Gold Rush

Narrator: ON THIS...

AH

Narrator: ..."GOLD RUSH"...

WE GOT WATER COMING OVER THE TOP.

OH, HIT THE WATER LINE.

I THOUGHT YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE DOING.

Rick: THAT'S WHAT I CALL DUMB.

IF THESE PROBLEMS KEEP HAPPENING,

THEN IT COSTS US MONEY.

I DON'T GIVE MUCH SLACK TO GUYS

THAT WANT MORE RESPONSIBILITY.

HEY, SHUT IT OFF!

THESE FINE TAILINGS, THEY'RE GONNA BACK RIGHT UP.

PARKER COMES HERE AND SEES THIS, HE'S GONNA LOSE HIS MIND.

WHAT THE

THIS ISN'T REALLY HOW WE DO THINGS HERE.

COME UP WITH ANOTHER SOLUTION, BRENNAN.

SAKES.

Man: HOLY

WHOA, WHOA, STOP!

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Parker: THIS SEASON'S BEEN PRETTY MANIC.

WE'RE JUST OVER HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR,

AND EVERYTHING'S BEEN A MESS, A FIGHT,

AND WE'RE STILL TRYING HARD TO GET TO 6,000 OUNCES.

Narrator: PARKER SCHNABEL IS

CHASING A COLOSSAL $7.2 MILLION GOAL.

HE'S MINED JUST OVER $3.7 MILLION,

BUT HE'S STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP THE PACE.

YEAH, WE'RE PRETTY SHORT-STAFFED AT THE MOMENT,

BUT THESE PLANTS HAVE TO RUN.

CRANK IT UP.

Narrator: AT ONE END OF HIS 61-ACRE CUT,

FOREMAN DEAN IS THROWING ALL AVAILABLE RESOURCES

AT RUNNING SLUICIFER.

Dean: GET IT DONE WITH AND GET SLUICING.

Parker: IT PRETTY MUCH LEAVES BRENNAN ALONE

DOWN AT BIG RED, WHICH IS A PRETTY BIG CHALLENGE,

BUT HE'LL JUST HAVE TO MAKE IT WORK.

Narrator: BRENNAN, RECENTLY PUT IN CHARGE

AT BIG RED, IS KEEPING THE PLANT RUNNING

BY HOT-SEATING BETWEEN THE ROCK TRUCK AND THE EXCAVATOR.

Brennan: HOT-SEATING THE YUKON CROSSFIT.

WHOO.

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE HELL I'M DOING RIGHT NOW.

Narrator: WHILE HIS ONLY CREW MEMBER, BREE, FEEDS THE PLANT.

PITBULL, SMOKES, LET'S GO.

WELL, I DON'T RUN TRUCK VERY OFTEN,

BUT WHEN I DO, I'LL MAKE SURE I GIVE IT A WORKOUT.

HEY, BREE, GIVE ME ONE OF YOUR SMOKES.

Bree: OFF!

I REALLY ENJOY WORKING WITH BRENNAN.

PLAY JOKES ON EACH OTHER, GIVE EACH OTHER

BUT WE'RE FRIENDS AND WE GET ALONG.

Brennan: PARKER'S ALREADY THREATENED TO THROW ME BACK

IN THE HOSE SEAT IF I CAN'T HOLD UP MY WORD

ON THIS GOLD THAT WE'VE SET.

I'VE HAD ENOUGH LOADING TRUCKS, IT'S NOT WHAT I WANT TO DO.

AW

HEY, BRENNAN, CAN YOU COME OVER HERE?

THESE FINE TAILINGS COME UP ANOTHER 6 INCHES,

THEY'RE GONNA BACK RIGHT UP THIS RUN.

WHEN THAT HAPPENS,

THE GOLD SHOOTS RIGHT OFF THE END OF THIS.

PARKER COMES HERE AND SEES THIS,

HE'S GONNA LOSE HIS MIND.

I'VE GOT TO GET THE LOADER.

Narrator: BIG RED'S PAD WAS ORIGINALLY 80 FEET HIGH,

BUT THE TAILINGS HAVE BUILT UP

AND HAVE NOW REACHED THE SLUICE RUNS.

Brennan: I GOT TO KEEP DIGGING US OUT, DIGGING US OUT,

DIGGING US OUT.

IT SLOWS ME DOWN.

I CAN'T GO DOWN AND DIG OUT THE PAY I NEED TO.

Narrator: IF THE FINE TAILINGS BACK UP INTO THE SLUICE BOXES,

THEY WILL CLOG THE RIFFLES

AND GOLD WILL POUR OUT INTO THE TAILINGS.

BRENNAN'S SOLUTION -- USE THE LOADER TO CLEAR

THE TAILINGS FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SLUICES.

Brennan: EVERY TIME I'M TOLD I'M GONNA GET SOME TRUCKS,

THEY NEVER SHOW UP.

SO, HERE I AM STUCK IN A LOADER,

NOT DOING WHAT I NEED TO DO.

I'M GETTING A LITTLE BIT PISSED OFF HERE.

HERE'S PARKER RIGHT NOW.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE WANTS, BUT I'M PREPARING

MYSELF FOR AN EAR FULL OF RIGHT NOW.

WHAT THE ?

WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

FIGHTING THESE FINE TAILINGS.

THIS ISN'T REALLY HOW WE DO THINGS HERE.

THE REASON WE PUT ALL THESE CONVEYORS IN,

IS THAT ONE LOADER RUNS THE PLANT.

I KNOW WE'VE SAT IN THIS SPOT FOR QUITE SOME TIME,

SLUICING, BUT YOU GOT TO GET CREATIVE WITH

WHERE YOU'RE PUTTING TAILINGS

AND TRY TO AVOID THIS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

LIKE, YOU NEED TO BE DOING OTHER

WELL, I'M TRYING MY HARDEST HERE, YOU KNOW,

I'M SHORT-STAFFED AND I WANT TO MAKE

THIS RUN LIKE A WELL-OILED MACHINE.

YOU SAY THAT A LOT, YOU SAY I'LL GET IT DONE,

YOU SAY, "I'LL MAKE A PLAN," AND HERE WE ARE.

YOU HAVE TO COME UP WITH ANOTHER SOLUTION, BRENNAN.

I'LL TAKE MATTERS IN MY OWN HANDS AND FIGURE SOMETHING OUT.

THIS IS FRUSTRATING FOR ME, TOO.

SAKES!

Narrator: TONY BEETS HAS BEEN RUNNING

DREDGE ONE AND MONICA'S WASH PLANT.

SO WHEN YOU'RE BRINGING PAY RIGHT UP HERE,

LINE UP AND THEN GO STRAIGHT BACK.

BUT HE'S ONLY MINED 2,400 OUNCES...

...WAY BEHIND HIS RIVAL PARKER IN THEIR RACE TO 6,000 OUNCES.

WHAT'S GOING ON, WHAT'S HAPPENING?

IF YOU'RE SURE.

HERE WE GO AGAIN.

Kevin: WHAT THE HELL?

ARE YOU SERIOUS?

I REMEMBER FEEDING IT ON A HILL WITH THE BUGGIES.

NGNGNGNG!

YEAH.

WELL, WE HAVE IT.

YEAH.

Narrator: THE PEARSON BOX IS OLD SCHOOL.

THERE ARE NO MOVING PARTS.

INSTEAD THE MONSTER'S SPRAY BARS POUND 9,000 GALLONS

OF WATER A MINUTE ONTO THE PAY DIRT.

THE WATER SEPARATES OFF THE WORTHLESS ROCKS

THROUGH THIS CENTER CHUTE

AND SENDS THE GOLD-RICH MATERIAL DOWN

THROUGH THE SCREEN DECK,

WHERE THE GOLD SETTLES IN THE SLUICES.

THE PEARSON BOX HASN'T BEEN USED IN 15 YEARS

AND IS LOCKED TO THE GROUND.

TONY'S PLAN -- PULL IT ONTO THE TRAILER

USING THE WINCHES ON THE OSHKOSH.

THEN TAKE IT 2 MILES WEST,

TO WHERE TONY HAS AN ALREADY STRIPPED 10-ACRE CUT.

Mike: IT'S AS HIGH AS IT GOES.

THIS IS NOT GOOD.

Narrator: TONY WILL USE THE 245 EXCAVATOR

TO LIFT THE BASE OF THE PEARSON BOX...

HOLD IT.

...WHILE THE WINCHES PULL THE TOP.

EASY.

HOLY PULL OUT, STOP!

Narrator: TONY BEETS IS ATTEMPTING TO RESUSCITATE

A 40-YEAR-OLD WASH PLANT.

Man: HOLY PULL OUT!

GOT IT!

TONY USES HIS 8-WHEEL, 18-TON OSHKOSH...

...TO HAUL THE PEARSON BOX

TO AN EXISTING CUT NEAR THE INDIAN RIVER.

TONY NEEDS TO SET THE BOX AT A PRECISE 5.8-DEGREE ANGLE.

OH.

YEAH.

IT'S PERFECT.

I DON'T THINK YOU CAN GET IT MUCH BETTER.

HEY, GUYS, I'VE SEEN TERRY.

HE TAKES A LOT OF LEAKS,

AND HE REALLY DOESN'T HAVE ANY PRIVACY ABOUT IT.

TERRY, YOU GOT A COPY?

HE MAKES SURE THAT EVERYONE SEES HIS MANHOOD.

WHY ARE WE DISCUSSING THIS

CAN WE TALK ABOUT MINING?

Narrator: TWO THIRDS OF THE WAY THROUGH

HIS ROOKIE MINING SEASON, RICK NESS IS 300 OUNCES

FROM HIS 1,000-OUNCE, $1.2-MILLION SEASON GOAL.

I FEEL LIKE EVERYBODY'S GOT

THEIR EYES ON THE PRIZE OUT HERE.

I WANT TO DO BETTER

MY FIRST YEAR IN THE KLONDIKE THAN PARKER DID, TODD DID.

I WANT TO PROVE THAT I'M BETTER THAN THEM.

BUT WE'VE GOT TO KEEP OUR FOOT ON THE GAS AT THIS POINT.

THERE'S NO GUARANTEE WE'RE GONNA HIT OUR GOAL.

THE SETUP WE HAVE MEANS

I HAVE TO JUST FEATHER AN EVEN FLOW OF DIRT

TO THE PLANT, NOT TO OVERWHELM IT.

JUST KEEP A STEADY PACE.

Narrator: RICK'S PUSHING HIS WASH PLANT, DURT REYNOLDS,

TO THE LIMIT, RUNNING 160 YARDS OF PAY DIRT AN HOUR.

Zee:

RICK, DO YOU GOT A COPY?

WE GOT WATER COMING OVER THE TOP AT THE BYPASS.

OH

THE WHOLE PREWASH WAS JUST FULL.

I MEAN, EVERY ONE OF THESE PROBLEMS

I HAVE TO SHUT DOWN FOR IS COSTING US MONEY.

I'LL JUMP IN.

Zee: PROBLEM IS, SOME OF THE MATERIALS,