Bering Sea Gold (2012–…): Season 6, Episode 9 - All In - full transcript
After a season of waiting, Shawn finally takes the Christine Rose down to the Bluff. Back in Nome, Vernon needs to hit it big or risk losing his $200,000 investment, while Zeke and Emily manage to find common ground.
[ bell tolling ]
Narrator: Nome, alaska.
Vernon:
Harbor's freezing up.
There's accumulating dust
on the hills.
It's just about over.
Narrator:
With the end of the summer
mining season looming...
Yep, it's thick.
...The fleet's
golden gambles...
This is
the make or break.
...Are on the line.
If you don't make enough money
to ante up the next season,
Then you've failed.
Emily: Every day is some kind
of different type of battle.
What I'm trying to do up here
is endure and conquer.
Narrator:
While some crews struggle just
to stay in the game...
Vernon: You don't really fail
until you quit.
And I'm not quitting.
The boat
is locked and cocked
And ready to rock.
Narrator:
...For a die-hard few...
Well, you know how
you make a small fortune mining,
Don't you?
Narrator:
...It's time to go all in...
Man: What?
You start
with a large fortune.
...Because
it's never too late...
Start banging some ice,
amos.
Let's get out
that sluice box.
No, I'm gonna run
every damn minute I can
Until something stops me.
Narrator:
...To hit the mother lode.
-Oh, my god.
-Yeah. Yeah.
-Oh, my.
-Whoo!
[ laughter ]
Captions paid for by
discovery communications
Narrator:
100 miles east of nome...
Shawn: We're here, finally.
Nobody's ever touched
this ground out here
In the bering sea.
It's virgin ground,
fresh ground, never touched.
We're the only ones out here
for miles and miles.
Narrator: Captain shawn pomrenke
is finally chasing his dream...
Pretty excited,
pretty nervous.
Lots of different emotions.
You can see the bluffs
out to our west here.
Narrator: ...Bringing his
million-dollar mega dredge
Far from the safety of town
To a claim known as "the bluff."
Well, we're here, boys.
Cody: Pretty cool being
all the way down here
With the christine rose,
man.
This is definitely the farthest
the christine rose
Has ever been away from nome
by a long shot.
Yeah, 10-4.
We'll start on the east side
of the claims,
And start prospecting our way
Down to where we were
diving this winter.
Yeah, that sounds like
a plan to me.
Narrator: Six months ago...
Shawn: Well, we're coming
into the bluffs here.
..."mr. Gold: Became the first
To prospect the bluff
in more than a century.
It's a [bleep] blizzard
out here right now.
And despite
impossible conditions...
Yeah.
...He found
traces of good gold.
Now, after pulling
just 300 ounces
Out of off-shore nome,
He's come back
to collect his fortune.
Shawn: I mean, there's only
a few weeks left.
The ocean's freezing.
The season's coming to an end.
If I don't get
out there this year,
Then I'm gonna be
sitting and wondering,
"what if?" all winter.
And I don't want to be sitting,
wondering, "what if?"
Shawn: I believe
this is the spot that
There was a bunch of mining
done right up here.
Right here is
where the claims start.
We're gonna start
at the first claim
And start working
our way towards the bluff.
Hey, cody.
I think, this will be a good
spot to start prospecting.
Drop this anchor
this over-off
And then, uh,
start taking some pans.
Sounds good, man.
Hopefully we find some color.
I'm stoked.
I'm looking
for the next big thing.
I want to move
to the next level.
Tomcod's drying up.
And if I'm gonna keep
the christine rose on top,
I got to go find
that new hot spot.
If I don't do it,
somebody else will.
Whoo, made it.
Hopefully I can sniff it out
and prove my dad wrong.
Narrator:
Shawn isn't the only pomrenke
Looking for a gamble
to pay off big.
100 miles away...
I haven't heard one single word
from them guys.
Narrator:
...At steve pomrenke's 5-acre,
inland mining claim.
Steve:
I'm under a lot of pressure
To get 500 ounces
out of this hole
By the end of the year
here.
Narrator: The old man's
pricey new operation
Is in a race
against mother nature.
We got ice on the deck.
We got ice on the pond.
We got ice on the lakes.
And it's getting colder
out here.
We're on our bitter end here.
But we're gonna try
and sneak another 4 or 5 days
Out of this here yet.
Narrator: With nearly
a million bucks invested
And only $200,000 in gold
so far,
Steve needs to make
every second count.
I'm still looking to pull
500 ounces out of this
Before it freezes.
Pretty damn scary,
you talk about stress.
I'm stressing right now.
Narrator:
500 ounces isn't the only thing
steve is stressing over.
There's also the matter
of his prodigal son.
Steve:
He's been gone for three days.
I don't know if they're sunk,
If they're dead,
if they're alive.
Narrator: With the inland mining
producing,
To steve, shawn's bluff dream
is just a waste of time.
Bigger risk is going
to the bluff with that boat.
Well, the worst fear
is somebody sinking
And getting drowned or whatever.
That would be the worst thing.
And the second worst thing
would be the boat
Laying on the ocean floor
out there somewhere.
Had to go to bluff.
He had to go to bluff.
But in reality,
that's a $100,000 trip.
It's important to shawn
Because he is looking for
new ground.
But by god,
He needs to look some place
where it's accessible,
That has some common sense
to it, not just an adventure.
Open up the flapper
and see what we got under there.
You can see it already
right over on that side, man.
Look at
all that [bleep] gold.
It's impressive.
That's what
we're working for.
That's why we're working
in this weather.
Narrator: While steve fights
against the coming freeze,
10 miles to the south
on the all in.
Vernon: I'm getting that
golden tingle right now.
Narrator:
...Captain vernon adkison
Is fighting just
to stay in business.
Right now,
it's just about over.
So we got to take
every opportunity
To get as much gold in the box
as we possibly can.
Vernon:
We only got another few days
left in the season.
It's pretty darn tense
Because any time you put
A new piece of equipment
in the water,
You're gonna
have a lot of bugs.
Narrator: This summer...
Vernon: It's not good.
Sub dredge weigh 5,000 pounds.
These beams
will not support it.
Narrator:
...Vernon's gamble on
A quarter-million-dollar
sub dredge
Has hit setback...
No!
...After setback.
Look, look.
Oh [bleep].
Vernon:
That put a lot of pressure,
A lot of stress on me,
personally.
I mean, financial stress.
Narrator: But now...
We're on the gold.
So everybody ought to be happy.
Narrator: For the first time
this season,
The dredge has
been pumping material
For over
12 hours straight.
Vernon:
We don't need a diver.
We're doing it
without the diver today.
Narrator:
And with the clock ticking...
I'm a little
on edge right now.
...Vernon isn't the only
one needing results.
There's only so much
you can expect out of people.
I mean, they're doing it
in the hope of getting gold,
And they know if I make it,
they're gonna make it.
Narrator:
The dredge's manufacturer
is also looking to get paid.
Vernon: I got the sub dredge
on speculation,
And there was a percentage
of the gold share involved
To pay for this thing.
So far, we haven't gotten
very much gold with it.
If we can get one good,
solid clean up,
That's what I need
to keep me going.
Vernon:
Overall, it seems to be doing
pretty darn good down there.
We're putting a lot of material
through the box.
Oh, man.
I think we got a plug.
We got no material.
Man:
Looks like we're plugged.
Narrator: A plug in the hose
means pay dirt
Can't make it all the way
to the sluice box.
Yeah, bobby, uh, looks like
we got a plug, buddy.
Every time we have a plug up
or a jam, it costs me.
We have to send a diver down
and clear it
And even possibly bring it
up top and clear the jam.
We're down
to just the very last days.
I can't afford
any more setbacks.
Bobby: All right.
I'm at the robot.
Uh, let me check
the suction.
Hey, bobby.
I'll get you the ramrod.
Pull that plate off the end
and ram it, please.
Yep, 10-4.
Right when everything's
going hunky-dory for a while,
It gets plugged.
All right.
I'm gonna go ahead
And, uh, see if, uh,
See if you got
any interference in here.
I do got some interference.
I can feel
something in there.
Uh, I don't know
if it's a rock or what.
Vernon: Well, try
to punch it loose, bobby.
You might want to give
that a shot.
Maybe that -- that worked.
I don't know.
All right.
We're starting.
Are you clear?
Yep, clear.
Yeah. We got some discharge
coming out.
But, uh,
it looks like it --
It still might be --
something's still in there.
We'll shut down the pump,
and put the cap back on, please.
Roger that.
Narrator: Unable to diagnose
the problem...
We'll get it up
and get out of here.
...Vernon has no choice
But to once again
bring the dredge top side.
Gary: If I don't have
at least 8 hours
Just robot sucking dirt,
Then wasting
our [bleep] time.
Vernon: The crew,
they've been really good.
Hell, they're --
they're stone-ass broke.
Right now, this robot's got
to prove itself, you know.
It ain't found me [bleep].
Narrator: With morale sinking
and pressure rising,
Vernon is in desperate need
of a payday.
Vernon: It time to see
what's in the box.
Narrator: 100 miles east
of nome harbor...
Shawn: Sand.
...On the christine rose.
Shawn: We decided to do
a little bit of prospecting
Before we, uh, set up camp.
So we're gonna see
if we can find some gold.
If we find some gold,
Then we'll set up our camp
right next to the gold.
Narrator:
...For the past nine hours,
Captain shawn pomrenke
has been prospecting
The western end
of the bluff claim.
Thought I seen one rock.
I started
getting excited.
Narrator: So far...
Sand's no good
Unless there's cobble
on top of it.
...He's come up blank.
So we're gonna
keep on digging here,
See if we could get down
to some good stuff.
Otherwise, I just gambled
over $100,000 away.
With time ticking
to cash in on his investment...
We need to find some gold,
and we need to find it now.
...Shawn can't afford to rest
until he's on the gold.
Taking the christine rose
down to the bluff,
It's stressful because
if we don't find any gold,
It's gonna cost $100,000-plus.
Punching hole after hole
after hole after hole after hole
And not seeing the gold
that I expected,
It's, uh, pissing me off.
There's probably a lot of bears
hungry at this time of the year.
Yeah. Shawn's been
on the machine all day.
It's starting to get dark.
And we still haven't got
camp set up.
Now we're wasting
more time.
He's getting
a little wild out there.
Come on, gold.
Don't be stingy.
Oh, feels like maybe
there's some rock down there.
Hey, I'm, uh, hitting a little
something other than sand here.
You guys want to come
and take a pan?
Been looking
for quite some time,
We still can't find anything.
Hopefully
we'll find some gold.
It takes a while, sometimes.
Shawn:
I'm pretty nervous, anxious.
I can see gold
in the bucket.
Ah, [bleep]
Nothing.
Striked out again.
It's like we're in
the sand box, dude.
This is ridiculous.
It's weird, isn't it?
Maybe we should have started
at the other end of the claim.
Yeah.
A pot of gold there,
ice season --
So maybe we'll head
back down that way.
Where did you ice do it?
All the way
by those cliffs.
We got a long way to go.
We were losing daylight
already.
It's time to start
heading back that way.
Shawn: Oh, it's, uh, imperative
that I find gold on this trip.
Otherwise,
I'm gonna have to deal with
A grumpy old man
named steve pomrenke.
Narrator: While shawn
struggles to find gold
On his new spot...
...100 miles to the west...
Hey, how's it looking'
down there, chief?
...Derek mclarty and the boys
of the high noon
Are pillaging shawn's old spot.
Big money.
We're looking for a big pay day.
And we found it.
Thanks for the gold.
Narrator: Two days ago...
17...
Let's keep panning,
hoping there's more.
...2.
...Desperate to keep his
half-million-dollar investment
From going under...
Derek:
'twas the night before bluffs.
And all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring.
[ laughs ]
Narrator:
...Derek helped himself
To shawn's prized
gps coordinates.
It looks like "mr. Gold"
left his gps on
With a nice
little checkered flag
Exactly where
he's been digging.
Perfect.
Narrator: Now...
I know that shawn
can't clear anything out
From under those big rocks.
We can definitely clean it up.
Narrator:
...It's every dredger for
himself.
Season's almost over.
And I only have barely enough
gold to keep going.
This is the last big push
of the year.
If I can make enough money
to come back next year
To open the doors
and turn the open sign on,
We're good.
As far as the gps goes,
Well, you know, I mean,
It's kind of like, uh,
fake it 'till you make it.
This might be the big payday
we need right here.
I'm gonna come up.
I just want to know
how we're doing.
Idle down and see what
he's doing down there
Before I...
Just to make sure we don't
have to move or anything.
Let's see what we done.
I'm gonna take any opportunity
shawn gives me.
If he's not gonna be out there
getting gold,
God knows I'm gonna
be at his heels trying
to get there.
Derek:
There's a nice little chunk.
Ooh, there's a real
nice little chunk.
That's
a fatty little fella.
It's got girth.
Chunky little bastard.
Thank you, "mr. Gold."
This was exactly
what we needed.
Shawn found us
a little nugget run.
It might not look like much,
but it equates to dollar bills.
That's what
we see right there.
That's a good night
on the town.
Thanks, shawn.
Thanks, buddy.
Appreciate you.
Narrator:
On the outskirts of nome
At vernon adkison's trailer...
[ laughter ]
Narrator: ...While the bot
is in for repairs,
Vern uses the time
to see how they're doing.
How many hours
you think we got on it?
Maybe 12, 13.
All right.
Let's see what we got.
I know phil wants to see
what's in the box.
Narrator:
With the manufacturer breathing
down his neck for a payday.
If they're not getting any gold,
Then, uh, they're not gonna
keep it on the job.
Let's see what we got.
Oh, precious.
Don't spill it.
Don't do that. [ laughs ]
Come on, baby.
Gary: 2.9.
What?
Oh,
it's 0.29 troy ounces,
So 1/4 ounce.
0.29?
[ bleep ]
That's [bleep] pitiful.
Yeah.
That is pitiful.
Just over 1/4 of an ounce.
Narrator: 0.29 ounces
is a laughable 350 bucks.
Oh, crap.
Crap, crap, crap, crap.
It is what it is.
I was hoping for more.
I was hoping
for an ounce an hour.
But that's --
yeah.
Long-term, we got to have
better than that.
Yeah, we're gonna definitely
have to do something different.
Vernon:
I know the concept is valid.
I know there're people out there
That say
I'll never make this work.
But I'll try my darndest
to make it work.
And that's the take
from the sub dredge.
That's not that much.
The whole scene doesn't sound
good for the sub dredge.
All I can say is
we all know.
We talked many times about
What it's gonna take
to make this better.
And -- and we'll do it.
Because it's been
a waste of time.
Narrator:
Vernon's not the only captain
who's struggling.
On the other side of town...
Emily:
As cold as a hugger's heart.
Narrator: ...Instead of ending
the season mining for gold,
Third- year dredge owner
emily riedel...
Emily: My last diver left.
And I'm, uh, still --
Still needing a crew
to finish out the season.
Narrator:
...Is mining for miners.
Emily: I don't really have
any promising leads right now.
It's sort of
becoming worrisome.
Narrator: Two weeks ago...
I need a new crew.
So I was gonna see
If you guys wanted to come
and dive on my boat.
...Hard up for divers,
emily swallowed her pride
And asked ex-partner
zeke tenhoff for a lifeline.
Well, it just sounds like
You need to come back
and talk to us
When you're
a little more hard up.
[ laughter ]
But emily
was left to drown.
Emily: Well, zeke doesn't really
respect that I own a boat,
And he doesn't really
like the way that I do business.
He talks about being --
being a free spirit.
But, you know, signing up
to work with corporate
Is about just, like,
the least free spirit thing
You could ever do.
He just needs to get
over himself.
Narrator:
As luck would have it,
In the small boat harbor...
I'm really happy
'cause emily's struggling
really hard, dude.
...After a season of struggles
with the havilah...
Honestly, I did what I could
for corporate.
I didn't sink their boat.
...Zeke's corporate masters
Have also
pulled the plug early.
I don't know what my next step
is gonna be, though.
You'll be jumping
in the ice.
I need a little bit
more scratch.
That's just the truth,
dude.
I was going over the books
last night.
And I was like, "damn."
I'm gonna figure out
something else for myself
To just increase
my grip of gold
Before winter
sets in for ice.
Zeke: Well, honestly, working in
the corporate world --
Well, I don't feel
like it was a mistake,
But it's not what
I'm gonna continue to do.
And so now
I'm back to square one.
What am I gonna do next?
Emily was desperate
for divers.
She wanted me to go
and put gold --
And work on eroica,
You know, so she could
pay her bills.
I know emily's desperate.
I got to work it
to my advantage.
I'm self-interested.
I'm in a position
Where I can take advantage
of emily's situation.
And that's something
I'm happy to do.
[ cellphone rings ]
Hello, uh, emily.
Hey. Could you, uh,
Could you come down
to the havilah?
What?
Okay. Thank you.
Narrator: In nome harbor,
on the havilah...
You got to do what
you got to do sometimes.
You got
to swallow your pride.
...For zeke tenhoff...
Emily owes me
a favor or two, dude.
So I got to
take advantage of emily
In any way that I can.
...The time has come to put
the gold over the grudge.
Zeke: Up until now,
I felt that it was
beneath my dignity
To go to work
for emily riedel.
After how things went
on the havilah this summer
And given my position now,
I feel like, "whatever.
I need to stop
taking myself so seriously."
Zeke: Hey, hey.
Emily: You've got a microwave
and a fridge
And, like, all this nice
counter space
And a hot plate
built in the counter space?
It's for, like,
when I got to cook some eggs
Or, like, you know.
[ laughs ]
All right.
Well, it's pretty fancy, zeke.
I see that
the corporate life's
Been treating you well
in that respect,
Yeah, pretty well.
Keeps you well-fed.
It's not a very
highly profitable venture
For me, though,
not especially.
I was really hoping
that I could just
Take the havilah
out of the water.
I'd have enough scratch
to get me through to ice season.
And then I could just
Not have to go diving
again this summer.
I might have to take you up
on your offer
To go do some dredging
on your dredge.
Oh, yeah?
You know,
I mean, the thing is,
Is, like, I was, like --
I thought --
I didn't want to because
it's beneath my dignity.
I don't think working
on my dredge
Is beneath your dignity.
I mean...
Well, I didn't think so.
I think there are a lot of,
like, other things
That are beneath
your dignity.
If I can make a little
more scratch on your dredge
For the next couple weeks
Before it gets too frosty
to go out any more,
Like, I'll be happy.
Well, um, I mean, I don't
have any divers right now.
You know, my boat's
just sitting there.
So, um, yeah, we can --
We can try
the business thing.
Fact is,
a man's got to eat.
Emily: Zeke was pretty adamant
about not working on my boat
Whenever the havilah
was still working.
Now that he's pulling
out of the water
And my boat's still ready to go,
ready to work,
It's a simple matter
of practicality.
He knows he can make some money
before the end of the season.
That's all it is.
Nothing personal.
Before I can do
any of that,
I got to get this boat
on a trailer out of the water.
We got to break up
this ice.
Narrator: While zeke and emily
break the ice...
...100 miles from the nearest
bed and breakfast...
Shawn: Yeah.
I'm getting tired man.
Let's just pull over
and set up camp right here.
Narrator: After a goldless
12 hours of prospecting...
1:00 in the [bleep] morning.
Shawn: Yeah.
Sounds like a good deal.
Narrator: Shawn pomrenke is in
need of a place to crash.
Oh, this looks like
as good a spot as any.
Yeah. I'm gonna go
check it out up here.
Shawn's walking up to try
to find a camp spot
By himself in the dark.
I'm trying to give him
a little assist
With this, uh,
excavator light here.
Oh,
what the hell are these?
Oh, look at this --
bear tracks.
Pretty decent-sized bear.
A lot of bear tracks
around here, boys.
Cody: Roger.
I was wondering what you were
looking at up there.
I had the light going
here for you.
Oh.
What the hell is that?
Which direction?
Off to my right.
That's probably a bear,
man.
[ laughs ]
Get the [bleep]
on the dredge.
-Holy [bleep]
-what the [bleep]
Cody: Let's get the [bleep]
out of here.
There's a bear up there.
Let's get the [bleep]
out of here.
Coming right for you,
dude.
Shawn:
Man, that was close.
Whoo!
You ran pretty fast.
I haven't ran that fast
since high school.
I'm sleeping'
on the dredge tonight.
Narrator:
After a grizzly (grisly)
first day...
Shawn:
Let's back off the shore here.
Narrator: ...Camp for the night
will be spent at sea.
In the city of nome,
After a humiliating
0.29-ounce clean-up...
Vernon:
I got to meet phil down here,
Talk about the future
for the sub dredge.
Narrator:
...Vernon has been summoned
for an emergency meeting.
I -- I really
didn't like the way that --
That whole clean up went,
vern.
This isn't
for the camera.
Vernon: I don't understand
what you're talking about.
It got 3/4 of...
I know.
3/10.
I'm sorry.
That's not good.
Phil: This wasn't ready
for half the season.
The way it's been going,
it's just not profitable.
I know you want
to see it more profitable.
But, uh, for now,
as a company asset,
We have to bring it back
and get it on other jobs.
[ scoffs ]
My crew, they've been
living on vapors.
Uh, we were hoping to get
A last good lick
with this thing.
And, maybe, everybody go home
with some gold in their pocket.
I'm not trying
to make you feel bad.
But, I mean, fact is,
You know, we --
We got our --
all our nuts in this basket.
And you're kind of
taking the basket away.
We got to take it back.
We got to get it
back to san diego.
Steven's up here
to help me bring it back.
Phil, if you take this damn
thing back from me now,
That's gonna
end my season.
I mean, do you realize
how much money I got
Tied up
in this son of a bitch
And this operation,
that boat, that raft,
Everything I've put into it?
I've put probably a couple
hundred thousand dollars
Into it,
at least $150,000.
We can get a few more
weeks out of this
And maybe recover
some of this --
This money
we've been hemorrhaging
Since the thing
came up here.
I don't see it
getting better.
We got to --
we got to make changes.
It's not profitable.
I'm sorry.
All right, phil.
Do what you got to do.
Get it off the boat.
Take it back to san diego.
All right.
So, uh, anyway...
Sorry, vern.
All right.
Let's get it, steve.
Let's get it.
-Yeah. Let's go.
-All right.
This was a big gamble,
And it didn't pay off.
Um, you know, what do...
What the [bleep]
can I say about it?
I mean, how many times
I got to say this, you know?
So in the meantime,
I'm hemorrhaging [bleep] money.
No! What the [bleep]?!
Upset about it?!
I'm more than
[bleep] upset about it.
I put a lot of [bleep] money,
Everything I got
into this [bleep] thing.
Upset --
that ain't the word for it,
You know?
Narrator:
Off the coast of nome...
Zeke: We'll just see
how it goes, emily,
See how it goes.
...On the eroica.
You motor right up
to that anchor.
I'll grab it.
The devil's bargain
Between zeke tenhoff
and emily riedel
Is looking for
its sea legs.
Emily:
He's gonna get down there.
He's gonna be making me money.
So I've already won,
as far as I'm concerned.
Have the sailor buoys
marking where
We, uh, first found
daryl's hole.
Narrator:
Hoping for a quick score
before the clock runs out,
Emily has brought zeke
Back to her old
stomping grounds.
Emily:
I need to get gold this week,
or it's a serious problem.
I need to pay some debts,
you know, just from this season.
Daryl left us on
some really good gold.
But you need the best of divers
in order to get it.
You know,
you need zeke or daryl
Or somebody, um, very skilled
At reading the ground
and prospecting
In order to find
the best hourly average.
Zeke: All right.
Well, I'll pop down here.
Maybe I'll be able
to tell what was going on
Where those other guys
were dredging,
Maybe find some
tailing piles.
I'm starting over
at the end,
And that's always difficult.
But that's how
I've always done it.
[ laughs ]
There.
All I need to do is
Poke a couple of nice holes
and get us on some nice pay.
Then he makes money,
and I make money.
What's there to lose?
My dignity.
[ laughs ]
Oh. It's still not that
[bleep] bad working on my boat.
Stop talking about
your dignity.
One thing that emily
doesn't understand is
She wants
to try to employ me.
But emily's got to understand
that she will never be my boss.
Oh, should I, now?
Emily:
Zeke brings a lot of baggage
And a lot of [bleep] attitude
to the boat.
I just hope he shuts up
and works.
Work hard dredging.
Put on wet suit.
Emily's got to get knocked off
the high horse that she's on.
Emily, for the last two years,
has had a lot of success.
And it's weird
Because the success
emily's dredge has had,
It doesn't have very much
to do with emily.
Emily's not a real employer.
I'm just here to pillage
emily's gold supply
And run her equipment
into the ground.
If I see any big nuggets
down there,
I'm definitely gonna
put them in my boot
And keep them for myself
and not even tell emily.
If he put half the energy
into his comebacks
As he did into gold mining,
We might actually
make some money.
Put all your [bleep]
sassy energy
Into making us some gold,
I think
we'll end up well today.
Hey. Just like old times,
right?
Me driving the boat.
I like to feel the hate.
Yes. That's my life force.
I'm really enjoying it.
What's up with you
down there?
I think
I found daryl's cut.
It's a nice, big cut.
And I can see some pieces
of gold
Kind of sprinkling
out of the bottom of it.
It seems this probably
looks like
Where we need
to keep working.
All right, awesome.
You sound a lot happier
and less sassy
Now that
you're on some gold.
Oh,
I love gold so much.
Narrator:
While zeke and emily look
to make a golden alliance,
100 miles to the east...
Shawn:
You know where we're going.
Let's get there.
Narrator: ...After a hard night
of sleeping on the dredge,
It's day two
of the bluff expedition.
Cody: Roger that.
I'm gonna head over here
where we left off
At the end
of the season on ice,
This rock outcropping here.
Narrator: Failing to find gold
on the west end of the claim,
"mr. Gold" is looking
for a sure thing.
Shawn:
The season's coming to an end.
I feel we're on borrowed time
right now.
And we need to get
the best pay dirt
Out of there possible.
You could have 200 ounce a day.
That's what I'm looking for.
I want to get big paychecks
quick, fast.
Wow. That looks good.
Lots of big boulders.
Like the old man says,
"big rocks, big gold."
This is where we made, uh,
Some gold in the winter
under the ice.
So we're gonna
give it a shot here
On the christine rose now.
Narrator: Behind the wheel
for the day's first shift --
Shawn's trusted right-hand man,
cody moen.
I think this point up here,
shawn,
Where this big rock
outcropping is,
I'm pretty sure
this is where we last dove
Just right ahead of me here
Right on this point.
Yeah.
Well, let's not hit the rocks
And go a little bit
more to the right.
Roger that.
Hey. Let's go a little bit
to the right there, cody.
Yeah. Roger that.
A little shallow in this area.
I was surprised.
I thought it was gonna
be a lot deeper here.
Yeah. Just be careful.
[ rumbling ]
Oh. Holy [bleep]
what is that?
Holy... Holy [bleep].
What are you...Stop. Stop.
We just hit the bottom.
[ bleep ]
Shawn:
What [ bleep ] dude?
Did we hit the bottom?
We better check the hull
right now.
Let me drop the sleds.
[ bleep ]
Well, let's grab a pump.
We look like
we're taking on water.
You serious?
[ bleep ]
Derek: This is how to make
a cheeseburger at sea,
Flame broiled.
Pan-seared ground steak.
The high noon's kind of
a float-through burger joint.
It's our future endeavor.
If this boat
doesn't work out,
We're just gonna cut
all the dredging gear out of it,
Make it a floating cabana bar
And have all
the dredgers stop in,
Give us gold for food.
Spenser: Cheers.
[ bell dings ]
order up.
Narrator:
100 miles east of nome...
Hey, let's go a little bit
to the right there, cody.
Cody: Yeah. Roger that.
Narrator:
...At the bluff...
Holy [bleep]
shawn: What was that?
Hit neutral, neutral.
We just hit
the bottom, man.
We better check the hull
right now.
We dropped the sleds.
[ bleep ]
Well, let's grab a pump.
We look like
we're taking on water.
[ bleep ]
[ bleep ] there's all kinds
of water in here.
Are you serious?
Narrator: First mate cody moen
ran the christine rose aground.
Well, sorry doesn't get us
[bleep] home.
I need a head lamp.
Narrator:
Now, 100 miles from port,
It's a race to keep
the million-dollar barge
From sinking.
Shawn: Holy [bleep].
He hit it big time.
Look at that rib,
all bent up,
That rib's bent,
that rib's bent.
We might be done right now.
Narrator:
Badly dented by the impact,
The hull has sprung a leak.
Where in the hell
is the hole at?
Shawn: Oh, there's where
the water is coming in.
Give me
the [bleep] welder!
Unless shawn
can make the fix,
The christine rose
Will become a permanent resident
of the bluff.
Big sledgehammer,
some wood.
Cody:
Here's your welder.
Shawn:
Fire up that welder.
We're taking on water.
Let me see if I can
get this thing welded up.
Get this thing going.
Shawn: Here we go.
Oh, yeah.
We got it.
Cody: Got it?
Got it. Go ahead.
Kill that welder.
That was [bleep] close.
Let's get that little pump,
And we'll pump the rest
of this water out of here.
[ bleep ]
I don't know if the hole patch
is gonna work on the hull.
And I don't want to risk
sinking the christine rose.
That could have been way worse.
We could be at the bottom
right now.
Well, let's stay the hell
away from those rocks.
Sorry.
So, I just keep my mind
at task,
And we got to get gold,
And that's what we got to do.
Time to get the hell
out of this place.
Starting to look like
I might have gambled and lost.
Narrator: With $100,000
invested in this trip...
Shawn:
We're not [bleep] done yet.
Narrator: ..."mr. Gold" is not
about to call it quits.
100 miles to the west,
As winter tightens its grip...
I'm probably down
a couple hundred thousand,
But that doesn't mean
I'm gonna quit.
Next year, I'll be back.
I'm not afraid to fail.
I mean, a lot of people
Won't even put their toe
in the water
Because they're afraid
they're gonna drown.
Well, I'm not that way.
I'll take a chance.
I'll let it rip.
If they call that failure,
Well, you know,
just stick around.
Stay tuned,
because I'll keep ripping'
Until I get it right.
Narrator: With one miner
already down for the season,
The rest of the fleet
prepares for the final push.
Well, looks like
it's the bitter end here.
Lord only knows how much time
we have left to mine.
Mother nature rules that fact.
But I'm telling you what,
That the party's gonna be on.
♪ it's a hard, hard life ♪
Derek: It's dog eat dog.
I got everything
in this dredge.
This is basically me
using my lifeline.
All we need is one good run,
And all our debts
could be washed.
Keep on sucking me up
some gold, please.
Zeke: Hey, emily,
Why don't you try
coming down here and diving?
Good comeback.
♪ what have I done? ♪
Emily: He can push my buttons
all he wants
As long as he finds me
some gold out there.
It's really time
to make a final push
To see if we can make something
out of this horrible season.
It's always a battle
out to the end.
Narrator:
While vern is sent packing
With an embarrassing
14-ounce take,
The rest of the fleet
preps for one final trip
Before winter
closes the door.
Spenser:
It's the last run of the season.
We all need to make some money
to get us through the winter.
Narrator:
When all the chips are down...
Go ahead.
Narrator: ...We'll find out
who broke the bank...
There's no [bleep] gold.
Narrator: ...And who won...
Steve: Get off my spot.
[bleep]
...The biggest jackpot...
In "bering sea gold" history.
[ all cheering ]
Narrator: Nome, alaska.
Vernon:
Harbor's freezing up.
There's accumulating dust
on the hills.
It's just about over.
Narrator:
With the end of the summer
mining season looming...
Yep, it's thick.
...The fleet's
golden gambles...
This is
the make or break.
...Are on the line.
If you don't make enough money
to ante up the next season,
Then you've failed.
Emily: Every day is some kind
of different type of battle.
What I'm trying to do up here
is endure and conquer.
Narrator:
While some crews struggle just
to stay in the game...
Vernon: You don't really fail
until you quit.
And I'm not quitting.
The boat
is locked and cocked
And ready to rock.
Narrator:
...For a die-hard few...
Well, you know how
you make a small fortune mining,
Don't you?
Narrator:
...It's time to go all in...
Man: What?
You start
with a large fortune.
...Because
it's never too late...
Start banging some ice,
amos.
Let's get out
that sluice box.
No, I'm gonna run
every damn minute I can
Until something stops me.
Narrator:
...To hit the mother lode.
-Oh, my god.
-Yeah. Yeah.
-Oh, my.
-Whoo!
[ laughter ]
Captions paid for by
discovery communications
Narrator:
100 miles east of nome...
Shawn: We're here, finally.
Nobody's ever touched
this ground out here
In the bering sea.
It's virgin ground,
fresh ground, never touched.
We're the only ones out here
for miles and miles.
Narrator: Captain shawn pomrenke
is finally chasing his dream...
Pretty excited,
pretty nervous.
Lots of different emotions.
You can see the bluffs
out to our west here.
Narrator: ...Bringing his
million-dollar mega dredge
Far from the safety of town
To a claim known as "the bluff."
Well, we're here, boys.
Cody: Pretty cool being
all the way down here
With the christine rose,
man.
This is definitely the farthest
the christine rose
Has ever been away from nome
by a long shot.
Yeah, 10-4.
We'll start on the east side
of the claims,
And start prospecting our way
Down to where we were
diving this winter.
Yeah, that sounds like
a plan to me.
Narrator: Six months ago...
Shawn: Well, we're coming
into the bluffs here.
..."mr. Gold: Became the first
To prospect the bluff
in more than a century.
It's a [bleep] blizzard
out here right now.
And despite
impossible conditions...
Yeah.
...He found
traces of good gold.
Now, after pulling
just 300 ounces
Out of off-shore nome,
He's come back
to collect his fortune.
Shawn: I mean, there's only
a few weeks left.
The ocean's freezing.
The season's coming to an end.
If I don't get
out there this year,
Then I'm gonna be
sitting and wondering,
"what if?" all winter.
And I don't want to be sitting,
wondering, "what if?"
Shawn: I believe
this is the spot that
There was a bunch of mining
done right up here.
Right here is
where the claims start.
We're gonna start
at the first claim
And start working
our way towards the bluff.
Hey, cody.
I think, this will be a good
spot to start prospecting.
Drop this anchor
this over-off
And then, uh,
start taking some pans.
Sounds good, man.
Hopefully we find some color.
I'm stoked.
I'm looking
for the next big thing.
I want to move
to the next level.
Tomcod's drying up.
And if I'm gonna keep
the christine rose on top,
I got to go find
that new hot spot.
If I don't do it,
somebody else will.
Whoo, made it.
Hopefully I can sniff it out
and prove my dad wrong.
Narrator:
Shawn isn't the only pomrenke
Looking for a gamble
to pay off big.
100 miles away...
I haven't heard one single word
from them guys.
Narrator:
...At steve pomrenke's 5-acre,
inland mining claim.
Steve:
I'm under a lot of pressure
To get 500 ounces
out of this hole
By the end of the year
here.
Narrator: The old man's
pricey new operation
Is in a race
against mother nature.
We got ice on the deck.
We got ice on the pond.
We got ice on the lakes.
And it's getting colder
out here.
We're on our bitter end here.
But we're gonna try
and sneak another 4 or 5 days
Out of this here yet.
Narrator: With nearly
a million bucks invested
And only $200,000 in gold
so far,
Steve needs to make
every second count.
I'm still looking to pull
500 ounces out of this
Before it freezes.
Pretty damn scary,
you talk about stress.
I'm stressing right now.
Narrator:
500 ounces isn't the only thing
steve is stressing over.
There's also the matter
of his prodigal son.
Steve:
He's been gone for three days.
I don't know if they're sunk,
If they're dead,
if they're alive.
Narrator: With the inland mining
producing,
To steve, shawn's bluff dream
is just a waste of time.
Bigger risk is going
to the bluff with that boat.
Well, the worst fear
is somebody sinking
And getting drowned or whatever.
That would be the worst thing.
And the second worst thing
would be the boat
Laying on the ocean floor
out there somewhere.
Had to go to bluff.
He had to go to bluff.
But in reality,
that's a $100,000 trip.
It's important to shawn
Because he is looking for
new ground.
But by god,
He needs to look some place
where it's accessible,
That has some common sense
to it, not just an adventure.
Open up the flapper
and see what we got under there.
You can see it already
right over on that side, man.
Look at
all that [bleep] gold.
It's impressive.
That's what
we're working for.
That's why we're working
in this weather.
Narrator: While steve fights
against the coming freeze,
10 miles to the south
on the all in.
Vernon: I'm getting that
golden tingle right now.
Narrator:
...Captain vernon adkison
Is fighting just
to stay in business.
Right now,
it's just about over.
So we got to take
every opportunity
To get as much gold in the box
as we possibly can.
Vernon:
We only got another few days
left in the season.
It's pretty darn tense
Because any time you put
A new piece of equipment
in the water,
You're gonna
have a lot of bugs.
Narrator: This summer...
Vernon: It's not good.
Sub dredge weigh 5,000 pounds.
These beams
will not support it.
Narrator:
...Vernon's gamble on
A quarter-million-dollar
sub dredge
Has hit setback...
No!
...After setback.
Look, look.
Oh [bleep].
Vernon:
That put a lot of pressure,
A lot of stress on me,
personally.
I mean, financial stress.
Narrator: But now...
We're on the gold.
So everybody ought to be happy.
Narrator: For the first time
this season,
The dredge has
been pumping material
For over
12 hours straight.
Vernon:
We don't need a diver.
We're doing it
without the diver today.
Narrator:
And with the clock ticking...
I'm a little
on edge right now.
...Vernon isn't the only
one needing results.
There's only so much
you can expect out of people.
I mean, they're doing it
in the hope of getting gold,
And they know if I make it,
they're gonna make it.
Narrator:
The dredge's manufacturer
is also looking to get paid.
Vernon: I got the sub dredge
on speculation,
And there was a percentage
of the gold share involved
To pay for this thing.
So far, we haven't gotten
very much gold with it.
If we can get one good,
solid clean up,
That's what I need
to keep me going.
Vernon:
Overall, it seems to be doing
pretty darn good down there.
We're putting a lot of material
through the box.
Oh, man.
I think we got a plug.
We got no material.
Man:
Looks like we're plugged.
Narrator: A plug in the hose
means pay dirt
Can't make it all the way
to the sluice box.
Yeah, bobby, uh, looks like
we got a plug, buddy.
Every time we have a plug up
or a jam, it costs me.
We have to send a diver down
and clear it
And even possibly bring it
up top and clear the jam.
We're down
to just the very last days.
I can't afford
any more setbacks.
Bobby: All right.
I'm at the robot.
Uh, let me check
the suction.
Hey, bobby.
I'll get you the ramrod.
Pull that plate off the end
and ram it, please.
Yep, 10-4.
Right when everything's
going hunky-dory for a while,
It gets plugged.
All right.
I'm gonna go ahead
And, uh, see if, uh,
See if you got
any interference in here.
I do got some interference.
I can feel
something in there.
Uh, I don't know
if it's a rock or what.
Vernon: Well, try
to punch it loose, bobby.
You might want to give
that a shot.
Maybe that -- that worked.
I don't know.
All right.
We're starting.
Are you clear?
Yep, clear.
Yeah. We got some discharge
coming out.
But, uh,
it looks like it --
It still might be --
something's still in there.
We'll shut down the pump,
and put the cap back on, please.
Roger that.
Narrator: Unable to diagnose
the problem...
We'll get it up
and get out of here.
...Vernon has no choice
But to once again
bring the dredge top side.
Gary: If I don't have
at least 8 hours
Just robot sucking dirt,
Then wasting
our [bleep] time.
Vernon: The crew,
they've been really good.
Hell, they're --
they're stone-ass broke.
Right now, this robot's got
to prove itself, you know.
It ain't found me [bleep].
Narrator: With morale sinking
and pressure rising,
Vernon is in desperate need
of a payday.
Vernon: It time to see
what's in the box.
Narrator: 100 miles east
of nome harbor...
Shawn: Sand.
...On the christine rose.
Shawn: We decided to do
a little bit of prospecting
Before we, uh, set up camp.
So we're gonna see
if we can find some gold.
If we find some gold,
Then we'll set up our camp
right next to the gold.
Narrator:
...For the past nine hours,
Captain shawn pomrenke
has been prospecting
The western end
of the bluff claim.
Thought I seen one rock.
I started
getting excited.
Narrator: So far...
Sand's no good
Unless there's cobble
on top of it.
...He's come up blank.
So we're gonna
keep on digging here,
See if we could get down
to some good stuff.
Otherwise, I just gambled
over $100,000 away.
With time ticking
to cash in on his investment...
We need to find some gold,
and we need to find it now.
...Shawn can't afford to rest
until he's on the gold.
Taking the christine rose
down to the bluff,
It's stressful because
if we don't find any gold,
It's gonna cost $100,000-plus.
Punching hole after hole
after hole after hole after hole
And not seeing the gold
that I expected,
It's, uh, pissing me off.
There's probably a lot of bears
hungry at this time of the year.
Yeah. Shawn's been
on the machine all day.
It's starting to get dark.
And we still haven't got
camp set up.
Now we're wasting
more time.
He's getting
a little wild out there.
Come on, gold.
Don't be stingy.
Oh, feels like maybe
there's some rock down there.
Hey, I'm, uh, hitting a little
something other than sand here.
You guys want to come
and take a pan?
Been looking
for quite some time,
We still can't find anything.
Hopefully
we'll find some gold.
It takes a while, sometimes.
Shawn:
I'm pretty nervous, anxious.
I can see gold
in the bucket.
Ah, [bleep]
Nothing.
Striked out again.
It's like we're in
the sand box, dude.
This is ridiculous.
It's weird, isn't it?
Maybe we should have started
at the other end of the claim.
Yeah.
A pot of gold there,
ice season --
So maybe we'll head
back down that way.
Where did you ice do it?
All the way
by those cliffs.
We got a long way to go.
We were losing daylight
already.
It's time to start
heading back that way.
Shawn: Oh, it's, uh, imperative
that I find gold on this trip.
Otherwise,
I'm gonna have to deal with
A grumpy old man
named steve pomrenke.
Narrator: While shawn
struggles to find gold
On his new spot...
...100 miles to the west...
Hey, how's it looking'
down there, chief?
...Derek mclarty and the boys
of the high noon
Are pillaging shawn's old spot.
Big money.
We're looking for a big pay day.
And we found it.
Thanks for the gold.
Narrator: Two days ago...
17...
Let's keep panning,
hoping there's more.
...2.
...Desperate to keep his
half-million-dollar investment
From going under...
Derek:
'twas the night before bluffs.
And all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring.
[ laughs ]
Narrator:
...Derek helped himself
To shawn's prized
gps coordinates.
It looks like "mr. Gold"
left his gps on
With a nice
little checkered flag
Exactly where
he's been digging.
Perfect.
Narrator: Now...
I know that shawn
can't clear anything out
From under those big rocks.
We can definitely clean it up.
Narrator:
...It's every dredger for
himself.
Season's almost over.
And I only have barely enough
gold to keep going.
This is the last big push
of the year.
If I can make enough money
to come back next year
To open the doors
and turn the open sign on,
We're good.
As far as the gps goes,
Well, you know, I mean,
It's kind of like, uh,
fake it 'till you make it.
This might be the big payday
we need right here.
I'm gonna come up.
I just want to know
how we're doing.
Idle down and see what
he's doing down there
Before I...
Just to make sure we don't
have to move or anything.
Let's see what we done.
I'm gonna take any opportunity
shawn gives me.
If he's not gonna be out there
getting gold,
God knows I'm gonna
be at his heels trying
to get there.
Derek:
There's a nice little chunk.
Ooh, there's a real
nice little chunk.
That's
a fatty little fella.
It's got girth.
Chunky little bastard.
Thank you, "mr. Gold."
This was exactly
what we needed.
Shawn found us
a little nugget run.
It might not look like much,
but it equates to dollar bills.
That's what
we see right there.
That's a good night
on the town.
Thanks, shawn.
Thanks, buddy.
Appreciate you.
Narrator:
On the outskirts of nome
At vernon adkison's trailer...
[ laughter ]
Narrator: ...While the bot
is in for repairs,
Vern uses the time
to see how they're doing.
How many hours
you think we got on it?
Maybe 12, 13.
All right.
Let's see what we got.
I know phil wants to see
what's in the box.
Narrator:
With the manufacturer breathing
down his neck for a payday.
If they're not getting any gold,
Then, uh, they're not gonna
keep it on the job.
Let's see what we got.
Oh, precious.
Don't spill it.
Don't do that. [ laughs ]
Come on, baby.
Gary: 2.9.
What?
Oh,
it's 0.29 troy ounces,
So 1/4 ounce.
0.29?
[ bleep ]
That's [bleep] pitiful.
Yeah.
That is pitiful.
Just over 1/4 of an ounce.
Narrator: 0.29 ounces
is a laughable 350 bucks.
Oh, crap.
Crap, crap, crap, crap.
It is what it is.
I was hoping for more.
I was hoping
for an ounce an hour.
But that's --
yeah.
Long-term, we got to have
better than that.
Yeah, we're gonna definitely
have to do something different.
Vernon:
I know the concept is valid.
I know there're people out there
That say
I'll never make this work.
But I'll try my darndest
to make it work.
And that's the take
from the sub dredge.
That's not that much.
The whole scene doesn't sound
good for the sub dredge.
All I can say is
we all know.
We talked many times about
What it's gonna take
to make this better.
And -- and we'll do it.
Because it's been
a waste of time.
Narrator:
Vernon's not the only captain
who's struggling.
On the other side of town...
Emily:
As cold as a hugger's heart.
Narrator: ...Instead of ending
the season mining for gold,
Third- year dredge owner
emily riedel...
Emily: My last diver left.
And I'm, uh, still --
Still needing a crew
to finish out the season.
Narrator:
...Is mining for miners.
Emily: I don't really have
any promising leads right now.
It's sort of
becoming worrisome.
Narrator: Two weeks ago...
I need a new crew.
So I was gonna see
If you guys wanted to come
and dive on my boat.
...Hard up for divers,
emily swallowed her pride
And asked ex-partner
zeke tenhoff for a lifeline.
Well, it just sounds like
You need to come back
and talk to us
When you're
a little more hard up.
[ laughter ]
But emily
was left to drown.
Emily: Well, zeke doesn't really
respect that I own a boat,
And he doesn't really
like the way that I do business.
He talks about being --
being a free spirit.
But, you know, signing up
to work with corporate
Is about just, like,
the least free spirit thing
You could ever do.
He just needs to get
over himself.
Narrator:
As luck would have it,
In the small boat harbor...
I'm really happy
'cause emily's struggling
really hard, dude.
...After a season of struggles
with the havilah...
Honestly, I did what I could
for corporate.
I didn't sink their boat.
...Zeke's corporate masters
Have also
pulled the plug early.
I don't know what my next step
is gonna be, though.
You'll be jumping
in the ice.
I need a little bit
more scratch.
That's just the truth,
dude.
I was going over the books
last night.
And I was like, "damn."
I'm gonna figure out
something else for myself
To just increase
my grip of gold
Before winter
sets in for ice.
Zeke: Well, honestly, working in
the corporate world --
Well, I don't feel
like it was a mistake,
But it's not what
I'm gonna continue to do.
And so now
I'm back to square one.
What am I gonna do next?
Emily was desperate
for divers.
She wanted me to go
and put gold --
And work on eroica,
You know, so she could
pay her bills.
I know emily's desperate.
I got to work it
to my advantage.
I'm self-interested.
I'm in a position
Where I can take advantage
of emily's situation.
And that's something
I'm happy to do.
[ cellphone rings ]
Hello, uh, emily.
Hey. Could you, uh,
Could you come down
to the havilah?
What?
Okay. Thank you.
Narrator: In nome harbor,
on the havilah...
You got to do what
you got to do sometimes.
You got
to swallow your pride.
...For zeke tenhoff...
Emily owes me
a favor or two, dude.
So I got to
take advantage of emily
In any way that I can.
...The time has come to put
the gold over the grudge.
Zeke: Up until now,
I felt that it was
beneath my dignity
To go to work
for emily riedel.
After how things went
on the havilah this summer
And given my position now,
I feel like, "whatever.
I need to stop
taking myself so seriously."
Zeke: Hey, hey.
Emily: You've got a microwave
and a fridge
And, like, all this nice
counter space
And a hot plate
built in the counter space?
It's for, like,
when I got to cook some eggs
Or, like, you know.
[ laughs ]
All right.
Well, it's pretty fancy, zeke.
I see that
the corporate life's
Been treating you well
in that respect,
Yeah, pretty well.
Keeps you well-fed.
It's not a very
highly profitable venture
For me, though,
not especially.
I was really hoping
that I could just
Take the havilah
out of the water.
I'd have enough scratch
to get me through to ice season.
And then I could just
Not have to go diving
again this summer.
I might have to take you up
on your offer
To go do some dredging
on your dredge.
Oh, yeah?
You know,
I mean, the thing is,
Is, like, I was, like --
I thought --
I didn't want to because
it's beneath my dignity.
I don't think working
on my dredge
Is beneath your dignity.
I mean...
Well, I didn't think so.
I think there are a lot of,
like, other things
That are beneath
your dignity.
If I can make a little
more scratch on your dredge
For the next couple weeks
Before it gets too frosty
to go out any more,
Like, I'll be happy.
Well, um, I mean, I don't
have any divers right now.
You know, my boat's
just sitting there.
So, um, yeah, we can --
We can try
the business thing.
Fact is,
a man's got to eat.
Emily: Zeke was pretty adamant
about not working on my boat
Whenever the havilah
was still working.
Now that he's pulling
out of the water
And my boat's still ready to go,
ready to work,
It's a simple matter
of practicality.
He knows he can make some money
before the end of the season.
That's all it is.
Nothing personal.
Before I can do
any of that,
I got to get this boat
on a trailer out of the water.
We got to break up
this ice.
Narrator: While zeke and emily
break the ice...
...100 miles from the nearest
bed and breakfast...
Shawn: Yeah.
I'm getting tired man.
Let's just pull over
and set up camp right here.
Narrator: After a goldless
12 hours of prospecting...
1:00 in the [bleep] morning.
Shawn: Yeah.
Sounds like a good deal.
Narrator: Shawn pomrenke is in
need of a place to crash.
Oh, this looks like
as good a spot as any.
Yeah. I'm gonna go
check it out up here.
Shawn's walking up to try
to find a camp spot
By himself in the dark.
I'm trying to give him
a little assist
With this, uh,
excavator light here.
Oh,
what the hell are these?
Oh, look at this --
bear tracks.
Pretty decent-sized bear.
A lot of bear tracks
around here, boys.
Cody: Roger.
I was wondering what you were
looking at up there.
I had the light going
here for you.
Oh.
What the hell is that?
Which direction?
Off to my right.
That's probably a bear,
man.
[ laughs ]
Get the [bleep]
on the dredge.
-Holy [bleep]
-what the [bleep]
Cody: Let's get the [bleep]
out of here.
There's a bear up there.
Let's get the [bleep]
out of here.
Coming right for you,
dude.
Shawn:
Man, that was close.
Whoo!
You ran pretty fast.
I haven't ran that fast
since high school.
I'm sleeping'
on the dredge tonight.
Narrator:
After a grizzly (grisly)
first day...
Shawn:
Let's back off the shore here.
Narrator: ...Camp for the night
will be spent at sea.
In the city of nome,
After a humiliating
0.29-ounce clean-up...
Vernon:
I got to meet phil down here,
Talk about the future
for the sub dredge.
Narrator:
...Vernon has been summoned
for an emergency meeting.
I -- I really
didn't like the way that --
That whole clean up went,
vern.
This isn't
for the camera.
Vernon: I don't understand
what you're talking about.
It got 3/4 of...
I know.
3/10.
I'm sorry.
That's not good.
Phil: This wasn't ready
for half the season.
The way it's been going,
it's just not profitable.
I know you want
to see it more profitable.
But, uh, for now,
as a company asset,
We have to bring it back
and get it on other jobs.
[ scoffs ]
My crew, they've been
living on vapors.
Uh, we were hoping to get
A last good lick
with this thing.
And, maybe, everybody go home
with some gold in their pocket.
I'm not trying
to make you feel bad.
But, I mean, fact is,
You know, we --
We got our --
all our nuts in this basket.
And you're kind of
taking the basket away.
We got to take it back.
We got to get it
back to san diego.
Steven's up here
to help me bring it back.
Phil, if you take this damn
thing back from me now,
That's gonna
end my season.
I mean, do you realize
how much money I got
Tied up
in this son of a bitch
And this operation,
that boat, that raft,
Everything I've put into it?
I've put probably a couple
hundred thousand dollars
Into it,
at least $150,000.
We can get a few more
weeks out of this
And maybe recover
some of this --
This money
we've been hemorrhaging
Since the thing
came up here.
I don't see it
getting better.
We got to --
we got to make changes.
It's not profitable.
I'm sorry.
All right, phil.
Do what you got to do.
Get it off the boat.
Take it back to san diego.
All right.
So, uh, anyway...
Sorry, vern.
All right.
Let's get it, steve.
Let's get it.
-Yeah. Let's go.
-All right.
This was a big gamble,
And it didn't pay off.
Um, you know, what do...
What the [bleep]
can I say about it?
I mean, how many times
I got to say this, you know?
So in the meantime,
I'm hemorrhaging [bleep] money.
No! What the [bleep]?!
Upset about it?!
I'm more than
[bleep] upset about it.
I put a lot of [bleep] money,
Everything I got
into this [bleep] thing.
Upset --
that ain't the word for it,
You know?
Narrator:
Off the coast of nome...
Zeke: We'll just see
how it goes, emily,
See how it goes.
...On the eroica.
You motor right up
to that anchor.
I'll grab it.
The devil's bargain
Between zeke tenhoff
and emily riedel
Is looking for
its sea legs.
Emily:
He's gonna get down there.
He's gonna be making me money.
So I've already won,
as far as I'm concerned.
Have the sailor buoys
marking where
We, uh, first found
daryl's hole.
Narrator:
Hoping for a quick score
before the clock runs out,
Emily has brought zeke
Back to her old
stomping grounds.
Emily:
I need to get gold this week,
or it's a serious problem.
I need to pay some debts,
you know, just from this season.
Daryl left us on
some really good gold.
But you need the best of divers
in order to get it.
You know,
you need zeke or daryl
Or somebody, um, very skilled
At reading the ground
and prospecting
In order to find
the best hourly average.
Zeke: All right.
Well, I'll pop down here.
Maybe I'll be able
to tell what was going on
Where those other guys
were dredging,
Maybe find some
tailing piles.
I'm starting over
at the end,
And that's always difficult.
But that's how
I've always done it.
[ laughs ]
There.
All I need to do is
Poke a couple of nice holes
and get us on some nice pay.
Then he makes money,
and I make money.
What's there to lose?
My dignity.
[ laughs ]
Oh. It's still not that
[bleep] bad working on my boat.
Stop talking about
your dignity.
One thing that emily
doesn't understand is
She wants
to try to employ me.
But emily's got to understand
that she will never be my boss.
Oh, should I, now?
Emily:
Zeke brings a lot of baggage
And a lot of [bleep] attitude
to the boat.
I just hope he shuts up
and works.
Work hard dredging.
Put on wet suit.
Emily's got to get knocked off
the high horse that she's on.
Emily, for the last two years,
has had a lot of success.
And it's weird
Because the success
emily's dredge has had,
It doesn't have very much
to do with emily.
Emily's not a real employer.
I'm just here to pillage
emily's gold supply
And run her equipment
into the ground.
If I see any big nuggets
down there,
I'm definitely gonna
put them in my boot
And keep them for myself
and not even tell emily.
If he put half the energy
into his comebacks
As he did into gold mining,
We might actually
make some money.
Put all your [bleep]
sassy energy
Into making us some gold,
I think
we'll end up well today.
Hey. Just like old times,
right?
Me driving the boat.
I like to feel the hate.
Yes. That's my life force.
I'm really enjoying it.
What's up with you
down there?
I think
I found daryl's cut.
It's a nice, big cut.
And I can see some pieces
of gold
Kind of sprinkling
out of the bottom of it.
It seems this probably
looks like
Where we need
to keep working.
All right, awesome.
You sound a lot happier
and less sassy
Now that
you're on some gold.
Oh,
I love gold so much.
Narrator:
While zeke and emily look
to make a golden alliance,
100 miles to the east...
Shawn:
You know where we're going.
Let's get there.
Narrator: ...After a hard night
of sleeping on the dredge,
It's day two
of the bluff expedition.
Cody: Roger that.
I'm gonna head over here
where we left off
At the end
of the season on ice,
This rock outcropping here.
Narrator: Failing to find gold
on the west end of the claim,
"mr. Gold" is looking
for a sure thing.
Shawn:
The season's coming to an end.
I feel we're on borrowed time
right now.
And we need to get
the best pay dirt
Out of there possible.
You could have 200 ounce a day.
That's what I'm looking for.
I want to get big paychecks
quick, fast.
Wow. That looks good.
Lots of big boulders.
Like the old man says,
"big rocks, big gold."
This is where we made, uh,
Some gold in the winter
under the ice.
So we're gonna
give it a shot here
On the christine rose now.
Narrator: Behind the wheel
for the day's first shift --
Shawn's trusted right-hand man,
cody moen.
I think this point up here,
shawn,
Where this big rock
outcropping is,
I'm pretty sure
this is where we last dove
Just right ahead of me here
Right on this point.
Yeah.
Well, let's not hit the rocks
And go a little bit
more to the right.
Roger that.
Hey. Let's go a little bit
to the right there, cody.
Yeah. Roger that.
A little shallow in this area.
I was surprised.
I thought it was gonna
be a lot deeper here.
Yeah. Just be careful.
[ rumbling ]
Oh. Holy [bleep]
what is that?
Holy... Holy [bleep].
What are you...Stop. Stop.
We just hit the bottom.
[ bleep ]
Shawn:
What [ bleep ] dude?
Did we hit the bottom?
We better check the hull
right now.
Let me drop the sleds.
[ bleep ]
Well, let's grab a pump.
We look like
we're taking on water.
You serious?
[ bleep ]
Derek: This is how to make
a cheeseburger at sea,
Flame broiled.
Pan-seared ground steak.
The high noon's kind of
a float-through burger joint.
It's our future endeavor.
If this boat
doesn't work out,
We're just gonna cut
all the dredging gear out of it,
Make it a floating cabana bar
And have all
the dredgers stop in,
Give us gold for food.
Spenser: Cheers.
[ bell dings ]
order up.
Narrator:
100 miles east of nome...
Hey, let's go a little bit
to the right there, cody.
Cody: Yeah. Roger that.
Narrator:
...At the bluff...
Holy [bleep]
shawn: What was that?
Hit neutral, neutral.
We just hit
the bottom, man.
We better check the hull
right now.
We dropped the sleds.
[ bleep ]
Well, let's grab a pump.
We look like
we're taking on water.
[ bleep ]
[ bleep ] there's all kinds
of water in here.
Are you serious?
Narrator: First mate cody moen
ran the christine rose aground.
Well, sorry doesn't get us
[bleep] home.
I need a head lamp.
Narrator:
Now, 100 miles from port,
It's a race to keep
the million-dollar barge
From sinking.
Shawn: Holy [bleep].
He hit it big time.
Look at that rib,
all bent up,
That rib's bent,
that rib's bent.
We might be done right now.
Narrator:
Badly dented by the impact,
The hull has sprung a leak.
Where in the hell
is the hole at?
Shawn: Oh, there's where
the water is coming in.
Give me
the [bleep] welder!
Unless shawn
can make the fix,
The christine rose
Will become a permanent resident
of the bluff.
Big sledgehammer,
some wood.
Cody:
Here's your welder.
Shawn:
Fire up that welder.
We're taking on water.
Let me see if I can
get this thing welded up.
Get this thing going.
Shawn: Here we go.
Oh, yeah.
We got it.
Cody: Got it?
Got it. Go ahead.
Kill that welder.
That was [bleep] close.
Let's get that little pump,
And we'll pump the rest
of this water out of here.
[ bleep ]
I don't know if the hole patch
is gonna work on the hull.
And I don't want to risk
sinking the christine rose.
That could have been way worse.
We could be at the bottom
right now.
Well, let's stay the hell
away from those rocks.
Sorry.
So, I just keep my mind
at task,
And we got to get gold,
And that's what we got to do.
Time to get the hell
out of this place.
Starting to look like
I might have gambled and lost.
Narrator: With $100,000
invested in this trip...
Shawn:
We're not [bleep] done yet.
Narrator: ..."mr. Gold" is not
about to call it quits.
100 miles to the west,
As winter tightens its grip...
I'm probably down
a couple hundred thousand,
But that doesn't mean
I'm gonna quit.
Next year, I'll be back.
I'm not afraid to fail.
I mean, a lot of people
Won't even put their toe
in the water
Because they're afraid
they're gonna drown.
Well, I'm not that way.
I'll take a chance.
I'll let it rip.
If they call that failure,
Well, you know,
just stick around.
Stay tuned,
because I'll keep ripping'
Until I get it right.
Narrator: With one miner
already down for the season,
The rest of the fleet
prepares for the final push.
Well, looks like
it's the bitter end here.
Lord only knows how much time
we have left to mine.
Mother nature rules that fact.
But I'm telling you what,
That the party's gonna be on.
♪ it's a hard, hard life ♪
Derek: It's dog eat dog.
I got everything
in this dredge.
This is basically me
using my lifeline.
All we need is one good run,
And all our debts
could be washed.
Keep on sucking me up
some gold, please.
Zeke: Hey, emily,
Why don't you try
coming down here and diving?
Good comeback.
♪ what have I done? ♪
Emily: He can push my buttons
all he wants
As long as he finds me
some gold out there.
It's really time
to make a final push
To see if we can make something
out of this horrible season.
It's always a battle
out to the end.
Narrator:
While vern is sent packing
With an embarrassing
14-ounce take,
The rest of the fleet
preps for one final trip
Before winter
closes the door.
Spenser:
It's the last run of the season.
We all need to make some money
to get us through the winter.
Narrator:
When all the chips are down...
Go ahead.
Narrator: ...We'll find out
who broke the bank...
There's no [bleep] gold.
Narrator: ...And who won...
Steve: Get off my spot.
[bleep]
...The biggest jackpot...
In "bering sea gold" history.
[ all cheering ]