Fans of new TV show flock to Alcatraz

Fans of the new TV show "Alcatraz" are flocking to The Rock to decipher fact from fiction.  

The rock is magnetic and has drawn even more people the past few weeks.

The folks who run Alcatraz Cruises told KTVU the uptick may be because of the beautiful winter weather, increased playoff tourism or the show. 

Eric Knackmuhs, a guide, said he's enjoyed watching the show, seeing Alcatraz in the spotlight.

Knackmuhs works at Alcatraz, and is now in the fifth year of his "sentence." 

While most foreigners said they haven't seen the new Fox series "Alcatraz," most Americans had.

"It's kinda scary, it's a little sci-fi for me," said Sherry McDonald of Moraga. 

Steve Giamundo of Woodstock, Connecticut said he's seen the show and found it very intriguing.

The show's popularity is causing some confusion between myth and reality. 

In the show, there's an alley that leads to the secret room. It's not real, but that hasn't stopped some fans from trying to find it.

Now, park rangers have padlocked the area that was already off limits. And they've put up signs noting that the secret room is fiction. 

"We haven't had any problems since, that we know about," said Marcus Koenen, National Park Service Ranger. 

Dave McClure of Luray, Va. said he watched the pilot specifically before coming to the island to could compare notes.

Rangers said if the show's popularity grows, so will curiosity. But it's not the first time Hollywood has deepened the riddle of The Rock, blurring the line between myth and reality.