Stephen Colbert: HEY, WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. MY NEXT GUESTS ARE THE TREASURE HUNTING STARS OF THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND, RICK AND MARTY LAGINA.

Rick/Marty: WITHIN ALL RIGHT, GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU.

Stephen: DO I HAVE THAT RIGHT?

Marty: MARTY, RICK.

Rick: YES, SIR.

Stephen: SO THIS IS TUESDAY NIGHTS ON THE HISTORY CHANNEL, THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND. I HAVE BEEN INTERESTED IN THE STORY OF OAK ISLAND SINCE I WAS A KID. FOR THE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO MAY NOT KNOW, WHAT IS OAK ISLAND AND WHAT ARE YOU GUYS LOOKING FOR?

Marty: RICK CERTAINLY SHARES THAT CHILDHOOD INTEREST. I’LL GIVE YOU THE BRIEFING. OAK ISLAND IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S BIG UNSOLVED MYSTERIES. RICK WILL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT IT.

Rick: WELL, WE GREW UP, WENT TO CATHOLIC SCHOOL. I LOVED TO READ. WE WENT TO THE LIBRARY ONCE A WEEK. I FIGURED OUT THE BEST BOOK IN THE LIBRARY WAS READER’S DIGEST. IN JANUARY 1965, THERE WAS AN ARTICLE ABOUT OAK ISLAND. I TURNED THE FIRST PAGE AND I WAS LOST. I WANTED TO KNOW WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY AND HOW.

Stephen: SO DO I. THAT’S WHY I ASKED YOU.

Rick: WE’RE WORKING ON IT.

Stephen: I HAVEN’T HAD ANY OF THOSE QUESTIONS ANSWERED SO FAR. WE KNOW YOU’RE INTERESTED BECAUSE YOU GOT THE DAMN TV SHOW. WHAT IS IT ABOUT OAK ISLAND THAT FASCINATES YOU?

Rick: LOOK, IT’S THE WORLD’S LONGEST RUNNING TREASURE HUNT.

Stephen: OKAY. WHY DO PEOPLE THINK THERE’S TREASURE ON OAK ISLAND?

Rick: HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE?

Stephen: ABOUT FIVE MINUTES.

Rick: FIVE MINUTES. GO. A CIRCULAR DEPRESSION WAS FOUND UNDERNEATH A GIANT OAK TREE IN 1759.

Stephen: A CIRCULAR DEPRESSION UNDER AN OAK TREE?

Rick: THAT HAS TO BE CONTEXTUALIZED WITH THE FACT THAT NOVA SCOTIA HAS MARITIME HISTORY—CONQUISTADORS, PIRATES, PRIVATEERS, CAPTAIN KIDD. THERE’S A BELIEF THAT TREASURE WAS DEPOSITED THERE.

Marty: IN 1795, SOME BOYS STARTED DIGGING. LONG STORY SHORT—

Stephen: SO THEY STARTED UNDER THE OAK TREE, FOUND IT, STARTED DIGGING.

Rick: THEY GOT TEN FEET DOWN, HIT A LAYER OF OAK LOGS.

Stephen: NEXT TO AN OAK TREE. WHAT ARE THE ODDS? GO AHEAD.

Rick: THEN ANOTHER LAYER. THEY WERE JUST BOYS. THEY GAVE UP, CAME BACK AS ADULTS. THEY WERE THE FIRST TO BECOME OBSESSED. WE ARE THE LATEST ONES.

Stephen: HAS ANYONE EVER FOUND TREASURE THERE?

Rick: DEPENDS HOW YOU DEFINE “TREASURE.”

Stephen: GOLD, DOUBLOONS, DIAMONDS AS BIG AS A BABY’S HEAD. SPANISH GALLEON.

Rick: YOU’RE THINKING BIG. WE FOUND SOME INTERESTING THINGS.

Stephen: WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND? I HAVE STUFF BACK HERE. EXPLAIN THIS?

Rick: THIS—IT’S NOT DRAMATIC LOOKING. DOESN’T LOOK LIKE A DIAMOND.

Stephen: SHOW THE CAMERA. WHAT IS IT?

Rick: THAT IS ACTUALLY COCONUT FIBER.

Stephen: WHAT IS COCONUT FIBER DOING IN NOVA SCOTIA?

Rick: EXACTLY.

Stephen: BINGO. THAT’S THE TREASURE. I’M HOOKED. TOTALLY HOOKED. THEY PACKED THE GOLD INSIDE THE COCONUTS?

Rick: NO, NO. THEY USED IT TO KEEP STUFF FROM SHIFTING IN SHIPS. IT’S HISTORICAL.

Stephen: OKAY. WHAT ARE THESE?

Rick: THESE ARE THE FAMOUS SPANISH SCISSORS.

Stephen: WHAT MAKES THEM FAMOUS?

Rick: THEY’RE FAMOUS TO US. FOUND ON OAK ISLAND IN SMITH’S COVE, BURIED UNDER A LAYER OF COCONUT FIBER.

Stephen: COCONUT FIBER AND SCISSORS UNDERNEATH?

Rick: RIGHT.

Stephen: CLEARLY TREASURE. THEY’RE PROTECTING THE SCISSORS.

Rick: THE OAK ISLAND MYSTERY HAS EVERYTHING. A CURSE…

Stephen: WHAT IS THE CURSE?

Rick: THE CURSE SAYS THAT SEVEN PEOPLE MUST DIE BEFORE THE TREASURE IS REVEALED. SIX PEOPLE HAVE TRAGICALLY PERISHED.

Stephen: LIKE IN THE MONEY PIT?

Rick: ONE MAY BE. THE FIRST DEATH WAS A FELLOW WHO FELL INTO THE MONEY PIT, WHICH WAS 90 FEET DEEP AT THE TIME.

Stephen: WHY IS IT CALLED THE MONEY PIT IF YOU NEVER FOUND MONEY?

Rick: BECAUSE THE MONEY HAS BEEN GOING INTO IT—FIGURATIVELY.

Stephen: OH, I UNDERSTAND. I ALSO HEARD THERE ARE FLOODED TUNNELS.

Rick: THAT’S WHERE IT ALL TIES TOGETHER.

Stephen: HOW?

Rick: COCONUT FIBER WAS FOUND 500 FEET FROM THE MONEY PIT. EARLY EXPLORERS FOUND THAT IT FLOODED BECAUSE OF A FLOOD TUNNEL. THE FIBER KEPT IT FROM SILTING UP.

Stephen: GOOD LUCK.

Rick & Marty: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Stephen: I HOPE—YOU SAID YOURSELF YOU’RE CAPTIVATED.

Rick: I AM—BUT YOU HAVE TO LET GO OF MY HAND.

Stephen: THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND AIRS TUESDAY NIGHTS ON THE HISTORY CHANNEL. RICK AND MARTY LAGINA, EVERYBODY. WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK.