Last year, I watched the Hoffmans on their Gold Rush show for the first time. I binge-watched it on Netflix then caught up on TV. I thought they were a bunch of morons and I could do better; however, apart from Todd, they’ve improved alot.
When I saw an advert–also last year–for Jungle Gold, I thought I would watch it. The season ended with the guys getting robbed of some big hunk of gold they just did a black market deal for. I wondered if it were fake. Now, I have no doubts.
This season, Scott and George went back to Ghana. They were getting off to a rocky start then they conveniently left town. They had borrowed money from relatives three times. They just signed a lease for two new excavators and a loader AND got access for 30 days to a killer trommel. But then they find out they don’t have the right permits to actually mine. AND it is going to take 30 days to get the permits.
About the same time, there is an “attack” on a neighboring claim (probably true). They go back to their “base” where they find out that some minister has called for their arrest. After telling the viewers they expected the embassy to come get them with HMMWVs and helicopter (sorry to burst a bubble, but that only happens to embassy personnel). The embassy tells them to leave if they are worried so they start this scheme to leave. Anyway, here’s what clenched it for me:
- When they get to their hotel, the security guy goes and checks in. But they find out that there is a government conference at the hotel. They sneak everyone else into the hotel through an emergency exit, but you can see the security guys around to provide cover while they film this.
- They don’t take a commercial flight out, but they go to the airport and check in for their charter flight at what appears to be a normal airport check-in desk. They then go through the airport and immigration like everyone else. They then leave from a normal gate at the airport.
- Oh, and while all of this futzing is going on, you can see official people escort them through the airport.
These guys could have been in actual danger out in the bush. I’m sure it is wild-west-like out there. But if there really was a warrant out for their arrest, they never would have been allowed to leave. The security guards at the hotel and the escort through the airport were just too much. I could have believed they were leaving independent of that. But as a whole, it is way too convenient.
Really?? You just get a 3rd round of funding from family, lease a ton of NEW equipment, and be in for a $250,000 trommel; however, when you find out that you can’t mine legally suddenly there is a warrant out for your arrest and you have to sneak out of the country? really? Oh, and what ever made you think that a 3rd rate country would let you leave with millions of dollars of gold in the first place? Honestly…go to Alaska to do that….a 3rd world country that is probably corrupt won’t ever let you leave with their wealth.
They did a rededit ama (ask me anything) here: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1k1jmd/we_are_scott_george_from_discovery_channels/
Image from howvin via flickr