Gold Rush

I NEED THAT MAMMOTH CHANNEL TO HAVE FRICKIN' GOLD IN IT.

Narrator: ON THIS "GOLD RUSH"....

THAT MUD WILL NOT GO THROUGH.

WE'VE GOT TO SHUT DOWN.

WHOA!

Todd: I THINK THE SKY'S THE LIMIT, I REALLY DO.

THEY'RE NOT GETTING SCRUBBED CLEAN ENOUGH.

I DON'T HAVE ANY CURL!

IT'LL HAVE TO WORK.

THAT'S IT?

OUR WHOLE CUT'S FLOODED.

WHAT A MESS.

Ness: PARKER DOESN'T LIKE TO LOSE.

YOU KNOW, THE WINNER OF THE GAME IS WHO FINDS THE MOST GOLD.

I HATE THE THOUGHT OF GETTING BEAT BY TODD.

LOOK OUT, PARKER. YOU BETTER FRICKIN' MINE HARD.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

I LOST THE BET. KEVIN SUCKERED ME INTO THIS ONE.

Narrator: IT'S 6:00 A.M.,

AND THERE'S A NEW BULL COOK AT McKINNON CREEK.

Turin: MORNING, KEVIN.

Hiatt: FUNNY, HUH?

SEE, I BET HIM ON THAT CLEANUP,

AND I WON.

Narrator: LAST WEEK, DAVE'S DECISION TO SHUT DOWN THEIR WASH PLANT...

Hiatt: DAVE, THAT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE LINGERIE.

IT'S NOT LINGERIE.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT.

...LED TO A DISAPPOINTING 121-OUNCE CLEANUP.

AND DAVE LOST HIS BET.

WELL, DAVE, YOU'RE A MAN OF YOUR WORD.

A BET'S A BET.

I WISH IT WOULD HAVE BEEN 200 OR PLUS.

BUT I THINK WE'RE GONNA GET IT NOW.

WE'LL SEE.

WELL, I HOPE YOU'RE RIGHT.

SO ANDY SAYS HE'S PROBABLY GONNA START RUNNING

THE MAMMOTH CHANNEL TODAY.

SO, TODAY, WE'LL KNOW HOW GOOD THAT THING IS.

AND I THINK IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME.

JUST A FEW DAYS AGO,

THE ENTIRE HOFFMAN CREW STOPPED SLUICING TO EXCAVATE A CHANNEL

OF MUD THAT PRODUCED A 9-FOOT MAMMOTH TUSK.

DAVE HAS A HUNCH

THAT THE BLACK MUCK ALSO CONTAINS A PILE OF GOLD.

ANDY SPINKS GETS A FIRST LOOK AT THEIR NEW PAY DIRT.

WELL, THIS IS SOME OF THE FIRST DIRT

FROM THE MAMMOTH CHANNEL THAT'S GOING TO THE PLANT.

THIS IS SOME BLACK, NASTY STUFF. IT'S RIGHT ON TOP OF BEDROCK.

IT'S NOT USUALLY THAT CLOSE TO THE PAY.

BUT, UH, HOPEFULLY IT'S GOT SOME GOOD GOLD IN IT.

I THINK IT WILL.

Narrator: KEVIN FEEDS THE NEW PAY INTO MONSTER RED.

Hiatt: WE HAVE TO HOPE THAT THIS MAMMOTH CHANNEL

PAYS OFF LIKE DAVE AND ANDY THINK.

I WASN'T FOR IT.

I STILL KIND OF THINK IT WAS A BAD IDEA.

NOW WE'RE IN A DEFICIT.

AND IF WE DON'T MAKE THAT UP WITH THIS MAMMOTH CHANNEL,

THEN WE'RE IN BIG TROUBLE.

Narrator: SO FAR, THE HOFFMANS HAVE MINED 743 OUNCES,

BARELY A QUARTER OF THE 2,700 OUNCES TODD WANTS THIS SEASON.

I NEED A BREAK.

I NEED THAT MAMMOTH CHANNEL TO HAVE FRICKIN' GOLD IN IT.

WE FOUND A HUGE MAMMOTH TUSK.

SO I CALLED A TUSK EXPERT.

YOU BRUCE?

-IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU FINALLY. -HEY, MAN, NO KIDDING.

I'VE HEARD YOUR NAME AROUND THESE PARTS.

Narrator: BRUCE SCHINDLER HAS WORKED WITH MAMMOTH IVORY FOR OVER 20 YEARS.

-LOOK AT THIS THING. -THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REALIZE HOW RARE IT IS TO FIND A PIECE

THIS BIG INTACT.

IT'S AMAZING.

WE FOUND THIS IN A MUD SEAM.

IT ALMOST LOOKED LIKE A RIVER WENT THROUGH THIS AREA.

SO I'M HOPING IT'S A GOOD SIGN.

I THINK YOU'RE GONNA BE VERY PLEASED.

FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN,

EVERY SINGLE TIME, WHEN YOU FIND MAMMOTH TUSKS,

YOU'RE FINDING GOLD.

THEY'RE ALWAYS FOUND TOGETHER.

AND THINK ABOUT IT, THE MAMMOTH ARE LIKE PEOPLE,

THEY LIKE TO LIVE WHERE LIVING'S EASY.

AND THE LIVING IS EASY IN THESE WIDE-OPEN PLAINS.

THESE ARE THE SAME PLAINS THAT THE GOLD'S BEING DEPOSITED IN

BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE WATER'S SLOWING DOWN.

SO THESE GOLD-BEARING CREEKS ARE THE SAME CREEKS

THE MAMMOTH ARE DRINKING OUT OF.

SO I THINK THIS IS A GOOD OMEN FOR YOU.

BRUCE, I HOPE YOU'RE RIGHT.

THANKS FOR COMING OUT, MAN.

Todd: AS HE SAID, WHERE YOU FIND MAMMOTH TUSKS,

SOMETIMES YOU FIND GOOD GOLD.

AND THAT'S WHAT I'M CONCERNED ABOUT.

SO I HOPE THAT MAMMOTH CHANNEL PAYS OFF.

Hiatt: YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

KEVIN TO ANDY. KEVIN TO ANDY.

GO AHEAD, KEV.

HEY, THIS STUFF IS NOT RUNNING THROUGH THIS FEEDER.

IT'S GETTING STUCK. IT'S JAMMED UP.

IT IS NOT RUNNING. THAT MUD IS CAUSING HAVOC, DUDE.

WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE SOMETHING ELSE OUT.

TOO BAD, LOAD IT. IT'S GOT GOLD IN IT.

IT'S TOO CLOSE TO SEPARATED, SO PUT IT THROUGH THE PLANT.

WE'RE NOT GONNA THROW GOLD AWAY.

SO YOU'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT.

IT WON'T WORK.

Turin: YEAH, WE'RE RUNNING THE MAMMOTH CHANNEL,

AND IT'S ALL MUD.

THERE'S NOT JUST ENOUGH ROCK

IN IT TO MAKE IT GO THROUGH OUR FEEDER.

THAT MUD JUST HANGS UP,

AND IT JUST BLOCKS EVERYTHING UP, AND IT WILL NOT GO THROUGH.

Narrator: BRANDON UNSWORTH CAN'T KEEP UP WITH THE BUILDUP

OF THE THICK BLACK MUD.

KNOW WHAT?

I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

IT'S JUST ABSOLUTE

YEAH, LOOK.

CONSISTENCY OF COW

MY FOOT'S STUCK IN IT AND I'M SHOVELING IT.

THIS IS A PLANT OPERATOR'S WORST NIGHTMARE, IS WHAT IT IS.

THIS BETTER PAY OFF.

Turin: WE KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF GOLD IN THERE,

BUT I CAN'T RUN STRAIGHT MUD.

SO I EITHER GOT TO LET IT SIT AND DRY,

OR I GOT TO HAVE TWO GUYS SHOVELING ALL DAY LONG,

AND THAT AIN'T GONNA WORK.

Narrator: BLACK MUD IS CLOGGING UP THE FEEDER

FASTER THAN THEY CAN CLEAR IT.

Turin: RIGHT THERE, THAT COULD BE THE BEST GOLD

IN THAT WHOLE SUPER CUT,

AND I CAN'T RUN IT THROUGH THE PLANT.

WE CAN'T RUN THE MAMMOTH CHANNEL.

WE GOT TO SHUT DOWN.

Parker: RIGHT NOW, I'M HEADING TO TODD'S

TO SEE IF HE WANTS TO BUY A DOZER.

Narrator: 20-YEAR-OLD MINE BOSS PARKER SCHNABEL

IS ON HIS WAY TO McKINNON CREEK.

I HAD A ITCHY TRIGGER FINGER AT AN AUCTION THE OTHER DAY

AND ENDED UP BUYING A NEW D10.

SO, RIGHT NOW, I'M TRYING TO SELL OUR OLD ONE,

SO THAT I CAN KEEP SOME MONEY IN THE BANK.

-HEY, DAVE. -HI, PARKER.

-HOW ARE YOU DOIN'? -I'M GOOD.

-HOW ARE YOU DOIN'? -GOOD.

I THINK YOU WANTED TO TALK TO TODD.

-IS HE AROUND? -HE'S IN HIS OFFICE, YEAH.

OKAY. THANKS.

THANKS, PARKER.

I'LL TALK TO HIM.

DOZER, LOAD UP.

Narrator: PARKER SNEAKS A LOOK AT THE HOFFMANS' SUPER CUT.

THAT'S A BIG CUT.

HE'S GONE BIG-SCALE THIS YEAR.

YOU KNOW, THOSE D11s AND THOSE 475s,

I MEAN, THOSE ARE WHAT, YOU KNOW, MASSIVE COAL MINES RUN.

THE COST ON THOSE IS PHENOMENAL.

YOU KNOW, THE WINNER OF THE GAME IS WHO FINDS THE MOST GOLD.

Narrator: PARKER HAS YET TO SET HIS SEASON GOAL.

BUT TODD HAS HIS SIGHT SET ON A MASSIVE 2,700-OUNCE,

$3 MILLION GOLD HAUL.

SEEMS LIKE IT'S A FRIENDLY VISIT.

HE'S PROBABLY GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT.

DOZER, COME HERE.

DOES HE BITE, OR IS HE GOOD?

-WHAT? -HE BITE, OR IS HE GOOD?

-NO, HE'S FINE. -SO, DUDE,

YOU GOT A GOOD START THIS YEAR OR NOT?

YOU KNOW, IT'S A ROUGH START, BUT WHEN ISN'T IT?

SO, YOU'RE ALL SETTLED IN FOR THE SEASON NOW?

-YEAH. -LOOKS LIKE YOU GUYS HAVE

-A LACK OF IRON AROUND. -YEAH.

THAT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF WHAT I'M HERE.

-REALLY? -I PICKED UP A NEW DOZER,

AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WANTED TO BUY THE OLD 10

THAT YOU SOLD ME.

HOW MUCH?

I GAVE YOU 120 FOR IT.

AND WE PUT ABOUT 120 INTO IT LAST YEAR.

AND SO I'M TRYING TO GET 200 OUT OF IT.

SO, YOU GUYS WOULD BE MORE THAN WELCOME TO COME LOOK AT IT.

'CAUSE I'M MAKING THE ROUNDS, SO...

YEAH.

...IF YOU WANT IT, LET ME KNOW.

DON'T HOLD IT FOR ME.

ALL RIGHT.

YOU KNOW WHAT?

WE'RE GONNA COME OUT OF HERE WITH THE MOST AMOUNT OF GOLD.

THIS IS GONNA BE OUR SEASON.

ALL THE POWER TO YOU.

LOOK OUT, PARKER. YOU BETTER FRICKIN' MINE HARD.

WHATEVER.

Todd: I GOT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, I DON'T TRUST PARKER SCHNABEL.

YEAH, I GOT KIND OF SORDID HISTORY WITH THE KID.

AND I'D LIKE TO BEAT PARKER THIS YEAR.

I THINK HE'S NERVOUS 'CAUSE

I GOT A LOT OF GROUND OPENED UP ALREADY,

AND I'M NOT PANICKING.