[Vernon] 2.62 ounces.
It's not like, "Yay!"
We're rich.
[Kris] Ooh.
- [Shawn] Little late.
- Little late, huh?
Got to get it.
Got to do a little better
than that.
[Kris] 10.47 ounces
and it's unacceptable.
[narrator] This season has
already been a rough ride
for the miners.
Now it's about to go
from bad to worse.
[Vernon] If this rain
keeps up, it's going to put
a hurtin' on us.
[Kris] The storm
is really putting
a damper on everything.
We're not on the
water, not on the land.
I've never seen this much
rain and known before.
[Vernon] We're going
to call it Fight of the Day.
[Zeke] And so we're
all just here stumbling
around in circles in the rain.
It's just frustrating. I
don't know what to do.
Just like struggling
really hard to, like,
not be depressed.
[Kris] Right now, one of
the skips are flipped over.
Ninety percent of the
time, when you see
a boat flipped over like
that, someone's dying.
But look at it. If there was
somebody dead right now,
the ambulance would be here.
Every time you go out
there in bad weather,
you're taking your
life in your own hands.
[narrator] Days of relentless
rain have started to subside.
But rough currents,
the limited visibility
below leave few options
for a battered fleet
desperate to return to mining.
[Zeke] Bad things can happen
in this harbor if you're just
leaving your boat anchored.
It's like [imitating
waves crashing]
[narrator] With rising waves,
Zeke Tenhoff isn't
taking any chances.
[Zeke] I'm gonna take
the boat across the harbor,
and I'm gonna pull the boat out.
I've got a k*ller deal
going with Shawn.
He's letting me and my
brother take the Havilah out
on the Tomcord
later this summer.
[Zeke] In order to be
as efficient as possible,
I'm prospecting around
with this little boat.
I made so that we'll know
where the good ground is.
But there's no way to
do that with the currents,
how they are right
now, it's not even safe
to keep the boat on the water.
The weather this
summer is not improving.
I have to, like, reset kind of
and just like, take the boat
out because if the wind gets
really strong and
then the storm surge
comes up, it stops
being like a safe place
for your boat to live.
I just need to park it.
[Zeke] We've already lost days.
If these conditions continue
like this for very much longer,
it's just going to ruin
the season for me.
It'll be a total bust.
We're good. We got it.
And I'm just going to, like,
leave the boat out until...
the weather
gets a little better.
[narrator] As Zeke retreats
for the safety of shore...
[Emily] Forecast
doesn't look great.
So just step out,
get a lay of the land,
see what the swirl is like.
[narrator] One captain,
despite the fierce winds,
is still determined
to get a firsthand look
before throwing in the towel.
[Emily] To play down enough,
we will take the boat out.
Mining in the Bering
Sea is complicated.
You invest tons of money.
You have to find tons
of gold to be profitable.
But the Bering Sea doesn't care
about any of that.
There are going to be days
where the Bering Sea makes it
impossible to mine.
And if there's too
many of those days,
you're going to
lose your opportunity
and lose all your money.
So you have to use
your best judgment.
And sometimes you just
have to dig your heels in
and go for it.
[Emily] It's not just
about your vessel
being seaworthy or not.
The boat's going like this.
It's really making it
impossible for the diver
to stay and work
the ground and the...
You know, put gold
in this new spot.
We got a rough boat.
We got some pretty,
pretty good swells.
[Emily] I'm determined to
hit 250 ounces this summer.
I will have a family and
build a legacy, and it will take
at least that much.
I really want to risk it today,
but I have to be honest,
it's too dangerous.
What this weather
could do to the Eroica,
it'll cost me more
in the long run.
Oh, man.
It's pretty choppy out there.
[Emily speaking]
[narrator] Back in town...
[Kris] Okay. It was
the first hard cleanup.
Our numbers were not
where we need to be.
[narrator] The rough
sea conditions threatened
to derail the fledgling
Reaper Nation even further.
But they're not going
down without a fight.
[Kris] I know we're
not going to fail.
We just need to push hard.
We need to stick together
and we need to make this work.
And I know we can do it.
Keep our heads in the game
and let's not get bummed out.
The gold is gonna come.
Okay, everybody, give
me some [bleep] fist love.
[man 1] Yeah, baby.
Let's make it happen.
And I know it's going
to work out, okay?
- [man 2] We need it.
- [Kris] Okay.
[Kris] This season has
not really gone the way
I thought it was going to.
Not even close.
We need to turn
everything around fast.
But right now, Mother
Nature is trying to screw me.
[man 3] It is starting to blow
up a little bit like the wind
starting to pick up
a little bit, you guys.
I just want to make
sure everybody's safe.
We could be
pushing it, but like,
aren't we kind of at that
point where we got it?
- [man 3] We have to push it.
- We got to push it like...
[man 3] That's why I
want Kris to make the call.
[Kris] Hey, we're going.
And I know I'm
pushing to get out there.
Do you want me to lift the spud?
Stand by.
No one in Nome is going
out in these conditions
except for us.
We owe $125,000 at
the end of the month,
or the Mistress is probably
gonna get repossessed.
So even though this
is a [bleep] situation
we're still going mining,
we don't have a choice.
[Kris] Yeah. We're ready.
- [man 4] Yeah.
- [Kris] Okay.
- Okay, let's go.
- [man 5] All right.
[Kris] Right now we're underway
with the Mistress.
We're going into a little bit
of a bad weather situation,
but I don't get it
[bleep] at this point,
I know the boat can handle it.
I know my crew's
trained well enough.
I know we're going
to make money today.
I know it.
A little bit of waves.
That's not going
to stop us right now.
[bleep]
[James] And that currents.
Where you've been?
That right there is
bigger than it seems.
[Kris] It's a little
rougher than we thought
when we came out here.
So this is the
point of no return.
Do you want to go back or
do you want to keep going?
[James] Nobody's mining [bleep]
that we're going to work.
Everybody else wants to stay in.
Not us.
We're gonna get
what we can and go.
[Kris] Okay, full steam ahead.
[man 7] Well, we'll work
full steam in the head.
[Kris] Okay. Beautiful.
[Kris] Okay, Well, the waves
are bigger than I thought.
But so is the amount
of money we still owe.
Today we're going to find
out what the Mistress can take.
If not, we're going
to the bottom
of the Bering Sea
one way or another.
So the last time I
was anywhere near
the spot was in 2018.
And we were doing good.
But I had a million
breakdown, so I really didn't get
to finish this area.
Well, that's prospecting.
So let's start.
[Kris] Yeah, let's
just give it a shot.
[James] Okay. I think
this is a great spot to start.
Get ready to drop a spud.
[Kris] Dropping.
Both of them are down.
This [bleep] wind
is picking up again.
We're taking
waves from the side.
Hope I made the
right call right now.
[James] So this isn't exactly
ideal taking swells, you know,
they're just broadsiding us.
So right now, this is [bleep].
[Kris speaking]
[man 7 speaking]
[Kris] Okay, This is nuts.
The winds are so high.
We're having trouble
putting the spuds down
and getting into position.
That's pretty crazy.
It's not gonna work.
[Kris] What are we doing?
[James] We've got two options,
like in motor is out
deeper, drop a spud,
get out of the trough,
or we can save the views
on the barge and motoring.
So you think it's too
rough to dig, though?
[James] Yeah.
There's a reason
why no one else is out.
[Kris] It's looking like
we should motor in.
So maybe it was a bad
idea, a waste of time.
It's not possible
to do any mining.
Not now. Not in
these conditions.
So we're going down
the tubes fast at this point.
[James] It is time
to get out of here.
[Kris] We had our shot,
we couldn't make it work.
And that's it.
We'll come back
tomorrow morning at 10:00
and do it again.
Desperation makes
you do [bleep] things.
Do you know what I'm saying?
[Shawn] When the weather's
good, we're all on water.
But the weather is
keeping us off the water.
So here we are
at the inland mine.
Here comes the haul truck.
One of the key things
to keep an operation
this big running is diversity.
Sure, I got my baby,
the CR, the Money Merle,
and soon the Havilah.
But I also have the Inland Mine.
It's a monster.
It makes a ton of gold,
but it's way more
costly to operate.
And it takes up
way more resources.
The biggest thing on the inland
is keeping everything running.
[Shawn] Offshore you got
a water pump, an excavator,
and a wash plant.
Inland, you got dozers,
excavators, haul trucks,
wash plants, water
pumps, dewatering pumps.
And you burn a lot more fuel.
So in order to keep
this operation going,
you got to keep everything
greased and groomed
and oiled and ready
to rock and roll.
[Shawn] It is a lot to maintain.
Hopefully, all this works
out because it's a big gamble.
But with big gambles
come big rewards.
I've been looking at an
area called Cooper Gulch,
which I'm betting is going
to be our next hotspot.
This is Cooper Gulch here.
This is all been mined
by the old-timers.
They didn't get it all, though.
For some reason, they
missed this little area right here.
And with the way,
the price of gold is at...
we're gonna get after it.
Inland mining is nothing
like mining on the ocean.
We're going after the
same type of material,
but in the inland,
you have to move
a mountain of overburden
to get to the pay.
And once you're to the pay,
then you bring it to the wash plant.
If you're wrong, you
burn a ton of money.
It'll hurt big.
But if you're right,
it pays off big.
Let's go get this cut started.
[alarm beeping]
[Shawn] I'm pretty
excited to see
what's at the bottom
of this cut here.
Could be a little
bit. Could be a lot.
We are hoping for a lot.
[narrator] Shawn's not
the only member of the fleet
working off the water.
With damp weather,
I can't stand being around Nome
and not being able
to get out to dredge.
Yeah.
[narrator] With the Bering
Sea off limits, Vernon Adkison
is on the hunt to somehow
keep the gold coming in.
[Vernon] Today, it's just
a scouting expedition.
And I've been
interested in this claim
for several years now.
I think the time is right
to go check them out.
And these claims,
I've got it from several
government sources
that they're good.
Here's the thing.
I'm looking to build
a gold-filled kingdom,
not some rinky-dink operation.
Mother Nature is not
making that easy right now.
So I'm looking inland.
Way inland,
like 80 miles from
town to inland.
I've got to lead on some
potentially hot river claims.
Well, you never
know if it's true.
It could be someone
just yanking your chain.
[Bryan] My lady one,
we're almost there.
Can you smell that gold?
Yeah, I can.
That's gonna be exciting.
There it is. The
end of the world.
[Vernon] Well, it might
not be the end of the world,
but it's pretty much
the end of the road.
This is the last bridge
on Kougarok Road.
[Bryan] You sure, it's safe?
[laughing]
[Bryan] We could
wind up in the river.
We'll find out. Won't we?
[Vernon] You know,
it's one of those...
you're taking your
life in your hands.
But just...
This place's to hell and gone.
The Kougarok is
about as far as anybody
in Nome goes.
Maybe even further.
It's a pain in the rough
getting out of here.
So it better be worth it.
So it's gonna be right
down here little ways.
So from here, it's about
Once we get down
here for 3000 feet,
that's half a mile.
It's gonna be a hike down there.
And I doubt my knee
is gonna hold up.
But I'm saying, let's take a
walk down this trail awaits.
[Bryan] All right.
I want to get my eye
on these river clams.
I want to see how much
trouble it's going to be to get
the equipment in
and if it's even worth it.
These remote
things can get dodgy.
And the last thing I want to do
is to make some big
effort to get out here,
and then take it in the shorts.
The owner says there's
a little bit of a hike
getting down there.
So we'll see.
I think the trail gets
pretty muddy on down,
but we'll walk away.
Well, see if it's gonna
be a global thing.
[Vernon grunting]
I don't know what the
hell he would tell me.
A couple of hundred
yards, my a*s.
[Bryan] No way.
[Vernon] I don't think we're
gonna make it all the way there.
[James] All right.
Anyway, there the claim is...
Where that sandbar is
is where the claims start.
And if you'll notice,
over on this side,
there are two
pieces of equipment,
an excavator and a trommel.
And that's what the
claim owner told me,
that he thought his partner
had left something there.
So we get back
and launch the drone
and take a good
close look at it.
Yeah. Yeah, that'd be.
- [Vernon] Yeah.
- That'd be great.
[Vernon] To hell with
walking down there.
I'm going to get
a drone in the air
and get a full overhead
view of what we're getting into.
So I know what I'm dealing with.
It's better to rely on
technology if you've got it.
And that's kind of
my specialty anyway.
[man 7 speaking]
[Vernon] No, that ain't good.
[Vernon] Fire it up, Bryan.
Go.
Okay, so check out
that equipment shift.
That's a mini excavator
and a trommel.
[Bryan] There it is. There's
an excavator and a trommel.
That definitely is.
Check the other bank.
Check the bank on this side.
[drone hovering]
[Vernon] I like it.
Yeah. Yeah.
[Vernon] This site
does look promising.
It's wide and relatively deep.
There's a flat ground where
we can park the equipment.
I think it's worth
giving it a shot,
especially with
the sea conditions.
So we'll get the team
down here tomorrow
if the weather is
still not cooperating
and get to work.
All right, Well, good enough.
Let's get the hell out of here.
I don't know what the
hell he was telling me.
A couple of hundred
yards, my a*s.
Kind of makes me wonder
if the guy's ever actually
even been down here himself.
[James] Yeah.
[narrator] A new dawn
on the Bering Sea.
And as the day starts...
the gods refused to cooperate.
As currents pick up
steam on the high seas.
[Brad] Where do you guys want
to launch the boat over right here?
Right here. [bleep]
[Kris] Yeah. We've got to
take it over to the other side.
[narrator] Well, conditions
are too rough to mine.
[Andy] One, two, three.
- [man 7] Yeah.
- Okay.
[narrator] There's potentially
good news for Captain Kris.
[Brad] We're good.
[narrator] The new and
improved Reaper is ready
to be tested in the calm
waters of the harbor.
[Kris] That's plowing down.
This trailer is a
hunk of [bleep].
[Brad] And the pontoon...
[speaks indistinctly]
[Kris] Sea conditions
suck, we can't mind.
And if this continues,
we're probably
going to lose everything.
But my dad and
brother finally got
the work done on the Reaper.
So we're going to try it out.
Make sure they didn't
screw up anything.
The boat's good to go.
Moving forward, this will be a
big part of the Reaper's success.
[Andy] Load them Kev.
Grinds.
God, that's a terrible sound.
Stop right there, Kev.
[Kev] That's how the
professionals do it, baby.
[Andy] Okay, let's
go. Start her up.
Is it not starting?
[Brad] No, it's not.
[Andy] Oh, this is great.
What happened, Andy?
[Andy] I don't know. My
dad's in there [bleep] with it.
[bleep]
[Kris] You guys
need to make it work.
The boat should have been
in the water a week ago.
I'm not really understanding
how he's not getting it.
We got the boat in the water
and the outboard is not running.
So I don't know what's going on,
but I know I've got
other [bleep] things to do.
[Andy] You're
not going to get it.
[Kris] What's going on?
It just... It's not
starting. I'm choking it.
Hey, let's bring
it out of the water
because we're not
making this work.
[Andy] Let's get this
[bleep] thing out of here.
[Kris] Yeah. Great job.
So, shocker of all shockers, I give
my dad and brother one simple job,
get the Reaper ready to mine,
and they completely
face-planted.
[Kris] I should
have known better.
The problem is I need this
boat working this summer
if I'm going to have any chance
of Reaper Nation surviving.
So this might sink
us if I can't fix it.
[engine sputtering]
[Kris] Dad. Dad!
You need to stop.
You guys all.
You need to get off my boat.
You guys all.
[Andy] I already see how this
season's going to go, dude. It's so great.
[Kris] Let me call Chris
and see if there's a trick
that we have to
do to start this.
My dad and brother
clearly have no idea
what they're doing.
We bought the engine
secondhand from Chris McCully,
so hopefully, he can get
in here and get it working.
[Andy] Here he
comes now. McCully.
Hey, I tried to
get it started, but...
- [Chris] What happened?
- [Andy] It just turns over, bro.
You got to put it on
neutral. You got to rev it up.
Do you remember I told you that?
[Andy] Try to get
it going right now.
That thing is in running.
[Kris] Good job buddy.
Let's get this in the water.
So that's all it took.
My dad and brother are useless.
[Brad] Okay. Let's go.
We're going.
I don't feel good
secure driving it,
but we're driving it.
Do you know what I mean?
Yeah, baby.
[Kris] The Reaper is alive.
And with that payment
coming, thank God.
We just need the weather
to clear up so we can get
all of Reaper
Nation on the water
so we can make big money.
Oh, yeah.
[Andy] Yeah, everything
is done. Ready to go.
The boat sits
perfectly in the water
with all the weight on it.
I'm happy with this.
[Brad] Next Wednesday,
we will go get gold.
[Andy] Yep.
[narrator] As the new
Reaper finally springs to life.
On the other side of the harbor.
[Vernon] Let's get this
thing loaded up, guys.
Get on down the road.
The Kougarok is waiting for us.
[narrator] Vernon
Adkison prepares
for a long day's journey
to the Kougarok River.
[Vernon] We're all loaded up
with our prospecting dredge.
We got a
four-wheeler, a trailer,
some other equipment.
Going back to Kougarok...
and we got the dredge out
there and start prospecting.
Yeah, that's good. That's good.
All right. Let's
get out of here.
These conditions
can turn on a dime,
especially in the next two days.
It might be good
for a few hours,
and then they'll
turn to garbage.
That's why we're
looking for an inland claim
that we can call home
and go to any time.
Hopefully, that'll be the
verdict with Kougarok,
because it's a major
trek getting out there.
[Vernon] We'd see supposed gold.
We'll bring out a bigger rig.
Sweet.
[speaking indistinctly]
- Yeah.
- Yeah, sure.
And I'm kicking a
square in the a*s.
Suck up to make some gold,
that's what I'm looking for.
[horn honking]
[Bryan] Damn.
[Vernon] Get off the road.
[Vernon] Got him going
at 22 miles an hour.
He's doing a haul a*s.
Get along little doggie.
Maybe he took up a little
jog down the highway,
We'll slow him down to nothing.
Get out there and ride his a*s.
I mean, he got the entire state
of Alaska on the left and the right,
but he's choosing to run
down the middle of the road.
[horn honking]
Oh, there he goes.
Goodbye, little buddy.
I don't think people realize
the amount of equipment,
effort, and time it
takes to dredge for gold.
[Bryan] Let's go.
Come on.
[Vernon] Even in the
little river, it still takes
a decent-sized operation.
And all that had to be
transported over 80 miles.
Hopefully, we're only a few
steps away from being set up.
[Bryan] The thing, looking good?
[Bryan] Oh.
Hey.
That didn't work.
Oh, there goes that idea.
[bleep] that, man.
Damn it.
You know...
Don't [bleep] with me right now.
I don't even know
if there's gold
in this damn place.
We've been working
at it for two days,
and now we got a wheeler stuck.
This is slowly turning
into a clutter [bleep].
I'm beginning to wonder
if this mission is a curse.
All right.
Finally, two days.
[Bryan] I got it.
And I don't know how
many tons of equipment
were transported later.
That won't go anywhere.
We're finally ready to get
a body in the water and see
if there's any damn gold here.
That water is freezing cold.
It's like literally ice water.
The water in the ocean
is pretty warm throughout,
at 34, a couple of degrees
above freezing.
Well, Bryan, look here.
I don't want you
to go hypothermic.
You just stay out there.
And when you get... when
you start getting [bleep].
You just come out and get warm.
[Bryan speaking]
[Vernon] Maybe he can get the...
[Bryan speaking]
[Vernon] ...water
warming up the sick guys,
but at least get his toes warm.
The thing about it is
that once your feet go
right after that,
your brain goes.
You go hypothermic.
Yeah. Bryan's got
some hot water now.
So he's the man of the moment.
I mean, that water right there
is way colder than the
water in the ocean right now.
That damn Bryan is a polar bear.
[narrator] On the Bering Sea.
For the first time in five days,
Mother Nature may
be giving the miners
a short break in the weather.
[Emily] Holly. Come
here. Holly, come here.
Come here.
Come on.
Yeah, you did it.
Good girl. You're a champion.
Good girl.
[narrator] And after
being turned back
by rough seas yesterday...
[Emily] The weather's
good again for a bit.
The visibility
should be improving.
[narrator] Emily Riedel
is doggedly jumping
at Mother Nature's
sudden opportunity.
[Emily] We've got to really
take advantage of this good
weather window, so
we'll get out there and see
how she rolls.
We got a good window here
and we're not
going to waste time,
so we're going
to get two dives in
and make up for the lost time.
When the Bering Sea
throws you a curveball,
you just have to adjust.
And that's what we're gonna do.
It's nice out. And it's swelly.
I bring in a new... Rick,
a new diver for the boat.
[Emily] Here's Rick.
I got to send Rick down and see
what we're working with.
I don't need another diva.
I just need someone
to get us on the gold
so the next driver
can guzzle it up.
Fingers crossed.
He's a good hire.
[Rick speaking]
[Emily] Hey, what's up, Rick?
[Rick] Kind of dark down here.
Pretty clear, but dark.
Just dark.
[Emily] Yeah. Roger that.
[Rick speaking]
[Emily] No. We need
to get some gold, man.
[Rick speaking]
[Emily] All right, Roger. Roger.
[Rick speaking]
[Emily] Okay, copy that.
[Rick speaking]
[Emily] [bleep] Yeah.
That's awesome, dude.
[Rick speaking]
[Emily] That sounds good.
This is what I wanted to hear.
These old timers are amazing
at sniffing out untouched ground.
And that's exactly
what Rick did.
Now we're off and running.
Trying to make the
most out of good weather.
God willing.
[Emily singing]
[narrator] Soon,
though, Emily's dredge
will not be the
only one at work.
[Zeke] It looks
like good weather.
So might as well bring
the boat over to the lawn,
tr*mp over on the
other side of the harbor.
You're back in the water.
[narrator] Zeke Tenhoff
is ready to join the fun.
And rush onto the
water with his personally
constructed dredge.
[Zeke] So, I mean, I'm
going to go out there.
I'm going to get six or seven
hours, get a bunch of gold.
It's heartbreaking that
we've been pushed off
the water as long as we have.
The good news is that
the wind has died down,
the visibility is improving.
And I finally got a
chance to get out there
and get some more gold.
And I'm going to take it.
We're ready to go.
Get out and do some mining here.
I've got to get out on the water
before the weather
changes again.
Steve is MIA.
So, I'm going to have
to bring in a new tender
on short notice.
It's not just anyone.
It's my girlfriend, Lexi.
[Lexi speaking]
[Zeke] Some might say
that bringing your girlfriend
into a work situation is unwise.
And judging by the
history I have had with this,
they would have a point.
You can just
clarify what it's like,
what the nature of
our relationship is.
It's gotten personal.
You said you're gonna come up
and burn my [bleep]
house down with me in it.
Come on. You know,
calm down [bleep] on.
All right. It's been
nice working with you.
I'm hoping that this
time it works out better
having my
girlfriend on the boat.
Good to go. Perfect.
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
It's like shavings on your head.
[Lexi] Well, good luck.
[Zeke] I'm really excited.
I'm on the bottom.
[Zeke grunting]
I don't have any suction at all.
Turn the pumps all the way up.
So I have enough
suction to dig this hole.
All right.
Coming right up.
[Zeke] Yes.
[Lexi] Is it better?
[Zeke] Okay,
yeah. That's better.
Thanks.
[Zeke] It's just like
a little patch of rocks.
I'm just going to excavate.
I might pick up and wait
for a little over the door.
And I found this spot.
It'll be easy to miss.
Great. Okay.
[Zeke] Oh, yeah. There's
a piece of course gold.
[Lexi] Awesome.
[Zeke] Yeah, there's I think
there's nuggets under here.
[Lexi] No way!
[Zeke] The gold is
just unbelievably hot.
It's just crazy.
Thinking my eyes pop out.
But they are really
just getting into it.
There's a lot more gold
here for me to dredge.
[Lexi] That's crazy.
[Zeke] Crazy. Crazy rich.
[Zeke] He's tried to do
this before with girlfriends,
I think, and it didn't work out.
[Zeke] I'm not getting a
lot of gold out here as it is.
Like I can't [bleep].
[Lexi speaking]
[narrator] 11 miles east.
[Shawn speaking]
[narrator] His operations
on the water may be down,
but Mr. Gold is determined
not to skip a beat.
[Shawn speaking]
[narrator] As he
tears into the new cut
at the inland mine.
[Shawn speaking]
You got to be fast on
your toes in gold mining.
You have to be able
to focus on all aspects
of your business.
Got some dirt moved.
We're gonna name this
new cup, Cooper Gulch
because it's right
next to Cooper Golf.
Hopefully, this cut
delivers what we need
because we have
not been on the water
with the weather being so bad.
Can't have any downtime.
Not in any way.
Not in operation this big.
All right, now we're
going to run a haul truck...
bring pay to the wash plant.
First thing in the
step of gold mining,
you need paydirt.
Dirt with gold in it.
That's the
moneymaker right there.
[Shawn] This is a haul truck.
Dump truck hauls ten yards.
This holds 20.
And it's made to be
go on the off-road.
You know, my dad and I
used to run this mine together
for many years,
but it wasn't pretty.
You keep being a [bleep] a*s.
- You are [bleep].
- [bleep].
[Steve] Clean up your damn
mess when you get done.
I'm gonna sell my half
of this [bleep] company,
and you can do it by yourself.
Thanks for the gold boys.
We may have to fight you for it.
Now that's mine.
I'm going to run it my way.
Efficient, smart, and a
money-making machine.
[Shawn] Here we go.
Now he's going to put
a load of paydirt in here.
That's a 992 loader.
Every bucket is ten yards.
Once we get it to load,
give her a little shake,
and now we're on our way.
So we got 45,000
pounds worth of dirt
in the back of the truck.
We're headed to the wash plant.
We're gonna dump the
paydirt in the pay pile.
[Shawn] Wow.
That is a pretty simple process.
Load up the
paydirt from the cut.
Bring it to the wash plant.
Wash it.
Now we just got to do it
about 10,000 more times.
[Emily] Hey, what's up, Rick?
[Rick speaking]
[Emily] Time to score.
[narrator] After
days on the sidelines.
Emily Riedel is looking to
make the most of a break
in the weather with
a double dive day.
He's working some really
challenging ground right now.
It's just a lot of overburden...
a lot of really tightly packed
gravel, difficult to move.
[Rick speaking]
[Emily] All right.
All right, Rick.
That's good. I'll see
you when you get up.
You don't have to
hook up the nozzle.
We got another
driver coming right out.
[Rick] Okay.
[Emily] Rick's super
old-school diver.
He's done an awesome
job at getting us
on some unworked ground.
He's worked through a lot
of the overburden and rocks.
You're good.
Bueno.
It's snug enough.
[Emily] And now
we're going to get
Grant down there
to suck up the gold.
Go kick-a*s.
[Emily] How's it
looking down there?
[Grant] The
visibility is terrible.
The water is
looking pretty dark.
[Emily] Yeah, 10-4.
[Grant] Up. Coming
up on some cobble.
Let me try this for a second.
[Emily] Yeah, roger that.
[Grant] I'm starting to
see a couple of specks
of gold down here.
That's exciting.
[Emily] Oh, yeah. Do you
see some gold down there?
[Grant speaking]
[Emily yelling]
[Emily] After that time,
that's exactly what
we're looking for.
Now, hopefully,
Grant can hit it big
and pull in enough
ounces for two days.
We need it.
Definitely have high hopes,
but I'm aiming big this summer.
[Emily speaking]
[Emily] Rattle, rattle, rat.
[narrator] Ten miles west.
[Lexi] Zeke, do you copy?
How's it looking down there?
[Zeke] I'm just bugging
out on all this gold here.
It's just tripping me off.
[Lexi] That's great.
[narrator] Finally
back on the sea floor.
A fresh face topside.
Maybe a good luck
charm for Zeke Tenhoff.
[Zeke] I have only seen stuff
this good a couple of times.
There haven't been that
many people that have searched
around here a lot.
And...
it's just crazy.
[Lexi] Wow.
[Zeke] How are you doing?
[Lexi] A little
exhausted, I guess.
I mean.
It's great on the ocean.
[Zeke] It's great
to have a tender.
[Lexi] Aw!
[Zeke speaking]
[Lexi speaking]
[Zeke] It helps me know
that I don't have to make
so many trips to the surface.
[Zeke speaking]
[Zeke] I'm going to
wrap it up for today.
[Lexi] Okay. Copy.
Sounds good.
[Zeke] Okay.
Got to get it when
the going is good.
[Zeke] Without a tender,
I probably wouldn't even
been able to come out today.
Thank God I had
Lexi around to help.
I would have missed this window,
and a setback like that
would have really put me
behind the curve for gold
production this summer.
I think this is the
best gig that there is.
Maybe the rule about
not bringing your girlfriend
onto the boat just depends a lot
on who your girlfriend is.
Because this has
been working out fine.
I was on gold all day.
Good day.
[Lexi] That's awesome.
[narrator] Eighty
miles outside Nome.
[Vernon] I think, we're
gonna need more gas.
[narrator] As Vernon
Adkison burns up
the Kougarok coastline,
Bryan Wilder braves
the frigid river water
in search of gold.
[Vernon] Damn
wind is blowing it out.
Let's move that...
Move that sled over
here to buck the wind.
It's getting colder
than a winter...
well, colder than
a witch out here.
And just like
everything else out here,
starting a fire is proving
to be a royal pain.
Damn wind.
You know, damn it.
Bryan has been pretty good,
but off for a few hours now,
dredging out that river bottom.
Hopefully, he's gotten
into something good
and this hasn't been a
fool's errand from hell.
Hey, Bryan.
Let's go ahead and shut it down.
Get a shot. We've
got a good fire going.
Come over here and get warm.
He's freezing his
a*s off out there.
That water is ice cold.
He's just praying
that I'd call him.
He wouldn't call it.
He would stay in
until he's blue all over.
Just get the anchor
up here on the beach.
You guys come on
over and get warm.
[Bryan speaking]
[Bryan] Oh, I feel that, though.
Oh, yeah.
- [Vernon] Yeah.
- [Bryan speaking]
[Vernon] I thought
you'd like that.
[Bryan speaking]
[Vernon] Yeah.
Your face is a little bit blue.
You know?
I mean, you look good in blue.
[Bryan speaking]
[man 8 speaking]
[Bryan speaking]
[Vernon] My goal is to
become the gold king of Nome.
And if the weather is going
to kick us off the ocean
from time to time,
I need an inland spot to keep me
on top of the throne.
So if this claim is as
loaded as the stories
I'm hearing, this
could be the spot.
[Bryan] So, let's see if
there's any gold in the box.
It's in here,
kind of washed out.
We're going to have to do a cleanup
in the carpet here and see what we got.
[Bryan speaking]
[Bryan] No. No gold.
Well, no visible gold.
[Bryan speaking]
[Vernon] If there's
none showing,
maybe we'll see something
later when we clean it.
If we come up empty
after busting our ba*ls
to get out here, I would
not be a happy camper,
to say the least.
There have been
times when the box
doesn't look great, but we
end up with a strong cleanout.
So here's to hoping
that happens.
We'll give it about
one more beer,
and then we'll put [bleep]
away and get on out of here.
- [man 8] All right.
- Sounds good to me.
[Vernon] When we're
done, we've got to take
all these beer cans out of here.
[Emily] Hey, you got a copy.
[Grant speaking]
[Emily] How's the pipe
down there? How's it going?
[Grant] Oh, pretty good.
[Emily] Weather
is a little edgy.
[Grant] Se we can wrap it up.
All right.
Well, I better...
tag out.
[Emily] All right. That's great.
That's great. Sounds good.
All right, buddy. I'll
see you at the top.
The Bering Sea
kept us off the water.
But we cannot be stopped.
We got two awesome dives today
and we came back really strong.
I think we just had our
biggest day of the season.
We'll see how it goes.
But if we keep up at this rate,
I can legit build a
legacy for my family.
You kept me hanging.
Back again are the waters.
[narrator] As the
waves pick up steam...
one member of the fleet
is just getting started.
[Kris] We're off to do it again.
The truth is, it is
[bleep] South breeze.
Ninety percent of the time,
you do not go out
into these situations.
[James speaking]
[narrator] Likely a day
late and $125,000 short,
Kris Kelly looks
to give it a go just
as Mother Nature's
wrath returns.
[James speaking]
[Kris] I got it. I got it.
Let's go for a boat ride.
Come on, buddy.
Be in a better mood.
Come on, let's go.
Fire up the generator.
So we tested out the
Reaper, and then we heard
there was a break
in the weather.
So we rushed out
here as fast as we can
to get some mining in.
Is it better today
than yesterday?
At this point, not really.
But we owe a boatload of
money at the end of the month.
We're going. Simple as that.
[James] Security.
Security, security.
This is Mistress leaving
the south wall, exiting
the harbor, and in
concerning traffic on 16 and 72.
[James] From the point
where we're super desperate
to get after it,
we're going to push.
We're going to see if
we can get something
a little something
better than nothing.
What have we got to lose?
Maybe a barge.
This is exactly the
way it was yesterday.
Except the winds coming
from the south slightly,
yesterday it was
coming from the west.
The south is always the worst.
The south... Anything
south builds waves.
[Kris] This is what's
known as the Hail Mary.
Either we get
destroyed or we get gold.
I wish it was 50/50,
but that's optimistic.
Get ready in position.
Dropping.
So we're going on
a different strategy.
What we're going to do is
we're going to do a giant U-turn...
and then have our a*s in
taking the power of the wave.
Here we go.
Bull spuds down, we're
getting... get the wash plant up
and going and start
running some material.
[Kris] Everything
is running great.
Very good.
[James] So we're about
to turn around prospecting.
Let's see how it goes.
That's what we're looking for.
This is the right ground.
[Kris] Ha-ha. We're on cobble.
Stand by for a test pass.
Yeah, baby.
What I want to hear
from them is I got like,
you know, 5,000
colors in that test count.
I'm hoping they got some good.
[Kris speaking]
[bleep]
We lost our test pans somewhere.
[Kris] Hey, you're not
going to believe this.
Our test pan is gone.
The gold. The gold pan is gone.
I'm looking around
for it, but I have no idea
where it went to.
I don't know what to do.
But I think you're a good gold.
There's some weird,
crusty layer on that.
- [James] Okay.
- [James speaking]
Okay. We'll just keep
processing the material.
[Kris] So this is
a major screw-up.
We forgot the gold pan.
That thing is like 20 bucks.
But without it, we don't even
know if we're on gold or not.
So we could be
completely wasting our time.
I think.
I think the material looks good.
We're just going to go for it.
Not ideal, but
yeah, it's not ideal.
Basically, I have no
idea what I'm digging.
If we're digging
just for funsies...
we have no way to
[bleep] even see our color.
Once again, an amazing day.
[James] It's kind
of hard to prospect.
I'm bouncing off spuds.
We're twisting this spud.
Swells coming in
from all sorts of
different directions.
Getting pulled all
the way around.
[Kris] Oh, [bleep]
we're spinning.
[Kris] Hey, we're spinning.
[James] I know.
[James] Turn on
the Thrustmaster,
get me north and south.
Spin us against
this wind and current.
[Kris] Turn the Thrustmaster on.
So with the spuds
being beaten up this bad,
we really need to get
this barge under control.
And the only way to do
that is with the Thrustmaster.
Which is like a super-sized
outboard for this massive
excavation barge.
Otherwise, we could just smash
into shore and possibly lose
everything we have.
[man 9] The batteries are
dead on the Thrustmaster.
[Kris] Oh, we're in trouble.
Get out of the way.
Get out of the way.
The batteries on
the Thrustmaster died
for some weird reason.
There's a power drain
somewhere going on.
And the waves
are getting bigger.
We might have to take off.
[James] This is all bad, dude.
This is all bad.
[Kris] I hear nothing
but screeching metal.
[James] We're gonna
end up [bleep] snapping
this spud cable eventually.
This is [bleep] stupid.
We got to get out of here.
Calm down. We'll be fine.
My spuds are really
getting hammered right now.
Like the metal is cracking.
Well, pull them up.
We've to move...
We can't do that
because the boat
will drift into the shore.
All right, let me get the
jumper cables ready.
So the Mistress is getting
absolutely pounded.
And the spuds are
getting beat to hell.
Our only hope of not
crashing into shore is getting
that engine going.
If we can't jump-start
this Thrustmaster
kiss the Mistress goodbye.
[man 9] Yeah, it's hooked up.
[Kris] I just got
[bleep] electrocuted.
[man 9 speaking]
[James] All right.
Let me check it.
All right. We're
on, baby, we're on.
[Kris] Hey. Crisis averted.
Good job, team.
Let's get fired back up.
We're not quitting yet.
Let's do it.
Take that off.
James, why don't we
just stay and work tonight?
[James speaking]
Okay. Well, let me...
[bleep] We just had
such an epic moment
there pushing
through our problem.
Problem averted guys.
Well, let's get
back on the gold.
[Kris] James says
he's getting real tired.
- Huh?
- [James speaking]
[Kris] So I realized
we've been out a long time
and it's getting late.
Still, we have to keep pushing.
We have no choice.
But James is acting
like a little bitty baby,
and he's too tired
to keep going.
With that giant bill due
at the end of the month,
it's time to bring
in the night crew.
[Taylor speaking]
Go jump in, do it.
[Kris] James, Kevin and
all the other lightweights
can go crawl in their beds,
but me, I'm just
getting started.
We always can do this, baby.
We got this!
Yeah!
So, it's all up to me
now, everybody took off.
I'm left with a bunch
of guys that are...
let's just say untrained.
We're gonna make this
work, we have a game plan.
Really, I'm just staying
up and making sure
everything runs smooth.
If I see a problem, I run
down there and hammer at it.
Everything is going
to work out just fine.
Man, 16 hours
straight up work today.
Well, everyone's asleep anyway.
We got Cooper gold opened up,
hopefully there's pay dirt.
[narrator] After two
round the clock days
of inland mining...
I'm gonna check the box
here and see how it's running.
See if all this fuel and money
that we're spending is worth it.
[narrator] ...Mr.
Gold is ready to see
if the new cut makes the cut.
Let's just keep
our fingers crossed.
With the weather kicking
the Myrtle off the ocean,
me and the crew have
been working day and night
on this new cut on the inland.
I need this cut to
tap into the gold,
and I need it to
be a k*ller streak.
I'm gonna need it, considering
all the things on the water
have been going thus far.
♪ Do you see what I see? ♪
We got gold in the box.
[Shawn speaking]
We're on the right track.
[Shawn speaking]
My back's been up against
the wall a thousand times
in this business.
Mother Nature is
throwing a few curveballs,
pay streaks dry up,
investments don't come through.
But every time you see
that pile of gold, you know
you're coming back strong.
It never fails to
give you that rush.
It's almost like the first
time you saw gold in the box.
Big operation, lots
of money going out.
We need lots of gold
coming in to support it.
Get the box cleaned out,
get it in the Gold Room...
weigh it out, see what we have.
[narrator] And now it's time
to flex your BSG brain muscles
with everyone's favorite
fake game show, Reveal It!
Rough sea conditions have always
been a part of gold
mining in Nome.
I'm sinking!
[narrator] Which member
of the fleet once bore
the brunt of giant swells?
[in unison] Reveal it!
Blargh!
[narrator] It was Steve
Riedel who was thrown up...
Blarghh!
[narrator] ...and down
by the rocky seas.
Blarghh!
[Steve] I feel better now.
A little puking always
does it for a guy.
[narrator] Which team endured
an epic torrential downpour?
[in unison] Reveal it!
[narrator] That
would be the Kellys
who got hosed while testing
out a brand-new bridge.
Take the boat back to the shore.
We're done for
today, [bleep], [bleep].
We gotta redo everything.
[narrator] And which
captain came face to face
with a hurricane?
[in unison] Reveal it!
They don't have a weight belt.
[man 1] Just chill out, okay?
[narrator] That was Vernon
Adkison, who brought aboard
a real live hurricane...
Bye, Dave.
[narrator] ...Hurricane Dave.
That was the last [bleep] straw.
[narrator] Thanks for playing.
We'll see you next time on...
[in unison] Reveal it!
I wasn't planning on
being here 24 hours
and I'm [bleep] hungry.
[narrator] Through the night
and well into the morning,
Captain Kris is the last man
standing on the Bering Sea.
This is working 24
hours, and it sucks.
You know, just because this is
really heavy, dangerous equipment
and when you're up over 24 hours
straight, in this [bleep] condition.
We're gonna push
through this, so.
It's going in right now.
We've been going so long, I
can't count the hours anymore.
Reaper Nation, breaking records.
But hey, I really
have no choice,
desperate times call
for desperate measures,
and we're gonna
try to keep going.
I'm gonna pull this spud up.
They're going to push back
and make it go that way.
We're gonna lift the
spud and push backwards
to stay on this gold.
Ready?
I think we're good.
Here we go.
[bleep]
Whoa!
[bleep], man, stop.
Taylor! Taylor!
[bleep]
Taylor. Hold on,
hold on, hold on.
Did you see, you lift it up,
the whole [bleep]
thing lifted up?
I almost fell off the
boat right now, too.
We're overtired right now.
Everybody's making dumb [bleep]
mistakes right now, it's dangerous.
Let's cut everything
down. I've had enough.
Twenty-four hours
is all we can do.
We're gonna hurt ourselves.
So there's a point
you can keep pushing
and there's a point
you gotta stop.
Because you're so exhausted,
you start making stupid mistakes
where someone's gonna get hurt.
I almost fell off the boat,
and that excavator
could've tipped into water.
We're calling it
time to head in.
[phone ringing]
We're ready to be picked up
or shift change or something.
Everybody's real [bleep]
tired here right now.
Maybe you can bring James.
I don't know what to
say, if we have nobody...
I can't stay out here
[bleep] ten more hours,
I really can't, I'm
at the [bleep] limit.
So, James, Kevin,
and all those [bleep],
they're too tired to relieve us.
I'm the one out here all night,
and those guys are
too tired, unbelievable.
James is asleep,
and he was supposed
to be here in 20 minutes.
I'm not going to worry
about it, I k*lled it.
Running the boat by
myself for the very first time,
we got gold in the box.
You want to know why that is,
because we force-fed
that box today
so everybody can
go [bleep] themselves.
You can take my
boat and go home.
Turn that up to 1,200 and
then help you with the spuds.
Almost there.
Whew!
I'm just tired.
I'm gonna pilot
this thing back in,
I've never done it before,
but that's never
stopped me before.
I've done everything
else in the last 24 hours,
might as well add
this to the resume, too.
Okay, let's get going.
Let's go.
We're on our way.
[narrator] Eleven miles east...
on the outskirts of Nome...
[Zeke] I'm excited about
doing a cleanup today.
I want to k*ll it, I
want to crush it.
[narrator] ...it's time for Zeke's
first clean out of the summer.
But like, I would be
happy with an ounce gold.
I'd like it to be more,
but you always
want it to be more.
I think this would be better
than my clean up last winter.
I didn't get a lot of gold,
talking about last winter,
but being here, a lot
of good gold to exploit.
I'm not expecting to
break the bank today,
but the goal is to do
better than I did last season
and hopefully a lot better.
All right, yeah, I think the
sluice box is working good.
This spot looks super promising,
so if the numbers turn out good,
I think we could start
making some real money.
That would be a
huge step forward.
All right, here we go.
One ounce.
Two ounces here.
Three ounces.
All right,
[narrator] 3.39 ounces,
that's worth over $6,000,
and after his first
round of prospecting,
the prospects of a strong
summer season are looking good.
If I can keep the boat
in gold of this value,
then I'll do really well.
This is exactly
what I wanted to see,
it's a better cleanout than
I had all of last season.
Once we get to have a
little running on this ground,
we could be looking at k*ller
gold numbers this summer.
I want my next cleanup to be,
like, five or six spots like this,
you know, and then, like,
have a 20-ounce cleanup.
- Good start.
- Solid.
[narrator] On the
other side of town...
[Emily] La-la-la-la-la.
This is why our cleanouts take
till [bleep] ten o'clock at night.
Emily, can you not play and just
dump that stuff so we can get going?
It happens.
[laughs]
I can make fun of her.
We have a good
relationship, it worked out well.
[narrator] After a
double dive day,
Emily Riedel is
hoping for double gold
to keep her summer going strong.
[Emily] We're hoping
that we're on at least
three-quarter ounce
an hour in this clean up.
I think we did a
lot better than that.
So, I'm gonna find gold.
Hmm, so fine.
Even though Mother
Nature tried to stop us,
she couldn't, and
we got two dives in
and there's really no
setback for us here.
We had an amazing day, and I'm
expecting a pretty healthy number.
Sweet, guys, look at this.
One, two.
Three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten,
eleven, 12, 13,
fourteen, 15, 16,
There you go.
Twenty-one, 22,
twenty-three, 24, 25.
- Yeah!
- [Emily] Woo-hoo!
[narrator] Twenty-five ounces
is worth a whopping 45 grand.
All right, 25,
doing pretty good.
It's awesome. I'm so stoked.
I think that not only I'll
replenish the nest egg,
but I'll go above and beyond it.
This year I'm aiming for 250,
and at this point, I'm
starting to believe it'll happen.
Rocking it, man.
- [indistinct chatter]
- Good.
[Emily laughs] Good job.
- [Vernon] Hey, Jen.
- [Jen] Hey, Vernon.
- How are you doing?
- Good, how are you doing?
I'm doing all right, but I
could do with a c*ck.
[Jen] Enjoy.
Let's see what people
have to say today.
[narrator] And now, another
episode of Social Hour with Vernon.
Oh, let's see, all right.
[Vernon speaking]
Yes, I've got a couple.
I do the TV stuff, and I am
a professional marine pilot.
And I guarantee you 95%
of you people out there
don't even know
what the [bleep] that is.
I've been piloting
ships for about 30 years.
Started out as an
ordinary seaman,
worked my way up
to Unlimited Master,
became an Alaska
State Marine pilot,
and I still do that work when
I'm not up here gold mining.
Being on a ship at
sea is like being in jail,
except you get to work
I mean, you don't get that kind of
tonnage for, like, serial murders.
But after a while,
it came to the point
where I enjoyed being at sea.
And then when I became a master
for you landlubbers
out there, that's captain.
When I became master
of a 900-foot tanker,
life became fairly sweet.
I didn't have to do
jack diddly-squat.
Fill up paperwork,
and look important.
[narrator] This has been another
episode of Social Hour with Vernon.
My phone just went dead.
I guess this
c*ck hour is over.
[Shawn] Boogie on down
the river, find a spot to fish.
The weather is
finally calming down,
but it's too late to get
the Myrtle out right now.
So with the inland k*lling it,
I decided to take a couple
hours, take my boys out fishing.
Ready?
[engine revving]
[Shawn speaking]
Hang on.
[laughs]
Yeah!
[indistinct chatter]
[laughter]
We made it.
Running a massive
operation like this,
it's easy to get so busy,
you don't spend enough
time with your kids.
That's what
happened with my dad.
Got one.
[Shawn] Bring it over to me.
Ooh, that's a keeper,
that's a keeper.
I'm determined to make sure it
doesn't happen with these guys.
My relationship with my kids
is way more valuable than gold.
Nice job.
We got fish in the cooler,
life's good.
That's all that matters.
Even if we didn't have fish,
it... it'd still be just fun
being out here with the boys.
We're gonna do this a lot more.
[Shawn's son] Oh, I got one.
There you go, Vernie.
These are mats from
the Kougarok first.
So yeah, let's clean
those Kougarok mats
and see what... how well we did.
[narrator] After the
journey of a lifetime,
Vernon Adkison
is about to find out
if all the blood, sweat
and tears were worth it.
It was a pain in the a*s
getting set up out there.
Just the road, I mean, that was
a justifying transit, let me tell you.
Getting to the Kougarok is about
as convenient as getting to the moon.
However, it's not a
deal-breaker for me
if it's loaded with gold.
But considering the hours it
takes to get back and forth,
it better be claimed
or it's time to say sayonara.
- [man 3] We got a little chunky.
- [Vernon] Yeah.
- [man 3] Yeah.
- Kougarok's paying out.
Yeah. Hey, look, we got riffles.
We got riffles of gold here.
Depending on what we get,
I've got to call out for
a bottle of champagne.
[man 3] Oh, look at that, nice.
That sound never gets old.
How's that coming along?
[man 3] I guess it's ready.
[Vernon] All right, well, bring
it on over here and let's do it.
[man 3] All right.
It's quarter ounce,
half ounce. 1.2, 1.3, 1.6.
She's still going, 1.78.
Ugh!
[narrator] 1.78 ounces,
it's worth a little
over 3,200 bucks.
Ah, that to me
is not cutting it.
Ah, you know, considering
all the trouble of getting there
and back and forth and all that,
using what we've got right
now, we can't play for that.
for an average day
of river dredging.
But considering the unholy
pain it took to get to the Kougarok,
I'm not sure it even
paid for the gas.
So thank you, but no
thank you, Kougarok.
You can rot for all I care.
So...
[man 3] Yeah, came in better.
I mean, that's good beer
and pizza money right there,
but it's not sticking around
forever money, I'll tell you that.
[narrator] On the other
side of the harbor...
[bleep] Day.
Every day is a [bleep] day.
[indistinct chatter]
[narrator] Kris Kelly
is hoping an all-nighter
was enough to get our
Reaper Nation back on track.
[Kris] Let's get this
[bleep] and get going.
The last run was really hard
and we had a couple
of little problems,
but we got gold
that nobody else got
because we were out
when nobody else was out.
So, overseeing a giant operation
has not been as lucrative
as I thought it would be,
not by a long shot,
and it's given me plenty
of sleepless nights.
But I'm stubborn as hell, and
if I see any way to get gold,
I'm gonna keep pushing
until I make this work.
See, like, all in
here, all in here,
it's already starting to
stack up on the riffles.
And I'm starting to
see gold in the box.
Look at this piece, man,
this has some weight to it.
Fingers crossed, this way
out is a good one, we need it.
Okay, let's go.
Yeah, baby.
Yeah, lay every bucket,
this is, this is a good one.
This is... was a
very good bucket.
That's a lot of gold.
We're seeing lots
of hard-earned gold,
probably the hardest-earned gold
you're supposed to
make on an excavator.
There you go, I like
that. Oh, yeah, that's nice.
Last cleanout was
an embarrassment,
I get more gold off
a suction operation,
not a giant excavator barge.
We have to start doing
way better or this summer
is gonna be a
financial bloodbath.
[man 4] Oh, this is
going to tell the tale.
Okay, here we go.
We're at zero.
Two and... Oh, my God,
it's like two or three ounces.
[man 4] Keep going,
keep going, keep going.
- [Kris] Come on, come on, come on.
- [bleep].
[man 5] 3.34.
[man 4] 3.34.
[Kris] Which is
[bleep] pretty bad.
[narrator] 3.34 ounces
is worth about $6,000
and Reaper Nation is still far from
the behemoth their captain envisioned.
[Kris] There's a lot of
variables that come in mining.
We didn't have a test pan.
The weather was really bad,
so we had to fight
against all everything,
but we need those
numbers to go up.
Self-reflection time.
This has been a disaster so far.
I realized we had
everything going against us
the last couple of days and
we still managed to get gold.
But let's be real, these
numbers are terrible.
All I can do is hope
once the weather clears,
we get the Reaper in the water
and Reaper Nation
rises to the top.
Okay, let's go, we're done.
And that concludes another
episode of What the [bleep]!
[narrator] Across town...
[Shawn] Time to do a cleanup,
the funnest part of the job.
Buckets look good.
I want to get gold out,
scale will know how good it is.
[narrator] The first cleanout
from the inland mine's new cut
will determine if it's
a cut above the rest.
[Shawn] Things are looking good.
I have a goal for 3,000
ounces this summer,
and with the crap that's
been going on in the water,
I need the inland to
be firing on all cylinders.
So, I need this new cut to
be ringing the bell, big time.
That's a pile of
gold right there,
hopefully the deeper we get in the
Cooper Gulch, the better the gold gets.
Let's bring it in, weigh it up.
[Shawn] 190, 206, 212...
Cooper Gulch is paying.
[narrator] 219 ounces,
it's worth over $395,000.
And Cooper Gulch
has made the cut.
Two-nineteen,
that's a good cleanup.
And just like that,
we're back on track.
Feels good taking this over
from my dad, not missing a beat.
It feels damn good.
Hopefully when
the weather clears,
we can get back out on the water
and gonna be kicking
a*s on all fronts.
[Shawn speaking]
Keep drawing dirt, keep
putting dirt through the box,
keep sluicing, keep making gold.
So far so good.
It'll get better and better.
[narrator] Mr. Gold starts
living up to his name...
while Kris and Vernon
continue to sputter.
Next time on Bering Sea Gold...
We're getting out.
We're going digging.
What do you say, Vernon?
[bleep] damn it, brother.
I've been waiting
nine years to do this.
I came back to get the gold.
That's it.
We're ready to
turn everything on
and finally start
making some money.
Good.
Hey!
We're almost there.
Nothing has
changed in 100 years,
and everybody that's
out here mining is crazy.
Oh, man, you need to
be able to do this yourself.
Not me.
Well, what are you
doing on the boat, man?
Everything's all [bleep] up.
There's only one thing
that puts a smile on my face,
make some gold.
Whoo!
Somebody on this
[bleep] boat is going to die.
- Yeah.
- Oh, my God.
I got a fever.
Gold fever.
That somebody hasn't already.
- [man speaking]
- Hell yeah.
It's only by the grace
of whatever God exists.
Pow!
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15x03 - Winds of Misfortune
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The show follows boats equipped with various setups to achieve gold mining in a summertime, cold northern latitude, shallow water, ocean environment.
The show follows boats equipped with various setups to achieve gold mining in a summertime, cold northern latitude, shallow water, ocean environment.