Gold Rush

THAT'S ALL SHE GOT, MITCH!

Narrator: ON THIS "GOLD RUSH"...

I JUST HIRED THIS DUDE.

Parker: YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING, DO IT.

IF YOU DON'T, THEN WE'VE GOT AN ISSUE HERE.

Kevin: SHE SUNK.

I CAN FIX IT. TRUST ME.

-RICK! -YEAH?

Freddy: STOP! WE'RE SURGING BAD.

- -OH, .

WE CAN'T GO THE WHOLE SEASON LIKE THIS.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD OUR PROBLEMS,

BUT I'M NOT GONNA GIVE A BIG SPEECH.

I'M JUST GONNA GO LIKE THIS.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

I'M, UH...

I DON'T KNOW. I'M A LITTLE FRUSTRATED.

Narrator: PARKER SCHNABEL IS CHASING A 6,000-OUNCE,

$7.2-MILLION SEASON GOAL,

BUT AFTER TWO MONTHS, HE HAS JUST OVER 500 OUNCES.

THIS TIME LAST YEAR, WE HAD -- WHAT? --

1,500 OUNCES?

AND NOW WE'VE GOT, LIKE, A THIRD OF THAT.

WE'RE JUST GETTING OUR ASS KICKED.

WE'VE GOT A MASSIVE PAYROLL BILL,

AND OUR FUEL BILL IS TOUCHING ON $300,000 A MONTH.

I MEAN, THIS IS HOW YOU GO BANKRUPT.

Narrator: BECAUSE OF PARKER'S FAILED ATTEMPT

TO MINE THE CLUSTER CUT,

SLUICIFER IS SITTING IDLE, WAITING FOR PAY DIRT.

-HEY, WILLIE. -YEAH, BUDDY.

Parker: I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT A GAME PLAN HERE.

WE'VE GOT BIG RED GOING,

AND WE'VE GOT TO GET THAT PAD BUILT FOR SLUICIFER.

IT'S A BIT DIFFICULT, BUT I FIGURE

THAT IT SHOULD TAKE THREE DAYS.

I'VE GOT YOU ANOTHER DRIVER.

HE SAYS HE'S GOT A BUNCH OF EXPERIENCE,

AND WE JUST GOT TO GET THIS PAD DONE.

YOU BET, BUDDY. WE'RE ON HER.

-THANKS, WILLIE. -HEY, YOU BET.

Narrator: BIG RED IS ALREADY RUNNING PAY DIRT

AT ONE END OF THE LAST CUT.

AT THE OTHER END, PARKER HAS FINALLY HIT PAY DIRT.

NOW HE NEEDS WILLIE AND HIS TEAM

TO MOVE OVER 50,000 YARDS OF TAILINGS

TO BUILD A PAD 50-FEET HIGH,

THEN DRAG HIS WASH PLANT UP THE SLOPE

AND GET SLUICIFER MINING FOR GOLD.

Parker: WE'VE GOT TO GET SLUICIFER UP AND RUNNING,

AND WE CAN'T START MOVING CONVEYERS IN

OR MOVING THE PLANT IN UNTIL THAT PAD'S DONE.

SO WE NEED EVERYBODY HERE POUNDING THAT PAD IN

AND GETTING THIS THING DONE.

WE GOT TO START GETTING SOME GOLD COMING IN.

Narrator: EXPERT OPERATOR WILLIE FEEDS DIRT TO THE TRUCKS.

Willie: THIS PAD IS SO IMPORTANT TO GET DONE RIGHT NOW.

ONCE WE CAN GET BOTH THOSE PLANTS GOING,

THEN WE'RE GONNA DO SOME DAMAGE.

Narrator: TO BUILD THE 50-FOOT PAD,

PARKER HAS THREE ROCK-TRUCK DRIVERS

DUMPING 18 LOADS AN HOUR.

AARON HAS FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE.

Aaron: THREE DAYS PARKER'S GIVEN US.

I HOPE WE CAN GET IT DONE.

THAT'S A PRETTY TIGHT TIME LINE.

Narrator: MATT IS NEW TO MINING.

TRYING MY BEST. THAT'S ALL I CAN DO.

Narrator: AND NEW RECRUIT ALI

PREVIOUSLY WORKED WITH TONY BEETS.

WHAT IS HE DOING?!

WILLIE! LOOK!

HOLY .

Ali: NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.

OH-HO-HO-HO-HO-HO!

Narrator: THE ROCK TRUCKS NEED TO REVERSE

RIGHT TO THE EDGE OF THE RAMP TO DUMP THEIR LOAD,

BUT ALI HAS GONE TOO FAR.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE THIS GUY TOLD PARKER HE HAS,

BUT I'M GUESSING HE EMBELLISHED A LITTLE,

TO SAY THE LEAST.

Willie: All right, I'm gonna try to pull you

RIGHT FROM OVER YOUR CAB, PRETTY WELL.

WHOA!

OKAY, GO EASY.

Aaron: OKAY!

JACK LEFT, WILLIE!

WOW!

JUST A LITTLE MORE!

OKAY. WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!

LET HIM GO!

THIS GUY IS GONNA GIVE ME A ANEURYSM.

Aaron: GAME OF INCHES, HUH?

THAT WAS TOO CLOSE.

OHHHH, I THINK THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING,

THIS GUY MIGHT SET A NEW RECORD

FOR BEING ON THIS MINE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF TIME.

Willie: IT'S TIME FOR HIM TO GET MOVING,

OR OUR SEASON'S JUST GONNA GRIND TO A HALT.

Narrator: TO BUILD SLUICIFER'S PAD A.S.A.P.,

ONE TRUCK NEEDS TO BE LOADING, ANOTHER DUMPING,

AND THE THIRD TRAVELING BETWEEN THEM AT ALL TIMES.

WHAT THE IS HE DOING?

BACK UP! BACK THE UP!

BACK UP!

BACK UP, YOU !

REVERSE! REVERSE!

HEY!

STOP! HEY, STOP!

I DID NOT HIRE YOU ON THE BASIS

THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE ONE OF THESE THINGS.

I HAD HIRED YOU ON THE BASIS OF YOU TELLING ME

THAT YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE DOING HERE.

SO IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING, DO IT.

IF YOU DON'T, THEN WE'VE GOT AN ISSUE HERE.

TELLING ME, "I HAVE EXPERIENCE."

IF YOU TELL ME YOU'VE GOT EXPERIENCE,

YOU BETTER HAVE EXPERIENCE.

YOU BETTER KNOW WHAT THE YOU'RE DOING.

HOPEFULLY HE SMARTENS UP HERE AND FIGURES THIS OUT

BECAUSE WE'VE GOT TO GET THIS PAD BUILT,

AND WE NEED TO GET IT DONE IN A HURRY.

Narrator: AT EUREKA CREEK,

KEVIN BEETS IS RETURNING FROM A SHORT BREAK.

NOT LONG ENOUGH.

OH, IT'S ONLY TWO DAYS!

SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN.

TONY HAS TWO GOALS THIS SEASON --

TAKE APART AND TRANSPORT DREDGE TWO

100 MILES DOWN THE YUKON RIVER

AND HIT HIS 6,000-OUNCE, $7.2-MILLION TARGET.

I'M JUST HEADING BACK TO DREDGE TO SEE WHAT PROGRESS WE MADE.

Narrator: KEVIN IS SPEARHEADING TONY'S CHASE FOR GOLD

WITH DREDGE ONE.

EVERYTHING SLOWS DOWN WHEN I DISAPPEAR FOR SOME REASON.

WHAT THE ?

SEE HOW BAD THAT DREDGE IS TILTING?

HEY, TONY, CAN YOU COME DOWN TO THE DREDGE?

SHE'S SUNK.

Narrator: OVER THE WEEKEND, DREDGE ONE WAS LEFT UNATTENDED

AND IS NOW UNDERWATER.

EVERY HOUR IT'S DOWN

IS COSTING TONY UP TO $1,200 IN LOST GOLD.

Kevin: IT SEEMS THE MINUTE I GO AWAY, EVERYONE FORGETS

THAT WE GOT A HOLE IN THE BACK PONTOON WE CANNOT FIX.

THE HOLE IS UNDER THE WATERLINE.

IT FILLS WITH WATER.

REPEAT.

NO ONE EMPTIED THE BACK PONTOON.

BASICALLY, YES.

THAT'S WHAT I KEEP TELLING YOU.

I GO AWAY, Y'ALL UP.

I CAN FIX IT.

GET EVERY PUMP ON THE PROPERTY,

OPEN UP THE FIRST PONTOON, PUMP IT OUT.

AS SOON AS THAT'S ABOVE WATER, MOVE TO THE NEXT PONTOON.

FOLKS GONNA GET WET FEET.

DRAINING THE POND'S GONNA TAKE FOREVER,

AND I'LL GET THIS PUMPED OUT IN A FEW HOURS.

TRUST ME.

YES, I CAN.

Narrator: KEVIN'S PLAN -- USE A PAIR OF SMALL PUMPS

TO EMPTY THE WATER OUT OF THE PONTOONS,

ONE BY ONE,

TO REFLOAT THE DREDGE IN JUST A FEW HOURS.

BUT TONY'S INSISTING HE DRAINS THE ENTIRE POND

BEFORE PUMPING OUT THE PONTOONS.

KEVIN WILL THEN HAVE TO REFILL THE POND

OVER THE NEXT TWO DAYS.

Ruby: KEVIN.

DREDGE IS SUNK.

Kevin: YEAH, A LITTLE BIT.

DESPITE TONY'S OBJECTIONS,

KEVIN'S DETERMINED TO PUT HIS OWN PLAN INTO ACTION

WITH HELP FROM TRUCK DRIVER RUBY.

HERE'S THE BATTLE PLAN.

WE'RE GONNA HOOK UP A COUPLE PUMPS,

THROW THEM IN THE HOLE -- PBBBBBBT! --

MAKE SURE THEY GET GOING,

AND SUCK OUT AS MUCH WATER AS POSSIBLE.

WELL, WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT WORK.

-LET'S DO THIS. -FIRE THEM UP.

LET'S CRANK IT UP.

THERE WE GO!

Ruby: WHOO!

TONY SOMETIMES HAS AN IDEA IN HIS HEAD,

AND HE RUNS WITH IT,

BUT I KNOW HOW TO MAKE THIS WORK.

IT MIGHT TAKE A WHILE, BUT WE'LL GET IT DONE.

WHAT WAS THAT?

Kevin: WHAT THE ?