Gold Rush

RICK HAS WATCHED YOUR BACK FOR ALL THESE YEARS,

AND THEN YOU JUMP ON HIM.

Narrator: ON THIS "GOLD RUSH"...

I'M TRYIN' TO KEEP A CREW TOGETHER.

YOU HAVE REACHED BEYOND MY EXPECTATIONS.

WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?

I THOUGHT HE HAD COFFEE IN THAT THING.

WE GOT A REAL CHANCE TO BEAT THAT KID.

SHUT IT DOWN.

WE'VE GOT A BIG HOLE IN THIS BELT.

IF YOU DID YOUR WALK-AROUND,

WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ALL RIGHT.

THE FINGER POINTING, IT'S WHAT LEADS PEOPLE TO QUIT.

IT'S GARBAGE, AND IT'S GOOD STUFF.

THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

THESE LAST 3 OR 4 DAYS HAVE BEEN REALLY ROUGH ON EVERYONE.

JUST A MATTER OF TIME TILL EVERYTHING STARTS FALLIN' APART.

Narrator: TWO-THIRDS OF THE WAY THROUGH THE GOLD-MINING SEASON,

PARKER SCHNABEL IS IN REAL TROUBLE.

HE HAS ONLY ONE-THIRD OF THE GOLD

HE NEEDS TO REACH HIS 3,000-OUNCE GOAL.

HE'S TAKING A LEAP OF FAITH,

INVESTING $500,000 IN OPENING UP HIS NEW MASSIVE BOUNDARY CUT,

AND HIS CREW IS AT WAR OVER NEW MECHANIC DEREK ANTONIUK.

PEOPLE ARE JUST STARTIN' RUMORS AND ABOUT ME.

IS IT THE FACT

THAT I CAME IN TO REPLACE, JUST TEMPORARILY FOR CARL,

AND I'M STAYING, AND HE'S GONE?

I MEAN, DO PEOPLE THINK I TRIED RUNNING HIM OUT?

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE THINKING,

BUT I'M NOT GONNA LET IT AFFECT ME ANYMORE.

Narrator: TWO WEEKS AGO, DEREK'S ARRIVAL

CREATED A RIFT IN THE CREW.

I JUST WANTED TO PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE

JUST LOOKIN' AT THE GUY.

Narrator: AND MECHANIC CARL ROSS QUIT.

IT'S A JOKE.

I'M JUST GOING HOME.

THEN, WHEN RICK REFUSED TO SHAKE DEREK'S HAND...

JUST TELL HIM TO STAY THE AWAY FROM ME.

DON'T PUT ME IN THIS POSITION.

PARKER ORDERED HIS FAITHFUL FRIEND OFF THE CLAIM.

THINGS WERE GOING FINE WHEN YOU WERE GONE.

-UH-HUH. -SO LEAVE.

NOW BEFORE PARKER ENDS HIS 3 1/2 YEAR RELATIONSHIP WITH RICK,

ELDER STATESMAN CHRIS DOUMITT TRIES TO BROKER A TRUCE.

RICK NEEDS A SECOND CHANCE.

HE DOESN'T HAVE MY BACK.

YOU KNOW, HE DIDN'T HAVE MY BACK YESTERDAY.

HE DOESN'T HAVE MY BACK RIGHT NOW.

WELL, HE'S WATCHED YOUR BACK FOR ALL THESE YEARS,

AND THEN YOU JUMP ON HIM, YOU KNOW?

I TOLD HIM TO GET HIS HEAD OUT OF HIS ASS.

YEAH.

YEAH, MAYBE...

AND I'D SAY IT AGAIN.

I SAID, "WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU TAKE THIS POSITION?"

HE SAYS, "I'M TRYING TO KEEP A CREW TOGETHER."

YEAH.

HE'S THE REASON IT'S GETTING TORN APART.

WELL, ALL RIGHT.

THAT KIND OF STUFF CAN'T HAPPEN, YOU KNOW?

I HAVE TO HAVE BETTER THAN THAT FROM A FOREMAN.

I HAVE TO.

Narrator: IF PARKER PUSHES RICK OUT,

IT WILL BE THE SECOND FOREMAN HE'S LOST THIS YEAR,

AND IT COULD DESTROY HIS SEASON.

PEOPLE FOLLOW LEADERS.

THEY DON'T FOLLOW BOSSES,

AND WHERE RICK GOES, THE CREW GOES.

YOUR ATTITUDE IS OUTRAGEOUS.

YOU CAN'T JUST PRETEND THAT KIND OF STUFF JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN.

I GET IT.

IT'S UNACCEPTABLE.

I KNOW I CAME IN KIND OF LIKE A ,

AND THAT WAS STUPID ON MY PART.

MY HEAD WAS IN A MILLION PLACES.

I'M NOT TRYING TO USE THAT AS AN EXCUSE, BUT YOU KNOW,

I WASN'T -- I WASN'T RIGHT -- I WASN'T...

YOU KNOW, I'VE PUT YOU IN A POSITION WHERE YOU CAN'T

BRING THAT TO WORK, RIGHT?

YOU'RE -- YOU'RE MY FOREMAN. LIKE, YOU CAN'T BRING THAT HERE.

YOU TOLD ME AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON

YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH YOUR MOOD EFFECTS THE OPERATION,

AND THE SAME GOES FOR YOU NOW, ALL RIGHT?

I REALLY WANT TO MOVE FORWARD. I REALLY DO.

AND I'M JUST TELLING YOU IT'S GONNA BE HARD FOR ME

BECAUSE YOU'VE ALWAYS HAD MY BACK.

SO ARE WE GOOD FOR -- FOR A FRESH START?

ALL RIGHT.

Narrator: PARKER HAS GIVEN RICK A SECOND CHANCE.

HE CAN NOW GET BACK TO REBUILDING HIS FRACTURED CREW,

AND MAKING THE BIGGEST CUT OF HIS LIFE PAY OUT.

THIS IS NOT GOOD.

Narrator: AT EUREKA CREEK, TONY BEETS

WANTS HIS DREDGE TO WORK LIKE IT DID 75 YEARS AGO,

WITH JUST A SINGLE GENERATOR AND A CREW OF TWO.

BUT SO FAR THIS SEASON,

HE'S MINED ONLY 327 OF THE 900 OUNCES

HE NEEDS TO RECOUP HIS MILLION-DOLLAR INVESTMENT.

FOREMAN GENE CHEESEMAN

IS DETERMINED TO MAKE THE DREDGE START PAYING.

HE HAS A PLAN TO UP THE GOLD COUNT.

I'M JUST STRIPPING OFF

THE OVERBURDEN IN FRONT OF THE DREDGE HERE.

WHY RUN THIS THROUGH?

NO REASONABLE PERSON'S GONNA WANT TO RUN MUD

THROUGH THE TROMMEL, OR THROUGH THE WASH PLANT.

IT'S JUST NOT A LITTLE BIT OF IT,

BUT THAT'S MORE THAN A LITTLE BIT,

SO I JUST WANT TO GET --

GET RID OF IT, AND --

SO WE DON'T HAVE TO RUN IT.

Narrator: UNLIKE A NORMAL WASH PLANT,

THE DREDGE RUNS ALL THE DIRT IN ITS PATH.

HERE'S THE TOPSOIL -- THE OVERBURDEN TOPSOIL,

ABSOLUTELY NO GOLD IN IT.

THIS FINE SAND HAS NOTHING IN IT WHERE WE FOUND, YOU KNOW?

I MEAN, IT'S... EACH LAYER OF THIS --

THIS 6-FOOT LAYER, ESSENTIALLY, OF GARBAGE --

IF YOU GET RID OF THIS STUFF,

AND RUN STRICTLY MATERIAL THAT HAS GOLD IN IT,

THEN YOUR COST PER YARD WILL GO DOWN.

Narrator: THE DREDGE'S BUCKET LINE

CHEWS THROUGH 8 FEET OF GOLD-RICH PAY DIRT,

BUT ABOVE THE PAY,

IT HAS TO PROCESS 6 FEET OF WORTHLESS OVERBURDEN.

GENE WANTS TO USE HEAVY EQUIPMENT

TO REMOVE THE OVERBURDEN AHEAD OF THE DREDGE,

ALLOWING THE DREDGE TO PROCESS

TWICE AS MUCH GOLD-RICH PAY DIRT.

GOT A LOT OF MUD HERE, OVERBURDEN.

BUT I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY GOLD IN THIS STUFF.

AND IT'S JUST ALL MUD, YOU KNOW?

I THINK IT'S CUTTING OUR PRODUCTION

DOWN ON THE DREDGE, WHAT -- RECOVERY.

IT'S JUST -- AND IT CAUSES --

OKAY.

I THINK IT'S CUTTING OUR PRODUCTION DOWN ON THE DREDGE.

I'D LIKE TO PEEL THE OFF

AND GET RID OF IT AND HAUL IT,

MOVE IT ONCE WITH THE EXCAVATOR AND SOME...

IT'S GARBAGE, AND IT'S GOOD STUFF.

THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.

Narrator: TONY GIVES IN AND AGREES TO GENE'S PLAN.

IN A WEEK, SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVE TO HIM THAT WE --

IT WAS WORTHWHILE TO BRING THAT EQUIPMENT IN.

TIME TO GO TO WORK.

Narrator: 6:00 A.M. AT McKINNON CREEK.

KEVIN HIATT PREPARES FOR THE DAY.

I'M NOT MUCH FOR CONVERSATION THIS MORNING.

I'M JUST NOT A MORNING PERSON, OKAY?

Narrator: THE HOFFMAN CREW NEEDS TO UP THEIR GAME.

LAST WEEK, THEY FAILED TO HIT THEIR 200-OUNCE WEEKLY GOAL.

THEIR 2,700 OUNCE,

$3 MILLION SEASON COULD BE SLIPPING AWAY.

Andy: RIGHT NOW, EVERYBODY JUST NEEDS TO BE ON THEIR "A" GAME.

WE GOT TO STAY FOCUSED.

WE'RE RIGHT IN A VERY CRUCIAL PART OF THE SEASON,

AND THIS IS ALWAYS WHERE IT, UH, STARTS WEARING ON PEOPLE.

IT'S MY JOB TO, UH, WATCH EVERYTHING ON THIS PLANT.

WE'VE GOT A TEAR IN THE BELT.

SHUT IT DOWN!

WE GOT A BIG HOLE IN THIS BELT.

HERE IT COMES RIGHT HERE.

Narrator: TAILINGS HAVE BUILT UP BENEATH THE CONVEYOR,

AND A SHARP ROCK HAS RIPPED A 2-FOOT HOLE IN THE BELT.

FRICK.

THERE'S 3 FEET OF SAND UP TO THE BELT,

AND THAT'S WHAT'S GONNA BREAK THIS.

Dave: PLANT'S GONNA BE DOWN FOR A GOOD HALF A DAY.

THERE'S ANOTHER HALF A DAY WE'LL NEVER GET BACK.

Narrator: BREAKDOWNS JUST ADD

TO THE WORKLOAD OF MECHANIC JUAN IBARRA.

WE WERE SHUT DOWN YESTERDAY. WE'RE SHUT DOWN TODAY,

AND, UH, WE'RE GETTING FURTHER AND FURTHER BEHIND.

WE GOT A MOUNTAIN DEVELOPING RIGHT BEHIND US,

AND, UH,

WE'RE GOING TO BE COMPLETELY BURIED IN PAY HERE PRETTY QUICK.

Todd: YOU GOT TO WATCH THIS .

AND THAT BELT OVER THERE

LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY DIDN'T DIG OUT FROM UNDERNEATH IT.

I DIDN'T ASK YOU TO COME OVER HERE AND GIVE ME GRIEF.

YOU KNOW, TODD, YOU ALREADY GOT US RUNNING AROUND

DOING EVERYTHING, MAN.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, DUDE.

HEY, YOU GOT TO KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN.

YOU'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO BE MORE ON IT, I GUESS.

IF I SEE THAT AGAIN,

I'M GOING TO BE FRICKING PISSED. DON'T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN.

WAIT A MINUTE. WAIT A MINUTE. WAIT A MINUTE.

WAIT! HEY!

WE'RE RUNNING 22 HOURS A DAY, 6 DAYS A WEEK.

WHEN DO YOU WANT US TO DO ALL THIS?

Narrator: THE HOFFMAN OPERATION IS AT A STANDSTILL.

THAT IS .

Narrator: ALL SLUICING HAS STOPPED AT McKINNON CREEK.

ONE OF THE WASH PLANT OPERATORS FAILED TO KEEP THE BASE

OF THE CONVEYOR FREE OF TAILINGS,