Bering Sea Gold

Narrator: NOME, ALASKA --

THE FINAL DAY OF THE WINTER MINING SEASON.

Narrator: BY SUNDOWN, DREDGERS WILL HAVE TO STOP THEIR ENGINES

AND CALL IT QUITS.

THEY'RE KICKIN' US OFF OFFICIALLY.

WE'RE CHOOSING TO BE GOLD MINERS

BECAUSE WE REALLY LIKE TO BE FREE.

THE FACT THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS STEPPING IN AND TRYING

TO DICTATE WHEN WE CAN MINE AND WHEN WE CANNOT MINE,

IT'S TRULY SICKENING.

EVERYTHING'S GOIN' CRAZY HERE.

Narrator: FOR VERNON ADKISON...

THIS IS GONNA BE YOUR LAST CHANCE.

YOU GOT ONE MONTH TO GET IT ALL RIGHT TO THE LAST LITTLE SPECK.

...JUST HOURS REMAIN FOR HIS $100,000 INVESTMENT

TO FINALLY PROVE ITS WORTH.

Vern: I'VE GOT HIGH EXPECTATIONS.

AND IF I'M RIGHT, THINGS WILL BE GOLDEN.

Narrator: AT THE PADDY WAGON...

I'M REALLY STRESSED OUT OVER THIS DEADLINE.

'CAUSE IT'S BEEN A ROUGH ONE.

ALL I HAVE TO DO IS TRY TO BREAK EVEN,

SO I'M NOT GONNA BE DREDGING IN THE SUMMER.

Narrator: A SEASON OF FAILURES HAS PUT

FIRST-TIME DREDGE OWNER KRIS KELLY

ON THE VERGE OF GOING BELLY-UP.

SOME GUYS DON'T RECOGNIZE DEFEAT WHEN THEY'RE FACED WITH IT.

Narrator: OVER AT THE CLARK...

I CAN GO REALLY FAST. YOU KNOW, I'M REALLY GOOD AT IT.

...EMILY RIEDEL AND ZEKE TENHOFF HAVE ONE LAST CHANCE

TO TURN THEIR ROCKY PARTNERSHIP INTO A GOLDEN FUTURE.

IT'S A TRUST EXERCISE. NO, YOU DEFINITELY WILL.

I DON'T TRUST YOU ENOUGH TO DO THAT.

Narrator: AND DEEP IN THE WILD...

THIS IS A BIG OCEAN OUT HERE,

LOTS OF PLACES FOR THAT GOLD TO HIDE.

...SHAWN POMRENKE HAS ONE LAST DIVE

TO SHOW HIS OLD MAN THE BLUFF IS THE FUTURE.

YOU AIN'T TOUGH ENOUGH? GO HOME!

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: ONE HUNDRED MILES FROM NOME,

AT THE BLUFF...

SHOES FROZEN, ICE-COLD.

GET IN THE WATER AND FIND SOME GOLD.

Narrator: FOR SHAWN POMRENKE'S MONTHLONG EXPEDITION,

IT'S CRUNCH TIME.

IT'S BRUTAL OUT HERE.

AIN'T BEEN NOTHIN' EASY ABOUT THIS TRIP,

NOT ONE THING.

Narrator: THIS WINTER...

THERE IT IS. THERE'S THE BLUFF.

...SHAWN GAMBLED 30 GRAND OF FAMILY MONEY

ON A PROSPECTING TRIP DEEP IN THE BUSH.

I HOPE WE GET SOME OF THIS MONEY BACK.

Narrator: AND 5 DAYS AGO...

THERE'S A BLIZZARD OUT HERE RIGHT NOW.

...IN THE FACE OF A BLAZING ARCTIC STORM...

YEAH. LOOK AT ALL THAT FINE GOLD.

...HE FINALLY HIT PAY DIRT. COME ON!

YOU AIN'T WORE OUT YET.

ALL RIGHT. GO TO IT, SON.

Narrator: NOW, UNDER THE GLARE OF HIS OLD MAN

AND WITH THE REMNANTS OF THE STORM HANGING AROUND...

MINING'S TOUGH ENOUGH BY ITSELF,

BUT NOW IN THE WINTERTIME, MAKES IT DOUBLE-TOUGH, TRIPLE-TOUGH.

...IT'S HIS LAST CHANCE TO GET ALL THE GOLD HE CAN.

SHAWN KNOWS THIS GAMBLE AS WELL AS I DO.

YOU KNOW, MAYBE I LOOK AT IT

MORE SERIOUSLY THAN WHAT HE DOES.

YOU KNOW, HE'S WANTIN' TO BRING THE CHRISTINE ROSE

DOWN TO THE BLUFF TO DO SOME SERIOUS PROSPECTIN'.

SO DON'T BE SLACKIN' OFF.

UP YOUR GUYS' GAME.

DO EVERYTHING EXACTLY RIGHT...

Narrator: AFTER DAYS OF NEAR-HURRICANE FORCE WINDS,

THE SHALLOW WATERS OF THE BLUFF HAVE BECOME A SILTY MESS.

HOW THE HELL YOU GONNA FIND THE GOLD IF YOU CAN'T --

IF YOU'RE ALL MURKED OUT?

HOPEFULLY, I CAN SNIFF IT OUT.

THERE'S NOTHIN' GONNA STOP US FROM MINING HERE.

Narrator: PUSHING TO SHOW HIS DAD AT LEAST 15 OUNCES

IN A FINAL CLEANUP,

SHAWN WILL HAVE TO FIGHT THROUGH THE MURK FOR EVERY LAST SCRAP.

THE KICKER -- THEY WON'T KNOW THE FINAL TALLY

TILL A PROPER CLEANUP BACK IN NOME.

GONNA GO AHEAD AND, UH, PUNCH MY FIRST HOLE HERE.

FIND THE GOLD. FIND THE GOLD.

I'M WORKIN' ON IT.

COME ON, BABY. COME ON. SHOW ME SOME GOLD.

I WANNA SEE SOME GOLD.

Narrator: WHILE SHAWN BATTLES OUT HIS LAST DIVE...

100 MILES TO THE WEST...

AT THE WILD RANGER...

OKAY. GIVE IT SOME SLACK HERE.

LOOK! LOOK!

TURN THE THING THAT WAY!

FOR VERNON ADKISON... PULL THAT WAY!

...AND HIS $100,000 GAMBLE, IT'S JUDGMENT DAY.

ALL RIGHT. LOWER THE .

Narrator: THIS WINTER...

IT LOOKIN' REAL GOOD UP HERE.

IT LOOKIN' LIKE MONEY TO ME, BABY.

...AFTER HIS STATE-OF-THE-ART SUB-DREDGE

GOT OFF TO A STRONG START...

THERE'S NO SUCTION.

...VERNON SPENT MORE TIME WORKING OUT THE KINKS...

...THAN MAKING GOLD.

NOW, WITH EVERYTHING ON THE LINE,

THE SKIPPER HAS JUST ONE LAST SHOT TO MAKE IT PAY.

WE'RE BARELY INTO DOUBLE DIGITS ON OUR GOLD COUNT.

SEASON'S DAMN NEAR OVER.

WE DON'T GET GOLD ON THIS ONE, WE GONNA BE IN DEEP TROUBLE.

STRESS LEVEL IS HIGH.

THE MONEY GETS LOW, STRESS GOES UP.

WE NEED TO GET 20 OUNCES TODAY.

Narrator: NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES,

VERN IS SENDING CREW CHIEF DEREK McCLARTY

DOWN TO LEAD THE DREDGE AND THE TEAM TO GOLD.

ALL RIGHT, DEREK. PUT THIS SUCKER OVER THE GOLD!

COPY THAT.

Vern: THERE'S NOT THAT MUCH TIME LEFT,

SO YOU GOTTA GET ALL THE DUCKS IN A ROW.

IT'S LIKE PLAYIN' A SLOT MACHINE.

YOU GOTTA HAVE THE GROUND TO WORK.

YOU GOTTA HAVE THE CREW.

YOU GOTTA HAVE THE WEATHER.

AND YOU GOTTA HAVE THE EQUIPMENT.

YOU GOTTA HAVE THOSE FOUR THINGS.

AND PLUS, SOME OTHER THINGS,

BUT THOSE ARE THE FOUR MAIN THINGS.

TRAVEL, LEFT TRACK, BACKWARDS, PLEASE.

KEEP GOIN'.

OKAY. HOLD THAT.

'KAY.

GO AHEAD AND DROP THE HEAD.

THAT'S RIGHT. KEEP GOIN'. KEEP GOIN'.

THAT'S GOOD. FIRE IT UP.

FIRIN' IT UP.

ALL RIGHT.

COME OVER TO THE HEAD JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE.

THERE YOU GO.

ALL RIGHT, FELLAS. WE GOT IT IN THE SANDBAR.

LOOKS LIKE WE TRULY CHEWIN' UP THE SAND LIKE A BIG DOG.

THIS THING, IN ITS ELEMENT,

WILL DO 12 TIMES AS MUCH AS AN 8-INCH SEARCH AND DRAG.

THE KEY WORD IS "IN ITS ELEMENT."

BUT IT IS A BUMPIN' SON OF A BITCH.

Narrator: IF THE MACHINE CAN KEEP CHEWING THROUGH PAY DIRT,

VERNON COULD FINALLY BE IN LINE FOR A BIG SCORE.

LOOK! LITTLE SPECKS OF GOLD!

Narrator: VERNON'S NOT THE ONLY ONE HOPING FOR A MIRACLE FINISH.

OVER AT THE PADDY WAGON...

I THINK WE SHOULD RENAME THIS HOLE "THE LAST CHANCE HOLE."

...KRIS KELLY IS ALSO GUNNING TO BEAT THE ODDS.

WELL, WE NEED SOME HOURS.

WE NEED TO BE... NEED TO PUT HOURS...

FOCUSED. WE NEED TO GET ON THIS .

Narrator: HIS FIRST YEAR AS A DREDGE OWNER,

KRIS HAS MORE AT STAKE THAN JUST FINDING GOLD.

I'M STILL GONNA CRUSH MY DAD THIS SEASON.

I'M NOT GOING BACK TO WORK WITH HIM.

Narrator: AFTER A LIFETIME OF ABUSE FROM HIS OLD MAN...

Brad: WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?

...KRIS BROKE AWAY TO START HIS OWN OPERATION.

WE'RE CALLIN' OUR LITTLE SETUP THE PADDY WAGON.

IT'S A 6-INCH POWERHOUSE.

EVERYTHING IS GONNA BE AWESOME.

I GOT A -- THERE'S A LOTTA SOMETHING HERE.

Narrator: BUT THE COST OF BEING HIS OWN CAPTAIN...

WRONG!

OH, ME.

EVERYTHING'S GOTTA ALWAYS GO BAD FOR ME.

I SWEAR TO GOD.

...HAS BEEN MORE THAN HE BARGAINED FOR.

I'M SURPRISED I'VE MADE IT THIS FAR.

HAD SO MANY FAILURES AND I'M STILL IN THIS.

Narrator: NOW, IF HE CAN'T FINALLY PRODUCE A PAYDAY,

HE MAY HAVE NO CHOICE

BUT TO RETURN TO WORK FOR HIS POPS.

MY DAD'S TRYING TO GET ME TO FOLD MY HAND,

ACCEPT DEFEAT, AND COME BACK WITH HIM.

BUT I'M NOT GONNA DO THAT.

I KNOW I CAN TURN THIS AROUND.

I KNOW I CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

THIS ONE HOLE, RIGHT NOW, IS GONNA SAVE EVERYTHING FOR US.

THIS IS THE REDEMPTION HOLE.

Narrator: LAST TO ARRIVE ON THE ICE...

IT'S TAX DAY. IT'S THE LAST DAY.

ANDY AND I GOTTA GET AS MUCH GOLD AS POSSIBLE

BEFORE THEY KICK US OFF THE ICE.

KRIS' FATHER BRAD AND YOUNGER BROTHER ANDY

ARE READY TO FIRE UP THE REAPER ONE LAST TIME.

HOLD ON.

WHAT THE ?

WHY THE ARE OUR HOSES SITTING THERE?

WHAT THE ?

WHAT THE ? ANDY, ALL OUR GONE.

WHAT THE ?

THE COMM BOX IS GONE.

THE MASKS ARE GONE! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!