08x21 - Win Big or Die Trying

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: on this "gold rush"...
Up close and personal.

Our three gold miners...

I'm not a gold miner.

Narrator: ...are forced
into the hot seat...

You know I don't like
any of this stuff.

-Hmm.
-Just kidding.

I love every time
there's a camera on me.

Narrator: ...to reveal
how w*r broke out...

We're gonna kick
that kid's a*s.

He'd have a hard time finding
gold in a jewelry store.

Narrator: ...on two fronts.

Let's hope they don't
drop any grenades on us.

Poor parker,
he's getting bullied.

Narrator:
how they handle success...

We're yukon landowners,
rick.

This year,
we finally made it happen.

Narrator: ...and failure.

You set lofty goals, but just
'cause you don't reach 'em

Doesn't mean you're a failure.

No, you're a failure.

Narrator: and parker reveals
a heartbreaking decision.

There was, for me personally,
one pretty big failure.

-- Captions by vitac --
www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

**

**

Narrator: this season
of "gold rush"

Started with todd challenging
parker to a high-stakes bet.

What are we wagering?



I had the honest feeling,
when todd threw that bet out,

That I was missing something

Because...

Nobody with his track record
would throw a bet like that out.

I can't figure out why you're
so willingly making this bet.

No angle, man -- 100 ounces,
I'm ready to do it right now.

I think he looked at me
like I was trying to con him

Or whatever.

Scared him a little bit.

And then what happens when
you want more wash plants,

So freddy dodge just goes and
brings all of his wash plants

That he has producing gold
in colorado?

I got one wash plant.

Let's say no more than two.

No more than two.

He'd have a hard time finding
gold in a jewelry store.

And even then, I was still
hesitant about this bet

Because the thing
about gold mining is,

Gold is where you find it.

You in?

Yeah, sure.

I'm happy
to take your money.

You know what?
If we're gonna get parker

And we're gonna kick
that kid's a*s,

It's gonna be this year.

Even a blind squirrel finds
an acorn once in a while.

Todd hoffman must know
something I don't know,

Or he's just more stupid
than I thought he was.

[ Laughter ]

All we gotta do is hope
he gets at least a 100 ounces

So he can pay us, huh?

Parker:
my crew was very confident.

But I was really nervous.
Yeah, I was really nervous.

Narrator: the bet sparked
a very different reaction

From todd's crew.

Jim: you know what
it's like to come home

And tell your family and friends
you didn't make it?

We can't fail again.

Determined to win the bet,
todd went all out.

The plan was to run
as many yards as you can,

Try to get three plants running.

Double trouble,
we got rusty red,

Then we got
monster frickin' red.

We shook hands on the basis

That we'd both run
two wash plants,

And the first thing he does is
go out and try to fire three up.

We can only run
about 12 hours a day

'Cause of a noise ordinance,

So we gotta try to keep
as many things going

During that 12 hours as you can.

Let's go to w*r, boys.
[ All cheer ]

Rick: it's gonna be
a bloodbath.

Fire it up, buddy.

Really wanted to
send the message

That todd's [bleep]

Let him know that rick
and parker are sluicing
at indian river.

Ask if the bet's still on.

They won the battle of
getting fired up first,

You know, but, it's a long
season, it's a long w*r.

Hunter,
fire up monster red.

Let's run some dirt.

We've got three plants running
full speed ahead,



Most dirt we've ever ran.

You know, what I had a shot
at winning,

And we're doing it, you know.

Narrator: parker was the first
this season

To weigh up his gold.

Good job, man.

That should put us ahead of
old todd hoffman, I would think.

We had a big first week.

Then todd calls.

Hey, parker, this is todd.
How's it going?

Parker: yeah, we just did
our first cleanup, actually.

It was 202 ounces.

Normally that would have
kicked our a*s.

But I tell you what --

We got 212.

That phone call, you know,
it feels good.

It's kind of fun --
poke the bear.

I can't wait to take
your 100 ounces, kid.

Well, I'm...
[ Dial tone ]

That was the first
and probably only bit

Of him rubbing anything in
my face this entire season,

But it still didn't
feel too good.

But, you know, what they say --
cheaters never prosper.

Had a great start,

But people didn't like us,
they didn't want us here.

Hello.

You don't have my consent
to film.

Narrator:
a complaint was filed

Against the hoffman's
fairplay mine,

And the county took action.

Most of our neighbors
were great.

But there's just
a small minority of people

That, you know,
just hate gold mining.

"Based on the foregoing,
you are hereby ordered

To cease and desist

All mining and commercial
activities immediately."

Todd will blame the county
or whomever for his failure,

But at the end of the day,
those are the kind of problems

That you have to prevent
as a business owner, you know?

That hurt us,
hurt freddy, you know?

But I've got
most of my life savings

Tied up in that plant.

Try to do everything right,
everything above the book.

But I can't beat
that piece of paper.

Can't beat this, you know?

Minimum of 3,000 ounces
had to come from fairplay.

When we got that cease
and desist,

Right then I knew
we're not gonna get 5,000,

And I knew
I was gonna lose that bet.

Narrator: coming up...

Tony and parker go to w*r.

Leaving the gold there
would've been admitting defeat.

And I'd rather just violate
the lease and see what happens

Than just roll over
and admit defeat.

**

Parker, I would get out
from under tony

And earn enough to
buy your own claim.

Narrator:
inspired by his grandpa,

Parker has spent the last
five years on a personal quest.

I've always wanted to
buy a piece of ground,

And I've spent a lot of time
looking.

What kind of price would you
be looking for for this?

$3 Million.

Wow.
Yeah.

Some of them, you know,
were way overpriced.

We need ground.

And the promising thing is

There's a lot of
drill holes in here.

This could be it.

Some of them were just --
the timing wasn't right.

This is the ground right here.

We've got the option
to buy our freedom.

I hope it's freedom
you buy.

Me too.

The royalties we pay
make tony beets millions.

One of the things I'm the most
proud of out of this year

Was that we were getting out
from under tony's thumb.

Narrator: early in the season,

Parker and rick
went on a secret mission

To scout some new ground
he'd been offered.

Take your vest off.

Really?
Yeah.

I just don't want
them seeing us

Walking through
the [bleep] woods.

Narrator:
problem was, the ground
was right next to tony's dredge.

Rick and I went and had
a little recky of the ground

And had a look at it.

It was kind of black ops,
you know?

I didn't want tony
knowing what was going on.

The property that's available
is just right back there

About 100 feet.

Well, how the hell are we
gonna get away with that?

I don't know.

Like, he's gonna
flip his [bleep]

If he sees us over here,
ain't he?

Maybe.
Are you crazy?

It's next level
being neighbors.

[ Chuckles ]

**

We decided to just
do a little run-up

And look at one last thing,

And we get stuck in our pickup
right in front of the dredge.

Piece of [bleep]

[Bleep] idiots.

Parker: push it.

I don't think I'm pushing you
out of that.

For [bleep] sake.

[ Engine revs ]

See that?

Parker: come on!

[ Engine revving ]

You know,
typical black ops gone bad.

This isn't working.

[ Engine revs ]

[ Laughs ] oh.

Get in.

[Bleep]

Tony never said
anything about it,

So I guess we got away with it.

I wanna get the [bleep]
out of here.

**

Narrator: to keep his tenant
mining for him,

Tony blocked any progress
parker made on his new ground.

Parker: let's hope they don't
drop any grenades on us.

He definitely knew
we were there,

And he definitely
didn't like it.

[Bleep]

Tony tugged the road out

And just made it so
our field truck can't get by.

Where the [bleep]
did that come from?

Well, our clean water ain't
so clean anymore, is it?

Tony being tony
decides to go start

Pushing a pile of [bleep]
into the pond

And made it super dirty.

Plugged it all up
with sticks and roots.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator:
but the final blow came

When parker
breached his contract

By sluicing his new pay dirt
on ground he leased from tony.

Leaving the gold there
would've been admitting defeat.

And I'd rather just violate
the lease and see what happens

Than just roll over
and admit defeat.

Tony's response was to come
and shut down big red.

And he did it with force.

[ Machinery powering down ]

**

Tony beets is, um...

He's not afraid
to [bleep] you over.

**

Narrator: tony may have
shut parker down this season,

But parker has finally made good
on his grandpa's dream.

We're yukon landowners,
rick.

Parker: I mean, my grandpa
was always, you know,

Adamant about
getting your freedom.

This year, we finally
made it happen,

And, you know,
I know my grandpa

Would be damn proud of that.

And it's a shame that
he isn't here to see it.

But, you know...

He'd be damn proud.

My own empire of dirt.

**

**

Dude, somebody
just shot at us.

Everybody off the mine.

Narrator: this season,
besides legal battles,

The hoffman's faced
personal threats.

You hear anything?

He is in custody now.

They got him,
he's in jail.

At least for now.

I mean, I think you're
a bit paranoid at this point.

We got a drone flying
up above our head.

We're gonna go see
if we can find it,
see what's going on.

Drones are kind of unnerving,
right?

So kevin chased it down.

Kevin:
oh, there's the guy right there.

There was some haters,
definitely.

We've already had a guy
pulling a g*n on us.

I'd feel more at ease
knowing

That you're not using
this footage against us.

And it turns out,
he didn't mean us any harm.

He just was a super fan.

Mystery solved.

**

Narrator:
to accomplish his mission,

Tony attacked dredge two
with a vengeance.

In the course of three weeks,

Tony stripped the massive


Down to the size
of a small wash plant.

But dredge two
wasn't going anywhere

Without a working barge.

How much time has he wasted,
and how much revenue's been lost

Trying to fix a [bleep] boat?

Man: is it time to quit,
tony?

**

Let's run, guys.

[ Buzzer sounds ]

Narrator:
after a long legal battle,

The fairplay mine was
back up and running.

Todd: when fairplay
finally got rezoned,

It was awesome to be back,
running again, getting gold.

But by the time
the cease and desist got lifted,

It was too little too late.

There wasn't enough season left
to catch up.

I don't understand
the million excuses

That todd hoffman always has.

Like, nobody cares.

Nobody [bleep] cares.

Narrator:
at the end of this season,

Todd had 1,644 ounces of gold,

Less than a third
of parker's total.

Came out with about
$150,000 of profit.

I was able to give
the guys some gold,

Not anywhere near what I wanted.

Narrator: but out of that,

Todd still owed parker


I was really curious to see
if todd was actually
gonna pay up.

Todd: to walk away with
a $50,000 profit

And having paid all
my guys some gold,

I don't know,
I would call that a win.

Do something good with it,
man.

What are you gonna do
with todd's gold?

Every cent of the bet
is going to charity.

And I'm in the process of
setting up a foundation

In my grandpa's name

That is gonna be geared towards
education and medical help.

And those are two things
that he really believed in,

So I'm really looking forward
to continuing that.

I don't know what the future's
gonna hold for us.

The hoffman's are gonna write
their own ending, you know?

And it may not be
what you think.

**

I have never looked at failure
as an option.



[ All cheering ]

Parker mined hard,
got a hell of a lot of gold.

Narrator: a record breaking
$7.5 million of gold

Meant that the spoils of w*r
were parker's.

For the first time, tony beets
ain't calling the shots.

Narrator:
but parker has a dilemma --

Mine his new claims
or stay with tony beets

On some of the best ground
he's ever had.

The last cut, in six weeks,
we did 1,650 ounces,

Like as much as todd did
all summer.

That ground
was just unbelievable.

If tony would set our royalty
rate at something reasonable,

I mean, the sky's the limit.

We'd probably set
a 10,000-ounce goal and hit it.

Narrator: despite finding
over 6,000 ounces of gold,

Parker lost something
of even greater value.

You guys an item now,
or...?

Yes.

Well,
so we met in australia,

And I think we just instantly
had this connection.

Parker: as successful
as our season was, you know,

There was, for me personally,

Um...

One pretty big failure.

And, uh...

Yeah, ashley and I broke up.

**

I just never made
the relationship a priority,

Didn't make her a priority.

**

And...

You know, she deserves
a lot better than that.

**

At the end of the day...

I think she is doing
what's best for her.

And that's
the hardest part of it.

**

I mean, I'm only 23, but...

She's [bleep] amazing.

[ Chuckles ]

Yeah.

And it's a real shame.

Feel like there's more
to be said there,

But I don't know how to say it.

**

**