Gold Rush (TV series)

Season 1

The first season (show named Gold Rush: Alaska) featured six men from Sandy, Oregon, a small town 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Portland, who, due to the economic downturn, have lost their jobs. They decided on an all-stakes gamble – travel to Porcupine Creek, Alaska and prospect for gold. Most of the people on the show have little or no previous gold mining experience and must learn on the job.

Season 2

In season 2, (show renamed to Gold Rush) Todd misses a lease payment on Porcupine Creek and "Dakota" Fred Hurt buys the claim from owner Earl Foster, not needing to honor the lease due to the missed payment. The season explores the Hoffman crew's new mine at Quartz Creek, in the Klondike region of the Yukon, Canada as well as "Dakota" Fred's operation at the site of the original Hoffman mine, Porcupine Creek, and Parker Schnabel's attempts to mine his grandfather's property at Big Nugget Mine.
Porcupine Creek (Hurt et al.): 80.4 oz (2,280 g) $125,000
Big Nugget Mine (Schnabel et al.): 34 oz (960 g) $55,000
Quartz Creek (Hoffman et al.): 93.5 oz (2,650 g) $150,000

Season 3

The third season began in October 2012. The Hoffman crew returned to the Klondike to once again mine the Quartz Creek site but also brought on additional crewmen to simultaneously work another site in the area. But, with Hoffman having delays and equipment trouble at his site, they decided to merge. Parker Schnabel returned to the Big Nugget Mine site with larger and more efficient equipment, while "Dakota" Fred Hurt and his crew returned to the Porcupine Creek site.

The Hoffman crew mined 803oz. of gold earning them over $1.28 million, Parker and Dakota Fred mined 191oz. and 163oz, respectively, worth over a quarter million dollars each. This in comparison to the first season where nobody recovered more than 50oz. of gold.

Season 4

The fourth season began airing August 2013 and started with a pre-season episode called "The Dirt" featuring interviews with all of the teams featured in season three. "Gold Rush: Guyana South America" features the Hoffman crew in South America, Parker Schnabel guest-mining on new land with mentor Tony Beets, and "Dakota" Fred Hurt and his son Dustin mining at Cahoon Creek, a hard-to-reach, post-glacial area mined only with pickaxes in the late 1800s.

The real Season 4 premiere was October 25, 2013.

The Hoffman crew mined barely 2 ounces of gold and were forced to pack up and leave their Guyana mining operation; the Dakota boys mined 280 oz.; Parker and his crew mined 836 ounces by the end of the season. He then stayed and continued mining with Rick and picked up an additional 193, bringing his season total to 1,029 ounces. Parker's $1.4 million haul not only broke Todd Hoffman's single-season record of 803 oz., but also eclipsed Hoffman's entire four-season total.

Season 5

The two-hour Gold Rush Season 5 premiere kicked off Friday, October 17, 2014, at 9 PM ET/PT with The Dirt airing beforehand at 8 PM ET/PT on the Discovery Channel

By season's end, Parker mined 2,538 ounces totaling just under $3 million and the Hoffmans mined 1,349 ounces totaling just over $1.6 million.

Season 6

The two-hour Gold Rush Season 6 premiere started in the US on October 16, 2015, at 9 PM ET/PT with The Dirt airing beforehand at 8 PM ET/PT on the Discovery Channel, while the UK premiere was on October 20, 2015. By the season's end, Tony's dredge pulls out 737 ounces, Parker managed to mine 3,372 ounces worth almost $3.5 million, while the Hoffmans mined 3,032 ounces worth just over $3 million.

Season 7

Season 7 premiered on October 14, 2016.

Aftershows and specials

Numerous "aftershows" and specials have been produced that document behind-the-scenes action, additional footage, as well as interviews with miners and crew.

Gold Rush: The Jungle

Between the second and third seasons, Todd Hoffman and several crew members traveled to a remote site in Guyana in South America to determine the feasibility of opening up an operation there during the Klondike offseasons. The trip was covered in a single one-hour episode. Although they did discover gold on the claim site, it was not of a sufficient quantity to cover the high expenses of mining the remote site which was accessible only by hiking through a trackless jungle after a harrowing river passage. While the Hoffman crew does go to Guyana for season 4 a year later, given the low probability of profitability, Hoffman chose not to pursue the venture for season 3. The episode ended with doubt about whether they would return.

Gold Rush: South America

Between the third and the fourth seasons, Todd Hoffman and several crew members traveled to South America to prospect for gold in Peru, Chile, and Guyana. This was covered in several episodes, in a summer season for Gold Rush.

Cast

The Big Nugget mine used a crew of 4 for season 2 (Parker Schnabel crew), and 5 for season 3 (Parker Schnabel crew).

The Jim Nail Placer Mine used a crew of 7 for season 1 (Hoffman crew), 2 (3 at times) for season 2 (Dakota Fred crew), and 3 for season 3 (Dakota Fred crew).

The Quartz Creek mine used a crew of 7 for season 2 (Hoffman crew), and 6 for the first half of season 3 (Hoffman crew).

The Indian River mine used a crew of 6 for the first half of season 3 (Dave Turin crew), and 13 for the other half of season 3 (Hoffman/Turin crew).

The Q.O.D. Mine used a crew of 10 for season 4 (Hoffman crew).

The Scribner Creek Mine used a crew of 6 for season 4 (Parker Schnabel crew), and 8 for season 5 (Parker Schnabel crew).

The McKinnon Creek Mine used a crew of 8 for season 5 (Hoffman/Turin crew).

Current Cast:

Former Cast:

Locations

Alaskan Panhandle

Alaska, United States

Jim Nail Placer Mine, a tributary of the Klehini River in the Chilkat Valley, on the East bank of Porcupine Creek. The closest airport being Haines, Alaska. When the Hoffmans arrived at Porcupine Creek in Season 1, the mine was unnamed. In Season 2 'Dakota' Fred Hurt purchased the porcupine creek mine and renamed it the Jim Nail Placer Mine.(Coordinates: 59°25′6.91″N 136°13′48″W).

Big Nugget Mine "Emerson Trench" along the West Bank of Porcupine Creek; & Smith Creek / Smith Creek Hill and the Discovery Claim further up the valley. (Coordinates: 59°24′52.15″N 136°14′2.83″W).

The Klondike

Yukon, Canada in the Klondike Region, near Dawson City.

Quartz Creek Mine, outside of Dawson City: on Quartz Creek, at the confluence with Toronto Creek; & Calder Creek, 1 km North-west of Indian River Mine. (Coordinates: 63°45′41.74″N 139°6′53.70″W).

Indian River Mine, 2 miles from Quartz Creek Mine, on the Indian River 36 km South-west of Dawson City (Coordinates: 63°45′16.16″N 139°8′43.45″W).

McKinnon Creek Mine, 28 miles South of Dawson between McKinnon and Montana Creek. Leased from Klondike Gold Corp. (Coordinates: 63°41′45″N 138°59′49″W).

Scribner Creek Mine, 33 miles Southeast of Dawson City at the confluence of Scribner Creek and the Indian River. Leased from Tony Beets' company, Tamarack, Inc. (Coordinates: 63°37′07″N 138°42′29″W).

Eureka Creek Mine, 30 miles SSE of Dawson City at the confluence of Eureka Creek and the Indian River. Owned by Tamarack, Inc. (Coordinates: 63°37′37″N 138°49′13″W).

Guyana

The Jungle, near Mahdia, Guyana, South America on the Potaro River

Q.O.D. Claim (Coordinates [approx.] 5°22′45″N 59°07′46″W)

Maple Creek Cut, claim-jumped prior to Season 4

Patience Creek Cut

Redemption Creek Cut

Hope Creek Cut

Oregon

Baker County, 18 miles SSW of Baker City on west bench of Pine Creek

High Bar Mine (Coordinates: 44°31′30.54″N 117°55′25.43″W).

Colorado

Fairplay, Park County, 2 miles NW of Fairplay, south of Middle Fork of South Platte River

Katuska Pit, (gravel pit) (or Freedom Plant) 1215 Platte Drive, Fairplay, Colorado (Coordinates: 39°13′36.60″N 106°00′40.84″W).

Reception

As of its first season finale, Gold Rush Alaska was the most-watched Friday night program in all of US television among males 18–49 and women 25–54. For 13 consecutive weeks in its second season, Gold Rush continued to hold Friday's top rating in the demographic of men 18–49.