Bering Sea Gold

Narrator: Nome, alaska.

Zeke: Mining is about independence.

I'm relying on myself.

And right now, I'm not doing that well.

And I'm trying to figure out how to do better.

But at least I'm not relying on anyone but myself.

Narrator: In the gold-mining game,

You can't get far without being able to go it alone.

Derek: I'm a good mechanic. I'm a good fabricator.

I'm a good problem solver.

There's no situation I can't handle down here.

Narrator: But late in the 2015 summer dredging season...

Steve: My dream is happening here,

But, you know, supposed to be shawn's too.

Narrator: ...The fleet is about to get a crash course in teamwork.

Steve: Communication between me and shawn is pretty piss-poor.

I know all his faults, and he knows all mine.

You know, that's -- only father and son

Can have that relationship, I think.

Narrator: Even for the most resourceful miners around...

...Eventually...

Everybody needs a hand.

I need a new crew.

So I was gonna see if you guys wanted to come

And dive on my boat.

Captions paid for by discovery communications

On

Narrator: The outskirts of nome

At zeke tenhoff's compound...

You know, the whole, like, dynamic of running a boat

For a corporate entity is --

It, like, kind of saps some of --

Some of my juice out of me.

...The chief gold officer of the havilah

Is growing tired of life as a company man.

Another thing is -- is --

That it's treasure-hunting for somebody else.

It's been a really long summer

And a lot of things have not gone well for me.

The numbers for the season are --

Are pretty weak, pretty damn weak.

Definitely way below what corporate expected

Me to do for them.

Narrator: Three months ago...

If you get tired of working for the man, uh, we'll talk.

...Zeke chose the stability of the corporate ladder

Over a reboot with emily riedel.

I'd much rather work for the man than work for her.

Narrator: But a crew of greenhorns...

I am totally suspended in the air.

I am taking a ride.

We are no longer on the ground.

...The string of bad cleanups...

I don't know that the hell's going on.

...Has left him weighing his options.

I was kind of thinking about maybe just quitting gold mining

And becoming a custom couch-maker.

-Hello. -Hey, there, emily.

-Hey, hey. -Hey, emily.

It's really nice in here.

yeah, it is.

You want a cerveza?

- -

Aw, you guys are all laid out.

How are you doing?

I lost daryl.

And daryl got into a gnarly car accident.

-Is daryl okay? -He is.

He's just in for a long recovery.

He can't put any weight on his leg for three months.

So, um, how's everything on your boat?

How's -- how's mr. Corporate?

I don't know what to say about it.

It's okay, but I don't like my success in mining

To be in the hands of other people.

It's nice having gabe here, you know.

Well, emily, generally when you come down here,

You want something.

So just, like, just, you know...

Yeah, maybe you're just down here just to chill.

Maybe I just wanted a beer and conversation.

I don't believe you, though. What do you want?

Uh, I need a new crew to finish out the season.

So I was gonna see if you guys

Wanted to come and dive on my boat.

What is my incentive to do that?

The way I've been working with my other divers

Is 18% to the lease owner, 50% to the dredge owner.

And the divers split the remaining percentage

According to hours.

50% to the dredge owner?

Like, don't feel like I would be okay

About giving you 50% of the gold that I mined.

Well, me and gabe will do it

If there's no other divers other than me and gabe.

And me and gabe get 70% of the box.

So, I mean, what did you expect?

I just spent the whole summer beating my face

Against the situation where I'm

Basically dredging for somebody else.

And then you're like, "okay, here come work on my boat.

And I'll take half the gold."

You're no different from corporate, dude.

I'd be willing to raise

The percentage that you guys get.

Not to 70%, though.

70%.

60%.

I think it's fair.

Well, it just sounds like you need to come back

And talk to us when you're a little more hard up.

Uh, okay.

Sorry it didn't work out.

Yeah.

Good luck finding some dudes.

-Peace out. -Peace.

Emily's perspective on -- on reality is kind of wonky.

Does she really think

That she's gonna be able to come out here and just,

Like, employ us to go make money for her?

Like, no. Nice try.

♪♪

Narrator: Over on belmont beach...

We gonna wait for dad,

Or are we gonna just take the boat out?

...Kris and andy kelly are itching to hit the water.

This is gonna be our only day for a little while.

We need to get out there right now.

Kris: We decided to go to the west rec

Where we know for sure there's good gold.

It's turning out to be awesome.

It's turning out to be half an ounce an hour.

At least we're starting to may a paycheck in.

I'm always happy when I'm making money.

Narrator: This summer...

sandbar piece of

...After burning 10 grand

On goldless claims off the solomon river...

There's no cobble on this entire claim.

We're gonna get nothing.

...Team kelly return to familiar turf...

-Oh, my god. -Oh, my god.

Narrator: ...And against the odds...

Manage to scrounge up a payday.

We got to get back out there on the water now.

-Now... -Let's just take off and go.

There we go. Start the engine.

...With their new hot spot waiting...

We're out of here.

You know, I'm not --

Not waiting for him any more this year.

...There's the little matter of their fearless leader.

My dad's got a young girlfriend.

And, uh, he's an old man.

You figure out what the problem is.

Brad: You think so?

Ah! Blah!

Seatbelt on.

Brad: Uh, nia was not part of the plan.

First of all, when I met with courtney,

She couldn't have kids for a long period of time.

I went to the doctor, and doctor said,

"no, she's not able to have kids."

All of a sudden, a miracle of god.

Now she's pregnant again as soon as I come around.

I mean, her family says, "it's a blessing.

It's a blessing."

To me, I thought, "why do you do this to me, god?

What are you teaching me?"

Oh, here he comes.

Yeah, the boys have already left the dock.

We'll catch 'em right here.

Kris: There's just no way we're gonna stop.

We shouldn't have waited around this long.

We've already made the decision.

It's too late to turn back.

What the hell are you doing with the baby?

You guys are gonna have to go today.

I've got to take care of the baby.

What a joke. He brought the baby down.

We shouldn't have waited around.

I'm happy for him.

I'm happy he's a great father with his new child.

I really am.

He was 16, 17 years old when he had me.

He didn't even know what the hell he was doing.

So I understand why he was a father.

Narrator: With one more kelly mouth to feed...

...It's big brothers to the rescue.

We need a lot of gold today, man.

I know you can do it.

Oh, yeah. I'll try right here.

Kris: Okay, I mean, I hope you're really finding gold.

Nia, dad, everybody,

The whole family's depending on you right now

To find us some gold.

It's all on our shoulders.

He doesn't give a

Just outside the city limits

In the shadow of anvil mountain.