Gold Rush

Narrator: ON THIS "GOLD RUSH"...

NEEDLESS TO SAY, I'M A LITTLE PISSED AT THE .

Schnabel: TODD HAS BEAT US IN THE LAST TWO CLEANUPS HERE,

AND THAT'S JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE.

I MEAN, THE GUY COULDN'T FIND GOLD IN A JEWELRY STORE.

WE'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL HERE, MAKE SURE NOBODY GETS HURT.

WHOA!

LOOK OUT!

THINK THAT WILL PUT US AHEAD OF THE HOFFMANS?

I MIGHT HAVE PROMOTED HUNTER A LITTLE TOO EARLY.

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON, MAN?

I CAN'T WORK WITH MY DAD.

I CAN'T HAVE HIM HERE

MICROMANAGING EVERYTHING I DO.

YOU CAN'T JUST WALK OFF.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

*

Schnabel: I'M HOPEFUL THAT THIS GROUND KEEPS HOLDING UP

LIKE IT WAS LAST FALL,

AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT BIG RED KEEPS PRODUCING LIKE THAT.

Narrator: THREE WEEKS INTO THE SEASON, PARKER'S CREW

IS RUNNING BIG RED AT INDIAN RIVER.

FOREMAN RICK HAS ALREADY PRODUCED 347 OUNCES

TOWARDS THEIR 5,000-OUNCE, $6 MILLION SEASON GOAL.

RICK IS HERE SLUICING, AND THINGS ARE GOING GOOD.

THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF OPEN GROUND,

SO IT'S TIME TO DO THE SAME AT THE CREEK CUT.

WE'VE GOT A LOT OF MUD TO MOVE UP THERE,

SO WE'RE TAKING TWO RUNNING CUTS UP THERE,

GET THEM GOING,

AND KEEP THEM GOING 24/7 HERE FOR A WHILE.

ALL RIGHT.

Narrator: PARKER HAS BET RIVAL TODD HOFFMAN

HE'LL BEAT HIM THIS SEASON.

THE ONLY WAY HE CAN DO THAT IS TO FIRE UP HIS SECOND PLANT,

SLUICIFER, IN THE CREEK CUT.

Schnabel: SO TODAY IS A BIG DAY.

WE'RE SHIFTING OUR FOCUS FROM BIG RED TO SLUICIFER.

TODD HAS BEAT US IN THE LAST TWO CLEANUPS HERE,

AND THAT'S JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE.

I MEAN, THE GUY COULDN'T FIND GOLD IN A JEWELRY STORE.

NOW IT'S A MATTER OF GETTING THESE THINGS UP TO SLUICIFER

AND GETTING A BUNCH OF GROUND OPEN

BECAUSE ONCE WE STARTING SLUICING WITH

OLD SLUICIFER THERE, WE DON'T STOP.

YOU KNOW, IT GOES 24/7, AND IF IT'S DOWN,

WELL, THAT'S 'CAUSE IT'S BROKE DOWN.

IT'S NOT NIGHTTIME OR A WEEKEND.

*

Narrator: WHILE THE DOZERS BEGIN EXPANDING THE CREEK CUT,

MECHANIC MITCH PREPS THE WASH PLANT.

YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN BUSY.

THIS LOOKS GOOD.

Blaschke: YEAH, IT TURNED OUT NICE.

IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD.

BUT YEAH, I THINK WE'RE ABOUT READY TO HAVE YOU

PULL THE CONVEYOR OVER AND GET THAT LINED UP.

WOW.

Narrator: LAST SEASON, PARKER SPENT $300,000

ON THIS CUSTOM-BUILT SUPER CONVEYOR

TO MOVE PAY DIRT DIRECTLY FROM THE CUT TO THE PLANT.

Schnabel: WE'VE PUT A LOT OF MONEY INTO

OUR SYSTEM HERE FOR SLUICIFER.

THIS CONVEYOR COST A LOT OF MONEY,

BUT THE NICE THING ABOUT IT IS NOW IT RUNS PRETTY FLAWLESSLY

WITH A VERY LIMITED AMOUNT OF PEOPLE

AND A LIMITED AMOUNT OF, YOU KNOW, RESOURCES.

Narrator: THE CONVEYOR SITS ON AN EXCAVATOR,

AND, AT 150 FEET FROM END TO END,

IT'S A NIGHTMARE TO MANEUVER.

HOW AM I LOOKING?

YEAH, I THINK IF YOU JUST COME IN LIKE THAT,

RIGHT AT THE END YOU MIGHT HAVE TO SLIDE IT FOR A FOOT OR SO.

*

YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE PUTTING THE CONVEYOR IN PLACE,

WE HAVE TO BE REALLY CAREFUL THAT WE DON'T DAMAGE

EITHER THE WASH PLANT OR THE CONVEYOR,

BUT THE CONVEYOR HAS ALL THE DRIVE MOTORS,

THE HYDRAULIC LINES, THE ROLLERS,

EVERYTHING, RIGHT OUT THERE ON THE END,

AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, REAL FRAGILE STUFF.

*

YOU'RE A LITTLE SHORT RIGHT NOW.

*

THERE YOU GO.

AM I HITTING ANYTHING THERE?

LOOKING GOOD.

LITTLE BIT MORE.

YOU KNOW, EVERY LITTLE MOVE THAT PARKER MAKES

DOWN THERE IN THE MACHINE, YOU KNOW,

MIGHT JUST BE A HALF INCH DOWN THERE,

WHILE IT'S FEET UP AT THIS END

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE CONVEYOR IS SO LONG.

YOU'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL HERE TO MAKE SURE NOBODY GETS HURT.

WATCH YOURSELF, CHAD.

WILL YOU WATCH MY ASS-END THEN?

YEP.

Chad: YEAH, YOU'RE ABOUT THERE. YOU'RE GETTING CLOSE.

WHOA!

LOOK OUT!

SORRY!

YOU OKAY?

YEP.

SORRY, CHAD!

IS THAT WHERE YOU WANT HIM TO BE?

WE'LL COME IN A BIT AND THEN HAVE HIM COME DOWN?

LEFT, COUPLE INCHES, LITTLE BIT DOWN.

GOOD.

LOOKS GOOD, MAN. LET'S THROW SOME DIRT ON IT.

FIRE IT UP.

*

THAT LOOKS REALLY NICE.

*

WELL, HERE GOES THE FIRST SCOOP OF THE SEASON

FOR OLD SLUICIFER.

*

THERE SHE COMES.

*

NOW WE'VE JUST GOT TO MAKE OUR WAY TO 5,000 OUNCES, HUH?

IT'S REALLY GOOD TO BE RUNNING TWO WASH PLANTS.

YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD A ROUGH SPRING, A LOT OF BREAKDOWNS,

FIGHTING A LOT OF FROST,

BUT WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE NOW.

YOU KNOW, OLD HOFFMAN IS RUNNING HOWEVER MANY YARDS AN HOUR,

BUT WE'VE GOT TWO PLANTS RUNNING 24 HOURS A DAY.

SO GOOD LUCK TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH US.

*

WE'RE ON THE GOLD.

FINALLY THINGS ARE COMING TOGETHER FOR US AS A CREW.

THIS IS ABOUT GETTING 5,000 OUNCES AND, YOU KNOW,

PROBABLY THE FUTURE OF OUR COMPANY.

Narrator: IN COLORADO, TODD IS ALSO CHASING

A BOLD $6 MILLION GOAL.

HE'S RUNNING DOUBLE TROUBLE, AND AT THE START OF THE SEASON,

PROMOTED HIS SON, HUNTER,

AND GAVE HIM CONTROL OF MONSTER RED.

WE'VE HAD A GREAT 3 WEEKS SO FAR.

WE'VE MANAGED TO STAY AHEAD OF PARKER,

AND HE'S GONNA PICK UP THE PACE.

I GUARANTEE YOU THAT, AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FOLLOW SUIT.

WE'VE GOT TO PICK UP OUR PACE, TOO.

Narrator: RATHER THAN INCREASE THE YARDAGE ON DOUBLE TROUBLE,

TODD WANTS HUNTER TO PICK UP THE PACE WITH HIS PLANT,

MONSTER RED.

WE'VE GOT TO PUMP THE YARDAGE THROUGH HERE,

AND WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS, YOU KNOW?

WE'VE GOT TO HIT THAT 400 YARDS AN HOUR.

I CAN CRANK IT UP, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GONNA HANDLE IT.

I DON'T KNOW, EITHER. JUST DO IT.

CRANK IT UP.

I'M ALL FOR RUNNING MORE YARDS,

BUT I'M MORE WORRIED ABOUT IF THE FEEDER CAN HANDLE IT.

SO WE'LL SEE.

*

YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, THIS FEEDER IS TURNED ALL THE WAY UP.

WE'RE RUNNING A TON OF DIRT RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS GOOD.

*

*

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

THIS MAXIMUS HAS EMERGENCY SHUTOFF SWITCHES ON IT.

WE ACTUALLY HAVE A LOT OF ROCKS BOUNCING OFF,

AND THEY'RE HITTING THOSE, AND THEY'RE SETTING THOSE OFF,

AND IT'S SHUTTING OFF THE FEEDER.

Hunter, Hunter, Hunter, are you down?

What's going on?

*

JUAN, TURN OFF THE WATER.

Narrator: RUNNING WATER WITHOUT PAY DIRT THROUGH THE SLUICES

CAN WASH GOLD OUT OF THE RIFFLES.

*

WHY DON'T WE GOT WATER?

YOU STOPPED RUNNING THE PLANT.

WHAT HAPPENED?

DID HE SHUT THE WATER OFF?

YEAH, BECAUSE YOU AREN'T RUNNING PAY,

AND THEN YOU START RUNNING -- BIG EFFING DEAL,

I GOT IT BACK GOING IN ABOUT 5 MINUTES.

IT DOESN'T MATTER. IT'S YOUR FAULT.

I GOT IT GOING, AND I PUT MORE DIRT IN IT.

WHY DON'T YOU HAVE YOUR RADIO?

I DID THE WHOLE -- IT DIED.

I DON'T KNOW WHY. WHY, YOU CHARGE IT?

I DID ALL THIS MYSELF, AND I GOT IT GOING AGAIN.

DID YOU CHARGE IT? NOT MY FAULT.

CHARGE YOUR RADIO!

WELL, HUNTER'S RADIO DIED, SO HE'S NOT COMMUNICATING.

SO, YOU KNOW, HE'S NOT RUNNING HIS TEAM PROPERLY.

SO...

*

I MIGHT HAVE PROMOTED HUNTER A LITTLE TOO EARLY.

I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S READY FOR THIS KIND OF RESPONSIBILITY,

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH.

IT STOPPED.

Todd: SHUT IT OFF.

*

*

HERE, STOP.

SHUT IT OFF.

Narrator: IN COLORADO,

HUNTER HOFFMAN IS UNDER PRESSURE FROM HIS DAD