Cooper’s Treasure Season 2 kicked off on Discovery last night — and it didn’t take long for the finds to start coming thick and fast.
The docuseries focuses on treasure hunter Darrell Miklos, whose mission, along with finding eleven ships believed to hold vast amounts of treasure, is to verify, honor and continue the hard work of astronaut Gordon Cooper, who while in space drew maps of the vessels’ possible locations.
Miklos admitted on the premiere that he has a tight timeline — just eight weeks to find any booty or be “finished” for good. Mortgaged “up to his eyeballs”, Miklos has hired a core crew and the best tools and technology he can muster to work hard, fast and smart.
The hunt comes after Darrell was given precious maps and notes made by Cooper while he orbited Earth, which have previously been kept secret for 40 years.
Cooper reportedly told Miklos to “finish what I couldn’t do”, urging him to explore the mapped shipwrecks and go for the gold, literally.
In last night’s premiere, Darrell and his crew made the first big discoveries of the expedition as, using Cooper’s maps, they recovered period-correct nails, deadeyes (part of a ship’s rigging) and a cannon.
The swath of ocean they were searching in the Bahamas is dubbed the “holy grail” by Miklos as regards the possible colonial-era shipwrecks it might hold.
The show revealed how Miklos was boarded by police in the Turks & Caicos islands and ordered to surrender the Columbus-era ship anchor he found in Season 1. He said on last night’s Season 2 premiere: “If I find just one of the wrecks, I can make up for all the losses in Turks & Caicos islands.”
In the premiere, Gordon Cooper’s daughter Colleen told how her father was a treasure hunter first and foremost, before he ever went into space. She also had evidence and ephemera like journals, photos and news clippings to back her claim up. At one point, Colleen showed Darrell the Spanish gold coin he took up into space with him.
Here are the highlights from last night’s Season 2 premiere:
Cooper’s Treasure: The Honey Pot
According to Miklos, the treasure-laden wrecks he is looking for lie in the waters off the Bahamas. “Gordo [Cooper] was obsessed with the Bahamas and mapped the biggest treasure-filled wrecks off the islands,” he said.
Miklos also has hundreds of photos that show Cooper’s mapping was accurate, confirming several of the “anomalies” that Cooper saw from space.
Cooper’s Treasure: The players
Gordon Cooper
Darrell Miklos’s mentor and “second father”, Gordon Cooper was a treasure hunter and ground-breaking astronaut.
Roger Miklos
Rogue treasure hunter, “snake oil salesman” and Darrell Miklos’s real father, Roger Miklos lived a fast and large life, and now has a contentious advisory relationship with Darrell.
Eric Schmidt
Recovery expert and Miklos’ right-hand man.
Mike Perna
“Mad scientist”, survey and magnetometry specialist.
Jim Sinclair
Marine Archaeologist and part of Miklos’s crew previously dove on the Titanic.
Lost, found and recovered
Lost: The anchor from a Columbus-era fleet that was found by Miklos on Season 1 was ordered by Turks & Caicos authorities to be returned to the sea.
Found: A crossarm anchor circa 1800s, which was discovered and left at sea.
Recovered: Square head nails, circa 1600s.
Recovered: Cannonball.
Recovered: A square-cut iron pin.
Recovered: A mast deadeye.
Recovered: Cannon
With so much evidence mounting up, it looks like the discoveries are set to keep coming as Cooper’s Treasure Season 2 continues. What will they find next week? Stay tuned!
Cooper’s Treasure airs Friday at 9 pm ET/PT on Discovery.