Gold Rush: Alaska (2010–…): Season 7, Episode 10 - Go Down Fighting - full transcript
Feeders coming on.
Narrator:
On this "gold rush"...
It looks like the pay
streak's running out.
Todd: Holy frick!
Everybody stop. We might have
a fricking problem down here.
[ thud ]
what is that?
Enough is enough.
Todd:
316 mining's deep in the red.
That's it?
I can't keep doing this.
I'm pulling out.
Todd: We've been best friends
for seven years.
Needs some work.
She's spinning out.
Holy [bleep].
You've got
to be kidding me.
You spent a fortune
on a wash plant,
and you can't even
run the [bleep] thing.
I'm [bleep] annoyed.
Ness:
It's that time of year
where parker becomes
a different person.
And I'm left confused.
Leave me the [bleep] alone.
Hate to say this,
parker,
but I think this
is a hoffman cleanup.
This doesn't look
too good.
Everything's great.
It's like the [bleep]
garden of eden around here.
captions paid for by
discovery communications
freddy, how's
the sluice running?
It's looking
good, todd.
We're making gold.
Know what?
The buckland's open
for business.
Narrator:
In oregon, after a disastrous
the hoffman crew has finally
struck gold at the buckland.
Todd:
This whole season's been
hopefully, it finishes up
better than it started.
I have a pretty heavy weight
on my shoulders right now.
But I feel like we're
finally turning the corner.
These guys are
my family.
I just want to get gold
for these guys.
Last week,
they took a vital step
towards todd's 5,000-ounce,
$6 million goal --
a 52.6-ounce cleanup
worth over $60,000
from just two days running.
We dug this huge hole.
We finally found the gold
right over there,
right next
to the dredge track.
We're gonna go get
that gold there
and go right underneath
that dredge.
Narrator:
Two months ago,
todd leased the buckland
claim from marvin wirth.
Turin:
This is definitely dredg
wirth: The dredge ran
basically
the full length
of this spot
right up till here.
But no one's been in here
seriously since the '20s.
How do we know they didn't
just pick it clean?
I mean, these old guys
are pretty good.
I guess, to put it in
a nutshell, todd,
the dredge didn't make it
to the bottom.
There'll be gold
at the bottom.
100 years ago,
a dredge mined
a gold-rich pay streak
on the buckland.
The pay streak was so rich,
it produced 24,000 ounces,
worth $7 million
at today's value.
Todd's been told
there's a layer of main pay
at a depth
the dredge couldn't get to.
But before they go
under the old dredge path,
the men are mining
a small pocket of side pay
they hit last week.
Pierce: There's a narrow strip
of virgin pay.
And it's just outside
the dredge track.
And that's what
we're chasing.
The dredge came through here
and just hit crazy gold.
So whatever
they couldn't get,
we're hoping that
it's just as rich.
Finally get some gold,
finally get my mortgage
covered.
Hiatt: Right now,
it's looking good.
And hopefully, they just
kind of keep going that way.
Todd, dave,
you guys got a copy?
I need to see you guys
down here in the cut.
Yeah, andy.
Go ahead. What's up?
It looks like
the pay streak's running out.
Oh, crap.
Holy frick.
There's your pay.
It just
fricking disappeared.
Oh! No kidding.
It ends
right about here.
Turin: You think?
Spinks: I think so.
Realistically, you probably
got two feet of pay.
We just lost, probably,
over 60% of what we had.
That's it.
That's all we got.
From here up,
it's just crap.
There's no gold in this.
I guarantee it.
Narrator:
Andy has been excavating a
running along the wall
of dredge tailings.
But it's dramatically reduced
in size to a tiny deposit.
Turin: Dig overburden
for three days.
And then haul pay
for one day.
It's not worth it.
Mnh-mnh.
Okay.
From now on, we need to focus
on getting that main pay.
With the side pay
all but disappeared,
it's time for the hoffmans
to implement the master plan.
Todd:
If we can get into that bottom
I think we're gonna
turn this thing around.
I really do.
Narrator:
Last week, tony beets hauled
in
a monster 532 ounces of gold,
worth over $600,000,
putting him three quarters
of the way
to hitting his 2,000-ounce,
$2.4 million goal.
Now, after
his biggest-ever weigh-in,
he's smelting
$1.25 million worth.
Last week, tony's tugboat,
kid commando,
was ruled unseaworthy,
leaving his new dredge
stranded 100 miles
upriver at thistle creek.
But now he can afford
to fix the problem.
The latest addition
to tony's viking fleet --
a twin-engine,
60-foot-long power barge.
[ truck horn honks ]
no, I'm a young
whippersnapper.
Needs some work.
You might want to change
the order of that,
'cause if you weld it
after you paint it,
you're gonna have
to paint it again.
I know.
Narrator:
The barge has been sitting I
and it's never
been deployed.
The 60,000-pound colossus...
...Is split
in three giant sections.
Once the convoy,
with its 15,000-pound cargo,
leaves the highway,
it faces a 5-mile climb
to paradise hill.
Mike:
She's spinning out!
Can't hold it.
She's spinning back down.
Once they start spinning,
then I lose traction.
And once I lose traction,
I'm just gonna keep spinning
and digging a hole.
Narrator: Less than a mile
from paradise hill,
mike beets' truck has spun out
on a 30% gradient.
[ truck horn honks ]
the solution -- tony's
military
eight-wheel drive,
off-road truck, the oshkosh.
That, I do.
I like it when things
go nice.
Ness: We're already
starting so late.
I need to get going
down here.
Narrator:
It's a big day
for parker schnabel's
foreman, rick ness.
Lost crew for a while.
Thought it was dead
for a while.
Finally got to start
back up at indian river.
Three weeks ago,
parker commandeered
the indian river rock trucks,
leaving rick's claim idle.
Now parker's returned them.
And rick can finish
what he started --
produce 1,000 ounces
from their second mine
towards parker's 4,000-ounce,
$4.8 million goal.
I think we still might have
enough time in the season
to pull 1,000 ounces
out of indian river.
But we're -- we're really
gonna be up against it.
Five miles east,
at scribner creek,
parker is under pressure.
Halfway through the season,
he's only a quarter way
to his goal.
You've got
to be kidding me.
Oh, who designed
this [bleep] joke?
Cut the power.
And now he's got a problem
with his wash plant.
[bleep] disgusting.
This is
and this...
Rocks are falling
into the riffles,
preventing the gold from
settling into the miners moss.
The amount of [bleep]
boulders in here...
You spend a [bleep] fortune
on a wash plant,
and you can't even
run the [bleep] thing
without getting buried.
It'll be a wonder if there's
any [bleep] gold in here
if no dirt's making it
down in the sluice box.
Leave me
the [bleep] alone.
At indian river,
rick and brennan are busy
trying to get their cut
down to pay dirt.
I'm going to do my damnedest
to make this a success.
But, you know, it's --
it's just becoming harder
and harder as we lose time.
Ruault: I know it means
a lot for rick
to succeed down here
in indian river.
But I know that he really
wants to make a go of it
and prove to parker,
like, you know,
"I can do this
on my own."
parker:
I'm [bleep] annoyed.
I don't understand
why people don't look
at the sluice runs.
And they see rocks
half the size of your fist
rolling down them
and realize there's a problem.
[bleep] runs, right?
Look at the
so I need you
to deal with it.
So something in the bottom
deck's missing, probably.
I'm assuming.
Okay.
Um...Okay.
You look sad.
Ness: Parker just
yelled at me.
There's issues
at the wash plant and...
But he was kind of
half-ass blaming me
for not noticing big rocks
in the sluice box.
And the thing
that I forgot to --
that I failed to think
of right away was,
"he's the [bleep] one
that's been working on t
why the hell does it
keep failing?"
yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, homey.
All right.
Well, I better get going.
I know full well that
it's my responsibility
to keep scribner
running efficiently.
But it's in his benefit
for me to get indian river
up and running.
You know what I mean?
It's --
that's more gold
for our operation.
I didn't expect him
to be pulling me
out of there
for [bleep] like this.
Narrator:
Wash plant fixes are a job
but he's away
on his honeymoon.
So foreman rick must deal
with the breakdown.
What the [bleep]?
That's why
it didn't stay in.
Come on.
Parker and jordan have
been kind of moving
these screens around
as they wear out
'cause they're wearing out
more in some spots.
But the thing you can't do
is you can't take a side one
and try to pop it
in the middle like that
because it doesn't have, uh,
the proper clips on the
bottom.
These go into a hole.
When the pin comes through,
it bends them out.
And that's what holds them in.
Narrator:
The screen decks are made up
the center panels
have clips attached
which slot into sockets.
Pegs then secure the clips
in the sockets.
But parker has been
using panels without clips.
They've become loose,
creating gaps
and allowing rocks to slip
down
into the riffles,
where they disturb
the water flow
and cause the gold to wash
out.
We've got some
block-out pads
that usually we put
at the very top to ta
only problem with them
is, obviously, no materials
gonna go through that.
But it's gonna plug
our hole for now,
till we get
the right screens.
It's got the proper clips
on the bottom.
[bleep], [bleep].
I just hammered
my [bleep] finger.
So this is a first.
Tasting blood, now.
This is definitely
something that mitch
would be up to
if he was here.
But he is not,
so it's up to me.
All right.
That's right on.
Okay.
Firing it up.
[ motor starts ]
how'd it go?
It's good now.
Just another day
in paradise, rick.
Yippee.
Yippee.
Narrator:
The third and final section
arrives at paradise hill.
He's banking on this beast
to haul his new dredge
down the yukon river
from thistle creek.
Tony's always going
100 miles an hour.
But today,
he's in an extra rush.
Tony entrusts the job
of hoisting the 15,000-pound
bow
to his kids,
monica and mike,
and a pair
of ancient loaders.
Tony: Good.
Monica: Stop! Stop!
[bleep]
narrator:
Now tony and his crew
can put the 60,000-pound
monster back together.
Mike: Just a hair.
Narrator:
Tony beets' crew has a f
and some serious restoration
on the motors
before his new power barge
will be seaworthy.
Ness: Too much for me
to do at scribner, here.
I'm out here this morning
doing tailings
'cause there's just
nobody else to do it.
At parker's scribner creek
claim, the tailings
are building up to the point
they're nearly
hitting the conveyor.
Even though he's been tasked
with getting 1,000 ounces
from indian river,
foreman rick ness
is still responsible
for running both claims.
I can't walk away
from scribner creek.
It's got to keep
chugging along 24 hours a day.
So I don't really
know what else to do.
Parker is falling behind
and is desperate
to increase production
on both mines.
Parker: So what's going
on with you?
Nothing.
What's going on with you?
Do you feel like
you're spinning --
I'm just curious
why you're up here.
You feel like you're spinning
your wheels with things to do?
Figured I'd get
the tailings
so that they weren't
gonna be an issue.
I would imagine that you
have a million things to do,
don't you?
Yeah, I kind of was hoping
to talk to you, though, too.
About what?
Just logistics of getting
things done down there.
There's just
a few things I need.
Have you messed
with that generator yet?
No.
Have you messed
with the heat plate
on the fuse machine?
No.
It's just this little [bleep]
that's gonna kill you.
Yeah. I know.
It's not the big stuff.
So, like, the other night,
you asked me,
"oh, is there anything
that needs to get done?"
grab a couple beers
and grab the heat plate
and plug it in.
See if the [bleep]
thing works, all right?
So I'm dropping the ball?
I'm not saying that.
I'm just, you know,
we don't have a lot of people
to work with here, and we --
it's up to us to get
that [bleep] done.
Yeah, I know.
All right.
Yeah, I got plenty to do.
So I'll get down there.
And to start with,
we just, after dinner,
plug in the [bleep] heat plate
and see what happens.
It's that time of year
where parker becomes
a different person
and I'm left confused.
[ chuckles ]
I'm really [bleep]
sick of it.
I mean, it's been
five years of this [bleep].
I just don't get
parker sometimes.
At this point,
I don't think I ever will.
Todd:
Andy, dig down right in here
'cause if there's gold up h
it should be pretty
damn good down there.
We got to get down
in that dredge track.
Let's kick some ass.
Todd: 316 mining's
deep in the red.
But the gold's
down there.
I think we're gonna
be able to do it.
I think we'll be
in the gold pretty quick.
Narrator:
In oregon, the hoffman crew is
on a new plan.
After running out of side pay,
they're now going straight
for a streak
of gold-rich main pay
beneath the old dredge track.
We're shifting our entire
cut from the side pay,
where the dredge didn't go.
And now we're focusing on
where the dredge was.
But we're gonna go
deeper than the dredge.
Safety officer trey poulson
is digging down
through the tailings
in a 200 excavator.
The whole crew has gathered
for this season-defining
moment.
Todd:
If we can't get virgin pay u
we're screwed.
Let's just hope this pay
streak is damn good.
When the dredge
came through here,
they deposit
just real fine tailings.
I mean, it's like
wet kitty litter.
So what I'm doing now
is I'm just digging down to
see
if I can get to the bottom
of these dredge slickings.
We need to find out
what layer this pay is at.
Trey is searching for the
bottom
of the dredge channel,
looking for the streak
of gold-rich main pay
between the layer of fine
tailings and bedrock.
Spinks: That's where
the good gold is,
where they couldn't
get down deep enough.
Fred: If there's virgin
material underneath,
they left a layer of pay.
It'll have some gold.
Hopefully, there's enough
in there
to really just put a lot of
gold
in these guys' pockets.
Poulson:
I can't believe this.
I've got this dig buried out
all the way down below me.
And I am not --
I'm not able to hit --
I'm not hitting any rock.
It's just all slicking.
[bleep]
hey, guys,
I'm not able to hit
the bottom
of these slickings.
Narrator:
Trey poulson is attempting
to get down
to a gold-rich pay layer
that should transform
the hoffmans' season.
But the arm is mon his excavar
axed out.
Luckily, we've got
a long-reach here
that we were using
for pond cleanout.
This is gonna
go down, probably,
twice as deep
as any other hole we have.
So we're gonna give it a shot,
see what's underneath.
Spinks:
I can only imagine what's
gonna be in the b
fred:
This is gonna be our day.
I'm hoping these slickings
will go away
and I get down
to the pay layer.
Pretty dang deep.
We need pay.
All of our work
is gonna start paying off.
Todd:
You know what? We've lost
we're about ready to have
something good happen here.
[ thud ]
what is that?
He's on something hard.
What was that?
Poulson: Bedrock.
Guys, give us
some space.
I feel like
I want to throw up.
Well, we're looking down the
barrel of a serious failure.
That's what
we're looking at.
Todd:
So you think you're sc
yeah.
I really do.
It's not anything like
what we thought.
Turin:
We were expecting to see
something that the dredge l
and all we're finding is
a clean bedrock bottom,
which is really bad news.
Hey, dave.
Let's scratch some of that
dirt off that and pan it.
Dug over the bedrock
over there, found out
the dredge didn't really
miss jack [bleep].
These old-timers knew
what they were doing.
They really did.
You know, I'm really scared,
to be honest with you.
I'm actually frightened.
I feel like a failure this
year.
I really do.
Definitely the bottom.
Fred: I don't know
what todd's plan d,
or whatever plan
we're on now, is.
But this plan isn't
working out well.
Nothing?
Enough is enough.
Cheeseman: Well, we're gonna
get the engines,
hopefully start the engines up
and see how they run.
Narrator: At paradise hill,
tony beets' crew has finished
welding the power barge
that will transport his new
dredge down the yukon river.
But its engines
have been idle for 30 years.
And it's down to gene
cheeseman
to get them running.
Cheeseman: They're the key
piece
to the whole thing.
If they don't run,
then you got to find --
go spend the money
to buy some other engines.
Well, they supposedly
are new motors.
So it should be nothing,
really, to get them back to
life
except fuel and power.
You ready, oscar?
Yep, take her over.
[ engine sputtering ]
[bleep]
[bleep]
hey!
You want to kill that
main switch, gene?
There's something
wrong here.
We got a problem
with this.
We're overpressuring
the oil cooler.
But why it's overpressuring,
we don't know.
It's starting to swell up.
It's got a couple leaks.
So we're just trying
to figure that out.
Didn't come with
an instruction book, here.
Some of this is
got to learn it as we go.
I could see the oil
dripping out of it right here,
this oil cooler
for the transmission.
It's...
You can see oil dripping out
of the fittings and stuff.
We're watching
the pressure gauges.
It's not
what we want to have.
Well, it is taking the air.
Well, that's what I'm
wondering,
is if we got air lock in them.
Yeah.
Narrator:
Gene and mechanic oscar
suspect
an air lock
in the cooling system
is causing it to leak.
Is it getting tight?
Okay.
If they are right,
purging the air
should fix the problem.
Well, let's fire it up.
We had to get
that air out of there.
That's what
the leaks were.
Ready to try this thing,
see if it's gonna come to
life?
Blattler: Yeah.
Okay, well, hit it.
[ engine sputtering ]
[ engine starts ]
it's good.
Oh, it's holding it
pretty steady.
It sounded about
1,800 or so.
[ engine slows, stops ]
cheeseman: Now we know
that they're gonna run,
and finish getting
everything hooked up
and get it in the water.
Finally got them running
all right, I think,
and firing up on their own,
and pretty amazing that they
sound as good as they do.
Yep.
I hear that gravel
was loaded with gold.
And I don't see
any in it right now.
Narrator:
Chris doumitt is starting
the cleanup
for parker's new cut.
No, I don't know.
It looked like we were
on a good pay dirt to me.
Parker's relying on
his boundary cut extension
to turn their season around.
Usually, I would see
about 20 ounces.
I don't think
I've seen two.
I hate to say this,
parker,
but I think this
is a hoffman cleanup.
Parker:
Everything's great.
It's like the [bleep] garden
of eden around here.
Parker's
birthday dinner tonight.
Supposed to have
something special.
Narrator:
Mine boss parker schnabel
doumitt: Good call, bailey.
Ness: Good call, bails.
And camp cook
bailey hinchliffe
has prepared
his favorite birthday meal.
Ness:
I smell crab and butter.
Steaks, even.
Nice!
We're missing someone.
Parker ain't here.
Where is he?
Do you know?
Youle: Well, I tried
to radio parker,
but I can't get
ahold of him.
You guys should probably
just eat 'cause --
you think so?
Yeah, there's no point.
I put lots of effort
into it.
And everyone else
might as well enjoy it.
Okay.
Ah ha ha ha ha ha!
King crab, man --
so good.
You know, this is weird
because,
for the last five years,
I've been at every
one of his birthdays.
His grandpa's been
at every one of his birthdays,
you know.
Doumitt: Yeah.
I wonder if that's why
he's kind of avoiding it.
Got to be something.
I didn't remind him
that we had the dinner
tonight.
But he knew.
I'm pretty sure
that he knew.
So, what is the plan
for dessert?
Well, I made a cake.
But I kind of think
we should wait for parker.
I mean,
we can eat without him, but...
Eat his cake without him?
Yeah. That would be
pretty brutal.
Yeah.
All right.
Doumitt: It was a very odd,
awkward birthday party.
There's a lot of things
going on, you know.
There have been issues
with he and rick
down at indian river cut
and up here at this plant.
He's got a lot on his mind.
Again, you know,
his grandfather's not here
for his birthday.
This doesn't
look too good.
This year, we've got
a lot bigger goal.
But, you know,
we got sluicing late.
And a lot of things
have gone on this year.
Really, we need to be
doing 200 ounces a week.
All right.
Let's see what we've got.
There's not much
in there -- 20...
...50.
Yeah, not even 100 ounces,
I don't think.
There's 90...
96.4.
Narrator:
Worth just $115,000.
That's not good.
[bleep]
it's the worst cleanup
we've had in a long time,
couple years, probably.
So we're in trouble.
It was disheartening
digging down through there.
I mean, each bucket
was just waiting for a crunch,
and there was nothing.
It literally broke my heart
watching you dig that.
Narrator: The hoffman crew was
banking on a massive pay
streak
beneath the dredge track.
But they found nothing.
All they have is the results
of a small pocket of side pay.
That's a big jar
you got there, jack.
Yeah. The only trouble
is it's not full.
Oh, no.
It's closer
to empty than full.
That's it?
Todd: How much?
12.55.
Ohhhhh.
Narrator: Just $15,000.
Poulson: That's not gonna
pay anybody's bills.
That was our whole
cleanup for 12 guys.
Todd: I get it.
I get it.
This ain't gonna work.
Guys, let's just hope
that pay streak widens out
and gets thick.
How many times are we gonna
do these wild goose chases?
I can't keep doing this.
I don't know about you.
I can't.
Todd:
Everybody calm down.
Come on.
Keep your heads up.
Keep positive.
And let's figure this out.
Poulson: Keep positive?
We have 12 freaking ounces.
I know.
Listen.
Hang in there.
Things could turn around
tomorrow.
But I tell you what --
if we fall apart, we're done.
It's time to load up
and go somewhere else.
I'm pulling out for now.
There's not enough pay.
And there's not enough
to make everybody a living
here.
Todd: Freddy.
Well, I'm gonna leave.
Ohhhh, dude, really?
We've been friends
a long time.
Seven years, man. We've been
best friends for seven years.
And we've handled worse
things than this.
Oh, I know.
Is there anything I can do
to get you to change your
mind?
I got to go for now.
Oh, it just hurts.
Okay? Okay?
Yeah.
Friends don't leave friends
when they're down like this.
And...Freddy just split on me.
Narrator:
On the next "gold rush"...
You spent all our money
on your dang measurer?
Hey, hey, hey!
There's 40.
We're well behind
right now.
Yeah, we're in trouble.
This isn't the way
it's supposed to be, okay?
Hey, hey, hey!
Hey!
Hey! Hey!
[bleep]
I'm done.
What?!
Oregon was meant to be
a beautiful homecoming.
It's just turned into
an absolute nightmare.
I lost my whole team.
Narrator:
On this "gold rush"...
It looks like the pay
streak's running out.
Todd: Holy frick!
Everybody stop. We might have
a fricking problem down here.
[ thud ]
what is that?
Enough is enough.
Todd:
316 mining's deep in the red.
That's it?
I can't keep doing this.
I'm pulling out.
Todd: We've been best friends
for seven years.
Needs some work.
She's spinning out.
Holy [bleep].
You've got
to be kidding me.
You spent a fortune
on a wash plant,
and you can't even
run the [bleep] thing.
I'm [bleep] annoyed.
Ness:
It's that time of year
where parker becomes
a different person.
And I'm left confused.
Leave me the [bleep] alone.
Hate to say this,
parker,
but I think this
is a hoffman cleanup.
This doesn't look
too good.
Everything's great.
It's like the [bleep]
garden of eden around here.
captions paid for by
discovery communications
freddy, how's
the sluice running?
It's looking
good, todd.
We're making gold.
Know what?
The buckland's open
for business.
Narrator:
In oregon, after a disastrous
the hoffman crew has finally
struck gold at the buckland.
Todd:
This whole season's been
hopefully, it finishes up
better than it started.
I have a pretty heavy weight
on my shoulders right now.
But I feel like we're
finally turning the corner.
These guys are
my family.
I just want to get gold
for these guys.
Last week,
they took a vital step
towards todd's 5,000-ounce,
$6 million goal --
a 52.6-ounce cleanup
worth over $60,000
from just two days running.
We dug this huge hole.
We finally found the gold
right over there,
right next
to the dredge track.
We're gonna go get
that gold there
and go right underneath
that dredge.
Narrator:
Two months ago,
todd leased the buckland
claim from marvin wirth.
Turin:
This is definitely dredg
wirth: The dredge ran
basically
the full length
of this spot
right up till here.
But no one's been in here
seriously since the '20s.
How do we know they didn't
just pick it clean?
I mean, these old guys
are pretty good.
I guess, to put it in
a nutshell, todd,
the dredge didn't make it
to the bottom.
There'll be gold
at the bottom.
100 years ago,
a dredge mined
a gold-rich pay streak
on the buckland.
The pay streak was so rich,
it produced 24,000 ounces,
worth $7 million
at today's value.
Todd's been told
there's a layer of main pay
at a depth
the dredge couldn't get to.
But before they go
under the old dredge path,
the men are mining
a small pocket of side pay
they hit last week.
Pierce: There's a narrow strip
of virgin pay.
And it's just outside
the dredge track.
And that's what
we're chasing.
The dredge came through here
and just hit crazy gold.
So whatever
they couldn't get,
we're hoping that
it's just as rich.
Finally get some gold,
finally get my mortgage
covered.
Hiatt: Right now,
it's looking good.
And hopefully, they just
kind of keep going that way.
Todd, dave,
you guys got a copy?
I need to see you guys
down here in the cut.
Yeah, andy.
Go ahead. What's up?
It looks like
the pay streak's running out.
Oh, crap.
Holy frick.
There's your pay.
It just
fricking disappeared.
Oh! No kidding.
It ends
right about here.
Turin: You think?
Spinks: I think so.
Realistically, you probably
got two feet of pay.
We just lost, probably,
over 60% of what we had.
That's it.
That's all we got.
From here up,
it's just crap.
There's no gold in this.
I guarantee it.
Narrator:
Andy has been excavating a
running along the wall
of dredge tailings.
But it's dramatically reduced
in size to a tiny deposit.
Turin: Dig overburden
for three days.
And then haul pay
for one day.
It's not worth it.
Mnh-mnh.
Okay.
From now on, we need to focus
on getting that main pay.
With the side pay
all but disappeared,
it's time for the hoffmans
to implement the master plan.
Todd:
If we can get into that bottom
I think we're gonna
turn this thing around.
I really do.
Narrator:
Last week, tony beets hauled
in
a monster 532 ounces of gold,
worth over $600,000,
putting him three quarters
of the way
to hitting his 2,000-ounce,
$2.4 million goal.
Now, after
his biggest-ever weigh-in,
he's smelting
$1.25 million worth.
Last week, tony's tugboat,
kid commando,
was ruled unseaworthy,
leaving his new dredge
stranded 100 miles
upriver at thistle creek.
But now he can afford
to fix the problem.
The latest addition
to tony's viking fleet --
a twin-engine,
60-foot-long power barge.
[ truck horn honks ]
no, I'm a young
whippersnapper.
Needs some work.
You might want to change
the order of that,
'cause if you weld it
after you paint it,
you're gonna have
to paint it again.
I know.
Narrator:
The barge has been sitting I
and it's never
been deployed.
The 60,000-pound colossus...
...Is split
in three giant sections.
Once the convoy,
with its 15,000-pound cargo,
leaves the highway,
it faces a 5-mile climb
to paradise hill.
Mike:
She's spinning out!
Can't hold it.
She's spinning back down.
Once they start spinning,
then I lose traction.
And once I lose traction,
I'm just gonna keep spinning
and digging a hole.
Narrator: Less than a mile
from paradise hill,
mike beets' truck has spun out
on a 30% gradient.
[ truck horn honks ]
the solution -- tony's
military
eight-wheel drive,
off-road truck, the oshkosh.
That, I do.
I like it when things
go nice.
Ness: We're already
starting so late.
I need to get going
down here.
Narrator:
It's a big day
for parker schnabel's
foreman, rick ness.
Lost crew for a while.
Thought it was dead
for a while.
Finally got to start
back up at indian river.
Three weeks ago,
parker commandeered
the indian river rock trucks,
leaving rick's claim idle.
Now parker's returned them.
And rick can finish
what he started --
produce 1,000 ounces
from their second mine
towards parker's 4,000-ounce,
$4.8 million goal.
I think we still might have
enough time in the season
to pull 1,000 ounces
out of indian river.
But we're -- we're really
gonna be up against it.
Five miles east,
at scribner creek,
parker is under pressure.
Halfway through the season,
he's only a quarter way
to his goal.
You've got
to be kidding me.
Oh, who designed
this [bleep] joke?
Cut the power.
And now he's got a problem
with his wash plant.
[bleep] disgusting.
This is
and this...
Rocks are falling
into the riffles,
preventing the gold from
settling into the miners moss.
The amount of [bleep]
boulders in here...
You spend a [bleep] fortune
on a wash plant,
and you can't even
run the [bleep] thing
without getting buried.
It'll be a wonder if there's
any [bleep] gold in here
if no dirt's making it
down in the sluice box.
Leave me
the [bleep] alone.
At indian river,
rick and brennan are busy
trying to get their cut
down to pay dirt.
I'm going to do my damnedest
to make this a success.
But, you know, it's --
it's just becoming harder
and harder as we lose time.
Ruault: I know it means
a lot for rick
to succeed down here
in indian river.
But I know that he really
wants to make a go of it
and prove to parker,
like, you know,
"I can do this
on my own."
parker:
I'm [bleep] annoyed.
I don't understand
why people don't look
at the sluice runs.
And they see rocks
half the size of your fist
rolling down them
and realize there's a problem.
[bleep] runs, right?
Look at the
so I need you
to deal with it.
So something in the bottom
deck's missing, probably.
I'm assuming.
Okay.
Um...Okay.
You look sad.
Ness: Parker just
yelled at me.
There's issues
at the wash plant and...
But he was kind of
half-ass blaming me
for not noticing big rocks
in the sluice box.
And the thing
that I forgot to --
that I failed to think
of right away was,
"he's the [bleep] one
that's been working on t
why the hell does it
keep failing?"
yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Okay, homey.
All right.
Well, I better get going.
I know full well that
it's my responsibility
to keep scribner
running efficiently.
But it's in his benefit
for me to get indian river
up and running.
You know what I mean?
It's --
that's more gold
for our operation.
I didn't expect him
to be pulling me
out of there
for [bleep] like this.
Narrator:
Wash plant fixes are a job
but he's away
on his honeymoon.
So foreman rick must deal
with the breakdown.
What the [bleep]?
That's why
it didn't stay in.
Come on.
Parker and jordan have
been kind of moving
these screens around
as they wear out
'cause they're wearing out
more in some spots.
But the thing you can't do
is you can't take a side one
and try to pop it
in the middle like that
because it doesn't have, uh,
the proper clips on the
bottom.
These go into a hole.
When the pin comes through,
it bends them out.
And that's what holds them in.
Narrator:
The screen decks are made up
the center panels
have clips attached
which slot into sockets.
Pegs then secure the clips
in the sockets.
But parker has been
using panels without clips.
They've become loose,
creating gaps
and allowing rocks to slip
down
into the riffles,
where they disturb
the water flow
and cause the gold to wash
out.
We've got some
block-out pads
that usually we put
at the very top to ta
only problem with them
is, obviously, no materials
gonna go through that.
But it's gonna plug
our hole for now,
till we get
the right screens.
It's got the proper clips
on the bottom.
[bleep], [bleep].
I just hammered
my [bleep] finger.
So this is a first.
Tasting blood, now.
This is definitely
something that mitch
would be up to
if he was here.
But he is not,
so it's up to me.
All right.
That's right on.
Okay.
Firing it up.
[ motor starts ]
how'd it go?
It's good now.
Just another day
in paradise, rick.
Yippee.
Yippee.
Narrator:
The third and final section
arrives at paradise hill.
He's banking on this beast
to haul his new dredge
down the yukon river
from thistle creek.
Tony's always going
100 miles an hour.
But today,
he's in an extra rush.
Tony entrusts the job
of hoisting the 15,000-pound
bow
to his kids,
monica and mike,
and a pair
of ancient loaders.
Tony: Good.
Monica: Stop! Stop!
[bleep]
narrator:
Now tony and his crew
can put the 60,000-pound
monster back together.
Mike: Just a hair.
Narrator:
Tony beets' crew has a f
and some serious restoration
on the motors
before his new power barge
will be seaworthy.
Ness: Too much for me
to do at scribner, here.
I'm out here this morning
doing tailings
'cause there's just
nobody else to do it.
At parker's scribner creek
claim, the tailings
are building up to the point
they're nearly
hitting the conveyor.
Even though he's been tasked
with getting 1,000 ounces
from indian river,
foreman rick ness
is still responsible
for running both claims.
I can't walk away
from scribner creek.
It's got to keep
chugging along 24 hours a day.
So I don't really
know what else to do.
Parker is falling behind
and is desperate
to increase production
on both mines.
Parker: So what's going
on with you?
Nothing.
What's going on with you?
Do you feel like
you're spinning --
I'm just curious
why you're up here.
You feel like you're spinning
your wheels with things to do?
Figured I'd get
the tailings
so that they weren't
gonna be an issue.
I would imagine that you
have a million things to do,
don't you?
Yeah, I kind of was hoping
to talk to you, though, too.
About what?
Just logistics of getting
things done down there.
There's just
a few things I need.
Have you messed
with that generator yet?
No.
Have you messed
with the heat plate
on the fuse machine?
No.
It's just this little [bleep]
that's gonna kill you.
Yeah. I know.
It's not the big stuff.
So, like, the other night,
you asked me,
"oh, is there anything
that needs to get done?"
grab a couple beers
and grab the heat plate
and plug it in.
See if the [bleep]
thing works, all right?
So I'm dropping the ball?
I'm not saying that.
I'm just, you know,
we don't have a lot of people
to work with here, and we --
it's up to us to get
that [bleep] done.
Yeah, I know.
All right.
Yeah, I got plenty to do.
So I'll get down there.
And to start with,
we just, after dinner,
plug in the [bleep] heat plate
and see what happens.
It's that time of year
where parker becomes
a different person
and I'm left confused.
[ chuckles ]
I'm really [bleep]
sick of it.
I mean, it's been
five years of this [bleep].
I just don't get
parker sometimes.
At this point,
I don't think I ever will.
Todd:
Andy, dig down right in here
'cause if there's gold up h
it should be pretty
damn good down there.
We got to get down
in that dredge track.
Let's kick some ass.
Todd: 316 mining's
deep in the red.
But the gold's
down there.
I think we're gonna
be able to do it.
I think we'll be
in the gold pretty quick.
Narrator:
In oregon, the hoffman crew is
on a new plan.
After running out of side pay,
they're now going straight
for a streak
of gold-rich main pay
beneath the old dredge track.
We're shifting our entire
cut from the side pay,
where the dredge didn't go.
And now we're focusing on
where the dredge was.
But we're gonna go
deeper than the dredge.
Safety officer trey poulson
is digging down
through the tailings
in a 200 excavator.
The whole crew has gathered
for this season-defining
moment.
Todd:
If we can't get virgin pay u
we're screwed.
Let's just hope this pay
streak is damn good.
When the dredge
came through here,
they deposit
just real fine tailings.
I mean, it's like
wet kitty litter.
So what I'm doing now
is I'm just digging down to
see
if I can get to the bottom
of these dredge slickings.
We need to find out
what layer this pay is at.
Trey is searching for the
bottom
of the dredge channel,
looking for the streak
of gold-rich main pay
between the layer of fine
tailings and bedrock.
Spinks: That's where
the good gold is,
where they couldn't
get down deep enough.
Fred: If there's virgin
material underneath,
they left a layer of pay.
It'll have some gold.
Hopefully, there's enough
in there
to really just put a lot of
gold
in these guys' pockets.
Poulson:
I can't believe this.
I've got this dig buried out
all the way down below me.
And I am not --
I'm not able to hit --
I'm not hitting any rock.
It's just all slicking.
[bleep]
hey, guys,
I'm not able to hit
the bottom
of these slickings.
Narrator:
Trey poulson is attempting
to get down
to a gold-rich pay layer
that should transform
the hoffmans' season.
But the arm is mon his excavar
axed out.
Luckily, we've got
a long-reach here
that we were using
for pond cleanout.
This is gonna
go down, probably,
twice as deep
as any other hole we have.
So we're gonna give it a shot,
see what's underneath.
Spinks:
I can only imagine what's
gonna be in the b
fred:
This is gonna be our day.
I'm hoping these slickings
will go away
and I get down
to the pay layer.
Pretty dang deep.
We need pay.
All of our work
is gonna start paying off.
Todd:
You know what? We've lost
we're about ready to have
something good happen here.
[ thud ]
what is that?
He's on something hard.
What was that?
Poulson: Bedrock.
Guys, give us
some space.
I feel like
I want to throw up.
Well, we're looking down the
barrel of a serious failure.
That's what
we're looking at.
Todd:
So you think you're sc
yeah.
I really do.
It's not anything like
what we thought.
Turin:
We were expecting to see
something that the dredge l
and all we're finding is
a clean bedrock bottom,
which is really bad news.
Hey, dave.
Let's scratch some of that
dirt off that and pan it.
Dug over the bedrock
over there, found out
the dredge didn't really
miss jack [bleep].
These old-timers knew
what they were doing.
They really did.
You know, I'm really scared,
to be honest with you.
I'm actually frightened.
I feel like a failure this
year.
I really do.
Definitely the bottom.
Fred: I don't know
what todd's plan d,
or whatever plan
we're on now, is.
But this plan isn't
working out well.
Nothing?
Enough is enough.
Cheeseman: Well, we're gonna
get the engines,
hopefully start the engines up
and see how they run.
Narrator: At paradise hill,
tony beets' crew has finished
welding the power barge
that will transport his new
dredge down the yukon river.
But its engines
have been idle for 30 years.
And it's down to gene
cheeseman
to get them running.
Cheeseman: They're the key
piece
to the whole thing.
If they don't run,
then you got to find --
go spend the money
to buy some other engines.
Well, they supposedly
are new motors.
So it should be nothing,
really, to get them back to
life
except fuel and power.
You ready, oscar?
Yep, take her over.
[ engine sputtering ]
[bleep]
[bleep]
hey!
You want to kill that
main switch, gene?
There's something
wrong here.
We got a problem
with this.
We're overpressuring
the oil cooler.
But why it's overpressuring,
we don't know.
It's starting to swell up.
It's got a couple leaks.
So we're just trying
to figure that out.
Didn't come with
an instruction book, here.
Some of this is
got to learn it as we go.
I could see the oil
dripping out of it right here,
this oil cooler
for the transmission.
It's...
You can see oil dripping out
of the fittings and stuff.
We're watching
the pressure gauges.
It's not
what we want to have.
Well, it is taking the air.
Well, that's what I'm
wondering,
is if we got air lock in them.
Yeah.
Narrator:
Gene and mechanic oscar
suspect
an air lock
in the cooling system
is causing it to leak.
Is it getting tight?
Okay.
If they are right,
purging the air
should fix the problem.
Well, let's fire it up.
We had to get
that air out of there.
That's what
the leaks were.
Ready to try this thing,
see if it's gonna come to
life?
Blattler: Yeah.
Okay, well, hit it.
[ engine sputtering ]
[ engine starts ]
it's good.
Oh, it's holding it
pretty steady.
It sounded about
1,800 or so.
[ engine slows, stops ]
cheeseman: Now we know
that they're gonna run,
and finish getting
everything hooked up
and get it in the water.
Finally got them running
all right, I think,
and firing up on their own,
and pretty amazing that they
sound as good as they do.
Yep.
I hear that gravel
was loaded with gold.
And I don't see
any in it right now.
Narrator:
Chris doumitt is starting
the cleanup
for parker's new cut.
No, I don't know.
It looked like we were
on a good pay dirt to me.
Parker's relying on
his boundary cut extension
to turn their season around.
Usually, I would see
about 20 ounces.
I don't think
I've seen two.
I hate to say this,
parker,
but I think this
is a hoffman cleanup.
Parker:
Everything's great.
It's like the [bleep] garden
of eden around here.
Parker's
birthday dinner tonight.
Supposed to have
something special.
Narrator:
Mine boss parker schnabel
doumitt: Good call, bailey.
Ness: Good call, bails.
And camp cook
bailey hinchliffe
has prepared
his favorite birthday meal.
Ness:
I smell crab and butter.
Steaks, even.
Nice!
We're missing someone.
Parker ain't here.
Where is he?
Do you know?
Youle: Well, I tried
to radio parker,
but I can't get
ahold of him.
You guys should probably
just eat 'cause --
you think so?
Yeah, there's no point.
I put lots of effort
into it.
And everyone else
might as well enjoy it.
Okay.
Ah ha ha ha ha ha!
King crab, man --
so good.
You know, this is weird
because,
for the last five years,
I've been at every
one of his birthdays.
His grandpa's been
at every one of his birthdays,
you know.
Doumitt: Yeah.
I wonder if that's why
he's kind of avoiding it.
Got to be something.
I didn't remind him
that we had the dinner
tonight.
But he knew.
I'm pretty sure
that he knew.
So, what is the plan
for dessert?
Well, I made a cake.
But I kind of think
we should wait for parker.
I mean,
we can eat without him, but...
Eat his cake without him?
Yeah. That would be
pretty brutal.
Yeah.
All right.
Doumitt: It was a very odd,
awkward birthday party.
There's a lot of things
going on, you know.
There have been issues
with he and rick
down at indian river cut
and up here at this plant.
He's got a lot on his mind.
Again, you know,
his grandfather's not here
for his birthday.
This doesn't
look too good.
This year, we've got
a lot bigger goal.
But, you know,
we got sluicing late.
And a lot of things
have gone on this year.
Really, we need to be
doing 200 ounces a week.
All right.
Let's see what we've got.
There's not much
in there -- 20...
...50.
Yeah, not even 100 ounces,
I don't think.
There's 90...
96.4.
Narrator:
Worth just $115,000.
That's not good.
[bleep]
it's the worst cleanup
we've had in a long time,
couple years, probably.
So we're in trouble.
It was disheartening
digging down through there.
I mean, each bucket
was just waiting for a crunch,
and there was nothing.
It literally broke my heart
watching you dig that.
Narrator: The hoffman crew was
banking on a massive pay
streak
beneath the dredge track.
But they found nothing.
All they have is the results
of a small pocket of side pay.
That's a big jar
you got there, jack.
Yeah. The only trouble
is it's not full.
Oh, no.
It's closer
to empty than full.
That's it?
Todd: How much?
12.55.
Ohhhhh.
Narrator: Just $15,000.
Poulson: That's not gonna
pay anybody's bills.
That was our whole
cleanup for 12 guys.
Todd: I get it.
I get it.
This ain't gonna work.
Guys, let's just hope
that pay streak widens out
and gets thick.
How many times are we gonna
do these wild goose chases?
I can't keep doing this.
I don't know about you.
I can't.
Todd:
Everybody calm down.
Come on.
Keep your heads up.
Keep positive.
And let's figure this out.
Poulson: Keep positive?
We have 12 freaking ounces.
I know.
Listen.
Hang in there.
Things could turn around
tomorrow.
But I tell you what --
if we fall apart, we're done.
It's time to load up
and go somewhere else.
I'm pulling out for now.
There's not enough pay.
And there's not enough
to make everybody a living
here.
Todd: Freddy.
Well, I'm gonna leave.
Ohhhh, dude, really?
We've been friends
a long time.
Seven years, man. We've been
best friends for seven years.
And we've handled worse
things than this.
Oh, I know.
Is there anything I can do
to get you to change your
mind?
I got to go for now.
Oh, it just hurts.
Okay? Okay?
Yeah.
Friends don't leave friends
when they're down like this.
And...Freddy just split on me.
Narrator:
On the next "gold rush"...
You spent all our money
on your dang measurer?
Hey, hey, hey!
There's 40.
We're well behind
right now.
Yeah, we're in trouble.
This isn't the way
it's supposed to be, okay?
Hey, hey, hey!
Hey!
Hey! Hey!
[bleep]
I'm done.
What?!
Oregon was meant to be
a beautiful homecoming.
It's just turned into
an absolute nightmare.
I lost my whole team.