The only guy I have any respect for is the guy from the family-run quarry that joined them this year (Thurber?). It's obvious as hell that he's got a good head on his shoulders, even if it's being surrounded by retards. Watching the show, I was amazed at how well shit was going for them... actually got up and running in a few days, pans of gold, etc. I was actually kind of depressed to see that. But then Fred shows up and kicks them out. AWESOME! They're all pissed at Fred, but it was really Todd that fucked them over. Missing a payment on the lease was what caused that shit to happen, and I don't think Fred did anything at all wrong. It's a business, and he did what any businessman would do, and that's take advantage of an opportunity that presented itself. I hope he recovers a ton of gold out of Jack's fucking glory hole. And speaking of Jack... driving off into the distance in his beloved 400? I laughed so fucking hard I was crying. He's the biggest problem on that crew... and watching him do shit his way because he thinks he knows what he's doing is just an accident waiting to happen. Them re-positioning that pump was case in point. It took Thurber to get him to just back up 6 feet and fix the problem, all while Jack's just being an idiot. The one good thing that I've seen was that the mechanic's got some relief from his back pain. That was very cool of those docs to step up and help him, and I'm no expert, but it was plain to see from that MRI that it's a serious bit of damage he's got. I don't wish constant pain like that on anyone, so seeing him get the relief and being able to rejoin this year was a great thing. I also like his approach to shit, like when he redid that wiring. He did the right thing, even if Jack was being a whiny little bitch behind him.
The only thing I didn't like about that was the way he told them. Making them get everything set up and draining the water was a dick move. I hope they keep a camera crew filming Fred because I want to see what comes out of that glory hole.
The only dick move was Earl selling the claim out under them without telling them. He's the one that had the lease with them, and he should have been the one to tell them and let them know what was going on. But it was pretty clear that he was totally pissed off with Todd so might have just said "fuck it" and didn't care about them any more. I could understand that position. Especially if Todd missed a lease payment. Who knows what was going on with that stuff. But then there's the whole spin shit that goes on with the show... you have to wonder what was done to script that to make Fred more of the bad guy. The other thing that amazes me is how much Todd and his dad are into this WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY, but when it comes to selling their own shit to fund it (like the airport, etc), they don't want to. I just get the whole used-car slimy feeling from Todd and a big part of me wants to see him fail and get his ass handed to him.
Given all the fun Fred had with the crew the previous season, I would have done the exact same thing in his shoes. I agree with Net, it was depressing as hell to see them doing so well at first. Especially after seeing the off-season episode (moments like the corny advise from the mother and the way the new guy got off work).
Anyone know of any behind-the-scenes blogs like there was from last year? For that matter, the guy that posted all the juicy shit in it said he was going to be doing something this year... anyone know any details about it, or was that just shit talking that never panned out? (Hahahaha! panned out... I slay me). And I'd also love to know the timing of the deed transfer to Fred. It very well may be that he bought the claim the day he showed up to kick them out, and the show was edited to make it look like he had it for a long time before hand.
Thurber is the dude with the serious 1880's mustache not the competent quarry runner guy. I am wondering how edited the whole first episode was. But I guess I see where D Fred is coming from, if I bought a place, even if offered to have a show filmed there, it'd be worth much more just to buy the shit from them and have competent paid workers there. I guess I am in the minority but I was glad that they were making early head way. Honestly watching them fuck up is fun but watching another half or more season of them not seeing a damn thing seems boring. I think it'd be much more interesting if they didn't have to spend so much time working the kinks out and actually showed them getting down to business. If this is basically just a repeat of season one because they have to start from scratch again I'll lose interest pretty fast. Did they ever figure out how to do the final separation of material? They said fuck it to the wave table and only had that dudes invention for a little while last season. They didn't show anything about it in this first episode, they just filled another set up buckets and had the old man pan a single fucking handful again. Maybe they edited it out to get the Dakota Fred thing out of the way but damn if I wasn't thinking about it. Also, was there a preseason episode or something I missed when did they explain about the dudes bad back and family advice?
From the way the show was edited and some dialogue, it seemed like he just got the deal finalized as he came there, even though it had been in the works for a while. I was thinking about that as well. I remember them wasting countless hours doing it by hand last season. I'd have thought that with all the other preparations and new equipment, they'd have also learned something about separating the gold. And yes, there was an episode about the off-season, where they showed Todd getting all the shit together, the mechanic getting his back fixed etc.
After seeing the mom interviewed, two things are clear; 1. She is just as big of a dingbat, airheaded fuckup as her husband and son. They deserve each other. 2. She just wants to get the old man out of the house for as long as possible. Sell the airport? If it will get the crazy old coot out of the house for a few months, YES.
As hilarious as it was when Jack ran off into the woods with the 400, I think this whole scene with the pump had more to do with editing than Jack being a complete moron. Aside from the initial yelling back and forth, most of the dialogue was the narrator setting up the scene. Considering the number of camera angles they used to make it seem that drawn out, I'd be surprised if the whole thing took more than a minute or two to sort out. Got to agree with you as far as Dakota Fred goes though. He seems like a huge dick for coming in and buying the claim after the Hoffmans put as much work into the claim as they had, but it's Todd's own stupid ass fault for missing a payment. (Also, Dave is the quarry owner that convinced Jack to back the 400 up to drop the pump. Thurber's the one with the mustache that looks he glued a halloween costume to his face)
I have trouble even believing that the missed payment and the buying of the claim right from under them isn't all scripted for drama. Would anybody be interested in the show if they just started raking in the dough from day one. Also, being on the same claim, when things break, it's all going to be so similar to last year. This way, with them needing to find a new place, they get to start over and it's more drama for viewers and can easily fill a season with suspense. Dakota Fred buying all their stuff makes it seem more real that they have seed money for the new claim and equipment. All so very convenient. I'm trying to stomach this show as there is so much potential for learning about gold mining and the excitement of it all but it's getting harder and harder to watch with the supreme level of stupidity involved and the apparent "fakeness" of their situation. I like to believe that people can't be that stupid, but maybe I'm wrong and these guys really are that bad.
I agree the claim jumping by DF seems very scripted. There could have been plenty of drama at the same sight with these idiots. Maybe the glory hole dries up and they have to scout a new digging location, or multiple ones. Or the drama that arises when the gold they are turning out doesn't cover cost and people and material have to go. Not to mention BEARS!!!!!!!!! If there is really one thing that really turns me off about this show is that it has chosen scripted drama over insight and learning in a pretty interesting subject. Hearing Dorsey's ideas for his own show I had hoped a similar knock off would be produced and it would be more serious (ala Sons of Guns and that American Guns show that tries to take itelf a little more seriously). Seriously there are multiple knock offs for Pawn Stars, American Pickers, and anything else that becomes mildly popular today, why can't we see something about real gold prospecting?
I have to agree with the last couple of posters. A lot of the stuff in the last episode really seemed scripted and phony. Reading Dorsey's blog last year definitely took away lot of the desire to watch and be invested in this show for me. The only reason I can think of why it seems so fake is because of the nature of the work. Lots of loud machinery and the need for actual work to be done must make it hard for the sound and camera crews to get stuff as it happens. Some or most of the drama is probably "pick ups" and these guys are NOT good actors. I also found how the edited the back story a little clumsy and confusing. It seemed to jump all over. I also noticed that it seemed like they all had brand new Ford trucks. Maybe some donating went on like the doctors who donated their services to Harness? I just don't know. I am interested to see if they get anything going on a virgin Klondike claim, but I don't think this show will be around too long.
I can't access facebook at work, but apparently, Dakota Fred is posting a lot of stuff on the Goldrush facebook page. He's claiming that Todd was looking to get out of his lease and that this whole "claim jumping" thing was just made up by Discovery.
I just looked up the Gold Rush page and Dakota Fred took down his Facebook page, and his comments along with it, because of death threats. Death threats? Really? WTF??
People on average are just dumb. Dumb as the Hoffmans. Well they totally blew me away this week. I'll happily watch the show with TWO other mines season's in play. Now it's not how bad will the Hoffmans do, it's how fucking bad they'll do up against a man with an orthopedic shoe and a 16 year old kid. My outlook as of right now has totally changed on how well the show would have kept my attention this season.
I was really impressed with how the kid dealt with Fred. Most 16 year old kids would be intimidated by a cranky old fuck like Fred, but he has an air of diplomacy that most adults could only hope to have.
What the fuck was the point of "contention" between the two? Made it seem like they'll be competing for the same bucket loads of dirt or one of them had screwed the other out of a supplier for men or materials. At the end of their little talk Fred just said they have a friendly rivalry on who'll dig out the most gold. The fuck does everything have to be so dramatic god damnit. JUST GET THE GOLD! I did find it funny the kid found more gold in one day than the Hoffmans did in a month. Out of USED dirt. Either way, the place the hoffmans snagged up looks fucking terrible and I hope they don't find shit.
Agreed about the kid... wise and mature beyond his years, and I bet a lot of that was instilled in him by his grandfather and family. Kudos to them. But let's face it, the kid has a huge advantage in that he's stepping in to take over an already operational mining operation, that has had years to work out the kinks. The only real decision I've seen so far was him basically thinking of a new place to go grab dirt from. Not putting him down or anything, just pointing out that he's hitting the ground running, and has lots of experience at his disposal. I love the editing that basically showed Dakota Fred having a retard moment throwing rocks into the holding pond, filling it back up. And I still am guessing the morons will fail.
One of my favorite episodes so far. Was really interesting to see how the 16 year old and Dakota Fred are going to go about looking for gold. I was kinda hoping the Hoffman's wash plant fell off the truck.