Why Miriam Amirault Left The Curse Of Oak Island (& Where The Fan Favorite Is Now)

Fans of the History Channel’s The Curse of Oak Island were likely disappointed when fan-favorite Miriam Amirault left the series. The Curse of Oak Island follows the treasure hunters who search for the legendary treasure of Oak Island off the shore of Nova Scotia. Led by brothers Marty and Rick Lagina, a team of archaeologists, divers, historians, and other specialized professionals explore whether the Oak Island mystery is true and if a cache of secret treasure is buried somewhere on the Canadian island.

Premiering in January 2014, The Curse of Oak Island has seen many educated professionals come through the show to lend their expertise to the Lagina brothers. Miriam Amirault is one of a handful of The Curse of Oak Island archaeologists who have come on the show. Amirault joined the series in season 8, episode 8, “High on the Bog”, after finishing her anthropological studies at the University of New Brunswick in Nova Scotia, Canada, close to her hometown of Digby. Amirault worked with Dr. Aaron Taylor from Acadia University who invited her to appear on the series.

No Reason Was Given For Archaeologist Miriam Amirault’s Curse Of Oak Island Departure

Amirault Left The Curse Of Oak Island Twice

Miriam Amirault came to The Curse of Oak Island in season 8, hired out by the Lagina brothers. Amirault, like her mentor Aaron Taylor, is a professional and skilled archaeologist and anthropologist. While the Lagina brothers are certainly interested in treasure hunting and have a lot of enthusiasm, their experience and knowledge of scientific archeology practices are sometimes wanting, often leading to amusing, “worlds collide” moments between the hunters and Amirault, who sweetly tries to help them understand the science and history of treasure hunting.

At the end of season 8, a fellow archaeologist, Laird Niven, finds a Mi’kmaq pottery fragment. As a rule, the local government temporarily shut down filming in the area, so Amirault and the other archaeologists left the show in season 9. They later returned for The Curse of Oak Island, in season 10, episode 10, “The Blob”, and appeared in seven episodes of that season. However, after the season finale, Miriam again left the show, this time without explanation.

It’s not entirely unusual for archaeologists to leave the show. The archaeologists employed by the Laginas are actual full-time researchers and scientists. They have studies, higher degrees to pursue, and real digs to attend to. They are never expected to stay on the show as a full-time job, save for a few team members.

Miriam Amirault Lives A Private Life Out Of The Reality TV Spotlight

Amirault Does Not Have Any Social Media

Miriam Amirault does not have a social media presence, so it’s not entirely clear what the young archaeologist has been up to since she stopped appearing on The Curse of Oak Island. She repeatedly mentioned on the show that she was interested in studying forensics at Humber College in Toronto, so that’s where she could have ended up. As an anthropology and classical studies undergrad, Miriam likely wanted to further her degree to advance her career.

The most likely explanation for her departure, however, is that Amirault is simply a private person and is more interested in her chosen profession than she is in being a reality TV star. Appearing on The Curse of Oak Island may have been a fun sojourn, but two seasons were probably enough for her.

What About Other Memorable Curse Of Oak Island Cast Members?

Some Cast Exits Have Been For Somber Reasons

During its 10 years on the air so far, there have been multiple cast members who’ve come and gone from The Curse of Oak Island. Many, like Miriam Amirault, left to pursue other opportunities that had nothing to do with TV. For this reason, it’s quite difficult finding out where former Curse of Oak Island cast members are now, though their obscurity is a wholesome aspect of the show (and speaks for its authenticity).

Many of the cast members like Miriam Amirault joined the show because it presented an opportunity to carry out research and work they were passionate about. A career in TV was never the objective for the majority of those who appeared on The Curse of Oak Island, and the presence of cameras was almost coincidental. It was the chance to hunt for the legendary treasure that drew them in, and they’d likely have taken part even if Marty and Rick Lagina’s team wasn’t at the center of the popular History Channel reality TV show.

While this shows just how well-selected the cast of The Curse of Oak Island is, since the experts who appear are genuine academics, it means that many former members fade into obscurity just like Miriam Amirault. Despite treasure hunting being a profession that feels more suited to the realms of fiction, The Curse of Oak Island is one of the most honest reality TV shows because those that appear on it are real people being their authentic selves, rather than participants who adopt exaggerated personas or act out scripted events. However, this also means many former cast members simply seemed to vanish (at least compared to former reality TV stars of other shows).

However, there are a handful of former cast members of The Curse of Oak Island who continued to have prominent careers after leaving the show. For example, chemist Christa Brosseau appeared in seasons 3 and 5. A highly regarded academic, Brosseau is incredibly prominent in her field, and she held the post of Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Chemistry and Materials from 2017-2022. Her work in nanoparticles continues to this day, and in many circles she’s known not for her appearance on TV but her groundbreaking contributions to modern science.

Another former cast member whose career continues to draw attention (and did so long before appearing on The Curse of Oak Island) is Alex Gauthier, who featured in seasons 6 and 7. Gauthier is a former professional footballer, playing for the likes of the Ottawa Renegades, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Saskatchewan Roughriders, among others. He appeared on The Curse of Oak Island as a representative of geophysical exploration company Eagle Canada. While his football days are behind him, his CFL East All-Star status cements him as a respected player, and he crops up from time-to-time on podcasts, radio shows, and in print media to discuss the sport.

However, there are also sadly a few former cast members of The Curse of Oak Island whose reasons for exiting the show and what happened to them afterward are much more somber stories. Land surveyor Frederick Nolan appeared in season 3 of the show in 2016. He sadly passed away the same year, and his interest in the treasure stayed with him until the end.

The same is true of Dan Blankenship, who appeared on The Curse of Oak Island from seasons 1-6. The veteran treasure hunter died shortly before season 7 was filmed in 2019. The only fortunate aspect Nolan and Blankenship’s deaths is that they both lived long full lives, with each of the adventurous treasure hunters reaching their 90s.

The Curse of Oak Island is a reality TV series that follows brothers Marty and Rick Lagina as they investigate the mysteries surrounding Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. The duo, alongside their dedicated team, uses modern technology and historical research in their quest to uncover buried treasure and solve the island’s centuries-old enigma.

Cast

Robert Clotworthy

Release Date

January 5, 2014

Seasons

10

Creator(s)

Kevin Burns