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The Worst Episodes of Secrets of the Dead

Every episode of Secrets of the Dead ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Secrets of the Dead!

Worst episode
S18E6 Gangster's Gold
4.738 votes
Best episode
S13E6 Dick Cavett's Watergate
8.257 votes
Top season
Season 7
8.0avg
Binge time
1d 10h
125 episodes

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Secrets of the Dead Season 18 Episode 6 - Gangster's Gold
    4.7/10(38 votes)
    S18:E6

    Join three groups of treasure hunters, armed with modern technology and newly uncovered clues, as they set out to find the lost treasure of notorious Prohibition-era gangster Dutch Schultz and solve an 85-year-old mystery.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Secrets of the Dead Season 5 Episode 2 - Gangland Graveyard
    6.0/10(41 votes)
    S5:E2

    On October 6, 2004, FBI agents began digging up a Queens swamp in the hopes of finding the remains of the man who killed John Gotti's son. Instead, they unearthed a severed foot and other pieces of human skeleton, along with personal effects. Forensic tests tied the remains to Mob family captains who had been killed by mob boss Joseph "Big Joey" Massino. This program documents the search which opens a window into the grisly world of the mob.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Secrets of the Dead Season 11 Episode 1 - Lost In The Amazon
    6.2/10(62 votes)
    S11:E1

    On April 20, 1925, Colonel Percy Fawcett, his elder son Jack Fawcett and Jack’s lifelong friend, Raleigh Rimmell, departed from Cuiabá, the capital city of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, to find “Z” — Col. Fawcett’s name for what he believed to be an ancient city lost in the uncharted jungles of Brazil. The search for the mysterious Lost City of Z would be the great explorer’s last expedition. All three men would vanish without a trace. Eighty-six years later, Secrets of the Dead has mounted a modern day quest with explorer Niall McCann to find the truth behind the disappearance of famed adventurer Col. Percy Fawcett and his party in Lost in the Amazon

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Secrets of the Dead Season 13 Episode 3 - Carthage's Lost Warriors
    6.1/10(43 votes)
    S13:E3

    146 B.C.: Carthage, the proud capital of the vast Carthaginian Empire, is ablaze. Marauding Romans are mercilessly slaughtering and pillaging. Any survivors face a terrifying fate as slaves on Roman galleys or in their quarries. Escaping the bloody carnage is impossible...or is it? Could some of the once-mighty Carthaginians have got away? And even more incredibly – could they have turned west on an epic journey across the vast Atlantic Ocean to new shores? Did they set foot in South America, long before Columbus ever walked the face of the Earth? Ancient documents suggest there was a Carthaginian getaway, and modern science has found evidence to support these extraordinary claims.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Secrets of the Dead Season 3 Episode 3 - Titanic's Ghosts
    5.6/10(16 votes)
    S3:E3

    In the aftermath of the Titanic, Canadian rescue ships recovered 328 bodies and buried dozens in unmarked graves. Today, scientific breakthroughs may help 3 families of missing passengers learn the true fate of their relatives.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Secrets of the Dead Season 17 Episode 4 - The Nero Files
    6.2/10(40 votes)
    S17:E4

    Take a look at the life of Nero and find out what history may have gotten wrong about him

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Secrets of the Dead Season 2 Episode 6 - The Syphilis Enigma
    6.1/10(30 votes)
    S2:E6

    In 1492, Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic in search of gold. But what his men carried back with them to Europe was something far less appealing. They brought the scourge of syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease never before seen in the Old World. At least that is what scientists have generally believed. But now, the discovery in Europe of a pre-Columbian body with definite signs of syphilis has archaeologist Charlotte Roberts convinced that syphilis existed in the Old World long before Columbus ever set sail. New evidence from across Europe is beginning to turn the prevailing Columbus theory on its head (UK/PBS 55 min)

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Secrets of the Dead Season 11 Episode 2 - China's Terracotta Warriors
    6.5/10(73 votes)
    S11:E2

    The life-sized terracotta warriors of China are known throughout the world. This clay army of 8,000 including infantry, archers, generals and cavalry was discovered by archaeologists in 1974 after farmers digging a well near the Chinese city of Xian unearthed pieces of clay sculpted in human form. An amazing archaeological find, the terracotta warriors date back more than two thousand years. But what was the purpose of this army of clay soldiers? Who ordered its construction? How were they created? Secrets of the Dead investigates the story behind China’s Terracotta Warriors and documents their return to former glory for the first time.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Secrets of the Dead Season 13 Episode 1 - JFK: One PM Central Standard Time
    6.6/10(107 votes)
    S13:E1

    Fifty years after the tragic shooting of President John F. Kennedy, Secrets of the Dead chronicles minute-by-minute the assassination as it was revealed in the CBS newsroom from the moment the President was shot until Walter Cronkite's emotional pronouncement of his death, one hour and eight minutes later.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Secrets of the Dead Season 2 Episode 5 - Tomb of Christ
    6.2/10(22 votes)
    S2:E5

    For centuries, visitors to the Church of the Holy Seplulchre in Jerusalem believed that they stood within what was merely a symbolic representation of Jesus' burial place. But what if the edicule within the church, an ancient crumbling structure, really does house Christ's actual tomb? Oxford archaeologists Martin and Birthe Biddle reconstruct Jesus' final day and trace the history of the various incarnations of the edicule -- looking for evidence that there is a tomb present, and trying to decipher whether or not Christ actually lay there. (UK/PBS 55 min)

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Secrets of the Dead Season 8 Episode 4 - Blackbeard's Lost Ship
    6.3/10(20 votes)
    S8:E4

    Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard, was the most notorious pirate of his day. At the height of his rein, he commanded a fleet of four ships and a crew of 400 men. They were ruthless seafaring raiders who terrorizing vessels in American waters. In 1718, Blackbeard even blockaded the city of Charleston, crippling its economy. Eventually he was caught and beheaded by a posse from the Royal Navy. Now, 300 years later, a marine archaeology team believe they have found his sunken flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, off the North Carolina coast.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Secrets of the Dead Season 13 Episode 2 - The Lost Diary of Dr. Livingstone
    6.7/10(74 votes)
    S13:E2

    New forensic technology helps researchers study Dr. David Livingstone's lost diary, which reveals he witnessed the massacre of slaves by their traders.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Secrets of the Dead Season 12 Episode 4 - Cavemen Cold Case
    6.6/10(39 votes)
    S12:E4

    Scientists say some of the 49,000 year-old Neanderthal bones discovered in El Sidrón, Spain, bear signs of cannibalism.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Secrets of the Dead Season 1 Episode 3 - The Lost Vikings
    6.6/10(37 votes)
    S1:E3

    Why did Greenland's Vikings disappear? The Vikings of Greenland left no clues to their sudden and mysterious disappearance. Or did they? On a desolate coast of Greenland, an international team of archaeologists, forensic anthropologists, entomologists and botanists sets out to investigate clues in a complex chain of events that may have led to the demise of a Viking colony. Unearthing the ruins of a settlement that included a cathedral complete with stained glass, the scientists carefully identify and date the vestiges of the Viking society. Among their discoveries are a "mini Ice Age," a war with neighboring Inuits, and a religious order that may have doomed the Vikings to obsolescence. (UK/PBS 55 min)

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Secrets of the Dead Season 1 Episode 5 - Cannibalism in the Canyon
    6.4/10(17 votes)
    S1:E5

    What happened to the peaceful ancient Pueblo civilization of the American southwest? For 1000 years, the Anasazi -- a democratic people with rich achievements in architecture, agriculture, astronomy and art -- flourished in what is now New Mexico. Yet around 1200 A.D., something brought their utopia to a sudden and mysterious end. Paleo-anthroplogist Christy Turner has found what he believes are clear signs of cannibalism among the Anasazi ruins, but American Indian groups and other archaeologists are skeptical. And while the evidence is difficult to refute, the meaning of the findings is still open to debate. In the shadow of a debate both scientific and political, question remain: Did the Anasazi culture become cannibalistic, or did cannibals from afar stumble across the perfect victims? (UK/PBS 55 min)

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Secrets of the Dead Season 15 Episode 1 - Vampire Legend
    6.8/10(55 votes)
    S15:E1

    Information gathered about aberrant, unorthodox burial practices from medieval times shed some light on how today's myths about vampires may have started.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Secrets of the Dead Season 20 Episode 1 - Archaeology at Althorp
    6.8/10(48 votes)
    S20:E1

    Charles, Ninth Earl Spencer — best-selling author and brother to Diana, Princess of Wales — may be sitting on the greatest British archaeological find of the century. Searching Althorp, the Spencer family estate, for a medieval village, a team of British archaeologists find evidence of something far older.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Secrets of the Dead Season 16 Episode 4 - Nero's Sunken City
    6.9/10(83 votes)
    S16:E4

    Follow Archaeologists who map underwater ruins of ancient Rome's version of Las Vegas

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Secrets of the Dead Season 21 Episode 3 - The Princes in the Tower
    6.9/10(55 votes)
    S21:E3

    Find out if one of history’s greatest cold cases—the imprisonment of two princes in the Tower of London—can finally be solved. Their disappearance led to centuries of mystery and speculation. Were the boys murdered by their uncle, the notorious King Richard III? Or was it a massive conspiracy to hide the truth?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Secrets of the Dead Season 8 Episode 1 - Doping for Gold
    6.9/10(39 votes)
    S8:E1

    In the 1970s, female East German athletes came from nowhere to dominate international sport. But behind their success lay a horrifying secret. Doping for Gold reveals the truth behind the biggest state-sponsored doping program the world has ever known, creating a timely perspective on today’s many sports drug scandals.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Secrets of the Dead Season 2 Episode 1 - Witches Curse
    6.9/10(33 votes)
    S2:E1

    (Disease & Disaster) “The Witches Curse” poses a shocking new idea about the violent convulsions, delirium, and strange skin sensations that struck a group of young girls in 17th-century Massachusetts and inspired the infamous Salem Witch Trials. In 1692, 19 of the town’s residents were put to death because they were believed to have been witches. For hundreds of years, this tragedy was blamed on religious fanaticism, adolescent cruelty, and contagious hysteria. But these explanations failed to satisfy a “detective” who embarked on her own fact-finding mission. Was Salem’s Puritan community unwittingly living on bread infected by the fungus from which LSD is derived? Could toxic amounts of this fungus, known as ergot, be the real reason the accusatory teens endured psychotic episodes and saw blood dripping down their walls at night? And what clues could the 2,300-year-old corpse of a Danish murder victim possibly hold for Salem investigators? Tracking down historic outbreaks of ergot poisoning, Dr. Caporael compares its symptoms to those that plagued the girls in Salem, revealing a whole new side of this unsettling period. (UK/PBS 55 min)

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Secrets of the Dead Season 18 Episode 5 - Abandoning The Titanic
    7.0/10(73 votes)
    S18:E5

    Join a team of investigators as they search for the identity of the captain of a “mystery ship” that turned away from the “unsinkable” Titanic in its darkest hour, abandoning thousands of lives to the icy waters and their deaths.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Secrets of the Dead Season 9 Episode 3 - Mumbai Massacre
    6.9/10(31 votes)
    S9:E3

    Accounts of the survivors of the indiscriminate terrorist massacres in Mumbai by Islamic Extremests in November 2008 and how the news media aided the terrorist by giving away the hiding places of the soon to be victims.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Secrets of the Dead Season 8 Episode 2 - Sinking Atlantis
    6.9/10(28 votes)
    S8:E2

    Five thousand years ago the Minoans, Europe’s first great civilization, flourished on the island of Crete. Yet in their heyday, they mysteriously disappeared. Sinking Atlantis digs deep into the Minoan soil and history, following archaeologists who are finding evidence of a massive tsunami that devastated the Minoans – and may have spawned the myth of Atlantis.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  26. Secrets of the Dead Season 2 Episode 3 - Death at Jamestown
    6.9/10(26 votes)
    S2:E3

    The settlers at Jamestown, the first British colony in the New World, were looking for wealth and adventure. But within six months 80 of the original 100 arrivals were dead; 440 of the first 500 died within three years. Death came in sudden, brutal waves marked by severe bruising, weakness, wasting and madness. Did the men die of disease and starvation? Or is it more than a coincidence that the deadly outbreaks always seemed to strike just after the supply ships set sail? Clues from Europe and the recently rediscovered Jamestown site have led pathologist Frank Hancock to a radical new theory that implicates some unlikely suspects. (UK/PBS 55 min)

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Gangster's Gold" is the worst rated episode of Secrets of the Dead. It scored 4.7/10 from 38 votes. Written and directed by Unknown, it aired on November 18, 2020. This episode scored 1.3 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Gangland Graveyard".

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