enough finds, “No, I want big finds, it’s not enough so far” to the questioning of the skills and credibility of the treasure hunting team led by Rick and Marty Lagina. “No, they made blatant mistakes, why choose dye the color of the ocean?” and, “No, why weren’t they careful enough to not allow the H8 shaft to cave in?”
One respondent got straight to the point, asking, “Why don’t they give us a timeline, why is it taking so long to just f****** dig?!”
To be fair, several of the “past-fan” responses sound like they might actually still sneak a peek next season to see if anything else is found.
But there you have it, the pros and cons to watching the Curse of Oak Island. If you like a history-based show you can watch with the entire family, which features outdoor adventure and an amiable group of men hell-bent on finding everything from rumored pirate treasure, the Ark of the Covenant, William Shakespeare’s manuscripts, to Marie Antoinette’s lost jewels, you’ll probably enjoy this documentary reality show that centers on a Nova Scotian island at the center of a 223-year old treasure legend.
On the other hand, if you have no patience for watching men dig, by shovel and crane, week after week, finding very little actual treasure, chances are you might want to make a hard pass.
Then again the show, that some complain plods along at a snail’s pace, is a bona fide ratings hit for the History Channel, so millions of viewers can’t all be wrong.
Plus, Season 7 promises to be the biggest, most sensational season yet. Wait, isn’t that what they said last season? And the season before that? Well, you never know!
What do you think about Season 6 of the Curse of Oak Island?