Gold Rush

THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST WEEKS OF THIS SEASON.

Narrator: ON THIS "GOLD RUSH"...

Schnabel: THIS IS A HIGH-OCTANE DAY.

WE'RE MOVING GOLDZILLA.

STOP TALKING ABOUT IT. LET'S JUST DO IT.

YEAH, I'M NERVOUS. I'M NOT GONNA LIE. I'M NERVOUS.

YEAH, YOU NEED TO GET BACK.

Schnabel: IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE HE'S STOPPING.

YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO START RUNNING THE DREDGE.

I WANT FAMILY ON THERE.

Monica: HOLY CRAP!

I'M LOOKED DOWN ON BECAUSE OF MY GENDER AND BECAUSE OF MY AGE.

Hoffman: I GOT TO GET THE GREEN UGLY IN HERE.

WE'LL DO THIS QUICK, LIKE A PIT CREW.

Man: IT'S BENDING! IT'S BENDING!

WHOA! WHOA!

Jack: GUESS WHAT.

THAT'S THE BIGGEST CLEANUP WE'VE EVER HAD.

WE MAY HAVE BEAT PARKER THIS YEAR. WE'LL SEE.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Ness: MAN, THAT THING'S MASSIVE.

YEAH, THESE CONVEYORS ARE JUST HUGE.

I MEAN, THEY'RE IMPRESSIVE.

Narrator: PARKER SCHNABEL'S FOREMAN,

RICK NESS, IS TAKING DELIVERY OF A BRAND-NEW STACKER...

...A KEY PIECE OF THE NEW WASH PLANT

THAT PARKER'S INSTALLING

TO HIT HIS 3,000-OUNCE, $3.3 MILLION SEASON GOAL.

Ness: PARKER'S GONNA BE HAPPY TO SEE THESE.

THESE ARE GONNA HELP OUT HUGE.

I MEAN, 120-FOOT-LONG FOR OUR FEED CONVEYOR.

YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE ABLE TO BEAT TODD,

IT'S GONNA BE AMAZING.

PARKER DOESN'T LIKE TO LOSE.

Narrator: BUT OVER HALFWAY THROUGH THE SEASON,

PARKER HAS JUST 1,000 OUNCES, WORTH $1.1 MILLION.

AND HE JUST PULLED THE PLUG ON HIS TRUSTY WASH PLANT, BIG RED.

Schnabel: FOR AN OPERATION OUR SIZE,

TO NOT SLUICE -- A LITTLE NERVE-WRACKING.

Narrator: THE 21-YEAR-OLD MINE BOSS

HAS MADE THE BOLD DECISION

TO REBUILD HIS OPERATION FROM THE GROUND UP.

I LOVE THE SETUP. I LOVE WHAT WE'RE DOING.

EVERY YARD OF DIRT'S GETTING MOVED A VERY SHORT DISTANCE.

WE WOULDN'T BE TRYING SOMETHING NEW IF I DIDN'T THINK

IT WAS BETTER THAN WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST.

Narrator: INSTEAD OF TRUCKING PAY DIRT ALL THE WAY TO THE WASH PLANT,

HE'S MOVING HIS WASH PLANT RIGHT NEXT TO THE PAY.

HIS CREW HAS BUILT A 400-FOOT-LONG, 50-FOOT-HIGH

MEGA-PAD FOR THE PLANT,

RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF HIS ENORMOUS BOUNDARY CUT.

Schnabel: THAT'S GOOD RIGHT THERE.

Narrator: TO GET MOUNTAINS OF STOCKPILED PAY DIRT UP OUT OF THE CUT,

PARKER HAS SHELLED OUT ON A NEW STACKER.

Schnabel: IT'S HUGE.

IT'S LIKE CHRISTMAS.

YEAH, BABY.

SO YOU THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO BEAT TODD WITH THIS THING?

WELL, IT SHOULD BE A LOT MORE EFFICIENT.

IF WE CAN MAKE IT WORK,

I THINK THE BENEFIT FAR OUTWEIGHS THE RISK.

THIS IS GONNA BE COOL.

YEAH.

Narrator: JUST AS PARKER'S MASTER PLAN STARTS TO COME TOGETHER...

...RICK GETS BAD NEWS FROM HOME.

Schnabel: WHAT'S UP?

UH...YOU'RE NOT GONNA LIKE THIS,

BUT I GOT TO GO HOME -- LIKE, NOW.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

I GOT A WEIRD MESSAGE FROM MY BROTHER

SAYING MY MOM'S SICK AND SHE'S IN THE HOSPITAL,

AND I CAN'T GET AHOLD OF HER, AND I CAN'T GET AHOLD OF HIM.

AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE GOING ON,

SO I... I -- I CAN'T -- I CAN'T DO ANYTHING FROM HERE.

I GOT TO GO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.

YEAH, GO AHEAD AND PACK YOUR STUFF

AND GET OUT OF HERE. ALL RIGHT.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED ANYTHING.

ALL RIGHT. THANKS, BUDDY.

GOOD LUCK. THANKS.

WELL, I KNOW RICK'S MOM'S BEEN HAVING SOME HEALTH ISSUES,

BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS THAT BAD.

AND RICK DOESN'T REALLY TALK ABOUT IT, AND...

HE WOULDN'T GO IF IT WASN'T SERIOUS.

THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST WEEKS OF THE SEASON.

I DON'T KNOW HOW WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO THAT WITHOUT HIM.

Hoffman: 2,700 OUNCES -- THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING THIS YEAR.

KNOW WHAT?

WE MAY EVEN HAVE A CHANCE TO BEAT PARKER THIS YEAR.

WE'LL SEE.

Narrator: HALFWAY THROUGH THE MINING SEASON,

THE HOFFMANS' ENORMOUS SUPER CUT

HAS YIELDED NEARLY 1,200 OUNCES OF KLONDIKE GOLD,

WORTH $1.3 MILLION.

BUT TO HIT 2,700 OUNCES, THEIR LARGEST-EVER SEASON GOAL,

DAVE TURIN IS EXTENDING THEIR SUPER CUT BY ANOTHER 750 FEET.

Turin: NOW WE HAVE TO TAKE IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL.

IF WE'RE GONNA GET TO 2,700 OUNCES THIS YEAR,

IT'S GONNA TAKE EVERY ONE OF US HERE.

I FEEL THE PRESSURE.

NOW I'M GONNA PUT PRESSURE ON THESE GUYS.

Narrator: WASH-PLANT OPERATOR KEVIN HIATT AND MECHANIC JUAN IBARRA

ARE RUNNING MONSTER RED AT 300 YARDS AN HOUR,

DAY AND NIGHT.

Hiatt: 300 YARDS AN HOUR IS NO JOKE.

IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE STAY ON PACE.

I NEED TO KEEP THIS PLANT RUNNING.

I GOT TO PROVE MYSELF TO THESE GUYS, YOU KNOW?

HEY, KEVIN, WE GOT A PROBLEM HERE, MAN.

WHAT WAS THAT?

CAN'T MOVE THE DANG THING.

I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SHUT DOWN, MAN.

FRICK.

YEAH, JUAN, I'M GONNA BE RIGHT THERE.

I'M GONNA COME TALK TO YOU.

Hiatt: OKAY, WHAT'S GOING ON?

WHEN I WENT TO GO TURN ON THE HYDRAULICS,

IT ALL STARTS PUKING OUT OF THE BACK OF THE PUMP.

WATCH IT REAL QUICK.

THAT'S A LOT OF FREAKIN' HYDRAULIC OIL, MAN.

DAMN IT.

SO I HAVE NO CONTROLS ANYMORE.

I CAN'T USE ANY OF THE HYDRAULICS FOR THE DRIVE,

THE STABILIZERS, OR THE LIFT.

WE DON'T HAVE ANY SPARE PARTS FOR THIS DAMN THING.

IT'S GONNA TAKE AT LEAST A WEEK TO GET THEM.

Narrator: THE BROKEN PUMP WILL PREVENT THE RADIAL STACKER

FROM ROTATING AND DISTRIBUTING THE TAILINGS.

WE GOT TO DO SOMETHING.

WE'RE STACKING UP QUICK.

GET IN THE DOZER AND JUST START DOZING THEM,

GET RID OF THEM.

I'LL LET DAVE KNOW. ALL RIGHT.

THE STACKER CAN STILL MOVE ROCKS, BUT ONLY INTO ONE PILE.

SOON, IT'LL BACK UP AND HIT THE CONVEYOR.

JUAN IS FORCED TO BULLDOZE THE TAILINGS AWAY FROM THE PLANT

AND OFF THE EDGE OF THE PATH.

WE GOT 300 YARDS AN HOUR

COMING OUT OF THE BACK OF THAT CONVEYOR,

AND WE GOT A MOUNTAIN OF TAILINGS COMING IN,

SO IT'S A LOT TO DO.

Narrator: EVEN BEFORE THE STACKER BROKE DOWN,

THE HOFFMANS HAD A TAILINGS PROBLEM.

THE GIANT CONVEYOR ROTATES IN AN ARC,

MOVING USELESS TAILINGS AWAY FROM THE WASH PLANT

AND OFF THE EDGE OF THE PAD.

BUT FOR THE PAST SIX WEEKS,

THOUSANDS OF TONS OF TAILINGS HAVE EXTENDED THE PAD.

THE DOZER NOW HAS TO PUSH TAILINGS 40 FEET TO THE EDGE

AND CAN'T KEEP PACE WITH THE EVER-GROWING PILE.

Ibarra: GETTING A LITTLE WORRIED

ABOUT HOW FAR WE GOT TO PUSH THE TAILINGS.

IT'S GONNA GET TO THE POINT

WHERE WE WON'T BE ABLE TO KEEP UP AT ALL.

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGURE OUT ANOTHER SOLUTION

BECAUSE THIS IS NOT GONNA WORK, FOR THE LONG TERM.

KEVIN TO DAVE. KEVIN TO DAVE.

YEAH, GO AHEAD, KEV.

ALL RIGHT, DAVE,

WE'VE GOT A FAILURE ON OUR STACKING CONVEYOR.

WE CAN'T MOVE IT.

IS THAT CONVEYOR MOVING ROCKS?

IS IT SPITTING ROCKS OUT THE END?

FOR THE TIME, YES, IT IS.

KEVIN, YOU'RE IN CHARGE.

KEEP THAT WASH PLANT RUNNING.

IT CANNOT SHUT DOWN.

FIGURE IT OUT.

KEVIN'S GOT TO START TAKING OWNERSHIP OF THAT WASH PLANT.

AND HE'S GOT TO START MAKING THOSE KIND OF CALLS.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

WITH THIS CONVEYOR NOT BEING ABLE TO ROTATE

AND THIS DOZER HAVING TO PUSH THEM ALL OUT,

I DON'T THINK WE HAVE MORE THAN A COUPLE DAYS.

WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SHUT DOWN.

WELL, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO? I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO.

IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN GET ANOTHER CONVEYOR?

YOU ALREADY GOT TWO ON HERE.

I KNOW, BUT IF WE HAD ONE MORE, SHOOT OUT ANOTHER 100 FEET,

WE GOT LOTS OF ROOM.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. WE'RE OUT OF ROOM.

OTHERWISE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE EVERYTHING APART

AND MOVE THE ENTIRE PLANT.

ALL RIGHT. I'LL LOOK FOR SOMETHING.

THANKS.

YOU KNOW WHAT? KEVIN'S RUNNING THE PLANT.

HE'S DOING A GOOD JOB. HE'S TRYING TO THINK AHEAD.

WE'VE ALREADY FILLED UP

JUST ABOUT AN ACRE WORTH OF GROUND OF TAILINGS.

SO I GOT TO FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION AND DO IT NOW.

HE'S GONNA GO OUT AND FIND US A CONVEYOR,

AND IF HE DOESN'T, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SHUT DOWN.

THERE'S NO OTHER CHOICE.

WE'RE OUT OF ROOM.

Narrator: TONY BEETS' MINING SEASON IS SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL.

HIS $1 MILLION DREDGE HAS PRODUCED

JUST A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS' WORTH OF GOLD --

LESS THAN HALF HIS MID-SEASON GOAL.

WITH DREDGE MASTER GENE CHEESEMAN ON VACATION

AND SEASONED VETERANS MIKE AND JERRY LONG GONE,