Gold Rush

I THREW OUT A 6,000 OUNCE GOAL AT THE START OF THIS SEASON,

AND, WHAT, HERE WE ARE HALFWAY

THROUGH THE SEASON WITH LESS THAN A THOUSAND.

TONY DECIDES HE'S GONNA GET 6,000 OUNCES

AND OR, I GUESS MINE MORE GOLD THAN US THIS YEAR.

WELL, THAT.

WE'VE NEVER FAILED A SEASON GOAL YET

AND WE'RE NOT ABOUT TO START RIGHT NOW.

I WAS NERVOUS COMING INTO THIS SEASON,

BUT I HAD NO IDEA HOW TOUGH IT WAS GONNA BE

RUNNING MY OWN OPERATION.

I'VE GOT EVERYTHING I OWN ON THE LINE,

AND I TALKED MY FRIENDS INTO GIVING UP THEIR JOBS

ON THE PROMISE THAT WE'D FIND GOLD.

AND NOW EVERYTHING THAT CAN GO WRONG HAS GONE WRONG.

MY DAD TOLD ME I'D GO BROKE AND LOSE MY FRIENDS THIS SEASON.

IF I DON'T GET A THOUSAND OUNCES OF GOLD, HE'LL BE RIGHT.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

IT'S A LONG ROAD TO 6,000 OUNCES.

WE HAVE TO HAVE BOTH THESE WASH PLANTS RUNNING 24/7.

I SURE AS HELL DON'T WANT TO GET BEAT

BY THAT TONY BEETS THIS YEAR.

Narrator: PARKER IS FINALLY RUNNING ON ALL CYLINDERS.

TO REACH HIS SEASON GOAL,

HE NEEDS OVER $390,000 IN GOLD EVERY WEEK.

BIG RED IS SLUICING 200 YARDS AN HOUR.

A MILE ACROSS THE CUT,

SLUICIFER IS CHOWING THROUGH ANOTHER 250.

WITH A NICE BIG PILE OF PAY LIKE THIS,

I THINK WE CAN GET THERE.

LET'S MAKE SOME MONEY.

Narrator: ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SLUICIFER'S PAD,

MECHANIC CHAD SPOTS WATER SPILLING

OUT OF THE DIVERTER TROUGH.

THESE ARE JUST OLD RUBBER MATS WE'RE USING TO DIVERT THE WATER

BUT CLEARLY THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK.

STAY OUT OF THE WAY.

WHOA!

JUMP BACK!

HOLY .

THE WATER FROM THE SLUICE RUNS IS REALLY

STARTING TO ROUTE AWAY.

ALL THIS WATER JUST TRYING TO WASH

ITSELF RIGHT DOWN THE HILL.

IF WE DON'T GET THIS TIGHTENED UP HERE,

SLUICIFER WILL END UP TIPPING DOWN INTO THE POND.

Narrator: MITCH WIDENS THE CHANNEL TO AVOID A DISASTER.

Mitch: WHAT I'M GONNA DO HERE IS DIG THE MATERIAL OUT,

TRY AND SLOW DOWN THIS WATER A LITTLE BIT.

WHEN IT'S IN A REALLY TIGHT CHANNEL,

THE WATER MOVES REALLY FAST.

HOPEFULLY, WE'LL SLOW DOWN THE EROSION.

NOT GOOD.

IF WE DON'T FIGURE THIS OUT REAL QUICK,

THAT CHUTE'S GONNA GO

AND THAT SLUICIFER'S GONNA END UP DOWN THERE WITH IT.

Narrator: CHAD HAS LOST THE BATTLE.

3,500 GALLONS OF WATER A MINUTE ARE UNDERMINING SLUICIFER,

PARKER'S $600,000 PRIZE POSSESSION.

IT'S LIKE PISSING IN THE WIND.

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SHUT THIS THING DOWN.

PARKER, YOU GOT COPY?

IS HE NOT ON THE RADIO IN THERE OR WHAT?

THAT CHUTE'S STRAIGHT OUTTA THERE

AND IT'S STARTING TO UNDERMINE THE PLANT.

I'M GONNA HAVE TO SHUT HER DOWN.

YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING.

WOW. WE HAD TWO PLANTS RUNNING,

BUT I GUESS NOW WE'RE BACK TO ONE.

CAN I SWING IT?

WHY WOULDN'T YOU GUYS HAVE SHUT DOWN SOONER?

IT REALLY DIDN'T LOOK BAD UNTIL ABOUT

THE LAST TWO MINUTES, MAN.

LIKE, THAT CHUTE, EVERYTHING WAS HOLDING UP

PRETTY GOOD. -WHAT, AND EVEN,

CHAD, LIKE WHEN YOU CAME DOWN, THERE WAS NO SENSE OF URGENCY.

I TOLD YOU STRAIGHT UP,

I SAID WE GOTTA SHUT THIS THING DOWN.

YOU WALKED DOWN.

YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T AN EMERGENCY.

WELL, I DID RUN DOWN.

BUT, I MEAN, WE'RE GONNA SPEND ALL DAY

GETTING BACK WHERE WE WERE THIS MORNING, RIGHT?

UNBELIEVABLE.

I'M JUST DONE TAKING HIS BULL .

IT'S A EMBARRASSMENT.

ME AND MY CREW HAVE BEEN WORKING OUR BALLS OFF OUT HERE

AND I'M THE ONE THAT TALKED 'EM INTO QUITTING THEIR JOBS

'CAUSE I TOLD 'EM WE WERE GONNA GET A BUNCH OF GOLD.

THIS IS GETTING STRESSFUL.

WE SHOULD BE GETTING WAY MORE GOLD

THAN WE ARE RIGHT NOW, WAY MORE.

Narrator: TO HIT HIS 1,000 OUNCE, $1.2 MILLION GOAL,

RICK SHOULD HAVE AROUND 350 OUNCES,

BUT HE'S ONLY MINED 210,

WORTH JUST $250,000.

TO GET BACK ON TRACK, HE NEEDS TO PULL

$63,000 OF GOLD OUT OF THE GROUND EVERY WEEK

UNTIL THE FREEZE SHUTS HIM DOWN.

HOW'S THAT GOLD LOOKING, KARLA?

IT'S NOT LOOKING AS HEALTHY AS THE LAST CLEANUP.

Narrator: RICK'S LANDLORD, SHEAMUS CHRISTIE,

GAVE HIM A DRILL MAP THAT INDICATES THERE SHOULD BE

AT LEAST A THOUSAND OUNCES OF GOLD IN THE GROUND.

BUT IT DOESN'T FIT WITH HIS RESULTS.

I'VE BEEN RUNNING THESE AVERAGES OF WHAT WE'RE DOING,

AND THEY'RE NOT EVEN COMING CLOSE TO THE DRILL RESULTS.

LIKE, NOT EVEN, LIKE HALF.

YIKES.

YEAH.

WE'RE WAY THE OFF.

WAY OFF.

IT'S SCARY, BECAUSE I BROUGHT ALL YOU GUYS UP HERE

BASED, LOOSELY, ON THIS.

MAYBE THIS IS SOMETHING YOU NEED TO TALK TO SHEAMUS ABOUT.

I SUPPOSE I BETTER JUST STEP UP

TO THE MANTLE PIECE AND GO FIND SHEAMUS.

-GOOD LUCK. -THANKS.

EVERYTHING I'M DOING IS BASED ON SHEAMUS'S DRILL MAPS

AND IF THERE'S ONLY 500 OUNCES

AND NOT A THOUSAND LIKE THERE'S SUPPOSE TO BE,

I'M GONNA GO BROKE NEXT WEEK.

-HEY, RICK. -HEY, YOU GOT A SECOND TO CHAT?

-YEAH. -INSIDE ADVICE OR I DON'T KNOW.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR,

BUT WE'VE BEEN RUNNING ENOUGH TO KINDA GET SOME AVERAGES,

UM, BASED ON THE DRILL HOLES HERE,

AND MAN, IT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE.

WE'RE BASICALLY GETTING HALF.

LIKE, AS FAR AS I CAN SEE,

IT'S, LIKE, HALF AN OUNCE PER HUNDRED RIGHT NOW.

WELL, I FIGURED THERE SHOULD BE

AT LEAST A THOUSAND OUNCES IN THAT PIECE, EASY.

AND THESE DRILLS, I MEAN, THIS IS STUFF

WE DRILLED 10 YEARS AGO.

IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S ANYTHING THAT'S BEEN CHANGED.

YEAH.

-YEAH. -BUT I'M FREAKING OUT.

WELL, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT GOING DOWN

AND HAVING A LOOK, YOU KNOW,

LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE BEEN MINING, LOOK AT WHERE YOU ARE.

-YEAH. -HAVE A LOOK AT THE BOX.

YOU KNOW, ALL THOSE THINGS ARE GONNA CONTRIBUTE TO IT.

YEAH.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S UP. SOMETHING'S GOING WRONG.

THE SLUICE BOX ISN'T CATCHING IT.

I MEAN, THE GOLD IS DEFINITELY THERE.

YOU'RE DEFINITELY LOSING GOLD, RICK.

I MEAN, THESE RIFFLES DON'T WORK

WHEN THEY'RE BURIED IN TWO INCHES OF MATERIAL.

THAT MATERIAL HAS TO CONTACT THOSE

RIFFLES AND GET IN THAT VORTEX. -YEAH.

Narrator: AS WATER CARRIES THE CONCENTRATE

DOWN THROUGH THE SLUICE BOX,

THE HEAVY GOLD GETS CAUGHT IN

THE EXPANDED METAL RIFFLES.

IF THE RIFFLES FILL WITH DIRT

THE GOLD WILL WASH STRAIGHT OUT INTO THE TAILINGS.

BUT THESE RIFFLES UP HERE, THEY'RE NOT DOING .

EASIEST WAY TO FIND OUT IS JUST GO PAN

SOME OF THE TAILINGS, SEE WHAT'S THERE.

I'M AFRAID TO DO THAT NOW.

Narrator: IF SHEAMUS FINDS GOLD IN THE WASTE TAILINGS,

IT MEANS THE WASH PLANT IS AT FAULT

AND RICK'S WRONG TO DOUBT THE GROUND.

I MEAN, I HOPE WE HAVEN'T BEEN

CHUCKING GOLD OFF THE END OF THAT SLUICE BOX,

BUT IN A WAY, IT'D BE GOOD TO KNOW AND SO WE CAN FIX IT.

IF IT'S THE GROUND, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO, SO.

I DON'T SEE ANY IN THERE. DO YOU SEE ANY?

YEAH, I DON'T KNOW, I AIN'T SEEING IT.

I THOUGHT WE'D SEE GOLD IN THERE, RIGHT?

I THOUGHT WE'D SEE SOMETHING.

I HATE TO SAY IT, BUT I WAS ACTUALLY

HOPING TO SEE GOLD IN THAT PAN. -YEAH, SO WAS I.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE TO DO NOW.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I INVESTED

EVERYTHING I HAVE INTO THIS GROUND

AND NOW I FIND OUT IT'S JUST NOT

GONNA HAVE THE AMOUNT OF GOLD I NEED.

Sheamus: I FEEL REALLY BAD FOR RICK.

THOSE DRILL RESULTS HAVE ALWAYS COME GOOD FOR US.