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'The Curse of Oak Island' team criticized for 'unnecessary' Europe trip, accused of padding 'airtime'

Internet dubs 'The Curse of Oak Island' team's recent trip to Europe 'shameless' act for filling airtime

MORIMONDDO, ITALY: On the April 9 episode of 'The Curse of Oak Island', the History Channel team embarked on a tour to Europe to investigate the path the Templar Knights may have traveled when transporting wealth from the Holy Land to Oak Island. As the tour progressed, viewers quickly lost interest in the vacation, referring to it as a means of filling airtime.

Rick Lagina, his nephews, Alex Lagina and Peter Fornetti, and Doug Crowell embarked on a research trip to Morimondo, Italy, some 3500 miles east of Oak Island, to look into the probable roots of the 229-year-old mystery. 

Viewers to X, to ridicule the team's attempt to dig further across Europe, as they joke, "I think we've finally found the true purpose of this European trip..." One user chimed in, "Alex and Peter waiting for Rick and Doug to fall asleep so they can sneek out and party."

One viewer questioned, "I'm curious....how many overseas trips are needed to learn about Templar symbols and digs?" A fourth user threw a jab at them saying, "So this is one of those needless road trip episodes?"

One user sighed, "Another site seeing trip to EUROPE ... which will tell us..." Others joked, "My third grade field trip to the Proctor & Gamble factory was a lot more informative than this excursion. At least we got free soap."  

One viewer noted, "These episodes where they travel are some of the most boring and unnecessary ones that could be an email." Another fumed, "It’s such a bullshit thing for the Laginas to admit to doing. They said they asked the researchers to find a place for them to visit in Europe. Essentially they’re admitting to asking people to help fill airtime. Shameless behavior."  

'The Curse of Oak Island' team finds markings similar to H+O Stone

In the Tuesday episode, researcher Emiliano Sacchetti and archaeoastronomer, Professor Adriano Gaspani planned for the crew to visit Morimondo Abbey, the location of a monastery founded by Cistercian monks in the twelfth century. According to Professor Gaspani's research, three megalithic stone formations discovered on the surface of Oak Island, known as Nolan's Cross, the five pyramid-shaped stone piles on Lot 15, and the stone triangle that once stood on the south shore were constructed based on alignments with stars in the night sky back in the 13th century by members of the Knights Templar, the Christian military order that some believe smuggled priceless religious treasures.

The Order of Cistercians was formed in 1098 and built several abbeys around Europe, notably Morimondo Abbey in the late 12th century. The Cistercians were famed for their advances in the sciences, including construction, engineering, and astronomy, and they documented their findings in painted books known as illuminated manuscripts.

The order was also intimately associated with the Knights Templar, who, according to Professor Gaspani, may have utilized abbeys like Morimondo to not only exchange confidential information, but also smuggle their precious jewels throughout Europe before moving them to North America.

Rick and team members discovered a sign associated with the Knights Templar in a 12th-century Cistercian Abbey in Morimonddo, Italy, which has also been discovered on Oak Island. Discovered on the northern coast of Oak Island in the 1920s, the so-called H+O Stone, which featured a cross encircled by four dots, was part of a bigger rock that had been exploded by searchers who mistook it for the location of buried wealth.

It was likely that the crew discovered an important clue outside of Morimondo Abbey that provides more proof linking the Knights Templar to the Oak Island mystery.

'The Curse of Oak Island' team finds Tree of Life in Europe 

The researchers discovered a painted picture of the tree of life inside. Many people feel that the revered religious emblem represents a doorway to God.

Rick, Alex, and Peter visited a 14th-century prison in Domme, France, where members of the Templar order were imprisoned for heresy by King Philip IV in 1307. Some argue that the underlying purpose of the Templar persecution was for the Catholic Church to seize the sacred artifacts they had, which may have included the Ark of the Covenant.

Most of the Templar treasure has never been discovered. However, Nolan's Cross on Oak Island, which Professor Gaspani thinks was built by Templar Knights about 1200 AD, has been interpreted by some as representing the Tree of Life.

'The Curse of Oak Island' team visits European castle built in line with Nolan's Cross

Rick and the crew met with Professor Gaspani, his interpreter, Marzia Sebastiani, and Emiliano in Bianzano Castle. Many religious academics think that Bianzano Castle, which dates back to the 13th century, formerly functioned as the Italian headquarters for the Knights Templar.

Some say it was also one of the locations where the Templars stored their wealth before transporting it throughout Europe and eventually to North America.

One of the main reasons Professor Gaspani opted to show Rick and the crew the location was that, according to his study, the castle was built to line with particular stars in the constellation Cygnus, similar to the design for Nolan's Cross on Oak Island.