Some reality TV stars quit TV for personal reasons and explain their decision to fans, but this wasn’t the case with Dave Blankenship. Dave and his father, Dan Blankenship, were prominent figures on “The Curse of Oak Island,” a treasure-hunting reality show set on Canada’s mysterious, and alluring, Oak Island. Made possible by several treasure-hunting enthusiasts, including Dan and Dave, who appeared together on the show for the better part of a decade, it has built up a devoted fanbase who have been incredibly enthusiastic about the cast uncovering the treasure.
Dan, for his part, was positioned as an Oak Island pro. “I first became involved in 1965, and I’ve been up here steady since 1970 or so,” shared Dan in his 2014 introduction. As for how he got interested in Oak Island? “I first read about Oak Island in the January issue of Reader’s Digest, and then I handed it back to my wife, and I said, ‘What do you think about this?'”
Dan decided that he was “going be instrumental” in discovering the treasure buried beneath the island’s surface. That was true until 2019, when Dan, who’d been consistently seeking out the island’s long-touted fortunes for about fifty years, passed away. At one juncture of his career, Dan said about his ongoing quest: “It is way too late [to turn back]. It’s been too late for a good many years.” He continued, “I had a good contracting business in Florida. I had friends, a good reputation and I shucked it all to come up here and make a gamble.” Unfortunately for fans of the long-running show, they lost not only Dan’s presence but also his son, Dave, who didn’t appear in Season 9 of “The Curse of Oak Island” or any seasons since. Of course, fans have their theories as to why.
Why fans think Dave left The Curse Of Oak Island
Dave Blankenship had an unceremonial exit from “The Curse of Oak Island.” In fact, the History Channel, which produces the beloved show, has never even acknowledged that he left, suggesting they may not have had the cleanest break. The show’s dedicated fans have floated several plausible theories about the reason Dave abandoned the show. For example, some believe a screenshot of a Facebook comment Dave supposedly made about his late father, Dan Blankenship, is authentic. “I have quit the show when they left 50 years out with my dad and went Restall to Laginas,” read the comment, seemingly referring to the Restall family and the Lagina brothers, who have long appeared on the show (via Imgur). “That night I quit and they will not say anything about me.”
Other fans have speculated that the exit is related to Dan’s death. They believe Dave parted ways with the show because, without the deceased reality star, the producers simply didn’t feel like they had a need for him anymore. “They haven’t even Mentioned him by NAME, let alone shown him on the Show,” wrote one fan on Reddit. Further breaking down their reasoning, they continued, “I could be way off base, but I think he was Tolerated by everyone else out of Respect for Dan, but once Dan was out of the picture I think true feelings came to the surface.” The fan also cited possible tension between Dave and Rick and Marty Lagina, two other prominent faces on “The Curse of Oak Island.” They continued, “I always felt like there was a cold distance between him and the brothers, especially Marty.”
Given Dave’s lack of social media presence and seeming desire to stay out of the spotlight, this is one mystery that will probably remain intact for the foreseeable future.
