Questions surrounding The Curse of Oak Island heavy equipment operator Billy Gerhardt have percolated as he has not been featured much in recent episodes.
Gerhardt has been a part of the Oak Island cast since Season 4, serving as one of the primary heavy equipment operators on the ongoing conquest to uncover the hidden treasures of Oak Island, Nova Scotia.
The hit reality series has been ongoing since 2014, airing on History Channel and led by retired postal worker Rick Lagina and his family.
Where Is Billy Gerhardt in Curse of Oak Island?
Just because Billy Gerhardt, a cast member of The Curse of Oak Island, has been missing from several recent episodes does not mean he has left the series entirely.
In recent seasons, Gerdhardt has continued to be a valuable member of the Oak Island team, serving as one of the primary excavators seeking to uncover the island's secrets.
One thing fans have noticed is that the longtime TV personality has looked to have gained weight in recent years, leading some to believe his health could be declining as he ages.
This has not slowed Gerhardt down in any meaningful way, though. He continues to regularly appear on the series and operate his property contractor company, William A. Gerhardt Property Improvement.
Toward the end of Oak Island Season 12, audiences voiced their concern for the series mainstay, noticing that he was missing from the usual treasure-hunting action.
Fans took to social media in the wake of Gerhardt's absence from the series, asking what happened to the heavy equipment operator and whether he would ever come back.
One social media user asked, "Has Billy G. Left The Curse of Oak Island" in a Facebook post on a group devoted to the longtime reality TV personality.
Another simply posited, "Is Billy gone," sharing their worry for Gerhardt and his future on the show.
However, these fears may be for naught, as the series has confirmed Gerhardt's Curse of Oak Island fate. In fact, some of the episodes fans were referring to in their posts about Gerhardt seemingly featured the series staple.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Gerhardt can be spotted in several places in recent Season 12 episodes of the series, popping up in the show's central war room amongst the commotion of the Oak Island site. Gerhardt could even be seen on set at times moving dirt (as he is known to do), putting in work to make even more exciting discoveries.
He just did not play into the primary action of the episodes in question and did not appear for any sit-down interviews like he often does.
Gerhardt is not going anywhere. This is simply a case of the show putting the spotlight on other members of the Oak Island team.
The show's primary cast has ballooned over the years, starting as a small passion project of the Lagina brothers and turning into a full-on geological excavation involving dozens of people. That means that, at times, characters will come and go from the spotlight as the show focuses on different storylines from across the cast.
And with the future of the series promised to be a "heck of a ride" by series lead Rick Lagina, fans can likely expect that Billy Gerhardt will want to continue to be part of the fun going forward.
The Curse of Oak Island Season 12 came to an end on April 1 on History Channel, and no further episodes have been announced, but fans are optimistic it will be given the green light for Season 13.
The entire back catalog of Curse of Oak Island episodes is now streaming on the HIstory Channell's official app.
