Kriti Mehrotra
As a Netflix original series that can only be described as equal parts compelling and entertaining, ‘Pirate Gold of Adak Island’ revolves around a treasure hunt you simply cannot miss out on. That’s because it follows a slew of exciting personalities as they hunt for gold coins buried among the harsh Alaskan wilderness over a century ago by a pirate who was as ruthless as he was cunning. So now, with an estimated $365 million quite literally on the line, if you wish to learn precisely how much of this production is authentic — if at all — we’ve got the necessary details for you.
Is Pirate Gold of Adak Island Fake or Real?
From the moment Netflix’s ‘Pirate Gold of Adak Island’ was first announced, it has been billed as a documentary-style reality series, indicating its basic premise is as natural as it can be. However, despite the fact not a single conversation or emotion we come across is pre-penned by professionals, you should take it with a grain of salt owing to the manipulation involved. Every show such as this utilizes an incredible amount of resources to be brought together, which means the producers do likely interfere in some facets throughout the process to ensure its successful run.
In fact, the meddling in this eight-parter was sometimes rather evident, especially considering the way cameras always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. The behind-the-scenes crew ostensibly had no role to play in the expedition or the hindrances that came about, yet they probably did have the cast instantly re-do some action shots to ensure they caught everything on film almost in real-time. Either this or a lensman was on the squad members from all angles at all times — both of these are obviously excluding whenever unexploded ordnances (UXOs) (bombs) were involved.
Another strange aspect is that the team focused on exploring Red Bluff Hill only towards the end of their first efforts to find seal pirate Captain Gregory Dwargstof’s treasure (in late 2020). This is because speculations of it being there have been around online since at least 2017, so the fact they undeniably did their due diligence and still didn’t even consider it beforehand seems a little off. Then there’s also an entirely different sort of gambit with the cast’s one-on-one interviews being filmed in Los Angeles in the summer of 2021 instead of in Adak during the active search, as evidenced below.
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The post-production stage essentially allows a show’s personnel to edit the scenes in such a manner that everything appears to be transpiring consecutively and as dramatically as the creators want. That’s how the producers for this Netflix original managed to use a run-down background, a green screen, and the cast’s carefully selected on-screen clothing to push their point across almost perfectly.
Nevertheless, none of these elements make ‘Pirate Gold of Adak Island’ completely fake or scripted in any way, shape, and form — its effective manipulation, not manufacturing from scratch, as mentioned above. In simpler words, some parts of this reality docuseries may be pre-planned, re-filmed, or edited, but its root remains genuine, especially as the personalities never pretend to be anyone they’re not.
Read More: Where is Pirate Gold of Adak Island Filmed?
