06x11 - The Gold Bar

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: nome, alaska,

On the bering sea...

I love the gold!

Narrator: ...it's been a summer
for the record books.

Aw, yeah!

-Across the fleet...
-We ready?

...there were big risks...

Man: gotta be a gambler
to be a gold miner.

Narrator:
...and big rewards.

Man: 2102.5.

Yeah!

Tonight, before the books
are closed completely...

I never knew
you were a bartender, shawn.

...the miners are gathering

At one of nome's
most historic taverns

To write the final chapter.

Why did you go corporate?

Why did you go over
to the havilah?

You know how close I'd come,

That I was thinking
about sluggin' you?

Narrator:
scores will be settled...

Brad, that's [bleep] wrong.
You're a dirtbag.

While we check out
never-before-seen footage...

Something ventured,
everything to lose.

And...

I...

...even get a little personal...

Why are you always
[bleep] with me, derek?

...on "bering sea gold:
the gold bar."

Man: cheers.

Man #2:
now we gotta clear things up.

And we gotta get things out
in the open, let the public know

What the hell's really going on.

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

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

Narrator: welcome to the
beautiful gold dust saloon.

In the heart of downtown nome,

This 50-year-old tavern
is packed with reminders

Of the town's
original gold rush.

After a long,
hard, dredging season,

The fleet has come here
looking for answers...

I don't know
why it's such a struggle

For you to come
and work on my boat.

...and to plot their next moves
on the bering sea.

The first ones
to belly up to the bar,

The kings of gold themselves:

Steve pomrenke
and his son, shawn.

Here -- here's to the hardest
working guy I know, my dad.

Well, thank you, son,
for sayin' that.

The pomrenke story
has always been

About more than just gold...

[ Cheering ]

...though it sure is nice
to look at.

It's about a father and a son
trying to grow a mining empire

And raise themselves up
with hard work

By sticking together.

This family,
we're gonna be just fine.

This past summer,
they were a house divided.

The dozer cost me $125,000
right off the bat.

Narrator: while steve gobbled
up the family gold...

Steve: plan on this
inland operation

To set up the pomrenke family
for the next 25 years.

And I want one big last "hurrah"

Before I kick off
of this world.

Narrator:
...out on the bering sea...

Shawn: new mining operation's
expensive.

Narrator: ...shawn was forced
to foot the bill.

He spent every dime
we had and then some.

He's puttin' stuff on loans
and [bleep]

Just buying [bleep]
left and right.

Narrator: but when it came time
to break ground inland...

What's in there?
Bleh.

Hell of a scoop, steve!

Narrator: ...steve's dream
looked like a bust.

Steve: takes more than one hole
to find gold.

We're gonna find gold here
come hell or high water,

I'm tellin' ya.

I was just as worried
as you were

Whether it was gonna be gold
in that patch of ground

Or not 'cause we were both,
in the back of our minds,

Were sitting
there wondering,

"Why is that patch
of ground still there?

You know, that patch of ground
should have got mined

Just like every other
square foot of ground that,

Within 2 miles of there,
has been mined."

Because either it was
bad drill logs

Or a bad panner --
one of the two.

Narrator: with so much
family money on the line,

Choosing just
where to start digging

Was critical.

Looks a little bigger

From the grand view
here, don't it?

It does.

In this never-before-seen
footage,

Steve reveals the plan to dig
right in his own backyard.

Looks like all the rest
of the ground.

If you really look at it,
it's a different type of willows

That are on top
of that patch of ground.

There's a little streak
through there

Where the old timers
brought up gravel.

But lookit. They missed a little
piece right here in the middle.

Well, I hope they didn't
leave it there for a reason.

But you didn't think
it was gonna happen.

Boy, you were worried,
worried to death

That there was gonna
be no gold there.

-I was worried.
-It was like, "oh, my god.

Oh, my god,
all this money's spent,

And what are we gonna
get out of it?

We're not gonna get
nothing out of it."

I could see that
in your face.

I just wanted to move
some dirt inland,

Not on that ocean.

Narrator:
undeterred by the rough start,
steve forged ahead.

The plan played out like this:

A 90-ton excavator
would chew up tundra


And load it into haul trucks.

The potential pay dirt was then
carried to a second excavator,

Feeding it through
a homemade pomrenke wash plant.

Powering the wash plant,

A 100-horsepower pump
carrying water

Through 200 feet
of underground line,

Back to the plant, washing dirt,

And hopefully gold,
right through the sluice.

[ Engine starts ]

Steve: this thing will burn pay
dirt. I'm tellin' ya.

I think this is the one --
operations around, myself.

Narrator:
a two-man gold operation
was an audacious plan.

We're into it for over
$1 million right now.

We need to get
some of that money back.

Narrator: but father and son
rallied together.



We tried to keep
this thing running.

Narrator: and the old man's
inland-mining pipe dream

Turned out to be
the largest payday...

This is the biggest pile
of gold I've ever seen.

...in bering sea gold history.


A 5-week season.

Well, if somebody
could beat that,

They can kiss my butt.

-Whoa!
-Yeah!

[ Laughter ]

[ Cheering ]

Man:
there's piles of gold there.

You stuck with me.

That's what that pile
of gold represents.

It represents not giving up.

It's actually
an unfathomable point of view,

Looking at that pan gold,

That it's actually ours.

Blew my mind.

-Oh, it was amazing.
-Geez.

I've been mining
for 30 years

And doing it inland for 25.

And by god, them days
were pretty hard to find.

Here's to success
and thinking out of the box.

Narrator: while steve's dream
ended in a bonanza...

Shawn: we're here.

Narrator: ...shawn had a dream
of his own.

Shawn: nobody's ever
touched this ground

Out here in the bering sea.

It's fresh ground,
never touched.

Narrator: taking the
christine rose into the wild

To a remote area
known as the bluff,

Home to a gold rush

That began and ended


Come on, gold.

Don't be stingy.

Narrator: but after days
of prospecting...

-Nothing.
-...the bluff came up empty.

I'm gonna have to deal
with a grumpy

Old man named steve pomrenke.

Why did you always
wanna go to the bluff?

To me,
there was no point in going

To the bluff, shawn,
no point in going there.

There's no safe port.
You couldn't go down there --

If you did find gold,
you would --

You couldn't mine it
anyhow.

-Oh.
-But, I mean,

So it was just in the --
for your curiosity,

That you wanted to go down
to the bluff,

You know, to see
if there's any gold there?

But if you don't ever
go look for it,

You ain't gonna
find gold sitting

On the couch, watching tv.

Sitting on the couch
is not in the pomrenke blood.

I think '94 was the first year
you came up here, correct?

No, I got up here in '93.

But with three generations
of miners working together...

Dad, you cut the ribbon.

-...that pomrenke blood...
-There!

[ Cheering ]

Look at the yard.
Shawn, clean up your damn mess

When you get done!

Narrator:
...is also quick to boil.

All I'll ask you
as a manager is that,

What the [bleep]

You're [bleep]
here all day!

I wasn't in charge
of the crew!

Oh, you're not in charge
of the crew out here?!

-I was moving dirt!
-I'm running this project!

This is my project!
-You're completely crazy.

You're a complete [bleep]

There ain't no tools in there!
Where are they?

The biggest blowup
of this season all started...

[Bleep]

I think it's coming
to a damn bitter end here.

I'm ready to
[bleep] altogether.

Narrator:
...over a few misplaced tools.

I couldn't talk for a week
after that.

Vocal cords
were tore to shreds.

And yours were, too,
I found out.

Well, is it
about the tools or what?

What is it about?

It's about you managing
your damn crew.

And when I told you that,
you, like, blew a cork.

And I'm trying to be
a little less critical on you.

But I am still
trying to teach you.

Well, one thing
I'm gonna say:

When I went to clean up
that mess that was mine

And my crew's,
half of that

[Bleep] was yours
and dave's.

Oh, boy!
I don't think so.

Now you're --
now you're...

You know how close
I'd come

That I was thinking
about slugging you?

I don't think I ever
wanna do that.

Not that I'm scared
of ya.

Narrator: the greatest thing
about this father-son duo...

Son of a b*tch!

Hit the waterline!

Now we gotta stop, shut down,
get this waterline fixed.

Son of a b*tch!

You gonna come out
and help me patch this thing up,

Shawn?

We need to talk, anyhow.

Narrator: ...when it comes
to equipment and family,

There's nothing
that can't be mended.

It's gonna work.
We got it.

We're gonna
have our differences,

But we do pretty
damn good together.

So...
-Yeah, we do.

We don't need
to [bleep]

Nitpick each other.
-Yeah.

Okay, no nitpicking.

Let's just work together and get
this accomplished today.

-Yes.
-I love ya.

I love you, too, dad.

Let's get 'er done.

I just wanna work with you,
too, you know.

I'm on your side.

You know, it really does
boil down to it, shawn,

That, really, I could never
work with my dad.

You know, I respect my dad
and everything,

But he was just
an ornery son of a b*tch.

I had six brothers
and four sister.

I'm the -- I was the one kid
that was stuck with my dad.

Nobody else wanted to work
with him

'Cause he was just
a [bleep] you know?

Never been there.

Well, my twin brother,
he ran away from home.

Older brother, mikey,
he ran away from home.

You know, and then that's
when mom got m.s.

And I had to take care
of all my seven younger brothers

And sisters
besides the fact.

A lot of gambling,
a lot of pain.

It's not been an easy road,
that's for sure.

You know, with this growing
relationship that we have,

You know, every year,
it grows a little bit,

And hopefully it's gonna be
a little less fighting

And a little more loving.

No more fighting.
We do better when we get along.

Oh, thank you.
Thank you!

Learned a lot from you, dad.

I'm really proud
of you now.

Thank you.

Narrator: coming up...

This is the difference
between you and i.

I only put people on my boat
that I know can succeed.

...zeke and emily
hash things out.

And the kelly boys...

You won't submit.
That's the problem.

You submit
to my mining techniques,

And you're gonna be
a full-fledged miner.

...look for some answers
from pops.

But first...

Shawn: we're looking at the
biggest year of our lives.

We're gonna have piles
and piles of gold.

Narrator:
...an exclusive look

At the pomrenkes'
upcoming winter season.

Steve: we got everybody
and their brother out on 38.

Let 'em prospect for us.

I got a line
on a 45-by-165-foot barge.

This thing is massive.

We're trying
to build an empire here,

And it's not gonna
happen out in the ocean.

I don't want my dozer
to go underwater.

It's going down.
I can see the water.

Oh! [Bleep]

Get over here!

Narrator:
in the gold dust saloon,

Zeke tenhoff and emily riedel

Have some unfinished business.

Thank you, sir.
Are you gonna have one?

I'm gonna toast with you.

-Toast.
-All right.

Here's to -- here's to everyone
that's seen me at my best

And has seen you
at your worst.

-There.
-I like that toast.

I like that toast.

Narrator:
zeke and emily's saga

Is the tale of childhood friends
who have been through the fire.

This ship is unsinkable.

Not even god
could sink this ship!

Not even god
could sink this ship!

[ Laughs ]

They began
as dredging partners.

Whoo!

Well, this is
frickin' awesome!

But things quickly unraveled.

She's fired.

There's just
no question about it.

Narrator: from a misfired
love affair...

...to an unimaginable tragedy...

Zeke: we love you, john.

You can't own property
for free!

...they've seen their
relationship crumble...

Still partners?

...and began to forgive.

Okay.
That sounds legit.

Okay.
Okay.

As miners, they've each carved
a very different path.

Zeke:
dude, I got all the money

That I have sunk
into making this work.

Hey, gabe, what are you gonna do
with your gold money?

Narrator:
while zeke has tried to maintain
an independent spirit...


A pair of these.

[ Laughs ]

Whoo!

Narrator: ...emily has bucked
the odds...

We passed 70 ounces
for the eroica!

...and become the first
successful

Female dredge owner in nome.

Ha ha! You doubting [bleep]
out there!

This is the difference
between you and i.

I am used to --
you are --

-Being...
-You are a single entity.

You are ezekial tenhoff
the miner,

Ezekial tenhoff
the prospector,

Ezekial tenhoff the mechanic
and the engineer.

I don't work well
with other people.

You don't work well
with other people.

I only put people on my boat
that I know can succeed.

Narrator: one of zeke's most
bizarre decisions...

-How's it going?
-Here's your locker.

Narrator:
after years on his own,

Taking on the role
of chief gold officer

Of the havilah...

Tenhoff!

...rather than accepting an
offer from his former partner...

Don't hit your head
on the testicles there.

Oh, yeah.
[ Laughs ]

...a ballsy move

That brought with it the weight
of corporate expectations.

Hey, if --

If you get tired of working
for the man, um, we'll talk.

[ Chuckles ]

At the beginning
of the season,

I had my dredge
all ready to go.

I had a good lease to go to
with some good gold on it.

Why did you go corporate?

Why did you go over
to the havilah?

Well, like,
I got a bunch of grief

From you and other people
for -- for "going corporate."

I mean, as I saw it was

The blue water gold guys
are just a group of guys

That put down a bunch of money
to pursue the same kind of dream

That I was pursuing

When I was in my early 20s,
kind of going after this.

Why did you start mining
in the first place?

Why did I start mining?

'Cause I love treasure
hunting a lot!

-It's really fun and exciting!
-So how did --

How did mining
in a corporate dredge

Enable you to actually
treasure hunt?

Like, knowing
what I know of you,

Knowing how I know
how you came up here, just,

Like, funding yourself,
I don't --

I don't see that of you.

So I don't know
who you are anymore.

I don't know why it's
such a struggle for you to come

And work on my boat...
-You know what I think?

-...which is pretty awesome.
-Me going and working

On blue water gold, this dredge
is a great idea for me.

Well, how did that work
out for you, then?

Not that great, actually.

Narrator: climbing the company
ladder is never easy...

This is, like, 4-inch layer
of lined gravel on top of clay.

And there's some gold under it.

I could do that.

Narrator: especially...

All right, jesse,
you good?

...if you're tasked with
training a rookie dredging crew.

Jesse: I got the worst jam
in this pipe I've ever seen.

-Ugh, jesse.
-Fire it up.

Let's see if it'll
suck back through.

Narrator: so zeke's corporate
career never quite took off.

I am totally suspended
in the air.

I am taking a ride.
We are no longer on the ground.

Wow, where the [bleep]
am I going?

-Ugh.
-What it is about

Training guys
who have never seen gold before?

What it is about telling them
how to find and prospect?

Dude, I don't even know.

I think some people
have a sixth sense for the gold

And some people just don't.

And you can't fake it.

And you can't train
somebody to do it.

Narrator: with zeke struggling
to teach greenhorn school,

Over on the eroica...

Emily:
you ready to dive, daryl?

...emily's strategy: hire one
of the most experienced dredgers

In town...

...daryl galipeau...

I am ready!

...and an ace
mechanic-turned-aspiring-miner,

Nick mcglashan.

That's looking good,

What you got coming
through the box.

That's how we want it
to look.

All good.

...the team had a nose
for the gold.

Yes!

But even the best-laid plans...

I don't have a crew right now.

Narrator:
...don't always pan out.

Emily: daryl got into
a really gnarly car accident.

[Bleep] the bering sea.

Narrator: joining zeke and emily
for a drink,

Shawn pomrenke and cody moen.

Daryl galipeau, he is the best
diver I've ever had.

He is an incredible
gold miner.

You know, I lost him
in the middle of the season.

In the middle
of the season,

He got into a car accident
and broke a bunch of bones.

I lost my best diver.

After that,
I had, uh, nick.

Nick had to go back
to his real job,

Crab fishing.

I seen you guys
in the ac locked up.

I have no comment.
I have no comment.

-No comment?
-No comment.

Narrator: despite emily's
"no comment"...

You're awfully good-looking
in a wet suit.

...take a look at this
exclusive, unaired footage.

It suits you.

You decide.

We're being filmed
right now.

Well, you think
dating crew members

Or dating your partners
is a good thing in gold mining?

As you know, it's,
like, nome is a very...

Shawn: well, it's like gold.
It just happens.

-Yeah.
-Are you still with nick?

I-i-i really...

My dating life
is irrelevant in this situation.

Narrator: fair enough.

What is relevant is what emily
did after her crew departed.

-Hey, there.
-Hey, hey!

What do you want?

I need a new crew.

So I was gonna see
if you guys wanted to come

And dive on my boat.

Well, it just sounds
like you need to come back

And talk to us when you're
a little more hard-up.

[ Man laughs ]

While he turned her down
at first...

We might have to take you up
on your offer

To go do some dredging
on your dredge.

Oh, yeah?

...zeke finally got fed up
with the corporate grind.

I mean, I don't have any divers
right now.

You know, my boat's just
sitting there.

So, um, yeah, we can --
we can try the business thing.

The old friends found their way
together again...

The fact is,
a man's gotta eat.

...for better or worse.

Emily:
go make some dough!

He's gonna get down there,

And he's gonna
be making me money.

So I've already won.

Narrator: in the end...

Holy [bleep]


...they each walked away
with a little bit of gold.

I'm taking 10% off
for all the sass.

I wanna take the moment
to try to, like,

Just acknowledge emily
in this situation,

Though, because, honestly,
what she's doing right now,

She's making money
for her divers

And making money
for herself.

You know, so everyone
gives emily a lot of grief.

But, like, emily's doing
it as much as I am

Or anyone else is.

Narrator:
and on that note...

Here's to a --
a prosperous 2016.

Oh [bleep] yeah, shawn.

I wish everybody
big piles of gold.

-Coming up...
-That's [bleep] wrong.

You're a dirtbag.

...zeke has a bone to pick
with the kelly boys.

We could have worked
together, shawn.

-You didn't wanna work with me.
-Says who?

Narrator: and shawn and derek
go head-to-head.

But first, an exclusive look...

Emily: I would like to repair
my relationship with zeke.

Narrator: ...at what the future
holds for zeke and emily.

Emily: I'd like to have him
as a good friend again.

What are you gonna do?
You don't own any of this stuff.

If you're gonna say that I'm not


Then give me
all my money back

And I'll move on,
I'll do something else.

Zeke: I'm gonna have to give her
half the gold that we make.

And that's gonna really burn
once we get into good gold.

What the [bleep]

I don't know what else
to tell you.

I'm so [bleep] stressed out.

-Aah!
-Are you okay?

Narrator: up next...

Man: so I get to be
the bartender, huh?

...say hello to brad, kris
and andy kelly.

Let's have a toast here.

If you were to follow
my leadership,

We'd have gotten
a lot farther.

Man #2: if we'd followed
your leadership --

I don't even wanna drink
to that toast.

Narrator: what can one say
about the fighting kellys?

Man: we're, uh, kind of
a very dysfunctional family,

But, uh, we're really close.

Narrator: there is just
something about them.

Man #2:
it's gonna be a good day.

We're gonna get some gold,
crack divers that we are.

The a-team's going out.

Narrator: a dredging a-team...
They are definitely not.

But -- but -- but -- but --
but -- but -- but -- but...

Shut the [bleep] up.

What they are is a lovable band
of cheatin'...

That was 50%, buddy.

It wasn't that good
of a gold run.

-[Bleep]
-fighting...

Man:
what's your problem?

Narrator:
...conniving misfits.

[ Laughs ]

Man:
payback's a b*tch.

Narrator:
but despite it all...

-Howdy.
-Hey, howdy doody.

You know, I've got no other boat
to work on this year.

Okay, well, that's fine.
Just, uh, grab the anchor,

And let's get out
of here.

Narrator: ...they always end up
sticking together.

I'm glad we got the band
back together

And we're all working
as a family again

Over your lies
about solvin'...

You know, you want perfection
in mining.

No, I don't.
I want it to work

And us make money
from it.

That's what I want it
to do.

That's why you don't get
the mining game.

You gotta just be quiet
and follow me.

Why fight anyways, kris?
We're family.

That's what you don't get.

Narrator: for this family,
it has been a tumultuous year.

It seemed like such
a great idea.

As far as you can see is ours.

Narrator:
brad would unite the family

With promises of treasure
on their very own claims

At the mouth
of the solomon river.

But treasure...

Man: I don't know how there's no
follow on this entire plain.

Narrator:
...was not what they found.

I'm angry at [bleep]

God for giving me
a loser father.

No, you're angry
'cause you're --

When I get to the gates
of heaven,

I'm gonna tell st. Peter
to go [bleep] himself.

You're not even going
to heaven, first of all.

And with tensions
boiling over...

Come on,
you fat [bleep]

...it was time for a kelly
family therapy session.

Well, I'm sorry we got
into that little fight.

And I didn't mean to totally
embarrass myself by doing that.

You guys embarrassed
each other.

No, I know.
It's embarrassing, man.

It wasn't embarrassing.
Nothing embarrassing about it.

It was funny, though.

So, uh, what made you bring us
down to that sand pit?

With the claims?

Why didn't you go down there
and prospect a little bit

Before we spent so much time
down there?

How do you know I didn't?

Because you'd find out
there wasn't gold on it!

There is gold there.

Or you would have went
to the right spot.

-You just didn't find it.
-You would have went

To the right spot
if you'd prospected before.

No, there's gold.
You just didn't find it.

How deep in sand
did you go through?

I went through like


You won't submit.
That's the problem.

You submit
to my mining techniques,

And you're gonna be
a full-fledged miner.

Just think of it like this,
a long-term investment.

In a couple more years,
you're about to see a return.

[ Chuckles ]

You just don't get it yet.
-Oh, we get it.

Narrator: dredging isn't the
only long-term investment

Brad has made in nome.

Brad: trust me. I'll handle it
with kid gloves.

Yeah, your brothers
are a little rough.

But they're gonna love you.

Narrator:
at 54 years old,

The family patriarch
is a father once again.

Nia, you better
change my diaper, too,

When I'm old.

Narrator: and after their
failure at solomon,

The kellys return to town...

What the hell are you doing
with the baby?

You guys are
gonna have to go today.

I gotta take care
of the baby.

...where they could put
the past behind them...

Kris: we're really doing this
for our sister.

Even though my dad's
a piece of [bleep]

I still love my sister.

Narrator:
...and rally around the one
person they all agree on.

Kris: having a baby sister
at 35 years old,

You know, who could ask
for anything more?

Oh! Yeah!

So what are you gonna
do about nia

The next couple years

When we're dredging
and working hard

And be mr. Dad?

She's coming out there
on the boat with us.

You can't bring her
on the boat.

-Why can't i?
-'Cause it's dangerous.

What's dangerous about it?

You two do it.
-It's dangerous.

-And we're both in our 30s.
-I know.

You're getting too old
for the game almost.

-Really?
-Time to get some young guys

In there.

Narrator: with little nia
keeping them united,

The crew began looking
for a big score

To end their season in style...

Dad, there's a boat
right there in front of us.

Yeah,
it's called the havilah.

...even if it came
at the expense

Of another miner,
namely zeke tenhoff.

Zeke:
hey, the reaper's incoming.

They know we're on good gold
out here, dude.

They're coming out
with their gps probably

Just to mark our spot for later.

Don't do this!

You're bringin' it on yourself!

Narrator:
after a battle at sea...

Man: [bleep] specials!

And that's what you get when you
[bleep] with the reaper!

Dude, you threw
dirty diapers with poo?

Narrator: ...zeke got
a whiff of the kellys'
particular brand of payback.

Zeke:
no. It can't be poo.

Narrator: to help make sense
of this madness,

Here's zeke himself.

Zeke:
so I'm out dredging.

I don't know, I'm out dredging
where I'm dredging.

And there's
like 20 miles

In either direction,
no other dredges.

Then I see the reaper
headed straight for us.

What are we supposed
to think?

The real truth of it was
I was gpsing your location

In case I went in and there was
a storm brewing up

And you didn't
make it back in.

Then I'd know
where to locate you.

Man:
no, that's the biggest crock
of [bleep] I've ever heard.

What was actually
in the baby diaper?

It was homemade
peanut butter mess.

You guys are a class act.

-Dude, that was...
-Thanks, bro.

You guys are
a class act.

-That was him.
-Making me proud.

You wanna buy
some claims?

No, absolutely not, brad.

Narrator: class is what you can
always expect from brad.

We're getting gold like --
like nobody else, you know?

To solve the problem
of his sandy claims,

He salted the reaper's box...

I'll buy it.


...and fleeced a nome newcomer.

You're gonna be
a rich man next year.

So, as I understand it,

You ripped some old guy off
that had a little money

Put away to invest in
some claims you knew did not --

Were not gonna
produce gold.

Do I understand that
properly?

-Yep.
-Well, technically...

That's about
the gist of it.

Well, so do you
guys realize

That that earns you
a plane ticket out of nome?

'Cause that's
[bleep] wrong.

It is wrong.
Brad, you're a dirtbag.

[ Chatter ]

What more can I say?

Narrator: what more
can any of us say?

If you're gonna be a dirtbag,
fine, cheers to that.

You're a bunch
of dirtbags.

Cheers to being
a dirtbag, then, bro.

Well, coming up...

Why are you always
[bleep] with me, derek?

...the lowdown
on a budding rivalry

Between mr. Gold
and derek mclarty.

And nome's biggest gambler...

Sometimes you gotta
weed people out.

Or you're one of the ones
that got weeded out.

...gets a visit
from an old employee.

But first...

Where's my share
out of this?

You're share's zero.

Narrator:
...a look at what's in store

For the fighting kellys
come winter.

Man: these guys are all
out for themselves.

This is my claim.

You guys are not gonna
set down here.

Well, vern,
we're not going.

Man: they're all a bunch
of greedy b*stards

Trying to get the pot of gold.

Kris: I miss and love
my mom a lot.

Lookit.
We're gonna get together

Like a big, happy
family again.

[ Cackles ]

Kris: I hope we can
all be together again.

I want this all to work out.

Love you, baby.

I think it's going to.

Narrator:
in the gold dust saloon,

Nome's newest dredge captain,
derek mclarty...

There you go, buddy.

...along with shawn pomrenke,
cody moen,

And derek's lead diver,
spenser mccleskey.

-You've come a long ways.
-Thank you very much.

Your dredge
is a beautiful thing.

Derek:
you can't just come up here

And be like, "oh,
I'm gonna go to nome.

I'm gonna go gold mining."

You have to pay a little bit
of your dues.

Clear!
Go for it!

Narrator:
from the lazy gators...

Hold that.
Take this boat.

To the eroica...

You see how it does
without a crew.

Narrator:
to the wild ranger...

You direct the two
out here.

I'll talk to you
through the door.

Sounds good.
I'll watch it.

...derek has worked
for just about every operation

In town.

And finally...

Probably the biggest,
nicest dredge

To launch in the last couple
years I know of.

...he put his money
where his mouth is

And struck out on his own,
investing his life savings

Into a half-million-dollar
mega-dredge, the high noon.

God bless america.
God bless this dredge.

Let's make a lot
of money this season.

The largest diver-operated
suction dredge in nome...

...the high noon is designed
to chew through sand

And dig deep to get the gold.

Man: we're on hardpan


[ Man laughs ]

Narrator:
while the concept works...



[Bleep]

...after a tough first season,

Derek is still looking
to break through.

Man: so what do you think,
derek?

Do you think you bit off more
than you can chew

In the first season?

I think we made enough
to come back this next season

And try again,
and then mine.

And I think
that's really a win.

Give her a good run.

I mean, if you made
enough to come back

And try it again,
you didn't lose.

You just didn't win.

So where's all the gold at?

I thought you were
gonna kick my a*s.

We could have worked
together, shawn.

We could have
worked together.

Well, you didn't
wanna work with me.

Says who?

Narrator:
mr. Gold and derek mclarty

Have a complicated relationship,
to say the least.

Shawn: got a great team.
We got, uh, derek.

Gave me the opportunity.
I figured I'd run with it.

After the two worked together
briefly on the shamrock...

I heard this rumor that a friend
of mine was going inland.

And to me, that just
sounded like an opportunity.

...derek made a play
to replace shawn

In the new family venture.

Shawn:
so it's gonna be...

The inland mining operation's
gonna be yours and derek's.

And then I'm not gonna have
any part of it?

Or...
Yeah.

To this day, it is still
a sore subject.

You wanna [bleep]
get rid of me?

Then [bleep]
get rid of me!

So, I gotta ask you this:
why are you always [bleep]

With me, derek?

You know, I mean, if you're
gonna mess with somebody,

You're gonna aim
at somebody,

You'd better be aiming
at number one.

Why'd you try to cut me
out of the inland?

Why did you cut me
out of the inland?

That's a better question
because i...

Well, how much work
did you do for that money

That bought
all the inland equipment?

Uh, that has nothing
to do with it.

That has everything
to do with it.

All I did was --
steve approached me, said,

"Do you wanna go
into mining?"

I'm a union operator
by trade.

That's all my background
prior to this.

It's not diving offshore.
It's running equipment.

Steve and I get along.
We do.

I wish I could've got
to be part of that.

At the same time,
you cutting me out of that

Forced me into building
the high noon.

I mean...
-So why'd you hire dylan?

Narrator: adding fuel to
the derek v. Shawn rivalry...

Hey, you wanna see
what a real dredge looks like?

Starting to
put her together.

I'm realizing
I need a lot more help.

Your dad would probably
sh**t both of us,

But think you could
give me a hand?

...derek's pre-season surprise,

Hiring away shawn's


What do you think?
You wanna come work with us?

I'm thinking, "yeah."

Welcome to the team, then.

Sweet.

Now, go do your homework.

I hired dylan because,
quite honestly,

I thought maybe getting out
from underneath daddy's wings

And working for somebody else
would be good for him.

I feel like it's a slap
in the face

'Cause I have a --

A wealth of knowledge
to teach

'Cause I've learned a wealth
by just keeping my mouth shut

And my ears open.

Were you gonna take
dylan suction dredging?

No, because
suction dredging is...

-Well, then.
-...the 1900s, 1800s to me.

'Cause what's coming ahead --

-To get to where you're at.
-But...

If you weren't
a suction dredger,

Would you be nearly as good
on the christine rose

As you are right now?
-No.

-Hell no.
-And I was offering him

An opportunity.

Did I do it a little bit
out of spite?

I'd be a liar
if I said I didn't.

When you cut me out of inland,
I was a little bit burnt.

Narrator: "a little bit burnt"
doesn't quite cover it.

By the end of the season,

Desperate for gold
and still smarting

From being cut
out of the inland mine...

It looks like mr. Gold
left his gps on

With a nice little
checkered flag,

Exactly where he's been
digging.

Perfect.

...derek helped himself to some
of shawn's prized gps marks...

Thank you very much.

[ Horn honking ]
oh [bleep]

Narrator: a move that led to
retribution on the high seas.

Get off my butt!
[Bleep]

That one ripped the door off!

I feel like you don't
respect me.

So I kind of feel like
that lack of respect

Was kind of mutual there.

I mean, steve's
been straightforward.

He'll tell me
if he doesn't like me

Or I did something stupid,
he'd say it to my face.

And I don't
wanna say that --

That you wouldn't,
but all the bad [bleep]

I ever heard that I've ever done
came from steve, not you.

I never heard it from you.
Tell me.

-All right.
-I'm totally open

To messing up, man.
I am.

I will correct
everything I --

I will correct
what I know is wrong.

Here's to clearing
the air, guys.

Narrator: coming up...

You're not making
any money at this.

...vernon adkison
gets called out.

But first...

Derek:
this is bigger than gold.

Narrator: ...a look at derek's
coming winter season.

Derek:
this is about my family.

My mom finished up
her last treatment in chemo.

She's putting up
a much harder fight than I am.

This is about my best friend.

What the hell am I supposed
to do if this doesn't work out?

You can gamble
with your money,

But don't gamble
with my money, too.

In the end,
I get the final say.

And don't threaten me
with you're gonna walk

Because you know what,
no one's irreplaceable, no one.

Man:
spenser, where you at?

Narrator:
in downtown nome,

Last of the gold bar...

Damn near closin' time.

...and the summer gold count,
vernon adkison.

What are we drinking
to, my friend?

It was an
interesting season.

-I'll tell you what.
-Here you go.

Narrator:
for 5 years, vernon has been
nome's biggest gambler...

The gold that was on the bottom
of the sea is now in my bucket.

An alabama man
plagued with gold fever,

His fleet of dredges
and bad results...

...have kept him on
a financial knife's edge.

Every time I open the mailbox,
it's the bills, bills, bills.

How do you keep coming back
every year?

I keep coming back --

When I leave here,
I go to work.

I got another job
that allows me to a --

Afford my
gold mining habit.

I'm a ship's pilot.

That's what lets me
afford to come back.

You know,
I ain't going away.

I mean, sooner or later,
it's gotta pay off.

I think I've met
about half a dozen

Of your crew members.

Through about half
the people in nome,

About half the divers
and so-called divers in nome.

And then, in the beginning,
I'm new up here.

I don't know my hat
from a hole in the ground.

And guess what kind of crew
you're gonna get.

Narrator:
from boom to bust,

Nothing has caused vernon
more grief...

Hey!

I need some cooperation here!

Narrator: ...than the people
who have worked for him.

I'm sick of your
[bleep] jason!

You wanna go, vernon?

Yeah, you're damn right
I do, you...

Narrator:
...he's had angry crew...

[ Indistinct yelling ]

You're not in charge
of this boat.

You don't have
the expertise.

Stand your ground.

Back off.
-...wacky crew...

You back off, mr. Vern.

Oh, my god.

Oh, my god.

Narrator:
...really wacky crew...

They don't have a weight belt!

Narrator: ...and just plain,
old unproductive crew.

You do the arithmetic.
That's like $120 an hour.

Narrator: this year...

Man: oh, damn!

Come meet
your competition.

Narrator:
...he'd finally had enough.

Looking to change the game,
vernon brought to town

A state-of-the-art subdredge

With a 7-foot robotic arm,

Self-sorting classifier basket

Designed to chew
through overburden

And into the pay dirt,
and a 4-inch,

High solid pump capable
of moving material at a rate

Of 120 cubic yards per hour.

The goal: eliminate
the human element.

That's a hell
of a pump right there.

But unfortunately for vernon,
the human element remains.

After barely producing
any gold with it...

-0.29.
-0.29?

Narrator: ...the subdredge's
manufacturer...

We gotta take it back.

...pulled the plug.

I mean, what's your infatuation
with these subcrawlers?

And why, after working that
thing in the winter and seeing

What it could do
or couldn't do,

Would you bring it back
kind of the same for summer?

It wasn't supposed
to come back the same.

It was supposed
to have a pump

That was twice as big
as the winter pump.

It didn't come back
that way.

By then, I was into it
too far to back out.

So, just like
with any new technology,

You gotta roll into it
and figure it out.

And you gotta take it
in the shorts

When you first roll in.

Right now, I'm in
the take-it-in-the-shorts mode.

But now, I'm starting to get
a pretty damn good crew.

I've got guys
that have been with me

For three or four
seasons now.

And, uh, you know,

In the beginning, yeah,
who did I have?

Meisterheim and steve.

Well, now he's done it:
mentioned a riedel.

And like magic,
steve and emily appear.

-Oh.
-Gentlemen.

Have a seat, bro.

[Bleep]

Dude, it's been a while.

-Yeah, it's been a while.
-Steve.

-Mr. Vernon, you look good.
-Hey, emily.

-A pleasure.
-How you doing?

What do you think about him
as a boss -- good, bad?

Problem with vern is you don't
listen to your crew.

And there --
there's one of your faults.

You know, I don't listen
to every damn [bleep]

That jumps out
of the bushes.

What I'm trying to do is put
together a good crew, right?

And sometimes
you gotta weed people out.

Or you're one of the ones
that got weeded out.

-Yeah.
-Okay?

Next year, I'll have
another subdredge.

I'll have a crew
that's been with me for a while.

Those guys
are not going anywhere.

-What can I say?
-I hired the kellys.

So what can I say?

You know, everybody
wants a good crew, right?

-It's your fault, dad.
-Nobody wants a good crew

More than me.

You're not making
any money at this.

After 4 years in the red
and only 1 year in the black,

How many more years
till you're fully in the black?

How many ever
it takes, steve.

-Good answer.
-I'm not going anywhere.

Narrator: vernon may not be
going anywhere,

But the summer season
is officially in the books.

[ Chatter ]

For last call
in "the gold bar"...

Here we go. Here's to piles
and piles of gold.

Narrator: ...it's time
for one final cheers...

[ Cheering ]

...and one final look

At what lies ahead
on "bering sea gold."

Shawn: I'm letting these guys
go out on the claim.

I want 'em to work
night and day.

Man: this is kind of the
opportunity of a lifetime.

You can win big.

Emily: diving is a battle

That I haven't wanted
to fight for a long time.

Man #2:
I've given 4 years to mining.
I'm not leaving a failure.

I'm so close to dying,
like, all the time.

There is no margin for error.

Emily:
come on, gabe, go!

He's gotta get up.
What is he doing?

Vernon's having a [bleep]
heart attack.

I gotta go now.
[ Groans ]

I don't have time
to go to the hospital.

Dad's just gonna
pull it out right here.

Man:
look at all that gold!

Man #2: the weather's getting
warmer every winter.

Man #3: you can't cut and run
the first time the ice cracks.

[ Laughs ]

Man #4: I'll light a fire
under those guys' a*s.

Emily:
oh! [Bleep] yeah!

Shawn: I want my gold,
and I want it now.

[ Cheering ]

Man: we might just have gold
coming out our ears.

I don't know.
Really exciting.