Gold Rush

Narrator: ON THIS "GOLD RUSH"...

WHAT WOULD GRANDPA SAY IF HE SAW THIS, HUH?

HE'D BE PRETTY PROUD OF YOU, KID.

Parker: RUNNING A NEW PLANT IS ALWAYS A LITTLE STRESSFUL.

HOW COME THERE'S NO WATER?

WE NEED TO START PRODUCING SOME GOLD.

WE'VE GOT WORK TO DO.

WE'RE GETTIN' OUR ASS KICKED PRETTY GOOD UP HERE.

EVERYBODY'S REPUTATION'S ON THE LINE ON THIS HILL.

Todd: THIS IS REAL FUEL WE'RE BURNING.

THESE ARE REAL SALARIES WE GOTTA PAY.

-WHERE IS IT? WHERE IS THE GOLD? -I DON'T KNOW.

-HAMMER TIME. -THIS IS YOUR CALL, TODD.

WHEW.

Monica: SO WHAT, IT'S A FLYING DUTCHMAN NOW?

THIS IS SPECTACULARLY .

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TONY WAS THINKING.

NO ONE CAN PUSH YOUR BUTTONS LIKE FAMILY CAN.

*

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

WE'RE WORKING 12-PLUS HOUR DAYS.

AND THE BUMMER PART OF IT ALL IS WE'RE NOT GETTING GOLD.

Narrator: AT THE HIGH BAR MINE,

KEVIN HIATT FEEDS PAY INTO THE PLANT.

I HAVE MOUTHS BACK HOME TO FEED. I HAVE A PREGNANT WIFE.

AND RIGHT NOW, THERE'S NO PAYCHECK WAITING FOR ME.

Narrator: TODD HOFFMAN HAS MOVED HIS ENTIRE MINING OPERATION

FROM THE KLONDIKE 2,000 MILES SOUTH

TO THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON.

FOR OVER 100 YEARS,

PEOPLE HAVE TRIED AND FAILED

TO MINE THE LEGENDARY NUGGETS AT THE HIGH BAR.

LAST YEAR, THE HOFFMAN CREW'S SCOUT

REVEALED GAME-CHANGING GOLD NUGGETS.

LOOK AT THAT ONE.

THAT'S ONE OF THE BEST NUGGETS I'VE EVER SEEN.

TODD WAS INSPIRED TO GO

FOR HIS HIGHEST EVER SEASON GOLD.

I WANT 5,000 OUNCES.

I WANNA SEE A MIRACLE ON THIS MOUNTAIN.

Narrator: BUT THEIR FIRST WEEK

PRODUCED A DISAPPOINTING 38 OUNCES,

JUST 15% OF WHAT THEY NEED EACH WEEK

TO HIT TODD'S GOAL.

WE'RE GETTING OUR ASS KICKED PRETTY GOOD UP HERE.

THIS ISN'T TURNING OUT LIKE I DREAMED.

THIS ISN'T, YOU KNOW, THE BILL OF GOODS

THAT WE WERE SOLD UP HERE.

THIS IS REAL FUEL WE'RE BURNING.

THESE ARE REAL SALARIES WE GOTTA PAY.

HOPEFULLY THIS THING CAN TURN AROUND.

BUT RIGHT NOW, IT'S NOT GOING GOOD.

Narrator: CLAIM OWNERS WILLIAM AND JARROD WIRTH

ARE ALSO FEELING THE PRESSURE.

WE KNOW THIS PLACE. WE KNOW THERE'S GOOD GOLD HERE.

BUT IT COMES IN STRINGS OF GOOD DAYS AND BAD DAYS.

AND WE GOT OFF TO A PRETTY BAD START.

AND THE WHOLE HOFFMAN CREW RIGHT NOW IS REALLY DISCOURAGED.

Narrator: WITH THE STAKES SO HIGH,

DOWN IN THE GOLD SHACK, JACK HOFFMAN

IS DOING AN EARLY CLEANUP AFTER 3 MORE DAYS OF RUNNING.

OH, MY GOSH.

AFTER RUNNING 4,500 YARDS,

I WOULD EXPECT A WHOLE LOT MORE.

THAT'S NOT WORTH RUNNING. I CAN DO THAT IN MY BACKYARD.

Narrator: TO STAY ON TARGET,

THEY NEED THIS CLEANUP TO BE AROUND 125 OUNCES.

WHAT DO YOU GOT?

12.35.

OH.

Narrator: WORTH LESS THAN $15,000.

12.35.

BIG DEAL, YOU KNOW.

I MEAN, TO DO A CLEANUP FOR 12.35, IT'S --

IT'S HARDLY WORTH DOING.

I MEAN, SERIOUSLY, THAT IS TERRIBLE.

SO MUCH FOR 5,000 OUNCES, GUYS.

WE'LL BE DAMN LUCKY IF WE CAN PULL OUT 1,000 THIS YEAR.

GUYS, THIS AIN'T EVEN COVERING OUR FUEL.

IT'D BE NICE IF WE COULD GET THE --

IF WE COULD GET THE CAMERAS OUTTA HERE.

YOU AND YOU, OUT.

GET OUT.

OUT, OUT, OUT. SHUT THE DOOR.

SO HERE'S THE DEAL.

LAST YEAR WE TESTED. WE WERE AT $20 PLUS A YARD.

AND HERE WE ARE AT 4 BUCKS A YARD.

I AM PISSED OFF.

WE MUST HAVE HIT A COUPLE GOOD SPOTS

WHEN WE WERE PROSPECTING.

AND NOW WE'VE MISSED 'EM. I DON'T GET IT. WHERE IS IT?

WHERE IS THE GOLD? I DON'T KNOW.

HOW 'BOUT THE WIRTH BOYS? THEY GOT ANY IDEA?

THEY MINED IT.

YEAH, BUT THEY JUST MINED THIS ONE LITTLE SECTION UP HERE.

AND MAYBE THAT'S WHERE ALL THE GOLD WAS.

I DON'T KNOW. WELL, LET'S GET FREDDY.

WE'VE STILL GOT A LOT OF GROUND THAT'S UNTESTED.

LET'S GET HIM OUT THERE, GET HIS NOSE TO THE GROUND,

FIND THAT GOLD.

I'M GONNA GO TALK TO WILLIAM AND JARROD.

HOW'S IT GOIN'?

WELL, NOT GOOD, MAN.

WE GOT ANOTHER BAD CLEANUP. IT'S REALLY BAD.

TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, I'M FEELIN' SICK INSIDE.

WE NEED TO GET THAT GOLD. I'M LOSIN' MONEY.

AND THIS AIN'T GOING LIKE WE WERE HOPING.

YOU'RE NOT GETTIN' GOLD,

WE'RE NOT GETTIN' GOLD, THE BOTTOM LINE.

-RIGHT. -I MEAN, I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH.

WHEN WE WERE UP HERE MINING,

YOU KNOW, THOSE RESULTS THAT WE HAD WERE REAL.

WELL, HERE'S THE DEAL THOUGH. I CAN'T SIT HERE

AND LOSE MY ASS ALL SUMMER. WE'RE IN THE SAME BOAT, MAN.

IF YOU'RE NOT MAKING MONEY, WE'RE NOT MAKING MONEY.

WE'RE BOTH LOSING OUR ASSES.

I'M NOT GONNA THROW IN THE TOWEL YET.

BUT AT SOME POINT,

WE GOTTA SEE SOME FRICKIN' GOLD, YOU KNOW?

LET'S GO DREDGING AGAIN.

HERE'S WHAT MAKES THE MONEY.

Narrator: AT EUREKA CREEK,

TONY BEETS IS TESTING SON KEVIN

BY PUTTING HIM IN CHARGE THIS SEASON.

IT FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK HERE.

OH, THIS IS NICE.

Narrator: KEVIN PULLED IN A MASSIVE

258-OUNCE CLEANUP LAST WEEK,

WORTH $310,000.

AND TONY FINALLY PAID OFF HIS MILLION-DOLLAR DREDGE.

GONNA DROP MY BUCKET LINE DOWN TO A ABOUT LEVEL.

AND OFF WE GO.

ALL PROFITS WILL NOW GO TOWARDS A SECOND DREDGE.

-NOT TOO BAD. WHAT'S UP? -WHAT'S UP?

-YEAH. -YEAH.

YEAH?

I'D COMPLAIN, BUT YOU WOULDN'T LISTEN.

Narrator: TONY'S PLAN -- LEVEL OUT THE OLD DREDGE

TAILINGS TO BUILD A 1,500-FOOT LANDING STRIP

IN THE NEXT 2 DAYS.

Narrator: TONY PULLS KEVIN OFF THE DREDGE,

AND MONICA AWAY FROM STRIPPING OVERBURDEN.

YOU KNOW, YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING EVERYTHING OKAY,

AND THEN HE COMES IN AND DECIDES TO CHANGE THE PLAN ON YOU.

IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, A PAIN IN THE ASS.

IT'S FRUSTRATING IS WHAT IT IS, HAVING TO SIT HERE

AND DO THESE RANDOM JOBS

WHEN THERE'S OTHER THINGS I'D RATHER BE DOING.

THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS I'D WANNA GO DO,

PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING BUT THIS.

Narrator: RATHER THAN HAUL THE LOGS AWAY,

TONY ORDERS THE ROCK TRUCKS

TO DUMP LOGS STRAIGHT INTO THE POND.

TONY IS LIKE A NATURAL DISASTER.

YOU DON'T TELL A HURRICANE TO OFF.

YOU JUST WEATHER IT.

THEN ONCE IT'S DONE, YOU GET BACK TO LIFE AS NORMAL.

BY THE TIME JASON STARTS THE NIGHT SHIFT,

TONY'S LOGS HAVE DRIFTED IN FRONT OF THE DREDGE.

Jason: STARTING TO GET A LITTLE BIT DARKER HERE.

AND, UH, WE GOT A LOT OF LOGS HERE FLOATIN' OUT

IN FRONT OF US.

YOU KNOW, WE GOTTA REALLY PAY ATTENTION

TO WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE CATCHING LOGS INSTEAD OF ROCKS.

WE GOT A BIG MESS OUT THERE ON THE POND RIGHT NOW.

AND IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE REALLY GOTTA KEEP ON TOP OF.

OH, IT'S COMING. THERE IT GOES.

THAT'S THE KINDA WE GOTTA WATCH OUT FOR, EH?

-OH, YEAH. -THAT STUFF PLUGS UP

THE TROMMEL AND STUFF WHEN IT GETS WEDGED IN THERE.

SEEMS TO BE QUITE A PAIN IN THE ASS HERE TONIGHT.

THERE'S MORE STICKS COMING UP HERE.

-SHUT IT DOWN. -OH, MAN.

*

OUR SEASON STARTS NOW!

Narrator: AT SCRIBNER CREEK, PARKER'S NEW WASH PLANT

IS RUNNING PAY DIRT FOR THE FIRST TIME.

THE $600,000 ONE-OF-A-KIND

IS PARKER'S BIGGEST EVER INVESTMENT IN HIS FUTURE

AND HIS VISION OF THE PERFECT PLANT.

WITH IT, HE PLANS TO MINE 3,000 OUNCES THIS SEASON.

Parker: THIS PLANT'S A BIG INVESTMENT FOR US.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE SUNK ALL OUR SAVINGS INTO IT.

UH, IT SHOULD BE A REAL GOOD, EFFICIENT MACHINE

AND SHOULD HELP US, UH, SHOULD HELP US CATCH A LOT MORE GOLD.

THAT SIDE HAS A LOT MORE WATER, HUH?

-WHAT'S -- -LOOK AT ALL THAT WATER.

OH, .

Parker: THERE'S ONE BIG, BIG, BIG PROBLEM.

THAT'S JUST TOO MUCH WATER RIGHT NOW.

SO WE HAVE NO WATER HERE,

AND WE'VE GOT TONS OF WATER UP HERE.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM.

Narrator: JUST 5 MINUTES IN,

WATER IS BURSTING OVER THE SLUICE RUNS,

TAKING GOLD WITH IT.

Parker: PROBABLY HAVE HIM SHUT IT DOWN, HUH?

YEAH, SHUT IT DOWN.

TYSON!

THIS IS A LITTLE DEPRESSING.