Jungle Gold

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Jungle Gold
Genre Reality
Starring
  • George Wright
  • Scott Lomu
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 14
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Charlie Clay
  • Christo Doyle
  • Jos Cushing
  • Sam Maynard
Running time 41 to 44 minutes
Production company(s) Raw Television
Broadcast
Original channel Discovery Channel
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
1080i (HDTV)
Original run October 26, 2012 (2012-10-26) – present
External links
Website

Jungle Gold is an American reality television series on the Discovery Channel that debuted on October 26, 2012.[1][2]

Synopsis

The series follows George Wright and Scott Lomu as they attempt to earn some cash in order to recover from losing everything in the real estate crash of 2008.[3] It focuses on the duo as they encounter the task of gold placer mining in the Ashanti Belt along the Birim River in Ghana of West Africa. Aside from manpower from local villages, the pair use excavators, trommels and water pumps to mine. In the first season, the nearest town is Romaso. In the second season, the nearest town is Fahiakobo, both close to each other, with the nearest city being Dunkwa-On-Offin. Filming for the second season started on March 6, 2013,[4] with the season premiering on August 11, 2013.[5]

The return expedition to Ghana in the second season was cut short following an attack on a site nearby, by armed militia. The attack led to the injury of associate Allen Reece, and prompted the crew to leave the area in fear of their own safety. In the safety of the TV production compound in town, Scott and George learned that the Ghanaian Minister for Lands and Natural Resources issued an arrest warrant for them, along with the entire Discovery Channel film crew, in reaction to their exploits shown in the first season (which had just aired in Ghana), which he perceived to depict illegal mining activity.[6][7] George and Scott maintain that they have always operated in compliance with Ghanaian law[8] but fled from Ghana with the assistance of the Discovery Channel production crew rather than risking up to 5 years in a Ghanaian prison awaiting trial. The evacuation and drama surrounding it is shown in the final episode of the season. Since the incident, Scott & George have quietly made it known that they have worked with the Ghanaian government to clear their names, and have returned to the country at least once.

Episodes

Season Episodes Season Premiere Season Finale
1 8 October 26, 2012 (2012-10-26) December 7, 2012 (2012-12-07)
2 6 August 11, 2013 (2013-08-11) September 6, 2013 (2013-09-06)

Season 1 (2012)

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Original air date U.S. viewers
(million)
11 "Culture Shock" October 26, 2012 (2012-10-26)2.75[9]
22 "Hell and High Water" November 2, 2012 (2012-11-02)2.76[10]
33 "Shots Fired" November 9, 2012 (2012-11-09)2.46[11]
44 "Broken Man" November 16, 2012 (2012-11-16)2.69[12]
55 "Desperate Measures" November 23, 2012 (2012-11-23)2.79[13]
66 "Mad Scramble" November 30, 2012 (2012-11-30)2.64[14]
77 "Armed Robbery" December 7, 2012 (2012-12-07)2.74[15]
88 "Behind The Scenes Special" December 14, 2012 (2012-12-14)1.55[16]

Season 2 (2013)

No. in
series
No. in
season
Title Original air date U.S. viewers
(million)
91 "Deal with the Devil" August 11, 2013 (2013-08-11)1.40[17]
After securing new investments from family, Scott and George return to Ghana for a final attempt at finding their fortune. They make a 70/30 deal with David Thomas, for a 50-acre gold concession in the town of Fahiakobo. David gives the pair one week to find gold, and prove the claim is fiscally proven to contain gold. However, they struggle to repossess their excavators, which have been illegally used by old mining partners Chris & Singh. Aside from a near-fatal lowboy accident, a violent confrontation with the ex-partner's crew, and near disaster getting the machine to the site, Scott and George end the episode on a positive note, parking the machine on the new gold claim. 
102 "Family Emergency" August 18, 2013 (2013-08-18)0.96[18]
With just two days left to prove their new claim has gold to mining partner David Thomas, Scott & George switch into high-gear to get results. With their excavator in bad condition, however, they are forced to summon the local village to help them prospect. On the final day, a massive group of villagers arrive to help find gold, and accomplish digging over 50 test-pits. While most have no gold in them, Scott & George discover two which have high concentrations, with an estimated 4 grams per ton. David is pleased, but not convinced. He gives them more time to drill the site. Just as the pair prepares to bring in a drill rig, however, Scott discovers his son Kai has autism, and is forced to return home to sort out matters. With Scott gone, George pushes the fixed excavator to stay ahead of the drill rig, clearing a path as fast as he can. George is injured that night, after the excavator knocks a tree onto him, forcing the operation to grind to a halt. The following evening, Dave and the drilling crew crunch numbers to determine how much gold is on the claim. They discover 14,600 tons of gravel, containing between 1-4 grams per ton, which could yield $2.5 Million dollars. George signs a deal with David to mine the claim. 
113 "Run & Gun" August 25, 2013 (2013-08-25)0.85[19]
While Scott deals with whether to return to Ghana or not, George must continue to run things on his own. After meeting with Dave, George heads to the village of Bremin, where he finds his old trommel he used two years before. He plans to use it on the Fahiakobo site, but when he discovers it's been destroyed by looters, he is forced to confront Dave. Mining partner Allen Reece shows George an alternative to a trommel, which he calls a "Chinese Wash Plant". A Chinese plant has no moving parts, and processes just 40 tons of gravel per hour, but costs only $9,000 to build. George is out of cash though, and has to come up with a way to pay for the new machine. Back in Utah, Scott recruits Steven Slider, an old friend of his who runs excavators, to join the crew in Ghana. After meeting George at Fahiakabo though, he discovers the excavator to be barely operational, and questions the guys' strategies. However, Slider quickly proves himself in helping George with a shady gold deal, which yields them just enough money for the new Chinese Wash Plant. 
124 "Bailed Out" September 1, 2013 (2013-09-01)1.26[20]
George purchases the parts to build the new wash plant, but struggles to assemble the machine with the tools he has. Allen arrives with a special steel saw though, and work begins. As he builds the plant, Scott and George reunite, and along with Slider, plot where to setup their new plant. However, Allen and their hired excavator driver destroy the plant as they attempt to move it, due to the faulty excavator moving it the wrong way. With failure eminent, David Thomas gives up on Scott and George, and takes matters into his own hands. He visits Alpesh, a gold miner who builds high-tech gold trommels, capable of processing over 200 Tons per hour, five times what the chinese plants can. He strikes a deal with Alpesh, and moves the new trommel to the Fahiakobo claim. On the way however, Slider has to make a bush fix to the drive shaft on the machine, and nearly crashes the trommel as they move it onto the claim. Dave reveals it cost him $20,000 to lease the machine, and puts pressure on the guys to begin producing gold. 
135 "Wild Ride" September 6, 2013 (2013-09-06)0.74[21]
146 "Run for the Border" September 6, 2013 (2013-09-06)1.23[21]

Syndication

The series has been syndicated on the following networks and titles:

External links

See also

References

  1. Bibel, Sara (October 15, 2012). "New Series 'Jungle Gold' to Premiere Friday, October 26 on Discovery". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 31, 2013. 
  2. "Two American Rookie Gold Miners Put It All on the Line in Hopes of Striking It Rich in Ghana in Discovery Channel's All-New Series "Jungle Gold"". The Futon Critic. October 15, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2013. 
  3. "Jungle Gold: About The Show". Retrieved October 27, 2012. 
  4. "George Wright — Twitter Status". March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013. 
  5. Kondolojy, Amanda (July 30, 2013). "Discovery's Hit Series 'Jungle Gold' Returns for Season Two on August 11". TV by the Numbers (Press release). 
  6. "Ghana gov’t orders arrest of two Americans from Utah". Vibe Ghana. May 10, 2013. 
  7. "'Jungle Gold' film: Gov't orders arrest of two US nationals". Ghana Web. May 10, 2013. 
  8. REDDIT: We are Scott & George from Discovery Channel's Jungle Gold
  9. "Friday's Cable Ratings: "Gold Rush" Returns on Top for Discovery". Retrieved December 20, 2012. 
  10. "Friday's Cable Ratings: "Gold Rush" Holds Off NBA Surge on ESPN". Retrieved December 20, 2012. 
  11. "Friday's Cable Ratings: "Gold Rush" Continues Win Streak for Discovery". Retrieved December 20, 2012. 
  12. "Friday's Cable Ratings: "Gold Rush" Tops Night for Fourth Consecutive Week". Retrieved December 20, 2012. 
  13. "Friday's Cable Ratings: "iCarly" Wraps Run on Top for Nickelodeon". Retrieved December 20, 2012. 
  14. "Friday's Cable Ratings: "Gold Rush" Tops Demos for Sixth Straight Week". Retrieved December 20, 2012. 
  15. "Friday's Cable Ratings: Discovery, Disney Channel Top Charts". Retrieved December 20, 2012. 
  16. "Friday's Cable Ratings: "Gold Rush" Extends Demo Streak to Eight Weeks". Retrieved December 20, 2012. 
  17. Bibel, Sara (August 13, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Breaking Bad' Wins Night, 'True Blood', 'Low Winter Sun', 'Devious Maids', 'Dexter', 'The Newsroom' & More". TV by the Numbers. 
  18. Kondolojy, Amanda (August 20, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Breaking Bad' Wins Night + 'True Blood', 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', NASCAR, 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' & More". TV by the Numbers. 
  19. Yanan, Travis (August 27, 2013). "Sunday's Cable Ratings: MTV Overshadows Competition with "Video Music Awards"". The Futon Critic. 
  20. Bibel, Sara (September 4, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Breaking Bad' Wins Night, NASCAR, 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Total Divas', 'Sister Wives' & More". TV by the Numbers. 
  21. 21.0 21.1 Yanan, Travis (September 9, 2013). "Friday's Cable Ratings: Syfy Tops Viewers, Demos with "WWE Smackdown"". The Futon Critic. 
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