Peter Fornetti's The Curse Of Oak Island Role Explained
Throughout History's reality series "The Curse of Oak Island," hosts Marty and Rick Lagina employ a wide range of experts in various fields as part of their efforts to locate and unearth the titular island's legendary treasure. Regular fans of the series are also familiar with Peter Fornetti, Marty and Rick's young nephew, who joins the treasure hunt in various capacities in roughly 80 episodes.
In addition to his in-person appearances, Fornetti is credited as an associate producer on the show and is employed by Prometheus Entertainment, a company that produces History programs such as "The UnXplained," "Ancient Aliens," and "The Curse of Oak Island." The latter and its companion series, "The Curse of Oak Island: Drilling Down," are Fornetti's sole screen credits, so it's safe to assume the Laginas brought him on because of their familial relationship rather than any sort of prior work experience.
On a Reddit thread about Fornetti's role on the show, u/achn2b and u/prospero_duke both theorized that the primary reason the Laginas' nephew receives an associate producer credit is so he can earn a portion of the proceeds from all the treasure found on "The Curse of Oak Island." Outside of his appearances on the show, he remains largely outside of the public eye, so it's unclear if he has an interest in further TV work or is simply collaborating with his uncles in hopes of finding the riches rumored to be buried somewhere on the island.
Peter Fornetti isn't the only member of his family working on Oak Island
For a few years before his debut on "The Curse of Oak Island" in 2014, Peter Fornetti worked as a hygiene assistant at the John Fornetti Dental Center, his father's dental practice. John Fornetti is married to Marty and Rick Lagina's sister Terese Fornetti, and together they have four children, one of whom is Dan Fornetti, DDS, who works there as well.
While details on the fourth sibling, Julia Fornetti, don't seem to be public knowledge, David Fornetti is likewise an associate producer on "The Curse of Oak Island." His contributions, however, are limited to Seasons 8 and 9, whereas Peter has produced episodes in Seasons 3, 4, and 8–11.
Terese, meanwhile, has also been involved with "The Curse of Oak Island," receiving credits for images and footage she contributed throughout its lengthy run. While this credit is most likely not enough to earn her a share of Oak Island's hypothetical treasure, it is plenty apparent that the Lagina brothers are close with their sister, hence employing Peter for a considerable length of time.