The Major Frustration The Curse Of Oak Island Fans Have With Zena's Map
In History's treasure hunting reality series "The Curse of Oak Island," brothers Marty and Rick Lagina employ a team of experts to help them find valuable treasure rumored for centuries to be hidden on Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Canada.
While the Lagina brothers' attempts at solving a long-standing mystery and maybe even striking it rich in the process have sustained the series for eight seasons and counting, some longtime viewers have at times become critical of certain methods employed in their ongoing treasure hunt. This recently included an assertion made during Season 9 that some viewers found to be ungenuine, possibly proposed for the sake of added on-screen drama.
One document the Lagina brothers reference from time to time is a French-language treasure map Knights Templar expert Zena Halpern introduced to the search in the series-best Season 4. While the map and its mysteries may have made for compelling viewing, it's become the subject of a certain degree of fan skepticism too, like in a Season 9 episode where the Lagina brother misread certain details despite seeming to know better. In light of this and other controversies, one fan online has begun to question the legitimacy of Zena's map anew.
Zena's map was never evaluated by experts
On December 29, midway into "The Curse of Oak Island" Season 9, user RichardEarlington posted a thread to the show's official subreddit titled "Rick, Marty, Prometheus – Please get Zena's map checked by professionals." In short, their post explains that, whereas the Lagina brothers and production company Prometheus Entertainment regularly consult experts across numerous relevant fields about their discoveries, Zena's map has yet to be evaluated by anyone with the necessary expertise to ascertain its legitimacy or lack thereof.
They then went on to outline six reasons the map is worth deeper scrutiny, including more than one occasion in which native French speakers noticed some errors in its language. "These questions don't prove that the map is false, but they do warrant that the map should get the same due diligence as the other artifacts shown on the show," they wrote.
Commenters in the thread are generally in agreement with the proposition outlined in its title. AncientComparison113, for example, replied that "the history channel has strung us along for to many years now that it feels like an abusive relationship." User BitterStatus9, meanwhile, asserted that "the map is a waste of time, unless actually analyzed," before questioning Zena's credibility.
While some fans of "The Curse of Oak Island" may simply be along for the ride, the Lagina brothers may soon have to back up the map's legitimacy or risk losing some of their more critical viewers.