The Curse of Oak Island season 3 preview: Biggest & most expensive dig yet

The game is afoot. One of History’s top-rated shows —The Curse of Oak Island — returns for Season 3 on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 9pmET/8pmCT. The documentary series follows Michigan brothers Marty and Rick Lagina, who acquired a stake in ownership of the legendary Oak Island with big-time hopes of uncovering some sought-after historical treasures (think Indiana Jones’ like treasures — the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant) and potentially big-time payouts. What’s amazing about the 200-year history of the Island is that no one knows exactly what they are looking for, and this blind search has claimed millions of dollars, as well as six people’s lives.

NOTE: A new companion preshow called “The Curse of Oak Island: Drilling Down” will run before the premiere episode Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 8pmET. The show will serve as a crash course for new viewers and include a variety of special guests, interviews and in-depth, thought-provoking discussion of the series.

In Season 3 of The Curse of Oak Island, Marty and Rick are back at it. After 50 years of dreaming (Rick’s obsession with the island began at age 11 when he read an article in the Jan. 1965 issue of Readers Digest) and a decade of research, the brothers are finally ready to do some serious digging. They are determined to get to the bottom of 10-X but need to clear out the shaft to do so. They know the bottom is a death trap of pipes, poles, water and ladders, making it extremely dangerous for a diver.

Providing some new high-tech guidance for Marty and Rick are Texans Robert and Bob Leonard, who use nuclear imagery (kind of like an MRI) to map out what’s beneath the island. They bring new evidence of underground tunnels that could potentially lead to gold and other treasures. Sonar expert Brian Abbott returns this season with new evidence, as well. Plus, Dan Blankenship’s original claim of a body at the bottom of the pit might just be valid. The brothers will be taking a three-prong engineering assault on their top three findings from Season 2, which include the Money Pit, 10-X and the Swamp.

For Marty and Rick this season comes down to exhausting all surface exploration first, but they promise the biggest and most expensive hunting yet.

For newbies not familiar with the series or the legend … Oak Island is a mile-long, peanut-shaped island on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island has an enthralling yet unnerving history. For centuries explorers have been drawn to the island believing treasures (potentially from the Knights Templar) are buried underneath. The discovery of a so-called “money pit” started it all. Supposedly in 1795, a teenager noted a sizeable circular depression in the ground at the bottom of an Oak Tree with oddly cut branches. He and his buddies began to dig and realized someone had gone to great trouble to hide whatever was underneath. Two feet below the surface was a layer of flagstones covering the pit. Every 10 feet they dug, they uncovered an Oak floor solidly anchored to the sides of the pit. Years later they returned to the pit to finish what they started. At 90 feet down the explorers found a stone inscribed with mysterious symbols. Rumors followed and numerous explorers and excavation teams have worked on the pit for the last 200-plus years with varying successes and setbacks.

According to Bill Milstead, investor of Oak Island Exploration Company and featured in Encounters of the Unexplained, there are plenty of legends involving the curse. Milstead explains that the legends (just like the story) vary considerably, including a pack of fiery-eyed dogs that roam the island protecting the money pit; a crow that embodies the spirit of someone who watches the money pit; and a legend that says that the treasure will never be found until seven people have died (six have died so far). The most famous legend, however, says no one will find the treasure until every Oak tree on the island is gone.

Season 3 of The Curse of Oak Island airs on History Tuesdays.