History’s “The Curse of Oak Island” is a fascinating reality TV show that follows the so-called Oak Island Fellowship and its members’ attempts to solve the mysteries of the titular Oak Island near Nova Scotia, Canada. While the show ostensibly focuses on brothers Rick and Marty Lagina, who have dedicated their life to the project, arguably the most fascinating people in the “The Curse of Oak Island” roster have been veteran treasure hunter Dan Blankenship and his son, Dave. Dan spent over five decades excavating the island, and before his death in 2019, may very well have been the world’s foremost expert on Oak Island and the secrets it holds (per History).
After Dan’s passing, Dave has held the Blankenship torch up high — but as Season 8 rolled in, Dave, too, was nowhere to be seen, and his profile on the show’s official website (via History) offers no reason for his absence. So, what’s the real reason for Dave Blankenship leaving “The Curse of Oak Island?”
It looks like Dave Blankenship has left the show behind him
Fans on Reddit have speculated that Dave Blankenship might be dealing with some health issues, and might have steered clear of the season 8 production due to the risks associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Though Blankenship himself has stayed largely silent about his absence from the season 8 of “The Curse of Oak Island,” some reports indicate that there may be more to his departure than safety precautions. Fans on Reddit have discussed a mysterious, since-deleted Facebook comment (via Imgur), ostensibly by Blankenship. “I have quit the show when they left 50 years out of my dad and went Restall to Laginas,” the message read. “That night I quit and they will not say anything about me.”
If it was indeed written by Blankenship, this rather cryptic post indicates that he walked away from the show due to some unresolved issues. The website Mysteries of Canada supports this version of events. The site has reportedly been in touch with Blankenship, who stated that he’s retired from the show due to his feelings that the makers of “The Curse of Oak Island” didn’t give his father the attention he would have deserved, and that they didn’t allow Dan to be adequately involved during his tenure with the show.