13x01 - Goldslingers

[bunniefuu]

[wild west music playing]

[narrator] they called it
the wild west.

When the first big gold rush
busted out in nome,

people flooded
to these shores,

willing to do anything
for the chance to get rich.

Die for it,

they'd even k*ll for it.

Now that fever's hitting nome
all over again.

For the first time
in decades,

the richest claims in town
are back on the market

and all of that gold
is suddenly up for grabs.

[shawn] with gold prices

the highest they've ever been
in history.

There's a rush of miners
everywhere you turn

looking to get in
on that turf w*r.

No doubt,
the wild west is back.

[intense music playing]

[narrator] nome, alaska,

the largest offshore
gold deposits in the world.

For over a century,
miners have battled

for fortune using
custom-built contraptions,

diving for hidden gold
on the bering sea floor.

But this summer,
a rare opportunity

has opened up
the richest grounds in nome

that were previously
off limits.

[woman] leases had
either returned to the state

or remained unsold
prompting the dnr

to offer new leases
for sale this year.

[narrator] for the first time
in years,

contracts on prime ocean
claims are set to expire,

freeing them up for sale
on the open market.

[woman] the state
has been accepting bids

on those parcels
for the last two months.

[narrator] now,
miners of all stripes

suddenly have a chance to buy
their own piece of the pie.

Those, as offshore
mining ground,

are available for
the first time in a decade.

Okay.

[narrator] seasoned miners
and average joes

all jockey for position,

sparking a claim w*r
on the golden battlegrounds.

Price of gold hits
an all-time high topping

$2,000 an ounce.

[narrator] and
with gold prices the highest

they've been in history,
staking a claim

could make outlaws
multimillionaires overnight.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] two miles
from shore.

[shawn] big season this year,
a lot's going on.

[upbeat music playing]

[narrator] the man they call
"mr. Gold",

captain shawn pomrenke
is looking to take over nome.

[shawn] this winter
was really good.

I bought the tomcod

and I have a huge payment
on that.

If I don't make the payment

and it goes back to the owner

and then he can resell it,

but I'm not gonna
let that happen.

[narrator] this past winter,
shawn secured

the most lucrative claim
in the game,

the 1,000 acre,


and now he's aiming to lasso
the most gold

anyone's ever seen
in a single season.

[shawn] we need to
get on it

because there is
a mountain of work.

I'm gonna make sure
I keep the tomcod.

I'm not letting it
get thrown to the wolves.

The prices of gold
are outrageous,

so I have a three-prong plan
of attack

to capitalize on it.

First I'm gonna get the cr
and the gold,

grind around on the clock
to secure the tomcod claim.

Either it's gonna make me
or break me.

Second, I'm gonna buy out
the old man.

I wanna own
the inland mine outright.

[shawn] and the third
is the big one.

[intense music playing]

[shawn] I'm gonna take out
the competition

by taking over
the competition.

I'm gonna try and convince
dave young to partner up,

let me redesign the myrtle
and run it.

That thing has so much
untapped potential.

I can make a k*lling with dave
if I pull this off.

[narrator] taking
over the myrtle

would eliminate
shawn's biggest competitor,

giving him control
of the largest dredge

on the bering sea

and making him
the undisputed king of nome.

But only
if he can close the deal.

[shawn] if we can do


with the christine rose,

we should be able to do

close to a million in a week
with the myrtle irene.

I think with that dredge
set up the right way

and with the right
modifications,

I'll be crushing
the competition.

Now I just gotta
convince dave

and that will be
the trifactor.

[intense music playing]

hey, dave.

What's up?

[shawn] I got a few ideas.

Just kind of wanted to
run them by you.

I see the myrtle
sitting there

I've been driving by
at all winter

looking at it and I think

I'd be interested
in running it.

I know I can handle it,
I just...

I think that there's a quite
a few improvements

I'd like to do to it
to get it up the snuff

to where it needs to be,
at least to my standards,

I think we could produce
a lot more.

We put a ton of money in it
last year,

I think it's running fine
the way it is.

Yeah, well I think
it could run way better.

Need to sell dave on this.

I get hooked up
with the myrtle,

it's gonna be a game-changer.

I'll be like king kong on top
of the empire state building,

nothing will stop me.

I'll tell you what,
why don't you draw

something up
and give me a proposal

and I'll look at it.

I'm not saying
we're gonna do it.

But if you draw something up,
we'll definitely look at it.

You know, I don't know
if we can afford you.

Well, uh, you can't afford
to lose me.

[laughs]

[shawn] I have
the richest claim in nome

and I also built one
of the best dredges in nome.

I'm gonna draw up some plans

that will knock dave
on his a*s.

This thing will work,

-well, it's... Man...
-I'll make it work.

I'mma get you
a set of drawings,

see what you think,

then we can talk again.

I'll consider it.

Okay. Sounds good.

-Yeah, thanks.
-Yeah.

[upbeat music playing]

dave didn't say no.

I wanna take this company
to the next level.

Yeah.

[narrator] six miles
outside of town,

far off the beaten path.

[upbeat music playing]

[narrator] you can take
the man out of nome.

I had a bunch of saw dust
up my nose.

[narrator] but there is no
taking nome out of the man.

[zeke] one at a time.

That'll work.

[narrator] after years away,
the lure of nome's land grab

has proven too tempting
to resist

for mining legend
zeke tenhoff.

[zeke] I traveled
around the world a bunch,

that was fun.

I also tried over
the last of years

to do a little bit
of a career change

and live in some other places
and, I don't know,

it wasn't for me.

It's kind of hilarious
to think

that I can live any more
but here in nome

and to think
that I could do anything

but, uh, gold mining.

The price of gold
is at an all-time high.

Claims that were not
very valuable a few years ago

are gonna be
insanely valuable

as the price of gold goes up.

But at present, I need to
get back in the water.

Gold mining is in my blood,

it's the only thing
that I've found

that I felt that
I was good at.

I love dreaming
about equipment

and dreaming
about different machines

and different boats
that I could put together

and I'm like
fairly mechanically inclined.

Let's fire it up.

[narrator] zeke's mining roots
began over a decade ago,

on the humble suction dredge,
the clark,

along with childhood friend
emily riedel.

[zeke speaking]

[emily speaking]

[zeke] let's do this.

[narrator] over the years.

[zeke] it's being
our first time

running two sluices
at the same time.

So we're gonna have
double gold today.

[narrator] zeke
grew his operation

through innovation,

thinking outside of the box.

[zeke] laying down glow sticks
on the trajectory

that I know the gold
to be going.

[narrator] and emerging

as nome's resident
mad scientist.

Boom, right there.

Copper hole melting device.

I think we'll be in business.

[narrator] and now,
amidst the frenzy

of nome's claim w*r

and world record gold prices,

he attempts his most
ambitious creation to date.

[zeke] my endgame has been
for a long time

to get this sailboat
in the water

and turn it
into a gold-mining sailboat.

Having a gold-mining sailboat
is a huge, huge venture.

Nobody else has done that,
nobody's ever done that.

It's gonna be super awesome.

I've had the sailboat
in my yard

for, like, seven years now.

And I have a lot of the big

picture problems resolved.

Um, I got my pump engine
right there.

I think it's a good spot
for it.

I have my outward
bolted up there.

I got my mast
sitting on the ground there

on the other side.

[narrator] zeke's new design
could be a huge upgrade

from the many
platform dredges

to populate the bering sea.

The 29-foot sailboat
can accommodate

a small crew for days
on the water.

While its sails
and durable build

will allow zeke to cruise
more remote grounds

away from the flux of miners
closer to the shore.

[zeke] I can be
totally autonomous

and live on the water

and go as far as I want
in any direction to get gold.

I'm gonna go
take a bunch of claims

and we're gonna build
a portfolio of claims.

There are definitely people
that think

I'm taking on too much,

it's like too many things

to put together
into one endeavor.

Yeah, I'm not...
I'm not an experienced sailor

and a gold dredge
is a tough thing

to incorporate
into a sailboat.

People that doubt that

a sailboat dredge
is a good idea

will motivate me to pursue it
even further.

So welding, welding this off,
that's what I gotta do next.

[upbeat music playing]

I wish I had like a...
Like a helper here

that could like be
working on this stuff

right now with me.

But I don't, right now,

it's just me
and this is what I gotta do.

Gold prices are going
through the roof right now

and the more time
that I spend

tinkering around
with this boat,

the more I'm missing out on,
and at this point

I still have a lot of work
left to do.

Everything I've done up to now

has kind of just led me
to position myself

where I am right now which is
I'm really well-positioned.

I have a super dope
gold mining sailboat

and the price of gold
is going through the roof.

But so many parts and pieces
that need to come together

and work together
on this boat.

I'm eager to get
more help.

[narrator] as zeke readies
his creation...

[intense music playing]

[narrator] outside nome...

[kris] right now
I'm heading out to this barn

in the middle of nowhere
to meet with my dad's brother

and we're gonna talk
about my plan to go to elim

because I don't really want
too many people

to hear what we're gonna do.

[narrator] kris kelly is ready

to put his summer battle plan
into action.

[kris] ice mining
was a long hard struggle

this season
but we made our goal,

you know, we made the goal
to do my next adventure.

[narrator] since coming
to nome seven years ago

with million dollar dreams...

We're gonna get some gold.

[narrator] ...The journey
has mostly been a nightmare

for the kellys.

[man] *bleep* beach.

[kris] this isn't *bleep*
fair, man, this isn't fair.

[narrator] but through it all,

kris always found a way
to persevere.

We made over our goals.

[man] this is the most gold
I ever made in my life.

High-fives for everybody.

[narrator] and now
they may finally be

on the road to success.

[kris] we had every
kind of obstacle

thrown in our face
this winter,

family breakdowns.

Oh, I have enough
of your *bleep*

good, go, you're a waste
of *bleep* time anyways.

Equipment failure.

Oh, we just lost to our entire
winter binding operation.

*bleep*

sharks, okay,
maybe not sharks.

But that *bleep*
went to *bleep*

and we still hit our goal.

Now we can rent
the boat of my dreams

and we can travel up the coast
safely, hell, yeah.

Probably make more gold
than I ever have

in my entire life and we're
going to stake some claims

and be millionaires
for the rest of my life.

I'm working
after my retirement.

[narrator] while throngs
of miners fight for claims

near town, kris is venturing
to uncharted waters



where he believes untapped
golden pastures await.

[upbeat music playing]

[kris] trying to sell
my dad with...

And brother with this *bleep*

it's been a little bit hard.

Nobody really wants to go

on a hundred and thirty-mile
death trip.

But this year,
I made a deal.

[kris] we got this deal
with the norpac

the badass
houseboat-looking thing.

We're gonna go
and live in style down there.

The real problem is...

[car tire screeches]

tell me we don't have
a *bleep* flat tire.

For the love of god,
if we have a flat tire...

[car door creaks]

[screaming]

[producer speaking]

we have a flat tire.

[upbeat music playing]

I do have a backup plan,
you know,

we can just air up the tires
and we can keep driving.

[upbeat music playing]

[kris] you have to admit,
it's kind of funny.

Going on this big thing
adventure of my life,

and we make
all kinds of money,

and here I am
filling up my tire

on the side of the road.

No big deal.

I'm not gonna let this
get me down.

I'm gonna stay positive.

I'm gonna stay
so freaking positive.

A smile will be tattooed
on my face.

[bell dings]

[kris] this year is gonna be
the starting

of something great for me

as soon as I fill the tire up
and get to this meeting.

[ominous music playing]

[narrator] the bering sea's
richest claims

are being sold
to the highest bidder.

So now,
miners converge on nome

all willing to shell out cash

for a piece of the action.

[upbeat music playing]

[narrator] on the road
up to coast...

[emily] my goal last season
was to make enough gold

to purchase a second dredge

and that's a part
of the future plan,

but right now
it's about new ground

and getting as much gold
as possible.

[narrator] emily riedel
steered away

from her winter goal
of buying a second dredge.

[emily] price of gold
is so high,

there's a lot of energy
in the air.

It's never been a better time
to be a gold miner.

[narrator] instead,
she's using her loot

to break into the claim game.

But she'll need at least
another 75 ounces

to pull it off.

[emily] I want to get
as much gold as possible.

I've spent up the year
in nome

and I've been paying
hundreds of ounces

in royalties
since I've been mining 14.

It's time to get my own claim
with my own gold.

[singing]

[narrator] when emily began
her nome journey

a decade ago mining
was just a temporary job

to raise some cash.

[emily] any money that I have
is gonna go

towards opera school
in europe.

[narrator] but once smitten
with gold fever,

emily changed her tune,

eventually starting
an operation of her own.

[crowd cheering]

[narrator] and this summer,
she's aiming even higher.

[emily] this is the time
to invest

in a profitable
piece of ground.

I've got some gold saved up
from my years

of operating up here
and I need to have,

like, 75 ounces more.

But the competition
is already high this year

to find good ground.

I've gotta really
do my diligence here,

do the research before I make
any kind of investment.

This is the map for the lease
tracks offshore in nome.

And it seems like everybody
is either flocking west.

I prefer to be
where nobody else is.

I prefer to, kind of,
step outside of the box

and be on the lease that
nobody else

is even thinking about.

And, you know,
these leases down

east of the nome river have
been largely abandoned

over the last couple of years.

There's three claims
that I'm particularly

interested in
and I know are available.

There's six,

and three,

and four.

[narrator] while most
of the action in the turf w*r

is unfolding in the west,

emily is looking eastward
to once gold-rich claims

that lie mostly forgotten

and could be
diamonds in the rough.

[emily] first, I wanna, kinda,
just go poke around

on these claims.

Just do
a little bit of prospecting.

Do a little process
of elimination.

I'm curious about six.

I've heard reports
of decent gold found there,

so that's the only claim
I know anything about.

Buying a claim
is like buying a house.

You know what your budget is.

You know
what you're looking for.

You know
what your bottom line is.

And buying a claim
is the biggest purchase

I've ever made. So,
I had to be smart about it.

I had to make sure
that my money

is going to something
that's gonna produce for me.

I'm, kind of, like,
eager to get going,

so I'm gonna load up
and head down east.

It's gonna be a great year.

[narrator] as emily gears up
to scout new ground...

[showdown western
music playing]

[narrator] ...Two miles
west...

[steve] price goes up,
new gold rush.

[showdown western
music playing]

[narrator] another riedel
is already

on the dusty trail into town.

I'm gonna make it happen.
Woo-hoo.

[narrator] emily's dad,
and nome's

most unconventional,
unpredictable miner is back.

There's probably 50 new miners
in town right now, 51 now.

But I'm back.

I'm back, nome. I'm back.

Woo-hoo. Steve's back.

[narrator] with stars
on his hat and in his eyes,

this summer, steve riedel
is aiming for the top.

[steve] man, I got a backpack
and I'd have...

I have a few dollars
in my pocket.

[narrator] but he is starting
from the bottom.

[steve] I have a plan.

Nome is a place for a plan.

Nome is a place for a man
with a plan.

I'm gonna make it here.

It's a lot of hard work

is what it's gonna take,
lots and lots of hard work.

I've got big plans.

I'm gonna get my own claim,

my own boat, my own crew.

Okay, I'm a little money shy.

I need a big stash.

I need to get
a big pile of money.

I'll be king of my own empire
sooner or later.

I gotta get some scratch.

Gotta get a place to live.

We're gonna get the gold.

We're gonna get to
middle class.

We'll get to running water.

Toilet, indoor,
sky is the limit.

Right now,
I don't have a lot of wealth,

but I have a wealth
of knowledge about gold mining

and about being in nome.

I mean,
I'm not finding any gold,

but I'm having a ball.

I'm the king of the world.

I'm the king of the iceberg.

Hit one for me. I dare you.

[narrator] the older riedel's
previous efforts

to make it in nome
haven't exactly been...

Who in the *bleep*
is the captain?

-[man] calm down. They'll...
-No!

-[narrator] ...Golden.
-[man] kris.

[kris] yeah *bleep* you.

-[woman] well *bleep* you.
-[steve] okay.

Yeah *bleep* you right back.

-Is that really necessary?
-Yeah... No.

[narrator] and fortune
has proven elusive...

The bering sea
doesn't giving up gold easily.

-Oh, hey, you...
-It's your own *bleep*
fault.

-Now, get the *bleep* out.
-[steve] I'm leaving.

Please don't yell at me.

Cold means gold,
so take that cold

and turn it into gold.

[man speaking]

[narrator] ...With a few
bridges burned along the way.

I mis-stepped...

[steve] you were gonna
miss me.

...Bringing my dad up to nome.

[steve] I've got some rocks
in my shoes.

Oh, hey.

Ooh, you don't just
throw rocks away in nome.

There might be some gold
in here.

Nope.

Okay.

I came here 2011.

Broke.

No, no hope, nothing,

and I left
pretty much broke,

but I had lot fun.

I got some gold and I learned

four years
of gold mining lessons.

So I'm hoping to take
those lessons and, uh...

And make my mark.

There's lots of gold
to be made.

Well, it's time to
get to work in nome,

but the first thing
I gotta do is get a ride.

I'm back nome. I'm back.

[truck honking]

[steve] I need wheels.
I need wheels.

[old western music playing]

[narrator] a mile south
in town...

[vernon] let the summer begin.

I'm like, gonna keep going
until they roll me

into a hole in the ground.

[country music playing]

[narrator] captain vernon
adkison enters the fold

and he's already
one step ahead

of the competition.

[vernon] the one good thing
about winter

is I got in
some good prospects and...

But I damn sure
didn't get enough

to make me happy.

I ended up selling 16
to a friend of mine,

who took a little
commission off the top.

So, as far as I'm concerned,
I've pretty much

got a bad hog
*bleep* on that one.

And plus I ended up
with what I'm now considering

to be the best lease track
out of the bunch.

Number 56.

I have to dig deep
to pay for it.

[narrator] after a winter
spent gunning for claim 16,

vernon did a little
horse trading

and he's landed
one of the most

sought-after claims
on the bering sea.

Old 56.

[vernon] I've talked
to several people

who have dredged on it,
who I know to be

amongst the best divers
in nome.

So I got myself
a raw gold bank

on the bottom
of the bering sea.

And all I got to do
is go out there

and make my withdrawals.

I took a big bite
out the apple

and I'm feeling the pinch,

but opportunities like this

come up once in a lifetime
if at all.

It's what gold miners like me
live for,

I'd be a fool or a coward
if I didn't move on it.

[man] whoa.

[vernon] it's gonna be
a big payday.

-A humungous payday.
-[man] going down.

[narrator] the veteran skipper
is no stranger

to rolling the dice.

[woman] every time
I open this mailbox,

it's the bills, bills, bills.

[narrator] safe to say,
the gambles

have seldom paid off.

[man] damn it.

[man speaking]

[man] no.

[narrator] but that hasn't
stopped him

from making
his biggest wager yet.

[vernon] I think
the western limit of 56

is right about here.

I gotta go out
a quarter of mile

and it goes for damn
near a mile beyond that.

It's quite a big lease,


One quarter square mile
is 40 acres *bleep*.

It's a big lease, big lease.

Right now,
I'm getting my team assembled

which is proving difficult.

Crewing up is a big problem.

To make the most
out of 56,

I'll need an all-star team.

And right now,
I don't have anybody.

My daughter, elaine, she
wasn't be able to make it.

Gary, he's my ace.

I'm hoping he'll be back up
here this summer.

He swore up and down
he'd be here,

but so far, uh, no gary.

[phone ringing]

[gary] yeah, hello?

[vernon] yeah. Hey, gary.

[gary] hey, vernon.

[vernon] so, what's the word?

[gary] I'm probably
not gonna be able to go up.

I hate to go back on my word,
but I really do feel

like my family here
right now needs, um...

[vernon] yeah.

All right, gary. So, um...

[gary] yeah. You betcha.
All right.

-Sorry.
-Yup.

[gary] all right. Bye-bye.

All right. Bye-bye.

Damn it.

Okay. He's not coming up here.

I'm not gonna beg him,

kind of,
leaving me in the lurch,

but that's okay.

I'll work around it.

Yeah, this is not the way
to start the season.

I'm on the best claim
of my life.

I got creditors
nipping at my a*s,

but no crew.

Everyone and their mothers
up here

trying to get rich.

There's gotta be
some good new blood out there,

at least I hope so.

*bleep* bite my a*s.

[engine revving]

[vernon] I'm on a search
for a unicorn,

multi-talented diver,
mechanic, boat person.

[narrator] in nome,
the influx of miners

in the market for claims,

has lit a fire
under the fleet.

[tense music playing]

[engine revving]

[shawn] yeah.

[narrator] and mr. Gold
is ready to kick his summer

into high gear.

[engine revving]

[shawn] I got another payment
coming up for the tomcod.

If I don't pay it, I lose it.

[tense music playing]

[shawn] dave asked me
to draw up some plans.

He's not totally onboard yet,

but first things are first,

I still got a lot to pay
on the tomcod,

and I still gotta pay
for the inland mine.

I need a lot of gold
and I need it in a hurry.

A lot of iron right here.

Usually, that's a good sign.

But when it comes to gold,

I know just where to look
for it.

So, this winter
with the tomcod,

I got drill logs

and there is hints

to an old riverbed
that runs through the tomcod.

And I believe
this is the start of it

where it comes out
and goes into the tomcod.

Tomcod's right there...



Drill logs are basically
a map of all the hotspots.

That's a pretty damn
good drill hole.

And this winter,
the drill logs

were a godsend.

[man speaking]

[shawn] found some
of the best gold in my life

right around 30 feet.

[man speaking]

[man] yeah.

[shawn] it was
an ancient riverbed

just caked with chunky gold.

[man] yeah.

[shawn] planning on bringing
the christine rose out

and get in
on this old riverbed,

get it on some good gold.

[narrator] the arm
of the christine rose

maxes out at 19 feet.

Far short of the depth,
mr. Gold dove this winter

when he uncovered
the ancient riverbed.

Shawn's theory is that
this depression on the beach

is where the ancient
riverbed starts.

So he's planning to use

these two points
to locate an area

within the christine
rose's reach

where he just might be
able to pick up

on the riverbed's trail.

And with the most
ambitious slate

in his career on tap,

this summer, shawn
has no margin for error.

[shawn] I didn't work
this hard all these years

to lose it now.

If it all works out,
I'll be set.

My family will be set.

If it don't,

I'll have to start all over.

Hopefully, this riverbed
pays off.

[engine revving]

[narrator] 28 miles east...

Now, we're back on course

to the biggest adventure
of my life.

We're ready to rock and roll.

I'm gonna go talk to my dad
and bother

and get this meeting going

and tell him how much gold
we're gonna make,

and everything
is gonna be good.

Just trust me.

[narrator] kris kelly's
pumped up

and en route to pitch
his plan of a lifetime.

[kris] right now,
we're meeting out

in the middle of nowhere
so nobody hears my plan.

I want this to be a surprise
that I go, bam,

and I show up to elim

and I start
staking everything.

We get nothing
but huge amounts of gold.

I'm gonna make this work
no matter what.

[door opens]

[old western music playing]

[brad] so what's the plan?
What's your big plan?

[kris] we're gonna get to elim
as quick as we can.

There's still lot of gold
in nome,

especially that tomcod
where shawn is.

There's still a lot of ways
to make gold,

but I'm never gonna
own a claim

within a hundred miles
on each way of nome.

The truth,
we're never gonna own *bleep*

and you're nothing
without your own claim.

[brad] what makes you think

that it's prosperous
down there?

What makes you think that?

Our records show from a,

like, a hundred
and twenty years of mining

that there's never been
a gold strike

on the east side
of garvey mountains.

Nobody's mined
anywhere near that

since 1920
when world w*r I started.

I know people around that area
and they tell me for sure

it's all cobble.

I've done a couple months
of research.

I've really checked
this spot out.

This is where we're gonna
stake our claim.

This is how I'm gonna
make it up here.

I may not be a genius,
but I know how to find gold.

It's really important
right now

that we're all
on the same page

and we're all willing
to make this work.

How many miles
do you think to there?

So, it's about a hundred
and thirty miles to elim

as the bird flies.

[tense music playing]

it's a long way.

The norpac
will get us there...

-And where do we go?
-It's a houseboat,

it's a bathroom,
it's a kitchen,

it's everything you need.

But as you can see,
we gotta go around

a lot of different places,
so it's probably gonna be

like a hundred and fifty,
a hundred and sixty miles.

Okay. Well,
now that's our biggest problem

that I see.

About 20 miles away,

there's a walrus sanctuary.

So, I've never...

Those sons of a b*tch
are territorial.

Yeah. They're territorial,
they're big, they're mean.

They've got tusks on them
like these *bleep* big.

They got *bleep* on them
that big.

You better watch out
down there.

Yup. So anyways,

everything we've been doing
in the last four years,

living at the bluffs,
these crazy ice missions

launching off the shore.

This is all been working

towards the master plan
of elim.

Okay. So that's it?

It sounds like
a million dollar idea.

You've done a wonderful job.

I could be rich in the end.

Hell, let's go.

[intense music playing]

[kris] my dad and brother
are onboard

and I can't believe
we're gonna finally do this.

We're gonna make our mark
for once and all.

All for once.

I'm dyslexic.

I know it's gonna work
in my heart.

We just have to make it work.

And we have to
get back safely.

And we have to not get eaten
by walruses and taken away.

[flat tire hissing]

ooh, la-la.

Something about
the smell of markers.

Hi, and welcome
to another episode

of kris kelly's secret guide
to successful mining.

Today, we're gonna be talking
about mining etiquit.

Etiquette. Etiquette.

Etiquette. Etiquit.

[upbeat music playing]

[kris] e-t-I-q-u-e-t-t-e.

It's not the right word.

Shows you how often
I use that word.

Mining etiquette.

[thud]

*bleep*

number one is distance.

When people are out there
and they're on gold,

if you come next to them,

they're gonna run out of their
*bleep* house like a dog.

-You know [mimics barking]
-[dog whines]

so you know what?
Make sure you stay

more than a hundred feet away.

Don't even *bleep* go
near them.

So topic number two is buoys.

How do you spell buoy?

That can't be buoy.

[producer speaking]

oh. After they're done
working the day,

a lot of people will throw
a buoy out there

to tell anybody else,
"don't mine here."

[buzzer buzzes]

the problem is
it's like a *bleep* arrow

pointing right to gold.

[bell dinging]

[kris] so, you know,
that's at your own discretion.

Moving on.

Other people's sluice boxes.

Back in the day,
there was a law

that if you got caught

looking at
another man's sluice box,

he could sh**t you
and it's 100% legal.

[g*nshots]

[kris] today in alaska,
we don't do that.

We just smash your teeth out.

[grunts]

number six
with mining etiquette.

Don't talk about how much
gold you're getting

in the bar.

[kris] you had a great day,
you k*lled it,

you gotta hide those emotions

and you gotta tell them
we're not getting *bleep*.

I'm not saying
don't trust them

because they're great guys,

but I'm just saying
don't trust them,

you know what I'm saying?

And that's it for this episode

of kris kelly's secret guide
to successful mining.

I mean, remember, everybody,
be nice.

[producer speaking]

no. No experience.

No, I don't know.

[buzzing]

[narrator]
nome, alaska is buzzing.

[upbeat music playing]

[zeke]
wait, what's nine plus nine?

Nine... Wait,
nine and a half is 19,

so 19 and a half.

[narrator]
and the activity is swarming
around mad scientist

zeke tenhoff's groundbreaking
sailboat dredge

as he tries to get it
on the water asap.

[zeke] this boat needs to get
in the water, like, yesterday.

I still got, like, pretty
serious laundry list

of little projects
that I have to do.

Right now, the sailboat
is sitting on the ground

in my front yard


First order of business

is to get the sailboat
on a trailer

and into town to the harbor.

Before I can make that happen,

we have to lift
the whole boat up,

so the bottom of the keel
is five feet above the ground

and that's a huge project.

I've got a lot of pallets
and I think

that I would just have to use
a lot of pallets

-to make it sturdy enough.
-[car horn honking]

sturdy and strong enough,
so, um, I know it'll work.

-It's just...
-[car horn blaring]

...Gonna look a little dicey
probably at times.

[zeke] yeah. Hey, guys.

You're here. Fantastic.

-[raven] zeke.
-[sam] what's up, man?

I put a bat signal out
for some help,

and my prayers were answered,
and I have help.

-It's good to see you, bud.
-[shawn] it's been forever.

-[zeke] good to see you, bud.
-[shawn] oh, yeah.

-[sam] good to see you, man.
-[zeke] yeah, raven,
give me a hug.

[zeke] yeah, now you see,
so you saw this boat before,

but I've been pretty busy
the last...

The last several months here.
I've done a lot.

Yeah. You know where the fun
when you tried

to explain
sailboat gold dredge to me

and I had a picture
in my head.

I thought maybe like a mix
between waterworld

and mad max
and it looks like

you might have
hit the nail on the head.

[zeke] my brother sam
is an amazing musician.

♪ you want it,
she bumped with her ♪

[zeke] he's pretty good
in the accordion,

he's better playing at piano,

and he's got a really good
singing voice.

Sam's bass
and guitar player, raven,

is gonna be on our crew
as well.

They're pretty far
out of the box

guys for sure.

Oh, there. Hi dad.
How's it going?

Yeah. I have some fatty nails
on that thing.

[zeke] and with my dad around,

we can make some magic
happen here.

He knows how sailboats work.

He's got a lot of experience
and I'm going to do

everything I can
to learn from him.

I could delegate labor,
divide and conquer.

We can get a lot more done
than I was able

to get done by myself.

The price of gold went up

to a hundred dollars
just today.

Let's get this boat
in the water.

Gold stress is high.

Pressure's on.

[zeke] I met a guy
who has a trailer.

Trailer is four feet tall
though,

so we're gonna have to lift
the boat up

like four feet up
into the air.

While I'm working on this,

you guys could be
like jacking the boat up

and put the pallets under.

I'm gonna get
my welder set up

and finish welding up
the exhaust.

I'm gonna put the
heat exchanger.

-All right. Sounds good.
-[zeke] sweet, let's do it.

-[zeke speaking]
-[sam] yeah.

Cool.

[raven] I have to do
a little stretching

after that plane ride.

[cutter whirring]

[intense music playing]

[electricity buzzing]

here we've got
some stack fodder.

Dunnage if you will.

Dunnage is one
of my favorite words

because not only
is it fun to say,

but it pertains to really
important stuff.

[raven speaking]

[sam laughing]

[raven speaking]

[zeke] I like it.

[raven] yeah, not so bad.

[zeke] because this boat
needs to get in the water here

within the next couple days.

And, uh...

What the *bleep*

[laughs]

[sam] we're gonna do it

whatever way we need to do it
to make it happen.

[zeke] shouldn't be a problem,

-but I'm so glad
you guys are here.
-[sam] yeah.

[narrator] while one miner
gets his team together,

-seven miles southwest...
-[phone rings]

[woman]
I'm sorry. The person
you were trying to reach

has a voice mailbox
that had not been set up yet.

[vernon] what the *bleep*

[narrator] vernon adkison's
still working

on corralling a crew
worthy of working

on the wild ranger.

[vernon] price of gold
and all these claims

coming up,
it's a madhouse up here.

Most of the best crews that
actually made it to nome,

they've all been gobbled up.

[woman] hello?

Yeah, hey,
vernon adkison here.

But, you know,
right now, I got a few leads,

we'll get rolling here
pretty quick

with another a team,
a new... Brand new a team.

I was wondering
when you're getting into nome.

[woman] when am I getting
into nome?

[vernon] mmm-hmm.

You gonna come up here
and dive with us.

[woman] oh, no, no.

I don't think I will do.

You don't think so?

Mmm-hmm. Bye-bye.

[woman] all right. Bye-bye.

[vernon] oh, boy.

We've scratched her off
the list,

and then we'll go back
to the drawing board.

We'll just keep going down
my list,

next up is gary's sister,
jenny.

[jenny] hello?

Yeah. Hey, jenny, vernon here.

[jenny] hey, vernon.

I got a...

If I can't have gary up here.

She's the next best thing.

[jenny]
oh, yeah, I can't do...

I'm not gonna be able
to make it.

-Okay.
-[jenny] there...
Yeah, there's no way.

Mmm-hmm. I see. Okay.

-All right.
Well, you take care.
-[jenny] good to hear from ya.

-Yup, bye-bye.
-[jenny] yup, bye.

Oh *bleep*

there's one other guy
I wanna talk to.

[phone rings]

[man] hello?

Vernon adkison calling
from nome.

[man]
oh, hey, what's going on?

At this point,
I'm going through...

I'm going down the list
pretty quickly.

On a scale of one to ten,

what would you rate yourself
as a mechanic?

-[man] six, six or seven.
-Six?

I don't know.

I might end up with a b team
or a c team.

I'm not gonna just take
any jackweed

that jumps out of the bushes.

[man]
I can't do any computerized.

Oh, okay. All right.

Don't tell me more
information than I need,

I'm gonna *bleep*
you said six or seven.

Now, as a diver, a gold diver

what would you rate yourself
at?

[man] on a scale of one
to ten?

Yeah.

[man] uh, a nine.

Are you sure about that?

[man] uh, yeah, vernon.

I used to work
in the gulf of mexico

like...

Okay, that's enough.
That's enough.

I got... I got your drip.
I got your drip.

All right.
If you come up here,

we'll give you a shot diving.

[man] okay. And I got to stay
within 33 feet,

there's no hyperbaric chamber
in nome.

And if I could... If I could
vent one more time,

it's gonna k*ll me.

Okay.

You can't get him
to *bleep* shut up.

Once he starts talking,
he won't shut up.

So, okay. All right.

Good luck. Just...
Let's just keep it simple.

I've got a bunch
of *bleep* going here.

Do you think
you're coming up here or not?

If you are, then maybe
I'll hold a slot for you.

[man] yes, yes. Yeah.
Okay. Well, vernon,

you know what,
don't hold anything

because I think
there's a couple of dredges

for sale up there.

-And...
-Okay.

All right. Well, I won't.

I mean, that's fine,
if you wanna buy your own rig.

[man] but I'll give you a call
when I get up there.

[man] I'll touch base with you
as soon as I land.

So what good
is that gonna do me?

I mean,
if you're not gonna dive,

then I'm not following you.

So I can't count you out
as a diver,

is that what you're saying?

-[man] yeah.
-Okay.

[man] I'll go
discuss it with my wife.

*bleep*

there's no one interested
in getting rich,

highest prices ever for gold

on one of the hottest claims
in town.

And I can't get
any good divers.

I'm sure some other people
would pop out of the woodwork,

as a matter of fact,
I got some...

More numbers I can call.

No one's indispensable.

[dramatic music playing]

[narrator] claims on the
largest offshore gold deposit

in the world
are getting put up for sale,

sparking an onslaught
of renegade miners to nome

all scrambling
for their chance

to get rich quick.

And on the outskirts
of town...

[steve] price of gold
is up, up, up.

So I'm back.
I'm back, back, back.

Everything's on the table.

Everything and anything
is on the table.

[narrator]
an outlaw prospector

is looking
to put the pieces together

for his run on the gold.

[steve] I need wheels.
I need wheels.

This is the perfect place
though.

[narrator] like for instance,
a trusty steed

to get him far and wide.

[steve]
man, look at this place, man.

Just wheelers everywhere,
here, there,

the dead dredges everywhere.

This place
is like a graveyard, man.

I know there's a for sale
wheeler around here.

This is... This is kind
of like a nome used car lot.

Everything's for sale,

but no one's here to sell it

because they abandoned them.

So, there's all manner
of wheelers,

pieces, parts, old dredges.

Someone's got to have
a wheeler for sale.

Nome is like no other place
you've ever been,

we're pretty landlocked here.

There's road... A few roads
going different directions,

but they don't go anywhere.

There's no bus and no one
hitchhikes in nome.

I don't know.
I need some wheels.

Oh, the gas, if it's,
you know, going rancid.

No.

No, no, no.

My heavens,
this place is rich...

With dead wheelers.

Hey, look at this,
this wheeler right here.

Yeah.

It's got to be a good one.
It's up on the roof.

Huh, all right.

[car horn honks]

[steve] uh-oh.

Oh.

[steve] hey, vernon.

Steve, is there any
particular good reason

why you up there
on top of my conex?

You don't mind me being
on your conex,

like, looking at your wheeler,
do you?

[vernon]
you are late this time.
If you're ever late again,

that'll be the last
phone call you'll ever get.

[narrator] vernon and steve
have a long history

on the bering sea.

-Back off.
-You...

-[steve] back off,
mr. Vernon, the water.
-Get off the boat.

-[steve] sir,
I'm off the boat.
-You're off the boat.

Okay.

You're off the boat.

[narrator] the old skipper
even had the pleasure

of firing him in the past.

But what's up?

[steve] well, I'm here
for the second gold rush

of the decade.

I need the wheeler.

Can't get anywhere in nome
without a wheeler, nowhere.

Well, I mean,

take a look around,
it's all for sale.

If you got the right
kind of money...

Or gold.

[steve] gold?

Come on down.

I got the little jewel

you might be interested in.

Nome is a place
where you can

kind of barter
on your own speculation

about how much gold
you can get.

So, you know, future gold...

Is like cash almost.

Okay. Well, come on over here
and let me show you this.

Okay, I will.

Whoa. Nice.

So...

I was looking for a vehicle.

Maybe not such a nice one,

but that's more
my price range.

And this is
of course more my style.

All right.
So what do you think, steve?

[steve] how about five
and a half?

-How about an eight?
-[steve] eight?

Oh, man. Eight?

Do you not need it?

You need to get rid of it?

I'm not using it.

I got it in the trade.

[steve speaking]

-[steve] I'm gonna get this.
-Sat that down
in the damn thing

and you are automatically
handsome.

[steve] yeah.

I'll give you six ounces
of gold for it,

thank you very much.

Woo-hoo.

[vernon] well, he knows
I won't sh**t him.

Or at least he thinks
I won't sh**t him.

I'm not worried about it.

There are no roads
out of nome.

I'll get my gold.

[intense music playing]

[narrator] nome harbor,



The summer starting g*n
goes off

sending waves
through the fleet.

[shawn] yeah,
on our first day of mining.

It's time to go
put some gold in the box.

[narrator] aiming to pull in


to expand his empire,

shawn pomrenke plays
his first hand.

[shawn] see if we can find
this whole river bed.

I know it's there.

[narrator]
unleashing the christine rose

to reconnect
with an underwater jackpot.

On our way up to the top cut,

first dig of the season.

We had a good ice season.

Now, we need an
extraordinarily really good

summer season.

In the last season,
we got into that old riverbed

and it was loaded.

Seeing if we can get on it,

put some gold in the box.

Wish I could just plant
the christine rose

on the spot from this winter.

We could pull
three to four times

as much gold out
of those spots

with the christine rose
versus diving,

but this old girl
can't make it down that deep.

So I got a track it down

somewhere in between
the beach

and those deep water
coordinates.

It's a lot easier said
than done.

We made it to the tomcod.

Now, it's time
to find some gold.

[water splashing]

[shawn] here comes
the first scoop of the season.

Well, I have to take a pan
to see what it looks like.

[shawn speaking]

we're looking for a gravel,

and cobble,
and heavy material,

lots of rocks, lots of gold.

An old riverbed like this

is what dreams are made of.

Hopefully it's as hot
and close as it is out deep

because we know
it's on fire out there.

That's why I'm itching
to make this deal

out in the myrtle.

It's got a great big bucket

and it can reach 30 feet deep.

It's like a match made
in heaven.

Not seeing it.

It looks like
they're good stuff, but...

[shawn speaking]

until you see the gold
in the pan,

then we don't run it.

There ain't no point
in running dirt

with no gold in it.

There's a little bit in here,

but that's not gonna cut it.

We need to find that riverbed.

I'm not gonna leave
the christine rose

until I get it on gold.

Dave's expecting me to bring
over plans for the myrtle,

but I have to have gold
coming in, that's priority,

and then I'll draw up
the plans for the myrtle.

I have the most
I've ever had at stake

before this season.

Tomcod claim,

find my dad out,

taking over the myrtle,

and I got a keep
everything up and running.

We'll find that riverbed.

I'll find her gold.

This season's gonna
[muted] k*ll me.

[machine whirring]

[suspenseful music playing]

welcome to steve riedel's
weird, wild,

wonderful world of nome,
alaska.

[tense music playing]

I got to do this
sort like shake it out,

you know,
get your energy out there.

Okay.

I'm out here
at wyatt earp's old place.

Wyatt earp was the famous guy

who was the lawman
at the o.K. Corral.

Then he came to nome
in late 1800s.

He had places in nome.

He had this place
out of town.

He had the booze,

he had the gambling,

and he had the ladies.

So when a miner came in,

no chance he'd be leaving
with any gold.

Wyatt earp
is the best example

of how to mine the miners.

He was a bad guy, in a way,

and then he was a good guy,
kind of a hero.

Depends on your attitude
towards nome, alaska

and what you think.

Cool, eh?

Here it is.

As you came in,

this lonely miner,
a couple girls,

wyatt dealing cards.

It's still got wyatt's spirit.

It's kind of crazy.

This might've been
wyatt earp's bed.

Imagine him, huh?

Girls would head up here
every night.

What I found,
look at this thing.

It's an attic. Maybe
it holds some secrets, huh?

I'm gonna go up
and take a look.

I'm up in
wyatt earp's treasure land.

So far though,
I found some of his pants.

He stashed and you never can
have enough pants,

you know,
when you're a gold miner,

you're always wearing
them out.

There might be something here
that's a treasure.

This might be wyatt earp's
original wristwatch.

He was a badass.
Look at that.

Look at the size
of that thing.

Close up on the nails.

Stay tuned next time

for steve's weird,
wonderful, wild...

Wow. Whoo.

Steve's weird, wild,

wonderful world of nome,
alaska.

Woo-hoo. Nailed it.

[narrator] on the easternmost
mining grounds in nome.

[engine revving]

[emily]
the claim I'm looking for
is about two miles

past the nome river.

Yeah, so we got
the waypoint right here.

And it leads just south out
in the ocean

of where
my current position is.

I'm gonna stick around here
a bit.

[narrator] before making
the biggest investment

of her career.

Emily riedel
is kicking the tires

on the first claim
under consideration.

Claim four,
largely forgotten.

But years ago,

a site that produced
promising results

for a small handful
of miners.

[emily] all right. Let see
what we're working with.

I'm not really interested
in following

the herd down west.

Everyone's going down there
right now,

that's gonna cause,

you know, claim prices
to escalate wildly.

I am definitely
more interested

in checking out what's east.

The fact that nobody
is working these claims

and I guess
kind of abandoned,

I think I can get
a good price in them.

So, it's absolutely
worthwhile, at least,

you know, taking a look
and prospecting

and trying to find
something rich.

I don't know. This could show
some nice gold presence.

And...

If you find gold here,

it means you're going
to find gold out there,

most likely.

Lots of gold has been found

just a mile
to the west of me.

So, it's definitely worth
checking out this spot.

[narrator] the most promising
sign in a beach pan

that gold
is on the seafloor is...

Well, gold, specks of it,
actually.

Barely discernable to most,

but to the trained eye
of a miner,

enough to suggest
fertile ground.

Also, the presence
of heavy iron-based minerals

known as black sand

could mean a goldmine
lies out yonder.

[emily] all right.
Come on, ocean.

Yeah, I know there's a bit
of a gold rush on at least

near the nome river
some years ago.

So, chances are
there's a reasonable

amount of gold down here

that hasn't really been picked
over yet.

So, a lot of these claims

haven't really been explored
too much.

But people have found...

People have found
a lot of gold down here.

Ugh.

Yeah, not even a speck
of gold on that sample.

Yeah, there's not speck
of gold in there.

All right.
It's disappointing.

All right. I'm gonna dig
a little bit deeper.

This is a huge step
I'm taking,

trying to buy a claim.

We're talking about hundreds
of thousands of dollars.

That money is gone if it's...
Turns out to be a failure,

but not only that, the...

My operation isn't gonna be
able to produce.

And that's gonna be
a failure.

I just pulled
a little bit of the material

off the top there.

Let's check it out
a little bit deeper down.

[narrator] three miles west.

[upbeat music playing]

[vernon] welcome aboard.

We're going out
for the first time today.

Got all the system
checked out.

Everything seems to be
working fine.

[narrator] after scouring nome

for the highest caliber
recruits.

Vernon adkison has assembled
what he hopes

will be his ultimate
summer dream team

from the gold ship
wild ranger.

We're gonna go out,
do a test dive.

We'll see
how you do out there.

I got full faith
you'll probably do very well.

It's a first-class rig

and I want
a first-class crew

that would try to run
a class operation here,

uh, you know, I don't like any
of that low-riding *bleep*

using profanity
every *bleep* minute.

[laughter]

so if anybody's gonna do that,

that's gotta be me, right?

[man] you ready, vernon?

-[vernon] yeah, ready.
-[man] okay. We're good.

[vernon] okay, here we go.

This may be a ragtag crew
right now,

but sometimes, you find
diamonds in the rough.

And these guys are hungry.

I absolutely like people
who show driving ambition.

It reminds me of myself.

But mike and gary,

that's new gary,
not old gary,

have worked with me before,

but then I got two new guys,

bryan and kye

that I don't know
very much about.

I'll put these guys
through their paces

and see what they've got.

Now, let's get ready
to anchor up.

[boat squeaking]

[vernon] you know,
bryan's getting good.

He's about ready
to make some splash.

And I want something that...
I need somebody

that knows
how to communicate,

so we'd be out of work fast.

But this is the first time

he's...

Going in, in the ocean.

[bryan] let's get down there
and prove myself to the crew

that I'm a capable diver

and can handle the cold water
and handle the work.

This is trust building.

[vernon] bryan's first up.

He's done some dredging
in the rivers and creeks,

but that's nothing compared
to the bering sea.

This will be a whole new can
of worms for him.

He may be crying for his mama
before the day is over.

[kye]
how are you doing down there?

[bryan] okay.

[kye] you can unhook the line.

[bryan]
well, I gotta look around.
See if I could find cobble.

[vernon] yeah,
just poke a hole in that sand

and see
if there's cobble underneath.

[bryan] there's cobble.

[kye] there you go.
There you go. I see it.

[vernon] all right.
That's real good.

Just incubate the sand
and the cobble

and work right at the top
of the hard pan

but don't go
through the hard pan.

Bryan,
be careful of your hands.

Don't get it caught between
that nozzle and a rock.

[bryan] okay.

[vernon]
he's moving some materials.

And I'd like to see him
stay on it.

Bryan is down.

I've got the camera
on his a mask,

I can see
what he's looking at.

Now, he's handling the nozzle.

I can look at the box
and see he's moving

a good bit material.

All right. So far,

I'm liking what I'm seeing
out of him.

We got everything working
the way it's supposed to

and getting everybody working
together like a team.

-[bryan] totally in.
-[vernon] feels good.

Like a duck on the water.

[upbeat music playing]

[barking]

[narrator] across town.

We're going down
to norpac, chris...

Right now,
we're going to go the norpac

to meet chris
and talk over the plan.

See if the gold's
in the water,

see if everything
is taken care of.

And actually see what we need

for our system to work.

[narrator] a wild bunch
of kellys make strides

toward the captain's plan
to raid claims

on the remote shores of elim.

[kris] he told me
the boat is down here

along the wall.

[narrator]
first order of business,

a meeting chris has arranged
with the skipper of the boat

that'll take them
to the promised land.

-[brad] right there.
-[kris] where'd you see it?

[brad] right there,
the first boat.

Look who's here.
It's dave mccully's truck

right there.
That's not chris mccully.

I don't see
even chris's truck here.

I just see his daddy.

[brad] his dad is here because
his dad's *bleep* boat.

[andy]
there he is inside the boat.

Do you wanna go talk to him?

[kris] yeah, I wanna go talk
to him. Get me out here.

-[andy] all right.
-Go talk to him.

Let's check
what's going on, dude.

What's going on right now?
Dave mccully is here.

He's supposed
to be in the philippines,

so put the camera down
and let me take care

of my thing.

I made a deal with chris.

It's his dad's boat.
But it's...

Chris told me his dad
was gonna be overseas.

And right now,
chris is a no-show

and his dad
is very much in town.

-[dave] yo.
-[kris] hey,
how are you doing?

Is chris around today?

[dave]
I know he's out somewhere.

[kris] I was expecting to see,
uh, other chris this morning.

-[dave speaking]
-[kris] yeah, your kid.
I was, uh...

Do you mind if I come
and talk to you for a minute?

-[dave speaking]
-[kris] oh, okay.

So you, uh, you don't
really know me.

-I'm kris kelly.
-[dave] kris kelly.

[dave speaking]

[kris] I'm brad's son.
You know like the...

-[dave speaking]
-[kris] yeah, well,
you know him...

-You know him.
-[dave] yeah. Okay.

[kris] so I, um... You okay...
Like, the truth is,

I was trying to make a deal
with chris this season.

I, um... Can I come in
and talk to you

for a little bit?

-[dave speaking]
-[kris] okay. Thank you.

I have suspicion
that chris mccully

didn't tell his dad
about our deal.

He was just hoping
we were going to pull

this whole adventure off

before his dad got back
into town.

It's kind of like
a ferris bueller thing.

[man] can I come with you?

Yeah, come on.

So this could be a problem.

Uh, I was expecting
to see chris today.

Um, I kind of was trying
to work him a deal

where we were going to go
to elim together

and prospect these claims,

probably start
a new gold rush.

My kid was trying to make
a deal with you, huh?

-Well...
-How the *bleep*
did that work?

I kind of thought you were in
on the whole thing,

you know,
you were coordinating.

I wasn't trying to take
the boat without you knowing.

I kind of thought chris
had this whole deal with you.

Well, you had a pretty
shocked face...

Look on your face when you
knocked on the window there.

Well, he said
you were in the philippines.

You were going to be there
for a little while relaxing,

-you know.
-Surprise, surprise.

[kris] surprise, surprise.

Welcome back
is what I mean to say.

I wish he had told me
about it.

[laughing]

-we talked about it...
-First of all, he couldn't
even start this boat,

let alone to drive it to elim
and back.

I didn't know
that part either.

Um, yeah.

[dave]
it's a really complex boat.

Nobody's driving it but me,
guys.

[kris] no, I completely
understand that.

So, really, what I need to do

is I need to make my deal
with you.

[dave] I don't really...
I don't know you.

I never met you
before in my life.

So I can't believe you
and my kid were planning

on taking this boat
to begin with.

[kris]
right now, my four-year plan
trying to get to elim

is in the hands of a person
that doesn't even know me.

So I'm gonna have to turn
the charm up

to a hundred percent.

You know, I'll tell you
little bit about the elim,

-about why I think
there's gold there about...
-I've heard about elim,

but I... You know, I know
iron creek's got history.

So, yeah,
there's potential down there.

I have a little prospecting
rig called the sickle.

So it's six inches.

It's really light and easy
to take care of.

I can launch out
at your front,

couldn't be better for me.

I could potentially charter
the boat to you.

But, uh, I don't know.
You might not like the price.

You know, I'll make you
a deal on some of the gold

we get down there.

Yeah, it's not cheap to run.

So, you know,
it'd be 1,500 a day plus fuel.

[kris]
okay. I thought I had a deal
with chris, but it's okay,

you know, like, I'm not
trying to rob anybody,

we will go down
there together,

we will both make
a lot of money.

I know you don't know me,

but money talks
in this world.

You'll in the ground floor
of a new gold rush.

-Yeah.
-Okay. Thank you, man.

[dave] good luck.

I need
to make a very good deal.

Dave has all the cards.

You know, it's dave's boat.

Uh, I'm desperate to go
to elim.

If I don't use this boat,

this opportunity right now
to make it there,

this whole thing is gonna fall
through my fingers.

At least I got a boat

and we're still on our way
down there.

Um, dave probably didn't know
anything about this,

-um, so...
-[brad] get it over
with, dave.

So the deal is already
sounding good then, huh?

No, it's... Everything's fine.
We're just going to...

He's gonna be in charge,
not chris driving the boat,

um, he wants
like $1,500 a day from us

to charter the boat
down there.

Yeah.
It's gonna take everything

we made in ice season, dude.

[kris] well, there's nothing
we can do.

Everybody
has to be kind of happy,

that's what
we're gonna do right now,

-kind of happy.
-Okay.

[kris]
it's all gonna work out,

let's just keep pressing
forward.

So I want to, um...

I mean, there's like...
There's a lot of projects,

like, little projects

that are bottlenecking
into today.

We also can start
painting the name

but we have to decide
on the name.

Do you have... You've got...
You've got a name?

I am superstitious.

I do believe that if you do
not follow maritime tradition

in changing a boat's name,

uh, misfortune
could befall you

in the future, for sure.

But I'm, like,
transforming this sailboat

into something
so completely new

and different
from what it was before,

that it really requires
a name change.

At one point,
I was thinking

the, um...

Alchemist

because alchemist, like,
make gold out of nothing,

that's kind of
their deal, right?

But, uh, it's a little bit
of a mouthful to say

because it's got a lot
of syllable.

[sam] the alchemist?

Yeah.

What's the next one?

The necromancer.

Necromancer.

[zeke] that's a pretty
dope name, dude.

The problem with that name
is I think

that it might kind of
freak some people out.

It's pretty hardcore.

-Yeah.
-My other, uh, I...

Uh, I was leaning...

Kind of leaning
towards black swan.

-[raven] ooh.
-[sam] okay.

-The...
-Why black swan?

A mathematician named
a certain kind of event,

a black swan event,
because what it is,

is an event
that could not be...

In retrospect,
seems like it obviously

should've happened,
but nobody could predict it.

[raven] all right.
That's pretty badass.

[zeke] I like black swan.

[raven] yeah, let's stick
with black swan.

[zeke] black swan.
Black swan it is.

[rock music playing]

[zeke] I christen thee
the black swan.

The black swan
is the perfect name

to signify
what this new beginning

means to me and the beginning

of years of adventure.

[upbeat music playing]

[zeke] all right.
I think we're good.

[raven] cool.

[zeke] dude, I love it.

Perfect. I love it,
it's awesome.

-[sam] yeah.
-[zeke] oh, yeah.

It's coming together exactly

how it looked
in my imagination.

I can't wait
to get mining again.

I know it's gonna work
and I'm just eager

to get out there and do it.

-Thank you.
-[raven] right on. Pleasure.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator] six miles south.

[bryan speaking]

[vernon] all right.
We'll give you

a few more minutes.

[narrator]
captain vernon adkison's

keeping an eagle eye
on his first new diver

to see if his hired g*n

has the skills
to hit the bulls eye.

[vernon] he's comfortable
doing what he's doing

and he's done it before,

even though not in the ocean,

he's done a lot
of river dredging,

I think this guy
can see the gold,

we'll probably
gonna pull him in

and send our other
new diver down.

So, guys,

why don't you go ahead
and get outfitted?

I want everybody
to get wet today.

So, uh, you get
a taste of it too.

We're gonna go ahead
and pull you out

and send the next man down,

come on up.

[bryan] coming on up.

Bryan did really well.

He followed instructions.

He was calm,

got a good head
on his shoulders.

We'll see how it goes, man.

Hopefully make us so much
money for a little bit.

That's the game plan.

[vernon] next up is kye.

He's dredged out here before,

but only on very small ridge,

the gold ship is, uh,

different kind
of beast altogether.

The gear is bigger,

it's harder to handle.

So, um, hopefully, um,
he'll be up to it.

He's gonna have to keep
his eyes and ears open.

[kye] all right. Let's go.

[vernon] all right.

Go to work.

[kye] uh, it might be about
three feet of sand

before you hit this rock.

Kinda need to make
a big hole first.

You know,
be able to see the bottom.

Oh, yeah.

I'm on the bottom now, um,

it looks like some gray clay,

some rocks stuck to it.

[vernon] okay. Very good.
Very good.

This guy has done it before
out here in the bering sea.

[kye] yeah. Oh, man.

[vernon] I think
I'm gonna pull him up,

I'm confident
he's a good diver

and so is bryan.

Yeah, he's good.

There's a bit of good depth.

I mean, we can tell you're
comfortable under there,

you've done it before.

So we're gonna pull you up.

[kye] that's good.

You want me to cut it off?

Yeah. Yeah.

[kye] all right. That's good.

I'm coming back.

[vernon] okay.

Yo!

Pull in his umbilical.

Okay. Hang on.

We'll pull in your umbilical.

[mike speaking]

he hooked it up.

[mike speaking]

[vernon] okay.
Stand by just a bit.

Kye, did you, uh,
hook the line

onto the nozzle

so we can pull it up.

[kye speaking]

okay.

They're gonna lower
the line

from the bow of the boat.

[kye screaming]

hook it up to the...
To the, uh, nozzle.

[cameraman speaking]

[kye screaming]

[vernon] pull him up?

Pull him up?

-[cameraman] yes.
-Pull him up.

Pull him up.

[kye screaming]

[vernon] wait, where is he?

He's not...

I'm not hearing him breathe.

Are you okay?

What's happening?

[mike] oh, man.

[vernon] what?

I don't know
where he's at.

Where is he?

[suspenseful music playing]

[kye speaking]

[kye screams]

[cameraman speaking]

[mike] his mask came off
with his weight belt.

Where is he?

[suspenseful music playing]

[vernon] are you okay?

What's happening?

[cameraman speaking]

quiet it down.

Shut it down. Shut it down.

[cameraman speaking]

[vernon] okay.
He's at the stern of the boat.

Get him off.

[man] you all right, man?

Yeah.

Hey, uh, it might...

It might be easier
to get up over here.

[dramatic music playing]

I'm good.

-I'm good.
-[man] you good?

Yeah.

Yeah. Just give me a second.

To get all the salt water
out of my mouth.

[dramatic music playing]

[man] bro, what happened?

[kye] started to come back up

and I heard vernon say

to hook the end up
on the nozzle

so we could pull the nozzle up

and I completely forgot.

So swim back to do that,

as soon as I turned around

and kind of swim back,

water just came up
all under my mask

and I couldn't even
get a breath.

Took a mouthful of saltwater.

I came up under the pontoon,
I was trying...

Had to get some air
under the pontoon.

Man, that was alright.

[vernon] that was
a heart-stopper.

Sorry, man, I didn't mean
to get you guys...

Oh, no, I mean, I'm...

[kye] my weight belt's
down there, man.

-Trust me...
-[mike] we got it.

-We got it.
-What?

-[mike] we got it.
-How did you get down?

[mike] it was still hooked up
to the mask.

It was... It was wedged
against the mask.

[kye] wow.

Yeah. I... Man.

I got to shake
that guy's hand,

I know that.

[vernon] well,
a lot went wrong,

kye was getting water
in his mask,

which is an absolute nightmare
for any diver,

then he got tangled,

ended up losing his mask
and his weight belt,

and, um, came to the surface

underneath the boat
between the hulls,

thank god the cameraman
was down there

to help him
get to the surface

and he saved kye,

literally, saved his life.

If he hadn't been
down there filming,

I don't even wanna think

about what
would've happened.

This was a *bleep*
close call,

it's a very close call,

it's unacceptably close.

We got to build some safety
systems into this.

That will never happen again.

This was supposed to be
a simple test dive

for the divers,
but it turned out

to be a much bigger test

than I ever imagined.

Okay. Is everything secure?

-Yeah.
-[man] noted, yes.

All right.

Well, these guys
have proved themselves,

things didn't go
particularly well today,

but, uh, we got the basics,

that means I can go to work,

start getting some gold,
and paying bills,

and paying for this claim.

That was a, uh,
death-defying experience

but I got a crew.

[kye] that's the closest call
I've ever had up here, man.

So I'll tell you what,

it's something where you
better have the gold bug

and the fever

or you ain't gonna
make it, you know.

It's just one of those things.

You'll decide
it ain't worth it

if you're not all about
the gold, man.

You got to be about it.

And $2,000 an ounce
right now,

throw me down there
again, man, you know.

[man] steady?

We're probably...

We're probably
steadying out now, man.

Yeah. Like I said,

I probably can't tell grandma
about that one.

[laughs]

[narrator]
as vernon and his posse

ride into the sunset



-[suspenseful music playing]
-[seagulls cawing]

[excavator whirring]

[shawn] digging, looking
for this ancient riverbed

and I need to find it

because that's got
all the gold

to make everything happen

that I need
to happen this year.

[narrator]
captain shawn pomrenke

is still g*ns blazing,

determined to hunt down
the gold source

that'll jumpstart

his most ambitious
season ever.

[shawn] I know
it's right here somewhere

and I'm going to find it.

I'm digging a trench

across the tomcod claim

trying to find it.

Once we come across
that channel,

then we'll start following it.

[suspenseful music playing]

oh, look at that.

Man, that looks like money.

I think we're getting close.

Looks like
really good material.

It looks good,

smells good.

Definitely getting close
to something.

The riverbed runs
right through there.

It's gotta come out
here somewhere.

Feels got into something
different here.

Oh, there's some big boulders
down here now.

That's usually a good sign.

All right, this is it.

Oh, look at that.

I think we found it.

Whoo.

There you go.

[engine starting]

[shawn laughs]

we're off the riverbed now.

It's loaded.

Instead of doing
a 40,000 a day,

we'll would be doing


And that's what we need
to happen this year.

It's gonna make everything
come together.

Get to myrtle,

pay off the old man,

make the payment
on the tomcod.

Big year.

I had faith.
I trusted my gut.

I knew we'd find it.

We're gonna get gold
flowing in here,

and then I'm gonna focus
on the plans for the myrtle

so I could get
that deal done.

This is the year mister gold
takes over this town.

[dramatic music playing]

oh, yeah.

Time to make
some money, honey.

Hello, and welcome
to another episode

of kris kelly's secret guide
to successful mining.

Today, we're gonna be talking
about mining terms.

You know, the things
that come out in my mouth

that really don't
really make sense.

[whimsical music playing]

yes, I know my writing
looks like

it's for a three-year-old,
but you know what?

I'm getting better.

This is the different
terminologies

when understanding the bottom
of the ocean floor.

So we have sand,
then comes the cobble,

small rocks, big rocks.

Then you get to right above
the clay layer,

the gold, the most important.

A pretty easy breakdown
on what we're talking about.

[cheers applause]

so we're now gonna talk
about gold terms.

My writing
is getting better, huh?

I bet you're impressed.

[buzzer buzzes]

first on the list
is placer gold.

Placer gold is the gold
you get on land.

Ocean gold is rounded

because it's been beat up
by the water condition.

Placer gold
is more roughed, jagged,

fine gold looks like powder.

You blow the stuff
and it will blow away.

Fine gold pays the bill.

[cheers applause]

my favorite
is nuggets of gold.

Because nuggets of gold
are like impressive.

You can show
your friends like...

[producer speaking]

-no.
-[producer speaking]

no. No. Keep going. No.

I've already driven to my...

Drawn too much.

-[producer speaking]
-no.

And that's the end
of kris kelly's

secret guide
to successful mining,

talking about mining terms.

If you think you're confused,

imagine using the crap
all day long.

[narrator] four miles
east of nome.

[upbeat music playing]

[emily] all right.

Dig down a little bit.

See if I see another layer.

That looks better
than this one.

[narrator] emily riedel
is giving the beach

near claim four
one last review

to decide if the juice

will be worth the squeeze.

[emily] I'm not liking this.

I'm, like, two feet down

with a shovel
and I'm not seeing
another pay layer

so I think
what happened is, like,

the storm came
and it reconcentrated

a bunch of heavies,
heavy minerals.

And this is not gold-bearing

as far as I can tell.

I mean, I took a test pan,

I didn't see
a single speck in there.

So let's see if I can't find
something better.

Sucks.

I'm not listing
anything exciting at all,

so I think I'm gonna kind
of leave claim four

behind for now.

There's a couple
of other options out here

that I... That I want
to check out,

that are still
in the running.

But right now,
I have to stick

with what I know

and I need to get back
to the eroica.

I need to make
my season happen.

I'm gonna keep
prospecting these leases

and hopefully
making gold on 14

at the same time.

[engine revving]

[emily] yeah.
Let's roll out of here.

[upbeat music playing]

[narrator] back in the harbor.

[kris] so our sickle
will go right here.



Right here,
the crane will come over,

grab onto it
and just swing it out.

[narrator] captain kris kelly
has sealed the deal

for the boat
that'll take them

to the promised land.

[kris] it's got two bunks.

A *bleep* kitchen

and I'm scared
to even look at that bathroom,

but it's a hell
of a lot better

than camping on the beach,
let me tell you that.

[suspenseful music playing]

[kris] so maybe this boat
is a little bit more like

the ss mill,
but you gotta start somewhere.

This is probably the best
plan kris has come up with,

to be honest with you.

[kris] ninety percent
of my plans are pretty solid,

somewhat, you know.

Okay. Well, you know what?

That *bleep* half of my plans

is pretty solid.

This one is gonna work.

[narrator] on the other side
of the dock.

[vernon] I didn't expect it
to be quite so hair-raising,

I think, but, uh, I mean,

as far as I'm concerned,
both of you check out.

[narrator]
captain vernon atkinson

added two sharp shooters
to the roster,

but not after
a harrowing test dive.

[kye speaking]

thank you, man.

Yeah. I'm just glad
you're okay, man.

-[man] dude.
-Yeah.

[kye] like I said,
thanks again, man.

[vernon] yeah. I knew I got
all my all-stars together.

Now we can start digging
into that new claim,



All right.
That's all for now.

Uh, anybody that's up for it,

I would buy dinner.

-[man] I'm up for it.
-All right.

[man] always up for it.

[vernon] well,
let's go to a...

A good meal
sounds good right now.

[man] time for a beer.

[narrator] three miles north.

[shawn] there's a lot
going on this summer.

Big payment on the tomcod,

buy my dad out,

and hopefully make a deal
on the myrtle.

It's gonna take a lot of gold
to keep all of that rolling.

[narrator] it's reign
over the wild west...

This riverbed
is not looking too shabby.

[narrator] nomes' top miner,
shawn pomrenke,

gives his ancient riverbed
the shakedown

to see if it's got the ounces
he needs

to put him
on the fast track.

[shawn] if there's any year
to do it, it's this year.

[coby] definitely go time.

Looking pretty good.

-Now let's dry it.
-[shawn] yeah.

I don't wanna leave dave
waiting around too long

before I get him the plans
for the myrtle.

He might just change his mind

if I leave him hanging
for too long,

but I had to get
to see our own gold.

[man] it's like a pretty good
little pie, huh?

[shawn] first clean up
kinda sets the whole tone

for the season.

This will give us a tale

of what of what this riverbed
really holds.

-What do we got here?
-[coby] yeah.

Twelve,

fifteen, sixteen ounces.

[shawn] 16.3.

Nice.

[narrator] with a record price
of gold,



is worth over 32 grand.

[shawn] that riverbed
is paying off.

All we can do
is just stay on it.

There's still gold
from the ancient river canal.

There is.

This is just the tip
of the iceberg

when it comes
to the riverbed.

We need to stay on it.

The next thing is I'm gonna
draw up some blueprints

for this myrtle.

There's a new sheriff in town

and his name is mr. Gold.

We definitely found
the gold there.

I'm gonna get those work
on the myrtle irene.

I mean, if we pull
this season off,

it's gonna be epic.

[dramatic music playing]

[narrator] six miles east.

[zeke] still coming.

It's not touching
the barrels.

[man] oh, yup.

-[zeke] ooh.
-[man] right there.

Ooh, buddy.

Oh, yeah.

[narrator] the black swan crew

gets their one-of-a-kind
sailboat dredge

saddled up for its long ride
to the bering sea.

[zeke] yes.

I like it.

[man] once you guys
get a crib and strap

that we can hook on to it,
let's take her

-to the port for you.
-That's good.

-Appreciate it.
-[man] yeah.

[zeke] the boat
is on the trailer.

It's ready to throw
in the water.

I can't wait for tomorrow.

This dream has been...

I mean, it's been brewing
in my head

for, like, ten years and now
it's finally happening.

I think it's, uh...
It's after hours.

-Call it a day?
-Call it a day.

[zeke] for me, this is what
gold mining is all about.

It's about doing things
with your own creativity,

your own ideas
on your own terms

and blazing a new trail.

-Yeah.
-There we go.

Perfect.

[zeke] seeing your dreams

is turning to reality.

[sam] this boat,
it's super epic.

It needs a theme song.

I mean, we gotta have
something to be blasting

while we're... While we're
cutting through the waves.

[accordion music playing]

[sam] ♪ long gone ♪

♪ lonely conqueror
I saw ♪

♪ stay strong
I am ♪

♪ black swan ♪

I added a b minor in there.

[zeke] having sam and raven
here, and the music,

people to play music
with and them being creative

doing or making it art.

[sam] ♪ wanderers... ♪

[zeke] you can't just wait

'till your gold
mining project

is like a success

before you can enjoy
the environment

around you in the present.

[sam laughs]

-is that percussion?
-[man] yeah.

[zeke] that's another reason
that's really great,

having sam and raven,
or my dad here is...

They're good at, like,

zooming in in the present

and making it dope.

[sam] ♪ oh, black swan ♪

oh, that's tiring.

[raven] it's pretty damn
majestic.

[sam] it's pretty majestic,
yeah.

[narrator]
coming up this season.

[man] you're buying
a claim?

[emily] it's time
to look elsewhere.

Check on some better ground.

[shawn] after we redo it,

we should blow
the christine rose

out of the water.

[man] sam, don't drop
the sailboat.

[man] whoo!

We're sailing, boys.

[kris] this is the crown
achievement of my success.

Perfect.

[man] oh. Whoa, woo.

[man] kris,
we got a problem.

[man] several guys
on the ridge with r*fles

-pointing at us.
-This is exactly

what I wanted
to avoid right here.

[man] I never found
one of these.

What's this?

[zeke] right now,
I can't really, like,

move the upper
right half of my body.

The situation...
This is way *bleep* worse

than I thought.

[man] I'm seeing gold.

[shawn] oh.

Watch out.

[all shouting]

[emily] you got it, baby.

[shawn] a quarter
of a million right here.

[man] this is the big league.

I finally made it.

[suspenseful music playing]