Fred Hurt of Gold Rush weighs his Gold

With running costs of $1,000 per day, Fred Hurt and his crew at Porcupine Creek will only start turning a profit once they extract at least 50 ounces of gold from the mine.
That may not sound like a lot, but it's worth a whopping $80,000 and, as "Gold Rush: Alaska" (Fri., 9 p.m. EST on Discovery) showed, to mine even that much takes months of hard work.
At reckoning time, a tense Fred sat contemplating his pot of gold and admitted that he didn't know if he'd hit the 50-ounce mark or not. "I've not weighed all this gold ever. I've weighed it separately occasionally, but ... I don't know if this is gonna work or not."
As Fred poured the gold onto the weighing scales the other miners fidgeted nervously. They hit 49 ounces, but the pot was looking empty. Would they make it to 50 ounces?
Finally, a whoop of delight from Fred -- the gold weighed in at 50.7 ounces. They were now making a profit!

gold rush TV update

the hit tv show rated #1 with 18-49 males

The Big Nugget mine used a crew of 3 for season 1 (John Schnabel crew), and 4 for season 2 (Parker Schnabel crew).

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

The Quartz Creek mine used a crew of 7 for season 2 (Hoffman crew)

Seasons	Name	Details
1-	Todd Hoffman (age 41)	Remembering his father's gold mining adventures in the 1980s, Todd manages to secure a mining claim (from a friend of his father), then assembles the equipment and rest of the crew to move to Alaska.[8]
1-	Jack Hoffman (age 65)	Father of Todd, he previously mined for gold in Alaska 25 years ago, and joins the crew for a second chance to live his dream.[9]
1	Jimmy Dorsey (age 34)	A Realtor and self-confessed adrenaline junkie. He left the mining crew in season one. He was tired and said that he will come back but he needs his time.[10]
1-	James Harness (age 54)	The crew mechanic, he prides himself on being able to repair nearly anything. However, a car wreck has left him with metal pins in his ankle and a severe spinal injury which, due to lack of finances, he cannot afford to have surgically repaired.[11] A Baltimore medical center donated a medical procedure to correct his back problem, which resulted in the need for yearly injections.[12]
1-	Greg Remsburg (age 41)	Lifelong friend of Todd, he is an experienced construction supervisor. However, he has not had steady work and has been forced to take handouts to feed his family.[13]
1-	Jim Thurber (age 54)	An expert sheet metal worker with more than 30 years experience, he serves as the crew's safety officer. The economic downturn cost him his business, and one more late mortgage payment will result in foreclosure.[14]
1-	Chris Doumitt (age 59)	Originally he was only meant to come to Alaska for ten days — to help build a cabin for Greg Remsburg and his family. But gold mining quickly got under his skin and he ended up staying for five months and becoming a key member of the team. He calls himself a "pumpologist".[15]
2-	Dave Turin (age 52)	A guest star for several episodes of season 1, he comes on full time for season 2. He is an experienced quarry foreman. Todd convinces him to chase his gold mining dream and join the group and leave his job.[16]He doesn't stay too long after.
2-	"Dakota" Fred Hurt (age 68)	After making appearances in several episodes in season 1, Dakota Fred returns for season 2 to purchase the Jim Nail Placer mine to mine himself with his own crew. [17]
2-	Parker Schnabel (age 17)	Parker was given the Big Nugget mine in season 2 when his grandfather, John Schnabel, decided to step down. [18]
1-	John Schnabel (age 92)	Recurring guest star, owner of Big Nugget mine
1	Earle Foster	Recurring guest star, owner of Jim Nail Placer Mine in season 1

Locations

Alaskan Panhandle

Alaska, USA

• Porcupine Creek (in the Chilkat Valley, closest airport being Haines, Alaska)
  • Big Nugget Mine (Porcupine Creek & Smith Creek / Smith Creek Hill)
    

    Season 2-

  • Jim Nail Placer Mine (the "gloryhole")
    

    Season 1-

  
  

The Klondike

The Yukon, Canada

• Quartz Creek (outside of Dawson City, Yukon, near the confluence with Toronto Creek)
  • Quartz Creek Mine
    

    Season 2-

 Episodes

[edit] Season 1 (2010-2011)

During season 1, the series was named Gold Rush: Alaska, and the mining occurred at Porcupine Creek, on the Alaskan panhandle.

Episode #	Episode title	Original airdate	US viewers (millions)
1 (1)	"No Guts, No Glory"	December 3, 2010	2.17
In the face of the economic meltdown, six men will risk everything to strike it rich mining for gold in the wilds of Alaska. Todd Hoffman of Sandy, Oregon, along with his father, are leading a group of greenhorn miners in search of the American dream and a new frontier. Gold fever is back, and the rush is on.[19]
2 (2)	"Gold, Guns and Bears"	December 10, 2010	2.07
The stakes get higher at the Porcupine Creek prospect as reality sets in about just how little time they have to get to their gold. The miners start to rebuild the mining ghost town but the bears aren't so keen on their new neighbors — and they let them know it.[20]
3 (3)	"Running Dirt"	December 17, 2010	2.92
The crew races to set up the mining plant and start running dirt. When the families arrive from Oregon and question the lack of gold and the men's only mechanic becomes dangerously ill, the tension builds so high that Dorsey and Todd almost come to blows.[20]
4 (4)	"The Ultimate Price"	January 7, 2011	3.71
The team attempts to finally run potential pay dirt through the wash plant. But a visit from the Department of Fish and Game reveals a violation, jeopardizing their vital water supply to the mine. Then disaster strikes as Todd's daughter fights for her life.[20]
5 (5)	"The Pain Barrier"	January 14, 2011	3.54
The miners continue to run dirt but an equipment malfunction brings the operation to a halt. Meanwhile, James Harness collapses and Jimmy Dorsey drives a wedge between himself and the crew when he takes on an extra job to earn cash. But hard work late into the night finally hits a pay streak.[20]
6 (6)	"Gold Fever"	January 21, 2011	3.30
The miners' futures are on the line at Porcupine Creek. After 80 days, the miners are behind schedule, and the Hoffmans have run out of money and deliver the crew an ultimatum: find $10,000 worth of gold in the next two days, or the families have to head home to Oregon. Meanwhile, after Dorsey struggles with the wave table, tensions flare and fists fly.[20]
7 (7)	"Going for Broke"	January 28, 2011	3.43
With winter weather closing in, a gold recovery expert comes to help the rookies. Todd discovers a major design flaw in the equipment and is forced to make huge modifications. With the credit cards maxed out, he is forced to take desperate measures.[20]
8 (8)	"Bad Blood"	February 4, 2011[21]	3.66
The crew remains in a deep financial hole. Veteran miner "Dakota" Fred thinks he can turn things around and he cranks up production faster than ever before. But when things start falling apart, tensions mount and Harness can't keep his frustration in.[20]
9 (9)	"Bedrock or Bust"	February 11, 2011[21]	3.89
Desperate to get to bedrock and large quantities of gold, Todd and Jack throw caution to the wind and dig deeper than ever before. With the brutal Alaskan winter threatening, they battle floods, cave-ins and equipment breakdowns.[20]
10 (10)	"Never Say Die"	February 18, 2011[21]	4.55
With the arctic winter looming, the crew races against the clock. Rain and thawing snow flood the mine and Jack puts his life on the line as the glory hole caves in around the massive 100,000 pound excavator.[20]
11 (11)	"Full Disclosure (SPECIAL)"	February 25, 2011[21]	2.49
The Hoffman crew spent five months and over quarter of a million dollars in a desperate attempt to find gold in Alaska. With previously un-aired material, this special reveals what went wrong and how the guys plan to hit the mother lode next season.[20] This episode uses the season 1 titlecard.