Bering Sea Gold (2012–…): Season 7, Episode 3 - The Plague - full transcript

With the ice season in high gear, a flu hits the dredgers like a plague threatening to knock every operation out of the race. For the Pomrenkes, a mistake by father Steve could thwart their inland dreams and end their quest for empire.

Shawn: We're building
an empire up here.

It ain't going to be easy.

But most things
in life worth having

don't come easy.

When you're spread this thin,

a little bad luck could bring
the whole thing crashing down.

That's going down.
I can see the water.

Oh, [bleep].
Oh, my god.

Vernon:
Gold mining is emblematic of

nobody's giving you anything,

nobody cuts you
a break up here at all.



But if you stick to it,
you can reap some good
rewards.

It's all you.
You've got this one
opportunity.

If there's nothing in the
mats,
then we'll have to call it.

I understand.

Derek: Ice mining is my hell.

You're exhausted mentally,
physically,

and that's where the just
mental fortitude comes in.

I mean,
you really have to just

keep your head on straight
and just focus.

Spenser!

Spenser!

captions paid for by
discovery communications

narrator: Off the frozen coast
of nome, alaska,

a once-in-a-lifetime chance
to mine virgin ground



is causing
a modern-day gold rush.

But while the ice miners
dream of striking it rich,

mr. Gold has
an even loftier goal --

to build an empire.

We've come a long way
and we've done good,

but if you're not growing,
you're dying.

Narrator: Down at the
harbor...

Shawn: Well, there's the
tuvli.

It's pretty damn old,
that's for sure.

Yeah, but we like old junk.

Shawn pomrenke
is setting in motion

plans to rule the bering sea
by building

a multimillion-dollar
mega dredge.

Cody: We ever going to stop
expanding this business

or we just keep getting
bigger [bleep] every year,

like growing and growing?

Shawn: Cody, I got some big
plans on the horizon, buddy.

Narrator: So far this season,

he's purchased
a $200,000 barge

that will act as the base
for the dredge.

Shawn: This is the one tool
that I see that

we would need to get
that gold out of that ground.

Narrator: And today...

Shawn:
This is going to be the tender

narrator:
He's scouting a possible
tugboat to suppor

I've been building this barge
in my head for years,

and when it's done,

it's going to produce millions
of dollars worth of gold.

That's a lot of big pieces

and a lot of money
to put it together,

but it's a legacy
for the pomrenkes.

This is a pretty big
support vessel.

Shawn: I think it'll haul
like 90,000 pounds.

Narrator: Shawn's hoping the
giant tuvli will fit the bill

shawn: It's here in nome.
That's the biggest thing.

That's a very important piece
to the whole puzzle.

When this big dredge gets
done,

it's going to be out
on the ocean for weeks on end

and I need the tuvli
for hauling fuel,

setting anchors,
bringing parts out.

It's going to get used a lot.

This is the wheelhouse up
here?

Yeah.
Let's check it out.

It's like a little mini
crab boat.

Oh, it's got a lot of
nice electronics in here.

Got it all.

Finally get out deeper.

We'll get out
to that deeper water.

Get that gold that
the christine rose can't
touch.

I'm getting excited.

There's a lot of gold
left out there

and I'm going to be
the one to get it.

All of it.

That's why we got
everybody out on 38

prospecting for us,
but we don't have to

go out there and search
for the gold.

We already know
where it's at.

We'll let 'em dig it up,
dig a little bit of it up,

and then we'll go out there
and clean it all up.

Destroy it all.
Kill it.

We started with nothing.

We started begging
and borrowing

and grabbing whatever we could

and we used old junk
to build the christine rose

and went out
and made millions.

This thing ain't
for sale anymore.

No, bro.

Narrator: With one swift move,

another $400,000 goes
into shawn's ambitious plan.

It's a big buy.
Done deal.

But with even more
of his fortune

now tied to the project,

everything will need to fire
on all cylinders,

or mr. Gold could find himself
right back where he started.

Shawn: Those boys better get
some gold out on 38.

Narrator: Ten miles west,

on claim 38...

I think that's the spot.

A familiar face is
returning to the ice.

Everything in one piece, man.
We're here.

We got the gear here.
Life is good.

Narrator: Captain derek
mclarty
and the high noon are back.

Better late than never.

Derek: All right, step one --
get gold gear out there.

Step two -- get gold.

Well, tract 38's a lot like
any of the land

that's out here that hasn't
been
prospected or looked at,

and it's a wildcard.

I'm just praying that
all the dominoes line up.

Woo! Now we just got to
get on some gold.

Narrator: For years,
derek made his name

in nome as a jack
of all trades.

Derek: I'm betting I could not
fix a nuclear reactor,

but it's only 'cause
I've never seen one.

Go for it.

Hold that.

I've done all kinds
of different work

for a multitude of different
classifications of miners.

[ cheering ]

thank you, derek.
Congratulations.

Narrator: But last summer...

Derek: Probably the biggest,
nicest dredge to launch

in the last couple years
I know of.

Narrator: He made the jump
from deckhand to captain,

sinking every penny he had
into a superdredge...

God bless america,
god bless this dredge.

Let's make a lot of money
this season.

He christened the high noon.

Are you going to
show me 80?

And while he didn't
reach the tax bracket

he was aiming for...

79.6.

He did scrape together
enough to keep the operation

going into the winter.

That right there is
the first taste of real
success.

But this season...

I got this
fancy pants camera.

I kind of want to see
what the bottom is.

Any gold he finds
will carry added weight.

That's big cobble.

As if there's not, like,

20 million things
already on your mind

when you're ice mining,
I'm gold mining for my mom.

You know,
she's got cancer again,

and if I could write her a
check

and pay off her house
so I know that the years

that she has that
are probably short are sweet,

I would do anything
to do that, anything.

This going on okay?

Narrator:
Derek is hoping claim 38'll

good. We're cooking.
That's that.

Little bit of alignment,
tighten a couple bolts.

Get in the water.
Make some money.

Narrator:
And he's brought in friend

and veteran miner
spenser mccleskey

to help try to rake it in.

Derek:
Spenser's a very good worker.

He's 50 percent of my
operation.

I can't do it without him.

Oh. I think I can hear it.

Ah.

And we've got water.

I've got a real good feeling
about today.

Narrator: But as derek readies
for his first dive...

[ spenser retching ]

narrator: Something is rotten
in the state of alaska.

Hey, are you okay
over there, spenser?

Don't know if I got a tender,
but now I can go diving.

I'm always concerned
if my tender's not feeling
good,

but he hasn't told me
that he can't do his job.

Narrator: Despite a shaky
tender
left to man the operation

above the ice,
with a deadline looming,

derek has no time to waste.

April 15'll be here
before we know it.

We've got to get on the gold.

We've got to stay on the gold
and get the whole season.

Derek: Yeah, we set up
at the perfect spot.

Yeah, this is some
good-looking hard pan.

This is that nice,
rocky...

All right, spenser, whenever
--
whenever you feel up to it,

go ahead and give me
some throttle.

Narrator: Though things are
looking good down below,

on the surface...

Narrator: Not so much.

Hey, spenser.

Ah, go hit the throttle
up on the diesel.

All right,
we've got blast off.

It's kind of beautiful.

Dope, smack on that gold.

Man, I'm really glad
you're down there,

but, man, I'm having
a really rough time.

Roger that.

There's some bomb-ass
gold down here, buddy.

So, just keep that in mind

as long as you can grin
and bear it.

Yeah, derek's down there
making money.

I'm up here dying.

I've got to go
take a [bleep], man.

I'm about to [bleep] my pants.

Narrator: As nature calls
loud and clear...

Derek: All right.

Can you just double check
those two before you go?

Narrator:
Derek is left on his own.

Looks like nugget country.

Come on, baby, don't freeze up
on me right now.

Hey, spenser.

Spenser!

Spenser!

[ bleep ]

spenser!

Narrator: Off the coast of
nome,

at the high noon.

Derek: There's some bomb-ass
gold down here, buddy.

Narrator: Derek mclarty's on
his
first dive of the season.

Spenser: I've got to go
take a [bleep], man.

I'm about to [bleep]
my pants, like legit.

Narrator: And as his tender
tends to an emergency...

Derek: Hey, spenser.

Narrator: Under the ice,
all hell breaks loose.

Spenser! Spenser!

[ bleep ]

narrator: Derek's almost
40 feet away from the dive
hole

and he's struggling to get
air.

Derek: Spenser!

Where you at?

Dude, I was [bleep] puking
and [bleep] all over the
place.

I had to take the razor out
to the first ridge, and...

Derek: [bleep] that.
I'm done.

I am done.

[bleep] that.

That's dangerous.
That's just downright
dangerous.

I'm done,
at least for today.

Narrator:
A close call for derek.

And though he avoided
disaster...

Oh, [bleep].

Narrator: His season's off
to a nauseating start.

We can't be out here
having a man down sick

and having a man down diving.

That's just not going to work,

so we're calling it
a wrap for the day.

That could've been real,
real bad.

Narrator: A hundred yards
across the ice...

[ vernon sneezing ]

narrator: Vernon adkison
and the crew of the wild
ranger

aren't faring any better,

as the alaskan bug has bitten
almost the entire fleet.

Vernon:
This stuff's going around.

It's -- it's -- it's deadly.

I mean, people tell you this
is
the worst case of the crud

nome's had in about 20 years.

The crud is going around
and everybody's getting sick.

We're spraying lysol
on everything.

I mean, you get sick,
you can't stop.

You've got to keep going.

Just do everything
you can to stay well.

All right.
That's critical.

Narrator:
At the start of the season...

We're on the gold right now.
We're on gold.

That's good, bobby.
Man, keep out there.

Narrator: The wild ranger
was the first

to earn a paycheck
from claim 38.

Nine ounces.

Hey! This is not
going to happen!

Narrator: But later,
they squandered precious time

defending their turf
from the kellys.

Vernon: You guys are not
going to set down here.

Get this piece of [bleep]
out of here.

Narrator: Now...

Vernon: Unfortunately,
right here,

at a critical time,
everybody's getting sick.

Narrator:
Both of the rangers' divers,

bobby lowe and gary panos,
are down for the count.

And if the captain doesn't
get gold in the box fast,

he'll go belly-up.

We're two weeks into the
season.
We're on some good gold.

What we're shooting for
is 200 ounces.

But right now I'm --
I'm shorthanded a whole crew.

That ends up
costing me money and gold.

Every day we're out
of production,

I mean, you're looking
at $10,000.

But there's one
crew member who so far

has avoided
the dreaded plague --

all right.
Jenny, you ready to go?

Yup.

Narrator: Gary's sister,
jenny.

Vernon: You're looking at
jenny,
I mean,

she's only about
as big as a minute.

If she got her head
stuck in that nozzle,

it would suck her
all the way through it.

But I need another diver.

Get your weights and mask on

and get on down there
and get after it.

Roger that.
Let's go, jenny.

Narrator: Desperate to reach
his 200-ounce mark,

vernon is willing
to go with the rookie.

The only diving experience
I had before I come up here

was I was like eight years
old.

My mom strapped a tank

and weights on me
and dropped me in

and I remember sinking
to the bottom.

Narrator: With over
half a million dollars

already sunk into the venture,

vernon can't afford
to waste even a single day.

Vernon: Get that gold.

Jenny: Wow.

It's like a whole
new world under here.

I love my job.

This is not her
first gold experience.

Gary and jenny's mother
used to take 'em gold mining,

dredging in rivers
and panning for gold

when they were like knee-high.

And so they've kind of
grown up with the bug.

Narrator: Though jenny's
gotten
a small taste of diving

for gold before,
nothing compares

to the challenges
of the bering sea.

Jenny: All right.

Okay, you ready
to go up with it?

Jenny: Loading her up.

All right.

Vernon: Go down there.

You figure it out
and you let the --

the hose and the nozzle
do the work for you.

And then as long
as you know what the hell

you're looking for,
there's no reason why

you can't produce as good or
better than any of these guys.

Jenny: No,
I'll try my damndest.

You've got to be smarter
than the gold.

It's there for the taking,
but it doesn't come easy.

What kind of material
are you in?

What kind of ground
are you seeing? Over.

Well, are you seeing
any gold in it?

Vernon: That's the thing
with greenhorns.

You don't really know

if they know what they're
doing down there or not.

I mean, generally, they don't.

Until we check that test mat,
you just never know.

Narrator: After an hour
under the ice...

Vernon: Hey, jenny.
It's time.

Narrator:
The moment of truth has
arrived.

Vernon: I'm going to go ahead
and idle it down.

Turn your nozzle over
and head for the ladder.

Jenny: All right.
Sounds good.

Narrator: For the greenhorn,

and possibly for vernon's
future as a miner...

Vernon: Jenny, jenny, jenny.

All right, jenny. Woo!

Now we'll pull her test mats
and see how well she did.

You never can tell
until you check the mat.

Takes a lot to get comfortable

under the water in the --
under the ice.

But jenny, her breathing
was nice and slow and
regulated.

I don't think there was a bit
of panic there or -- or fear.

But even if she is
comfortable under the water,

if there's no gold,
then we're done.

How's it look --
how's it looking, jenny?

Oh!

Yeah, we can't have that.
Jeez.

No, no, no, no.

Vernon: I got to tell ya,
that's probably

the worst test pan
I've ever seen.

That's pretty bad.

Everything I'm doing here,
it's --

it depends on me
having a good crew.

If you can't trust 'em,
if they steal from ya,

if they're incompetent, you --

you're just not going to make
any headway with a bad crew.

Narrator:
With the last healthy diver

the wild ranger's season
is in trouble.

I mean, that's...

We pretty much
got skunked on this one.

Narrator:
On the outskirts of nome,

at anvil mountain...

Really screwed
my plans up for today.

Narrator:
No one ever said building

shawn: Looks like I'll be
working on a dozer all day.

Narrator: Stretched thin,
mr. Gold's had to put

his mega dredge project on
hold
while he tends

to a weighty problem
over at the inland mine.

I get a phone call from dad.

He's dropped the dozer
through the ice.

That's about a quarter
of a million dollars

[bleep] right now.

Oh, we're going to go check
on the old man,

make sure he's
still above water.

In a larger operation,
every day is a new challenge.

There's so many fires burning
and it's,

which one do I tackle first?

How'd you do that?

That ice ain't that thick.

Nobody told me that you guys
had a warm night.

Oh, yeah. It's only about
two feet thick out on the ice.

Really?

Narrator: In a rush to get
the mine up and running,

steve skated the company's
bulldozer onto thin ice.

We've got to get this
dozer out of here

before it breaks through
and goes to the bottom.

Be careful out there.

Aw, the tracks are
through the ice.

It's just the ice
around it holding it up.

But it's going down.
I can see the water.

It's about [bleep]
20 feet deep.

Oh, [bleep].
Get over here!

We're running out
of [bleep] time.

Have 'em curl the bucket out.

Hey. We've got to get...

Chain hooked up here.

Narrator: Shawn's plan --
chain up the dozer

to an excavator to try
and save

the quarter-million-dollar
machine.

Shawn's trying to get a hook
in
the middle of the blade there.

That's what I'm worried
about is we don't want this

to be slid in there and --
and stuck also.

Narrator: But one wrong move
and both vehicles

as well as shawn's bank
account
will be sunk.

[ engine revs ]

[ shawn groans ]

[ bleep ]

it's not working.

Get that engine
out of the water!

Put it back up!

Shawn: That dozer goes to
the bottom of the pond,

it's going to cost us
weeks of production

and a couple hundred
thousand dollars.

Narrator:
The excavator is no match f

and with the expensive
equipment nearly underwater,

shawn's dreams of an empire
are sinking fast.

Shawn: This is not good.

Could be a real costly
mistake.

Narrator: Ten miles to the
west,

on the high noon...

So we're going to try our
first-ever salt water shave.

Narrator:
Derek mclarty is hitting

and I'm hoping it
doesn't just sting.

Narrator: Trying to regroup
after a frustrating first
dive.

Derek: Woo! Yeah,
it stings a little bit.

Narrator: And this season,
there's more on his mind

than just the gold.

Derek: First thing
with ice mining,

my mom finished up all but
her last treatment in chemo,

so my brother and I decided
we'd shave our heads.

So we went in with her
to the chemo appointments.

It's kind of a reminder to
myself that even though

I'm up here putting up
a good fight

against the bering sea,
trying to get gold and all
that,

you know, she's putting up
a much harder fight than I am.

Moral support's one thing,
but I --

I would love to send her some
gold at the end of the year.

I've never seen
a single person pissed off

with gold in their hand.

I want her to have
the best years

she could possibly
have right now.

I want her to just have
the golden years right now.

Man, all these heavies
in this box.

Narrator: Despite the close
call
on the first dive...

Derek: It's looking good.
Looking real good.

Narrator: The results in the
box
are promising.

It's definitely showing up.
There's good gold in this box.

Narrator:
And it's clear the high noon

derek: Normally I wouldn't
even
be thinking about this,

but the gold that's
down there...

Spenser's sick.

I don't know how long
he's going to be sick

and I just want to
make some money,

I want to make some gold,
I want to keep everything
going,

so I'm going to go solo
diving.

Narrator: Desperate
to cash in while he can,

derek is willing
to roll the dice.

Derek: Bypass is open.

That's shut.

It's extremely dangerous
between the diving side,

the equipment side,

air freeze-ups,
the hot water systems.

I mean, there's just so many
things that can bite you.

You just have to be
extremely on your a-game

all the time to be safe
out there.

I'm about to bust out
my first solo dive.

Get down there,
get some gold.

Got to pick up some slack
from spenser being sick,

and a little worried about it,
but I've been worried

about other things in my life
and they worked out, so...

I am absolutely a risk-taker.
I know I am.

Managing fear is just about
digging deep, you know?

It's looking for that
indescribable something

that you have to reach down
and just grab and not let go
of

and just overcome
whatever comes your way.

Narrator:
With the preparations set...

Derek heads under the ice

for the first solo dive
of his career.

Derek: Get back to work.

Oh, yeah.
That's awesome, man.

There's just little pieces
of gold in every little

nook and cranny I look at.

Oh, yeah.

Look at all that
just laying out in there.

All this whole quarter
is just going to be glorious.

Yeah, buddy.

That's always nice to see,
huh?

See 'em bleeding
out over here.

Look at all that
pouring out of there.

Damn it.

Oh, [bleep].

I lost my hot water.

Son of a bitch.

[ groans ]

narrator: Off the coast of
nome,

at the high noon...

Derek: Oh, yeah.
That's awesome, man.

There's just little pieces
of gold in every

little nook and cranny
I look at.

Narrator:
With his tender down and out,

derek mclarty is gambling
with a high-stakes solo dive.

[ derek groans ]

oh, [bleep].

I lost my hot water.

Son of a bitch.

[ groans ]

holy [bleep].
Aw, man, what the hell?

Narrator:
The water heater system I

if it goes down,
so will the operation.

[ dog barking ]

oh, [bleep].

Look at that.

That is metal
just burning off.

So, yeah, that was almost
a serious bomb.

Here's what feeds
my hot water to diver.

Apparently that got
a little warm.

We toasted a few parts here,

but I think we've got
everything to fix it,

but holy cow.

Narrator:
The frayed line can be saved,

but derek's frayed nerves?

That's another story.

Derek: I lost my hot water.
I didn't know it was steaming.

I thought it just quit flowing
so I thought it shut off

and then I came up
and then all of a sudden

it was getting hot
and I was like,

"what the [bleep] is going
on?"

I figured at that point,
that was...

That was god telling me,

"you better just wait
for spenser."

narrator:
While the dive may have been

all that matters
is what's in the box.

I'm going to say that
solo dives are not for me.

I ain't doing that again.

Narrator: A hundred yards
across the ice...

Vernon: I need a diver.

I need to run this operation
around the clock.

Narrator: Still with only
one healthy diver,

greenhorn jenny panos,

vernon adkison
is up against it.

That first dive
was not looking good.

I've got to tell you,
that's probably one of --

in fact, no. It is the worst
test mat I've ever seen.

We're short on time,
the season's short.

We need to put
more gold in the box.

Narrator: With no time to
waste

and his life savings
on the line,

the captain has no other
choice

than to send
the rookie back down.

Okay. Well,
get suited up.

All right.
Okay, I think I'm ready.

It's a gamble, yeah, but I
mean,
I'm short of divers.

I need more bottom time.

Okay, jenny.
This is your shot.

Get down there
and get us some gold.

Okay? All right.

Good luck.

Jenny: Lifting the nozzle.

All right.
Idle up.

Vernon: Okay,
here we go.

Narrator: Every day
the high-end operation

goes without producing gold,
it costs vernon thousands.

We'll let her run for an hour
and then we'll check that mat.

But if there's
nothing in the mats,

then we'll have to --
we'll have to call it.

Narrator:
And if today's results aren't

it could mark the end
of the wild ranger.

Hey, jenny.
What do you see?

Vernon: I'm heartless
about this [bleep].

An operation like this,
it's small-scale,

but it's high-value
and time-critical,

so we just done have any --
any room for dead wood.

It takes a special kind of
woman

to be involved in this and --
and be successful at it.

You always hope
they can do the job.

But I have
my doubts about it.

Yo, hey, jenny,
you've got an hour in.

I'm going to go ahead
and pull you.

Put your nozzle over
and come on up.

We'll check your test mats.
Over.

Jenny: All right, copy.

You know, I've got
my fingers crossed.

Narrator:
It's time to check the mat.

For the veteran captain,
it's make or break.

Vernon: The story will be
told here shortly.

Narrator: And the season lies
in the balance.

All right, bobby.
What we got there?

[ groans ]

[ bleep ]

narrator:
At the pomrenke compound...

[ bleep ]

really?

I hit the roller trying to get
the roller to free up,

and a piece of metal come out
and poked me right in the
chest.

But the metal's
still in there.

I want to get the super magnet
and get it out.

No, I just, [bleep],
it's in there still.

Oh, boy.

Ugh.

It -- it's up inside
of your skin.

[ groans ]

okay. That's hurting.

This is a piece of steel.

Won't have time
to go to the hospital.

Dad's just going to
pull it out right here.

[ groans ]

well, by god, it ain't pulling
on it no more, so...

Got it.
Must've got it.

Oh, thank you, dad.
Woo.

Narrator:
Ten miles west of nome,

on the wild ranger...

You know, I've got
my fingers crossed.

Narrator:
With two divers out sick,

the fleet's greenest member
is vernon adkison's last hope.

The story will be
told here shortly.

Narrator:
And his operation as well

as his season
are on life support.

All right, bobby.
What we got there?

Oh, yeah.

That cleaned up pretty good.

A lot better than last time.

Gary, take a look at this,
man.

I think I think your sister
did pretty damn good.

Awesome.
All right.

Narrator:
In vernon's assessment, jen

this is pretty good.

To keep production running
and working towards his goal.

I'm proud of myself.

For an hour's test mat,
that's damn good.

That's -- that's
pretty spectacular test mat.

Jenny, she can do the deal,
bravo.

And so I know she was
really proud and relieved.

I was proud of her too.
She did damn good.

Dynamite comes
in small packages.

Good ground,
good equipment, good crew.

I need that to make
this season a success.

This right here is,
this is good stuff.

I mean, we can roll with this.

Narrator:
A hundred yards across the ice

at the high noon...

Derek: I tell ya,
it's amazing.

It's the golden cure.

This is the true elixir.

Narrator: After a shaky
initial two dives

and a shaky stomach in the
crew,
derek mclarty's

finally ready for his first
clean-up of the season.

Derek: Well, I'd say
we got a late start.

You lost everything
inside of your guts.

I almost hard boiled myself
at the same time.

Yeah, that was bad.

Narrator:
Trying to save up money

a profitable first haul
is critical

for the high noon captain.

Damn, that looks cheesy.

That looks real good.

Narrator:
There's gold in the box.

Looks real nice.

Little speck of gold,
little chunky piece in there.

Down the hatch.

Narrator: And for derek,

he knows right where
he'll deliver the profits.

Derek: I'm not gold mining
just for myself.

Hell, it's quite the opposite.

I am gold mining for my mom.

And bottom line is
she busted her ass

and gave away so many years
trying to take care of us.

I would love to give back
and be able to take care of
her.

All the coarse comes first,
beautiful.

Oh, here's a half ounce.
Here's an ounce.

Two.

Two, three.

Four,

five,

seven,

eight.

8.36 ounces.

Narrator: After only
a few hours of dive time,

derek delivers 8.36 ounces,
worth a whopping $11,000.

Spenser:
The last couple days I've had,

narrator:
And despite the hiccups,

the high noon is off
to a hot start.

Derek: When you see gold,
it's just like,

it's awe-inspiring.
It just makes you happy.

It makes you think about
what's important in your life.

Narrator: Ten miles east,

at the inland mine...

Cody: We've got to save
this dozer no matter what.

Narrator: Shawn pomrenke's
crew
has a sinking feeling.

You can see this crack
right here

from the pressure
of that blade on the ice

holding up the whole weight
of the dozer right now.

Narrator: After hours,

the quarter-million-dollar
dozer

has yet to be rescued,
and now...

Any second, that thing could
just blast right through.

The 50-ton machine is in
danger

of becoming
completely submerged.

Shawn: Here we go! Yeah!

Narrator:
But help is on the way.

Shawn: We're in business now.

This thing'll
yard that dozer out

like it's a little tonka toy.

Narrator: To save the dozer,
mr. Gold is bringing out

the biggest gun
he's got in the arsenal.

We're left with one option,
the 1,100,

the biggest piece
of steel we own.

If this doesn't work,
we're [bleep].

Just swing me over
on the cables.

Steve: We're hoping that
I can get him to the dozer.

Narrator: If the effort
fails...

Steve:
I hope he doesn't get wet.

Narrator: Shawn's budding
empire
would suffer

a financial hit
that might be crippling.

Shawn: That's how we do that.

I'm standing on a bulldozer

on top of ice already gone
through the first layer

and it could go down
at any time.

Once the dozer goes down,
you go down with it,

you get stuck under the ice.

Steve: Whatever he wants to
do.

Let's get this loose
from its ice prison.

Steve: Oh, my god!

Narrator: The situation
goes from bad...

Steve: The back end fell.

Narrator: To worse.

Steve: Come on.

Narrator: And now,
the fate of the dozer

and mr. Gold hangs
in the strength

of a one-inch cable.

She's coming.
She's coming, man.

There she be.

Woo-hoo!
All right.

That makes me happy.

Got her out.

Yeah!

Motor's good.
Tranny's good.

Caught a little hell from
shawn
about my driving skills,

but oh, well, that's...

He doesn't get to chew
on an old man very often.

Maybe it's not froze down
to the bottom like you
thought.

You know,
I guess that dozer's

a little heavier
than a fish house, huh?

Narrator: The heavy equipment
is back on dry land...

[bleep], we didn't even
loose our chains.

Narrator:
As shawn averts disaster.

That could've been
a lot worse,

but thank god it's out.

I don't think it
did any harm.

Narrator: And, at least for
now,

his dreams of an empire
are still intact.

It's not going to be easy,
but I'm going to do it.

Derek mclarty joins
the fray on claim 38.

For mr. Gold,
that's more good news.

Jenny:
We're running out of time.

Hell yeah.

Look at those pieces.

Double fist,
double the gold.

Power down, power down.

[ laughs ]

there's a lot of bros
down there.

Vernon: Sometimes you've got
to
cut a deal with the devil.