5.4 /10 1 Votes
5.2/10 TV Starring see Cast below Original language(s) English No. of episodes 28 Final episode date 26 April 2015 Genre Reality television | 5.7/10 IMDb Created by David Casey Country of origin United States No. of seasons 3 First episode date 21 April 2013 Network Animal Planet Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Similar Gold Rush, American Stuffers, Bering Sea Gold, Bering Sea Gold: Under Th, Prospectors Profiles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ice Cold Gold is a reality television series that airs on Animal Planet. The series follows a mining company called Sixty Degree Resources along with its eight members as they try to strike it rich in one of the harshest, most inhospitable places in the world. With the arctic summer lasting only two months, the cast fearlessly prospects and mines throughout Greenland hoping to unearth her hidden fortunes before the arctic winter comes back, covering everything with ice. During this small window of time, no risk outweighs the payoff as the prospectors endure severe arctic storms, ice-infested boat rides, fatal rock slides, volatile ice sheets, utter isolation, and discord amongst themselves.
Series
This series was developed by Animal Planet's Kurt Tondorf and based on an original concept by David Casey. Casey came up with the concept for the show after first visiting Greenland five years ago while a producer on Current TV's Vanguard series. He fell in love with the country -- "it became an addiction of mine"—and wanted to find a way to get back there. One of the stories he covered for Current was related to the international mining industry, and he thought that would be a topic worth exploring. He took the idea to Animal Planet and "they took a big risk and went right in. Casey adds that it wasn't hard to get Greenland authorities to approve the shoot, as the production was "welcomed with open arms."
The Hollywood Reporter wrote that, "Ice Cold Gold ... marks the first TV production of this caliber to be shot in Greenland." During filming, Casey emphasized to the crew the importance of showing the dangers of what the miners were doing as well as making sure "every single frame spoke to Greenland." He said it was important to show viewers at home "how rare an experience this was" but adds that extra precautions were taken to ensure the safety of the cast and crew. Still, he notes that everyone involved was aware of the risks—and the potential rewards.
Now, Ice Cold Gold Season 3 raises the bar yet again. There was not a single location accessible by road. The cast and crew had to hike hundreds of miles on foot and cross glaciers with heart-stopping crevasses. They conquered rock faces and quickly melting ice caves that no man had ever rappelled into. This fearless production lived for weeks on end at several locations only reachable by helicopter. No matter where they explored this season, the fatal beauty of Greenland was always present; unmoved by the prospectors ambitions, and uncaring to whether the men lived, or died.