What happened to Craig Tester’s son, Drake Tester?
Introduction
The History Channel has built a reputation for taking us off our sofas and dragging us into the world of intrigue and mystery, treasure hunting, car renovations, and ancient cultures.
We all loved Vikings—the addictive cultural offering that the History Channel served up for a solid seven years.
Then there were Rust Valley Restores, Lost Car Rescue, and Forged in Fire.
But one of our all-time favorite History Channel series has to be The Curse of Oak Island, starring the charismatic and lovable Lagina brothers.
Rick and Marty Lagina, Craig Tester, and the rest of the crew—and their dedication to searching Oak Island for a mysterious buried treasure–have kept audiences enthralled since the show began back in 2014.
Now, the hit History Channel television show is 9 seasons deep and counting.
And while many fans and viewers have a lot of questions, there’s one that keeps coming up: what happened to Craig Tester’s son?
That’s just one of the questions we’ve got the answer to right here—but the answer will break your heart.
What is the Curse of Oak Island?
The Curse of Oak Island is a television series that follows a group of treasure hunters on their quest to uncover gold—or at least some historical artifacts—on Canada’s Oak Island.
The series explores the island’s unique history, discoveries, earlier locations of interest, and the personalities that have undertaken this crazy adventure.
We meet the Lagina brothers—Rick and Marty—who hail from Kingsford, Michigan.
The set of OAK ISLAND: DRILLING DOWN – Bill Tompkins/Getty Images
It was the brothers who read about the buried treasure on Oak Island in an old copy of Reader’s Digest magazine.
Eventually, the pair were able to buy a controlling interest in the island.
Prometheus Entertainment reached out to the brothers for a reality show.
Dave Blankenship has appeared regularly in the show, as the last permanent resident of the island.
His father, Dan, also appeared and had been searching for the treasure since the ’60s.
He passed away at 95 years old.
Another cast regular is Craig Tester—mechanical engineer extraordinaire, and close friend of Marty Lagina.
Who is Oak Island’s Craig Tester?
@Getty
Craig Tester is one of the expert panelists serving on The Curse of Oak Island.
He was initially brought in by his friend Marty, as a mechanical engineer and drilling consultant.
Craig’s main role is to head a team to research, map out, and plan digs around the island.
Craig was born on February 16, 1961, in Glendale, California.
The son of Michael and Stephanie, he headed to Delta Upsilon College, where he studied engineering.
As much as Tester had a fascination with all things mechanical, he was also an avid fan of wrestling.
In fact, at one point, Craig Tester had seriously considered becoming a professional wrestler.
Fortunately for fans everywhere, Craig stayed the course.
He left Delta Upsilon with his degree—and a lifelong friend, his college roommate, Marty Lagina.
The pair invested in a wind turbine business and a vineyard together, and have both made a lucrative living in their fields before finding television celebrity.
Craig Tester and Rebecca Begley tied the knot in the late 90s. Rebecca came to the marriage with two children from a previous marriage—Jack and Madeline.
Image source – Facebook
Craig and Rebecca went on to have a baby together—a son named Drake.
What happened to Craig Tester’s son — Drake Tester?
So, what happened to Craig Tester’s son — Drake Tester? In the early days of The Curse of Oak Island—when the show was still finding its feet—Craig Tester was accompanied by his son Drake on camera. Drake worked alongside his doting dad and the Lagina brothers at the Money Pit—a famed spot on the island that is believed to hide some kind of treasure.
Drake Tester appeared in two episodes in season 3:
- Episode 5: Disappearing Act
- Episode 7: The Missing Peace
Fans warmed to the young, vibrant kid who was keen to lend a hand and not afraid of hard work.
When we didn’t see him again in season 4, and beyond, viewers became suspicious.
Many took to social media to ask when Craig Tester’s son would be back on the airwaves to help uncover the treasure of Oak Island.
Image source – Facebook
Then, in season 5, it was revealed that Drake Tester had passed away at 16 years old.
History Channel viewers were mourning the loss of a vibrant kid with a positive attitude.
As the story unfolded, viewers learned that Drake had been bravely dealing with a seizure disorder since he was just a baby.
Every few years, he would experience severe seizures and the physical trauma that comes with that.
Craig Tester’s beloved son passed away on March 26, 2017.
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Did Craig Tester quit The Curse of Oak Island?
Yes.
Craig Tester and his family were heartbroken at the loss of their much loved Drake—and the impact of that loss made it impossible for Tester to return to the show long-term.
Initially, Craig said that being on The Curse of Oak Island helped him to “take the focus off losing [Drake].”
Tester acknowledged in a confessional video on the History Channel that he thinks of his son every day, and that it had been “a tough year.”
He shared his appreciation for the Lagina brothers, the cast and crew of the show, and the island, for the support he’d been shown.
However, Tester knew it was time to leave the show and focus on his family. The History Channel posted to its Twitter account in March of 2018 to acknowledge how what Tester was going through was “unimaginable” following the loss of young Drake.
It also shared:
“It is with a heavy heart that we wish him farewell from the show.” After a while, Tester was back on the show.
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