The Curse of Oak Island finally returns to our screens tonight with a historic episode which sees the team drilling down into what they believe is the original Money Pit.
Rick and Marty Lagina and their partners have been trying to uncover the famous shaft’s location for more than a decade after taking over the treasure hunt in 2006.
Tonight we see them look on as long-time treasure hunter Dan Blankenship presses the button that starts the drilling of a huge caisson down into the location they believe lies directly above it.
Marked H-8, the exploratory borehole dug there has already uncovered a vast array of fascinating items including pieces of decorated pottery, parts of what is believed is old parchment and book binding, and human bones from two different people — one from Europe and one with ancestral links to the Middle East.
The episode — which marks the halfway point of this season — is titled Dan’s Breakthrough and also sees new research uncovered which suggests a “clear pathway” from the Knights Templar to Oak Island.
It comes ahead of next week’s episode which shows members of the team heading to France where ancient carvings are found which again strengthen the Templar link.
The episode description for tonight, Season 5 Episode 8, reads: “New evidence confirms a European presence on Oak Island 100 years before the discovery of the Money Pit, while new research suggests a clear pathway from the Knights Templar to Oak Island…”
Next week’s, Season 5 Episode 9, titled The French Connection, reads: “A research expedition to a French castle and prison reveals new clues, including ancient carvings that strengthen a possible link between the Knights Templar and Oak Island.”
The Curse of Oak Island was on hiatus last week due to the air date landing on Boxing Day. The last episode, which aired the week before, saw the geographical origins of the human bones being revealed, as well as a link to Sir Francis Drake discussed. You can read our full recap of Season 5 Episode 7 here.
The previews for this week’s episode, as well as showing Dan Blankenship starting the dig into H-8, have also shown Rick Lagina expressing fears about how the team might damage whatever it is that lies in the Money Pit as they carry out their operations.
Footage from a short nine-minute sneak peek of the episode also showed metal-detecting expert Gary Drayton uncovering ammunition, which it’s thought would have come from a cannon, as well as an old coin.
The moment the drilling in H-8 starts is one that has been highly anticipated among Curse of Oak Island fans ever since a glimpse of it was shown at the start of Season 5 in the show’s Drilling Down episode with host Matty Blake.
We told last month how the latest episode of The Curse of Oak Island topped the cable ratings charts — and was also the most-watched Tuesday-night cable show, according to official stats.
The Money Pit was first uncovered back in 1795 by teenager Daniel McInnes, but its true location has been lost for many years. You can find out more about its history here.
The Curse of Oak Island airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on History.