11x01 - Double Down

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: now on
"bering sea gold's"

Richest season ever...

♪ Who's got the brakes? ♪

[ Shawn laughs ]

Shawn: I'm closer than ever
to building the mega dredge.

Ha! You're it.

But this year, it's more
than just a fight for gold.

It's a battle for legacy.

Ken: woo-hoo!

♪ Who helps the underdog ♪

With all the upgrades,

The myrtle can process
five times more than it did.

Shawn doesn't have a chance.

So far, so good.

♪ We are the break
from holding on ♪

Emily: being a lady
dredge owner,

I have something to prove
every season.

Take me seriously
and don't get in my way.

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

If we find good gold,
we claim it,

And then it'll be
ours forever.

♪ Who's got the chains? ♪

♪ I don't ♪

Kris: the kellys
are finally united.

Oh, yeah!

I know there's gold
at the bluffs,

But I'll go even further
if I have to.

Fall into the frame

Vernon: wild rangeris back.

This boat's gonna be
a game changer in nome,

But we got to get it there.

Hi, friends.

[ Woman screams ]

-Aah!
-Whooo!

♪ We are braves ♪

-Stop.
-Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Argh!

What's going on?

Ken: whoo-hoo!

[ Man laughs ]

Man: boom!

♪ We are the braves
from holding on ♪

Emily: hold on.

This is our year.

Man: yeah!

♪ Oh, yeah ♪

♪ We are the braves ♪

Emily: clear the money

♪ We are the braves ♪

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

Shawn: I need to come up
with a lot of money quick.

I need to do something different

Than what we've been doing.

Narrator:
captain shawn pomrenke,

The man they call mr. Gold,

Is looking to stay atop
nome's gold mining heat...

♪♪

I got a tried-and-tested
machine here.

Narrator: ...relying
on his custom-built

80-Foot excavator barge.

Shawn: I want to do 1,000 ounces

With the christine rose.

Narrator: he's aiming
for a 1,000-ounce summer.

That's $1.2 million
to cover operating costs

And bring his ultimate
mining goal into focus.

♪♪

Hopefully, buy a bunch
of parts and pieces

For the mega dredge.

Narrator: the mega dredge
is an 825-ton machine

That will revolutionize the face
of mining in nome forever.

Shawn: mining's
about innovation.

You got to keep it fancy

And building things better
and moving forward.

Narrator: for years...

I've never seen that much gold
all at one time.

...the pomrenke name

Has represented a dynasty
in nome...

If somebody can beat that,
they can kiss my butt.

Shawn: we're adding
onto our sluice box.

...as shawn has been
the top innovator

And the top miner...

-87.
-Nice!

[ Chuckles ]
nice job.

...leaving the others
in a cloud of gold dust.

Looking good.

At last season,
mr. Gold pulled in

Nearly 800 ounces of gold...

Shawn: now we got all
of the materials here.

...enough to gather parts

And begin consisting
the dredge of his dreams.

It's going to blow
people's minds.

♪♪

This summer,
we don't have much time

To get that in the water.

So, I got an ace up my sleeve.

Narrator: to mine the gold,

He needs to fund completion
of the mega dredge.

So, basically, we cut
the boom off right there

And added 6 feet to it.

Narrator: shawn is pulling out
a brand-new pomrenke innovation.

Now we can get down to ground

That we never were able
to touch before.

Get that gold
that nobody's got yet.

[ Engine whirring ]

♪♪

You have to stay one step ahead
of everybody else.

I have to keep pushing myself

If I want this business
to stay alive.

♪♪

We could run this whole strip
and make some money in a hurry.

This new boom allows us to go

About 600 feet further
from the shoreline.

It opens up a big
chunk of ground

That we haven't been able
to touch before.

I've worked this area for years,

And I know
there's gold out there.

Sounds good, man.
We're going to k*ll it.

[ Beeping ]

Narrator: since its inception,
the christine rosehas mined

In depths up to 10 feet,

Clawing deeper
beneath the ocean bottom

Than any other dredge,

Clearing out every inch
it could reach...

And now with an added 6 feet
to his excavator,

Shawn will be able to access

Over 600 square-yards
of virgin ground

And mine golden pay streaks

That were previously
out of reach.

♪♪

Shawn:
time to start digging.

♪♪

Oh!

Here we go.

Here we go.

♪♪

Come on, nugget.

Boom!

♪♪

Ooh.
This stuff looks good.

Whew.

Feels good to be back
on the christine rose.

♪♪

Arm is doing pretty good.

Yeah.

[ Laughs ]

♪♪

This thing is awesome.

I don't know why we didn't
do this years ago.

♪♪

Oh, wait.
We didn't need to.

Really important that
we get this thing making money.

Otherwise, we're gonna be broke,

And there won't be
no mega dredge.

♪♪

Narrator: back in nome harbor...

Ken: we're just about ready
to rock and roll with this.

Narrator: ...a threat
to shawn's reign is looming.

Did you see all of
the new repairs in here?

Oh, yeah.

Ken kerr has returned
with his 600-ton behemoth,

The myrtle irene...

Dave: I like how
you're feeding it.

Now, I think that's
going to work.

We're close.

...along with business partner
dave young.

You want me to kick it on
and watch it shake?

Yeah.

Dave equipped
the biggest dredge in nome

With hundreds of thousands
of dollars in upgrades,

Intent on taking the title
away from mr. Gold.

Check that out, baby.

Ken: we rebuilt the myrtle irene
from the bottom up.

This year, we're not
leaving anything to chance.

Look at this.

Made a whole different
manifold system

On this wash plant.

Rebuilt our sluice.

It's, like,
totally redone.

We built this
header box on it,

So, we got adjustment
for our water.

Ken: last year,
we lost a lot of gold,

Blew it right out the box.

It went over our grizzly screen,

So we changed all that
this year.

It's gonna improve
our production this year

From last year...

Yeah.
...like, triple.

Our overall goal for the season
is to, you know,

Do 1,000 ounces.

Narrator: in addition
to the myrtle's

Hefty $8,000-per-day
operating costs...

Ken: you got to spend money
on the fuel, labor,

Equipment breakdowns, repair.

Narrator: ...ken's gold,

Valued at $1.2 million,

Would turn a massive profit
for arctic sea mining.

It's a high number,

But it's a doable number

With all of the changes
I've done.

We're gonna kick a*s
this year.

Dave: I like it.

Narrator: last summer...

Shawn: oh,
are you kidding me?

Narrator: ...the arrival
of the myrtle irene

Announced a new era in nome.

Ken: woo-hoo!

Give old pomrenke
a run for his money.

Narrator: and despite
the monster's growing pains...

No.
It's completely dead.

...when the myrtlewas
firing on all cylinders...

Woo!

We're digging in
the pay pile.

...well...

-200 -- Wow.
-Woo-hoo!

Narrator: ...there
was no denying

It was a game changer...

Get ready for another year
of a*s whupping.

Bet you 100 ounces
you don't do that.

...leading captain kerr

To put his gold
where his mouth is...

100 Ounces...
100 Ounces.

...i'll bet that.

...betting his rival
a whopping $130,000

On who will take home
the most gold.

This next season,
it's my turn.

♪♪

[ Birds squawking ]

Keeping this thing running is
a key to our success.

The pressure is on.

With over $6 million
already sunk into the myrtle

By investors...

If we don't get
that 1,000 ounces...

I don't know what we're going
to do, maybe get shut down.

Our guys just pull the plug.
We won't have no funding.

Narrator: ...if ken fails
to hit his goal,

The giant barge along
with ken's mining career

Could be permanently dry-docked.

Ken: our investors, definitely,

Their patience is wearing thin.

Money is going out,
nothing coming in

So feeling some heat, yeah.

It's getting hot in the kitchen.

Myrtle ireneneeds
to live again here quick.

Once we make the myrtlerun,

We're going a few miles
from town,

Get into some deeper water
mile offshore.

We've got some drill logs
that show the gold is out there.

You know, the key
is keeping it running

And not breaking down,

Putting gravel through
that thing 24/7.

Not only do we have
to make some gold

And a lot of it,

But we have to beat
all our competitors,

And you know who they are.

[ Shawn chuckles ]

♪♪

Narrator: this season
on "bering sea gold"...

-Yeah!
-[ Screams ]

Shawn: whoever figures it out
first is going to win.

Pomrenke is way behind us.

Done $1 million
worth of upgrades

On the myrtlethis year.

Investors need a good return.

Look out, shawn.
I'm coming to get you.

Shawn: nobody can
knock me off the top.

Mega dredge is
under construction.

My goal is to get it
on the water

Before the end of the season.

Emily: I'm mining one
of the richest claims

On the bering sea

With the most efficient
suction dredge operation.

As long as we stay on the gold,

No one's gonna
outmine the eroica.

All right, man.
You ready?

Woo!

Kris: I've got my family
behind me like never before.

Big chunks of gold
out of the box.

And now I'm looking
past the bluffs.

I really want to make
my own discovery.

♪♪

Oh, yeah!

Emily: hold on!

Bob! No!

-Getting hot.
-Yeah.

Stop.

-Argh!
-No!

Damn it.

-Woo.
-[ Cheering ]

Man: hallelujah.

[ Wind gusts ]

[ Birds squawking ]

Emily: first day of the season.

Get out of here.

♪♪

We need to get on it
right away.

Narrator: captain emily riedel

Is eager to dig in
for another season

On her 40-foot vessel,
the mighty eroica.

We're heading out
to the coveted claim 14.

Narrator: claim 14
is a 500-acre plot

That was rich enough last summer

To make emily
nome's most successful

Suction dredge owner.

Emily: last year,
everything was awesome.

I got the most gold I ever have,

And I feel like I really
grew a lot as a captain,

As a person, as a lady.

Ultimately,
the goal is to progress,

And that means
I have to do better

Than I did last season,
so, you know,

I could break even
on this season

By doing 30 ounces,

But I want to be more around
400 ounces this year.

Today, we're just going
to a known coordinate

Where we found gold before.

The chicken wing...

Yeah.
[ Chuckles ]

It's where we were at.

Emily:
we call it the chicken wing

Because it's close
to the chicken hole,

Which was what they called
this amazingly good spot on 14

Back in the day.

People were just
pulling insane ounces

Out of this one area,

And chicken wing is kind of
in the wing of that area.

We can get back on that ground,
and we can make it pay.

Narrator: throughout
her mining odyssey...

Man: alright, anchor woman.
Drop it.

...emily has worked her way up
from greenhorn tender...

[ Engine starts ]

[ All cheering ]...to the first

Female dredge owner in nome.

I have so much to prove.

Yeah!

That's 14 right there.

Narrator: last summer proved
to be her breakout...

-There's gold everywhere.
-Woo!

Narrator: ...as she pulled in
over 300 ounces of gold

Worth nearly $412,000.

Yeah!

♪♪

I have a good team,
and I have a good boat.

[ Creaking ]

As long as we can get back
on the chicken wing,

We'll be golden.

♪♪

-Hey, em.
-Yeah?

What do we got here?

♪♪

Oh, [bleep].

But another dredge is
already nesting on the spot.

He's right on it.

♪♪

Oh, we're 113 yards,
so we're legal.

Mining regulations stipulate
that dredges maintain at least

100-Yard distance
from each other...

Bob: let's just drop here
and see what we can do.

...forcing emily off
her gold-rich waypoint

And into unproven ground.

Emily: give this
spot a try.

[ Whirring ]

The all-important water.

Water, water, water --
nature's lubricant.

[ Engine starts ]

Taking on the role
of lead diver,

Bob hafner.

Hey.
You got me?

Bob: loud and clear.

Let's go make
some money, girl.

Amen.

Alright.
Let's see what we can do here.

[ Mask hisses ]

I'm at the bottom.

♪♪

This is kind of
new ground for us.

We'll just kind of have to see
how it works out.

How's the vis
down there?

Bob: I can't really
see other than

What's really
right in front of me.

♪♪

Hey, you want to go pop
that throttle up?

How's that?

♪♪

It's kind of a shift,
you know,

From the gray
to the brown.

Narrator: seams on
the ocean bottom

Often indicate the site
of an ancient riverbed,

Which is known to trap
heavier minerals,

Like gold.

Oh, there's a piece.

Hey, em.

Found a little bit
of a spot.

Yeah, hey!

[ Bob groans ]

Yeah. There's a heavy
swell right now.

Yeah.
She's picking up, isn't it?

♪♪

See what we find.

Emily: weather is kind of
a little bit iffy.

We're trying not to hit
this jerk's boat

Not really for his sake
but for my sake.

♪♪

Narrator: 80 miles east...

Kris: voilà, baby.

Narrator: ...the kelly clan
is setting up camp...

Kris: man, we are gonna freeze
our a*s off this summer.

Narrator: ...for another summer
off the grid.

[ Laughs ]

Yeah.
That's hilarious.

And this year,

They're returning as genuine
top-shelf miners

After scoring the biggest
gold haul of their career.

Rubber dinghy, check.
Gas can, check.

The tires are
in good shape.

Kris: my primary goal is to
build off last year's success.

Everything looks awesome.

I have to prove
that wasn't a fluke.

We're going to work
our old spots.

I want over 130 ounces
this year.

We got that last year.

It was the most we ever got.

I know we can do more than that
this year.

Let's get the hell
out of here.

Brad: I got to commemorate kris.

He's a good worker.
He's come a long way.

You know, under my tutelage,
right? [ Chuckles ]

Let's rock and roll,
baby.

Brad: ready?

Push.

Come on, push!

Get on.

Get on.

Narrator: for six years...

Everything is good
for a change.

Whoa!

...the hot-tempered kellys...

Something's
[bleep] wrong!

Are you dumb?

...ran cold...

This is [bleep].

There's no gold here!

...season after season.

[Bleep]

But last year...

Kris: we're gonna live
at the bluffs all summer.

Narrator: ...under captain kris'
confident leadership...

I can feel the gold.

...the self-destructing
kellys...

And we're floating!

Wow!

...became kelly united.

Woo!
And it paid off...

This is the most gold I've made
in my life.

...to the tune
of 130 ounces of gold,

Worth $169,000.

[ Smacking lips ]

Kris: perfect, dad.

Last season,
we came together as a family,

And everybody did
what I told them to do.

Because of that,
we made a lot of gold.

I've got an ounce gold nugget
that I've got a gold nugget

This big that says,
"kris is the man."

What's it say?
"Yeah, you're the man, kris."

Narrator: first order
of business for the man...

Kris: we're motoring
out to our spot.

Narrator:
...lead his dad and brother

Back to their hot spot
from last summer.

♪♪

But it looks like everybody
is sitting on the gold.

♪♪

Narrator: word must
have gotten out

About kris' talking nugget.

Oh, well. Oh, well.

We'll still find
a lot of gold.

Yeah.[ Engine starts ]

So, onto plan b...

...they'll circle the fringe

Of last year's honey hole...

Here, honey,
your briefcase.

...while lead diver, andy,
searches the sea bottom

For any sign
of untouched ground.

♪♪

Diver in the water.

Woo-hoo!

♪♪

Andy: all this overgrowth
and everything --

I mean, nobody has been here.

Kris: andy, how's it
going down there?

It's going.

Okay. Let's do it.
High energy, baby.

♪♪

I'm trying to find
a good spot.

♪♪

You see all the [bleep]
on the rocks?

That indicates that nobody
has flipped this rock yet.

That's the clay
I'm looking for.

♪♪

Okay.

Idle up.

[ Engine hums ]

♪♪

Let's see.

♪♪

Uh-huh.

Okay, you had enough time.
What's going on down there?

♪♪

That's it.

Yeah.
What the [bleep]?

Are you seeing some gold,
or what?

I'm finding it.

♪♪

Alright.
That's what I'm talking about.

Are you ready to start
jumping up and down?

Yep.

Yeah.
We got a k*lling today.

Woo!

Narrator: coming up...

Bob: prime the boat
towards the anchor.

Emily: hold on!

Bob!

Shawn: the first cleanup,
our proof is in the pudding.

Ka-ching, ka-ching.

♪♪

Narrator: nome, alaska.

Since 1898...

This remote outpost
has been ground zero

To some of the richest
gold discoveries on earth

Like the legendary
anvil nugget --

A massive 182-troy-ounce
chunk of solid gold

Worth over
a quarter million dollars.

Today, the relentless hunt

For fortune carries on.

♪♪

[ Bird screeches in distance ]

♪♪

So, we'll get these
sides cut, beveled,

Get that end
welded on good.

Narrator: with
the christine rose

Mining pay dirt offshore...

Shawn: got the boys welding
on the barge right now

Building sluice boxes,
building the hopper.

To get that gold.

Woo.

Narrator:
...captain shawn pomrenke

Is already spending the gold,

Putting every flake
into construction

Of a massive wash plant
for his mega dredge.

Every step we get done
is another step forward,

That much closer to the end.

This thing is ready.

Besides this edge
right here.

Once I build this,
everybody's gonna want one.

I'm gonna revolutionize the way
they mine in the ocean.

Narrator: custom building
the components

Of his revolutionary dredge

Is only the first step.

We're moving forward.

Narrator: he'll need
to prep the barge

And install each piece

Before it's ready
to hit the water.

♪♪

Weld on that,
and then...

Yeah.

That one has
got to be good.

Shawn: a lot of long hours
working our asses off,

But it'll be worth in the end

For pomrenke mining.

Boy: I got
the big rock.

Boy #2: hey,
you took mine.

There's the future of
pomrenke mining right there,

Future gold diggers.

♪♪

Narrator: but this summer...

Dad, I'm training
for the christine rose.

Shawn: yeah!

Narrator: ...shawn's plate
is fuller than ever.

This summer is not
just about mining.

It's about spending some
quality time with my kids.

You got to get
a full bucket.

I still have to work hard,
work efficient.

There you go.

So, I hope I can find
a good balance

Between being mr. Gold

And being a dad.

So, this is what we're gonna
dump the dirt into right here.

-Whoa.
-Ooh, that looks fun to climb.

Be careful.

Shawn: in the past,
it's always been,

"Get more gold,
get more gold."

Well, I'm finding out money
and all of the gold in the world

Will never give you the time
back with these guys.

♪♪

I started out having a family
at a young age.

I had kids at 18.

So, I've had to work
seven days a week,

16-Hour days for...

Since I can remember.

Make sure
you don't get grease on you.

You're trying to stay on top
and then being a father.

But, I mean,
maybe one of these days

They'll take the empire over
and take care of me,

But right now, that's my job
to take care of them.

Alright, kids.
Let's go.

Time to go to work.

♪♪

Narrator: 5 miles southeast...

Emily: hey, bobs.

♪♪

Did you move,
or did we move?

Bob: well, I'm having trouble
staying in one spot.

Pulling me around
down here.

Narrator: after losing her spot
to a rival dredge...

Emily: wind
is picking up.

All the forces of nature
are pushing us west

Towards the mouth of that idiot
over there.

...captain emily riedel is
battling an approaching storm

As she hunts
for a new pay streak.

♪♪

Aah!

Narrator:
a 3-foot swell is enough

To cause havoc for small dredges
like the eroica,

And on the bering sea,

Waves have been reported
as high as 50 feet,

Pushed by winds reaching
130 miles an hour.

♪♪

[ Bob groans ]

Aargh.

Emily: bobs, are you okay?

I'm hung up
on something.

♪♪

I've got a tangle
on my air hose.

♪♪

Aaah!

You coming up, hun?

I'm on my way back up.

♪♪

Oh, there you go.

[ Sighs ]

You okay?
Oh, yeah.

Yeah, she's fighting
back a bit.

The problem is, is that,
like, it's almost guaranteed

When there's a current like
this, there's gonna be a foul

With all of the lines
in the water.

Narrator: the good news --

Bob is okay.

Uh-oh.

But the eroica...

...might not be so lucky.

[ Engine revs ]

Bob: you're approaching
this boat.

Dragging our bow
right into it.

♪♪

Emily: can't do anything
in this current.

♪♪

Where are we hooked, man?
I don't understand it.

Bob: with the current
and the wind,

We're not getting
away from this.

♪♪

Hold on!

Oh! Whoa, whoa!

Bob?

No!

♪♪

Narrator:
off the coast of nome...

Emily: where are we hooked, man?
I don't understand it.

...captain emily riedel...

Bob: with the current
and the wind,

We're not getting
away from this.

...is wrapped up in a whole
new wave of problems.

♪♪

Hold on!

Oh! Whoa, whoa!

Bob!

No!

Bob!

We need to get off of this thing
right now.

Our hose or something
is hooked on this [bleep],

So somebody needs
to figure it out.

Bob: stop!
Quit screaming at me.

Okay.

I think I see it.

Yeah.
It's hooked underneath.

Okay.

We got the line.

It's taut...

Underneath the boat.

Let's do this.
We'll cut that line.

♪♪

Here, here, here, here.i got it.

♪♪

I just lost an anchor.
Yeah.

[ Knife splashes ]oh, now you throw a knife, too.

The boat, he was almost
exactly on our spot,

So we needed
to park close to him.

Yeah.

And in trying to anchor
close to him,

The current and the wind
screwed us,

And we got fouled
in his anchor lines,

So we lost an anchor today.
Anything else?

Emily: I have divers
that need to make money.

I need to make money,

But there's potentially damages
that we have to pay for,

And ultimately, we made $0.

Running into somebody's boat,
not a good day.

One lesson that we continually
learn in this business is

That there's a lot of things
that are gonna knock you down,

And you just --
you get up and do it again.

[ Wind gusting ]

Narrator: 3 miles west...

Ken: well, coming up
to check on my guys.

♪♪

We're just wrapping it up.

Narrator: ...feeling the heat
from investors

And with his rival
already on the water,

Captain ken kerr needs to get
the myrtle irenemoving.

Ken: we've put nothing but money
into this thing.

Money, money, money,

We're getting ready
to roll her in, though.

Let's go talk to john
and see how we're doing here.

Narrator: the crew is racing
to finish the last

And most ambitious
of the upgrades,

Installation of a reinforced
steel hull,

Before it's ready to set sail.

♪♪

John!
How's it going, buddy?

Not bad, yourself?

You about
wrapping her up?

Yes, sir, finishing up
the last inserts now.

Everything is sealed up,

And it should be ready
to go in the water.

Right on.

That was a good job, man,
long time up here.

Yes, sir.

You're almost part
of the furniture in nome now.

Yes, sir.

We need to dig a lot of gold
to pay your bill.

[ Both laugh ]

Alright.
Shake.

Right on, man.
Thanks a lot.

Narrator: after months, the work
on the myrtleis complete,

And all that's left is
to get the 600-ton beast

From land into water.

Then the race is on.

Ken: been a long process,

You know, crazy hours and time

And money and materials,

So we're ready to go.

Get in the water
and get some digging in.

♪♪

Narrator: 80 miles east...

Kris: okay, andy.
How's it going down there?

♪♪

Is everything good?

Andy:
looking really good.

Awesome!

...the reapers'lead diver,

Andy kelly,
is 7 hours into his shift.

I'm going to plow
through this whole area

And find good gold.

Okay, buddy.

He is pretty good
at his job.

He moves a lot
of material.

And despite the swarm of dredges
on the coveted grounds...

Oh, yeah!

...andy has sniffed out

A virgin pay streak...

I see it.

...getting captain kris
and the kellys off

To a hot start.

Big chunks of gold
out of the box.

Look at that. Woo!

We need
a lot more of it.

♪♪

Wind is definitely
picking up.

But the same storm
that derailed emily

Is coming for the kellys.

[ Metal creaks ]

If it gets much worse,
we're gonna have to hightail it.

Narrator: the reapers'custom
amphibious wheel design has

A very high center of gravity,

And rising seas could
easily swamp it.

Kris: pound for pound,
I have the best operation

In the bering sea,

Weather permitting.

It's a small boat,

And the bering sea
has huge waves.

♪♪

You know, it's like
sugar ray leonard

Fighting muhammad ali.

Really, there's so much
my dredge can handle

Before it gets k.o.'D.

♪♪

Boy, it's really
getting wavy up here.

How good is it?

♪♪

Brad: it's getting rough
as hell out here.

Narrator: now it's decision time
for the captain.

♪♪

These waves keep
picking up,

It's just gonna
get worse.

♪♪

You have to come up.

Andy: yeah.
I'm on my way.

This sucks.

♪♪

Narrator: rough winds might
have cut the day short.

Kris: at least,
we found easy gold.

You know, it didn't take
any effort to get on it.

Narrator: but the kellys managed
to get gold in the box

Right off the bat.

Brad: first day out
starting right,

Nuggets in the box.

♪♪

Coming up...

This is what
we've been waiting for.

Six, seven,

Eight...

Man: pretty good
pile there.

Good.
Nice job.

♪♪

Narrator: and now the league
of extraordinary miners.

Um, I really like...

Oh, god,
it's just so embarrassing.

I've read the "twilight" books.[ Wolf howls ]

And, like, for years,
I've been all like,

"What if I was
a vampire dredging?"

I would never need to come up.

I would never really need to eat

Except, like,
every once in a while.

I could just dredge for hours
and days on end.

I would make so much money.

Read minds.

No. Th-that'd be screwed up.
I wouldn't...

No, I don't want that.

I would say superman.

♪♪

Kris: who doesn't want
to be superman?

But I want to be
a cool superman.

No, I don't think
superman is cool.

I think he's cool,
like, he's got

The greatest powers
in the world,

But I think he's got
a stick up his [bleep].

[ Birds squawking ]

Narrator: the first 24 hours
of the summer mining season

Are in the books.

[ Wind gusts ]

Shawn: looking to have
an impressive year.

Without the christine rose
making money,

We ain't buying anything
for the big dredge.

Narrator: taking advantage of
a head start on his rival ken,

Shawn is hoping his new,
extended excavator arm

Will keep him on the top
of the heat in nome.

Short run, but we have
a little bit of gold,

So at least it's a start.

♪♪

Well, let's run it up the wheel
and see what we have.

Man: that's looking
good right there.

There you go.

Ka-ching,
ka-ching, ka-ching.

This is done.

♪♪

Pretty good pile
there.

Narrator: with gold
in the pan...

Our proof is
in the pudding.

Narrator: ...it's time for
mr. Gold's first weight-out.

Shawn: there's 7,

10.

Oh, yeah.
15.

18.

21.
Ooh, we hit 21.

Come on.

Heck yeah, 25.

26.

26.5,

26 1/2 Ounces.

That's good.
Nice job.

That makes it
worth it.

Yeah.

Narrator: 26.5 ounces
is worth over $30,000...

That's 26 ounces more
than ken has got right now.

I think putting that longer boom
on there worked out.

...a nice chunk of change
to put toward the mega dredge.

That's pretty,
but we need more.

That's just a little taste

Of what this season
has to come.

We paid for the arm.

Now let's pay
for some mega dredge.

Roger that.

Shawn: we get a little
bit closer every day.

I'm gonna get this thing built,

And I'm going to show everybody

How to mine in the bering sea.

I just got to keep putting dirt
through the wash plant.

Bottle it up.

Let's go get ready
to make some more.

We'll get it.

Keep on digging, man.

♪ Welcome to the moment,
can you feel the power ♪

♪ Better make a move,
the clock is ticking now ♪

Ken: once we get the new
and improved myrtlegoing...

♪ I'm about to take it all ♪

...we should get more gold
than anybody in the ocean.

♪ I had a dream ♪

Includes shawn,
includes everybody.

We'll just let the gold
speak for itself.

♪ I'll be wearing the crown ♪

Going to be a crazy year to see
if we can pull it off.

♪ I'll be wearing the crown ♪

Buying another
$400 anchor.

I have to do whatever it takes
to succeed this year.

I have a lot of people that are
relying on me and the boat.

It's going to be difficult,
but I think we can do it.

♪ I'll be wearing the crown ♪

Brad: looking gold.

Kris: we're just
gonna weigh it up

And find out what we got.

♪ 1998,
We didn't have no money ♪

4, 5, 6.

7, 8, 9.

♪ Now I'm about to live it ♪

15.
15.

♪ I can see your eyes ♪

Kris: we've established
good gold,

And we have our area.

If anybody thinks
they're gonna take away

The bluffs from me...

♪ I'm about to take it all ♪

...come on down because
you're going to be very sorry.

♪ I had a dream ♪

♪ I had a dream,
I'll be wearing the crown

♪ I still believe ♪

♪ Yeah, I still believe
I'll be wearing ♪

♪ I'll be wearing the crown ♪

♪ Woo! ♪

♪ I had a dream ♪

Look at this thing.

I'm gonna keep moving forward,
keep building.

♪ I had a dream
I'll be wearing ♪

Shawn: mining --
you have to stay

One step ahead
of everybody else.

♪ I'll be wearing the crown ♪

I see just a big pile of gold.

[ Chuckles ]

A bigpile of gold.

♪♪

[ Wind gusts ]

Narrator: with the season
off and running,

Shawn and the christine rose

Jump to the front of the pack

While emily and ken have
yet to hit the board.

♪♪

Shawn: I need to keep
the mega dredge moving forward.

You got to
improvise.

That piece is going on there,

Whole cut.

Can't stop till
we get it in the water.

Getting close, but it always
gets down to the wire.

Here is the trickiest part
right here.

-Stop!
-Hey!

Emily: whoo!

Get this 400 ounces going.

Holy smoke!

Vernon: I've been putting
most of my energy

Into getting this
new rig together.

Nenana river right here,
and it runs up to the yukon.

That was in 2 feet of water.

-Hey!
-Stop, stop, stop.

Shawn: we're in the gold.

[ Laughs ]

Woo!
There it is.

10,000.
20,000...

Woo!

♪♪

Tastes like money.