'The Curse of Oak Island' Star Emma Culligan Is a Fan-Favorite — Here's What We Know About Her
Archaeologist and metallurgist Emma Culligan has been a great asset to the team on 'The Curse of Oak Island.'
Updated April 24 2024, 11:03 a.m. ET
(L-R): Laird Nevin, Emma Culligan, and Rick Lagina
For over 200 years, Oak Island, located off the south shore of Nova Scotia, has intrigued treasure hunters. The island's infamous "Money Pit" is rumored to contain the site of long-lost buried treasure and possibly even the fabled Holy Grail.
The History Channel's hit reality show The Curse of Oak Island follows brothers Rick and Marty Lagina on their quest to unearth this alleged treasure using modern technology.
Premiering in 2014, The Curse of Oak Island is now in its 11th season. One thing that keeps this expedition fresh after a decade is the rotation of researchers and experts in and out of various episodes. Emma Culligan is one such expert. She was introduced in Season 10 and is still currently with the cast. But who is she? Keep reading to find out everything we know about her.
Emma Culligan in New York City
Who is 'Oak Island' archaeologist Emma Culligan?
Emma is an engineer, archaeologist, and metallurgist who studied at Memorial University in Newfoundland. She is fairly young, and when she first began on the show, one fan teased on X that she was likely earning college credit by interning on Oak Island. But Emma is no novice and has continued to prove to Rick, Marty, and audiences that she really knows her stuff.
Her contributions to the show mostly include helping identify artifacts through carbon dating and CT scans and providing valuable insight into past activities on Oak Island.
As for becoming a quote-unquote History Channel reality star, Emma never imagined she'd be filming alongside Ricky and Marty.
During a May 2023 episode of "The Curse of Oak Island and Beyond Podcast," she told host Tom Burns that she never expected to be on the show.
She explained that knew someone involved with the show who asked for her resume. At the time, she hoped this person could help her land her a position as a personal assistant in the program. However, when fellow archaeologist and The Curse of Oak Island cast member Laird Niven saw her impressive qualifications, he offered her a job running the XRV system on Oak Island instead.
"I thought it was spam mail," Emma said regarding the opportunity.
As for Emma's personal life, not a whole lot is known.
However, she also revealed on the podcast that she grew up in Japan, and her first language was Japanese. At age 15, she started learning English.
Emma's mother is believed to be Shirley Hardin, and she is also believed to have a brother and sister. Emma is on Instagram under the handle @emma_anastazi, but doesn't post very often.
Considering Emma's proven value to the show and team, it would be wise for the Lagina brothers to keep working with her.
The Curse of Oak Island airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on History Channel.