[Shawn] We got dumped on here yesterday.
We got all kinds of fresh snow.
It looks like we're about done with it, though.
It looks like we got a really nice, solid week coming up.
We'll be able to make a lot of gold this week.
[narrator] Shawn Pomrenke is sitting pretty
after making a deal to mine on Vernon's Claim 56.
I'll give you two weeks, no royalties,
and then, after that, 15%.
[Shawn] Sounds like a deal, then.
[narrator] Since then, he's been racking up the ounces.
There's gold, it's yellow. I like it.
[narrator] And currently, he's at the top of the leaderboard.
[Shawn] The price of gold is kicking ass right now.
I got the inland I got to get rolling.
You got to take advantage of these nice days.
The season's starting out strong.
Vernon gave me the first two weeks on 56 royalty free.
So, we've been making it count.
We need every ounce we can get because, starting this inland mine,
it's not gonna be cheap.
We've been working a pastry. And today, we're gonna go hammer it out.
I'm gonna go ahead and get suited up.
[Joe] This thing's giving us some trouble.
Well, we might have a engine issue.
[Joe chuckles] Nope.
We've got a lot of hours on this engine.
[Joe] She's locked up solid.
She's done for, boys.
[man] Well, we'd better break the news to Shawn.
It's pretty bad.
[Shawn] What are you thinking, Joe?
We're [bleep].
[Shawn] This is a punch in the gut.
Our pump engine's dead.
And without this engine, we're not mining.
Okay. I'll get my clothes back on.
The soonest I can get a new one up here is tomorrow.
So, that means we're gonna burn up royalty-free time.
It's never good to be shut down.
-[narrator] Suddenly... -[Shawn] Man, this sucks.
...Nome's gold-count leader is knocked out of commission...
creating an opportunity for the rest of the fleet to move up the ladder.
But in mining, you're only as strong as the sum of your parts.
So, which squad has what it takes...
to grab the crown while the king is down?
On the outskirts of town...
[cell phone rings]
[Vernon] Yeah. Hey, Larry.
[Larry] Hey. How's it going?
No new developments since the last time I've talked to you.
Gary is saying he wants an apology.
He's not getting an apology from me.
If an apology is coming, it's coming from him.
-[Larry] All right. Talk to you soon. Let me know. -Yep.
[narrator] All is not well in the Adkison camp.
[Vernon] This is a tough one.
My main diver, Gary,
he's got personal problems at home,
and it's reflecting on all of us because,
well, I mean, you can't bring your personal problems to the job.
[narrator] On the team's first trip to the ice,
tensions erupted between the salty skipper and his lead diver.
[Gary] If it ain't gonna [bleep] work, it ain't gonna [bleep] work.
If you don't want to do it, then don't do it.
[narrator] ...leading to a day on the ice with no dive.
The result is, he's got a bad attitude.
And it doesn't seem like he wants to roll.
[narrator] Now, the jury is out as to whether Gary stays or goes.
He think he's running the [bleep] damn show.
You know, it's like on a ship.
You've got a captain. You've got a chief mate. You've got a boat.
You know, you don't step over the lines.
Generally, what happens, when you get a good diver,
it's hard for them not to cop a prima donna attitude.
You've got to have your head in the game,
and you've got to have a good attitude.
And that's not happening.
So, today is D-day.
Either we get this straightened out
or he gets on a plane and gets the hell out of here.
I'm on the best claim in town, and we've got some of the only workable ice in Nome.
I've got guys mining on 56 paying me royalties.
I should be living like a king.
But my own operation is a dumpster fire right now.
I need to sort this out right quick.
Perfect.
Hey, guys, yo!
Let's have a morning shape up over here.
Everybody try to stay focused, keep your head in the game,
and let's all try to have a decent attitude.
-Yep. -[Vernon] Okay?
Yep.
Some days, you wake up and, you know, you spill your coffee.
You drop everything, you know.
You just kind of, like, want to just call it...
You know, I mean, when you get a couple of hard-headed alpha type males,
they're going to bump heads every now and then.
-Yeah. -So, let's put that behind us and get on with our job...
-[men] Yeah. -...all right?
-Let's shake, rattle, and roll. -[Gary] Yeah.
It's all good. It's all good.
We had some ruffled feathers.
But we're all big boys, and get past that [bleep] and get on about our business.
Hopefully, all that garbage is behind us, and we can get back to mining.
I need Gary to get down there and do what he does best...
Captain!
...because we need to find some gold of our own.
That's how you make the big money.
-All right, we ready? -[Larry] Let's fire it up, Kevin.
[engine rumbling]
[Vernon] We got the flow.
It's working.
Kind of excited. We might have
some money in our box at the end of the day.
[Larry speaking]
[Gary speaking]
[air mask hissing]
[breath hissing]
[water gurgling]
[breath continues hissing]
[Gary speaking]
[Vernon] It's all good. It's all good.
[Gary speaking]
Full throttle.
[motor whining]
[Vernon] Tell him to throttle up.
[Larry] Okay, full throttle.
[Gary speaking]
[Larry speaking]
-[Vernon] Boulders are good. -[Larry] Big boulders.
[Vernon] Big boulders are even better.
There is marine growth that's showing,
which indicates that this ground has not been worked before.
If it had been worked before,
those rocks had been run through a sluice box,
and dropped into a tailings pile,
you wouldn't see them scattered around like this.
And you wouldn't see that marine growth like you're seeing.
[Larry] I see a lot of it, yeah.
[Vernon] We're on virgin ground here.
[Gary speaking]
[Vernon] Everything is working good.
The box is looking good.
I got high hopes this is gonna be a gold-bearing hole.
Finally!
[Chris] So, this year, I'm happy, I'm stoked.
I got married, and I started a family. I got a baby boy now.
It's... He's a month and two weeks. So, and...
just like... I wanna run a pro style industrious,
you know, really, you know, all about mining and making money, and...
Because, at the end of the day,
I have a lot of things on the line.
I'm trying to dial in which crew
that I should keep this winter, you know?
So far, the current crew I got,
I'm not so sure about them,
and I really need that... that crew that I...
Because this is a different ice season this year.
Cap, who put the spark plugs in here last night?
The threads are stripped.
[narrator] Last time out, mistakes by the crew
pushed young gun, Chris McCully, to the brink...
Nobody's brave enough to tell me,
"Chris, I crossed the threads of the plug."
You guys don't even know how to put a spark plug back on.
...leaving the team's future twisting in the frigid Nome air.
I might have to go through a crew change.
[narrator] Now, it's decision time for the boss.
I had to make a strong call to where I can say,
"You know what? I don't like you. You gotta go."
You know, I need to have that kind of attitude,
because if I keep being that nice guy,
even though it's slowing me down... you know, I'm done with that.
This year is all about new Chris.
It's, like, you know, it's gonna be better, it's going to be badder.
This is the beginning of it, you know? This year is the beginning of it.
Ever since I got that baby boy, I feel like my life has changed a lot, you know.
I've got more than ever on the line this season.
It's that simple.
I fixed the motor that my team screwed up.
But if they're gonna make another mistake, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to let them go.
All right. You know, I don't really like it, but it's how it's gonna be.
I will talk to them today, and we'll see where things stand.
I get to the camp and there were no signs of those two guys.
They literally bailed on me.
So, I... you know, I know I can be tough sometimes.
[man speaking]
[Chris] It was fine when we first started it.
[bleep] cam, man. I swear to [bleep]. We're [bleep] around, dude.
What the [bleep] is this [bleep] operation?
You guys are [bleep] around, man!
I just want people to be good at their jobs.
And now, I'm here on my own.
Those two guys quit.
I'm not gonna let them slow me down.
It's gonna take a little bit of time to get things set up.
But I'm gonna get my dive today, no matter what, you know.
Because I'm gonna put four hours in today,
and get myself some three to four ounces.
You know, you never know.
That's the mission. I'm gonna give my 100% today.
I got my battery, I got gas.
So, I'm ready to rock and roll.
[narrator] Solo diving in the Bering Sea is rare.
[generator buzzes]
But not for Chris McCully...
[Chris over radio] Even though I don't have a tender, that's okay.
...as he's thrown caution to the wind numerous times.
[Chris] But for me, I'm going to get it.
[narrator] Without the benefit of anyone topside, in case of emergency.
[Chris speaking]
[narrator] But those solo dives were in the summer,
never under the ice,
where dangers are multiplied.
If anything should go wrong with the hot water, the air, or reaching the dive hole,
Chris' decision to go it alone could be his last.
[engine rumbling]
[Chris speaking]
[Kris] Okay. You ready to rock and roll? Let's do this.
[narrator] After an ice cold start to the season...
[diver speaking]
[narrator] Kris Kelly's plan to work a seldom mined claim finally bore fruit.
[diver laughs, speaks in sing song tone]
Yeah!
I gotta get my hat on. It's a little windy.
[narrator] Now, the captain's ready to make his first dive of the season...
[Kris] Let's get this heating up.
...and he's intent on showing the team how to rake in the gold.
[Kris] You really need to preheat most of your equipment
before you start running it or it's gonna blow up on you.
Preheat the equipment.
Get the hot water system going. Chip out the hole.
Bam, that's how we do it.
This season's been rocky so far.
It's taken too long to get us on gold.
But now that we're on it, it's up to me as team leader
to put in a good dive and make up for lost time.
I'm gonna step up, do my dive, and crush it.
You got this, right?
-What? -Everything.
About what, [bleep]. This is what I do for a living.
I got this.
Oh, I need a little piece of rope because I broke the weight belts.
[Andy laughs boisterously]
So, you need something, huh?
Yeah, the plan is get down there,
move a lot of material,
and just get gold.
[air mask hissing]
[Kris breathing over radio]
[Andy speaking]
[Kris speaking]
[Andy speaking]
[Kris speaking]
Idle up!
It's the [bleep] power to be.
Hook it up, get down, start working.
[Kris speaking]
[Andy speaking]
[Kris speaking]
That's what I like to hear. About time.
[Kris speaking]
Everything's going smoothly.
Rummage down there and sucking up the material, and he sees gold,
which is a relief, because if he sees gold,
then we're on good gold.
[Kris speaking]
[over radio] Yeah!
[narrator] Across the ice...
[Vernon] Okay, Gary, why don't you try to give me an assessment?
[breath hissing over radio]
[Gary speaking]
[narrator] The Adkison team may be back on the same page,
but after three hours,
the gold hasn't gotten the memo.
[Gary speaking]
[Vernon] The good news is, Gary is focused again,
and he and I are back in rhythm.
The bad news is, he doesn't think there's much gold on the spot.
Singing "Kumbaya" is fine and dandy,
but if you're not making money, who gives a damn?
[Gary speaking]
[Vernon speaking]
[Kevin] Pull it in! Pull it in!
[engine rumbling]
All right. You good?
I know I didn't really see much gold.
Over there looks better.
It looks like it starts to turn into, like, a sand cobble.
-Go get warm. -Go get warm, man.
[Vernon] Gary covered a ton of ground and moved a lot of material.
He thinks it will be better just a little ways away.
But before we move, we'll clean up what we've got.
Maybe it will surprise us.
I still got my fingers crossed
this is gonna be a good hole.
[narrator] Time now for another Social Hour with Vernon.
I'll check my social media and see what the trolls are doing today.
[Vernon reading post]
Well, what I do with it, net it up.
I can work 56 for the rest of the time I'm on this planet.
I've had some successful seasons
and some seasons that were not successful.
Here we are, sitting at the dock.
I've got no divers.
On average, it's been like break-even.
Two ounces? Well, I'll be damned.
And what do I do with any profit I make?
The same thing I've done with all my other money.
I roll it back into the operation.
I've bought properties, I've bought claims, I've bought equipment.
Comes equipped with a toilet.
-[beeping noise] -Bells and whistles.
I'm investing in the future of my mining operation.
I'm a risk taker. Always have been.
I may fail, but guess what?
[bleep] damn it! I'll fail while I'm trying.
If I do make it, what good's it gonna do me?
I'm coming up on 80 here in a couple of years.
What am I going to do? Buy a [bleep] jet or something?
I mean, this is what I like to do.
I find it interesting, challenging.
And I don't want to sit home on my duff, watching TV,
or out there on the golf course, playing that foolish game of golf!
I'm playing the game of gold. That's serious business, baby.
[narrator] We hope you enjoyed another Social Hour with Vernon.
[Chris speaking]
[narrator] After two hours solo diving under the ice...
[Chris speaking]
[narrator] ...so far, Chris McCully is enjoying
the alone time with his gold.
[Chris speaking]
[engine rumbling]
[Chris groans]
[engine rumbling]
Let's go check the box before we get out of here.
I'm owning great gold, but I can't get it without a team.
In the summer, maybe.
But in the winter, with all this ice, it's just too risky.
So, I really gotta come up with a team quick.
[narrator] Five miles east...
[Andy speaking]
How do you feel?
[Kris speaking]
[narrator] After two hours under the ice...
[Kris speaking]
...the captain's setting an impressive example for the team.
[Kris speaking]
[Andy speaking]
We're having an issue with one of my dive gloves.
[Kris speaking]
[Andy] So, I don't think he's gonna last too long today
because his hand's already cold and he's already bitching.
[Kris speaking]
[Andy speaking]
[Kris speaking]
[Andy speaking]
[Kris speaking]
[Andy speaking]
Sounds good, Jay.
See? That's all you gotta say. "Sounds good, Jay."
[Kris speaking]
PJ! Coming up!
[Kris] You see that? Right here. I can't feel my left hand anymore.
[Andy] Yeah, that's a big hole, dude.
My fingers, now that I'm dethawed, they hurt bad.
I pushed it too far.
[Andy] Come on now. [bleep] happens.
[Kris] I can't dive anymore today.
There's nothing I can do.
[John speaking]
[Kris] Oh, ground's hot.
As the boss, I wanted to blow everyone away.
This glove situation screwed me.
But I got us on the gold and I got the team to keep us there.
Reaper Nation is strong as hell.
John's gonna jump down, he's got everything ready to rock and roll.
Yeah.
[Kris] Okay, good. You pull your weight.
Pull us along behind you, too. And everything's going good.
I'm gonna go start the pump.
Yukon John is going down.
The ground is really good.
We've got lots of gold and it's time to make some money.
All right. It's game time. I'm warmed up now.
[engine rumbling]
[breath hissing]
Hey, John, how's it going?
[John speaking]
See any gold?
[John speaking]
Yukon John's doing good. He's on the nozzle, sucking up material.
Yeah, I got it.
[groans] It's always something.
We had a couple of massive icebergs
come right underneath the hole and try to plug it up a little bit.
[narrator] Mining in the Bering Sea is always risky.
But when you dive in winter, there's only one way down and one way up.
And that's through the hole in the ice.
If the dive hole gets blocked...
[Shawn groans]
...then your only way out has disappeared.
[Shawn speaking]
While we're diving, we do not want that.
[man speaking]
-[chainsaw buzzing] -[narrator] With the boss down,
Shawn's team takes the time to reduce the chance
of that happening on his next dive.
[Kris speaking over radio]
[John speaking]
All right!
[narrator] After two hours, pinch hitter, Yukon John, continues to deliver
from off the bench for the captain.
[Kris speaking]
Hey, you seem to be breathing a little heavy. Everything okay?
[John speaking]
[Kris speaking]
Idle down the pump.
PJ, go grab him.
Don't fall in.
-You fall in, you're fired! -[Andy chuckles]
Hey, we're done! We're gonna pack up and go.
There you go.
I think I learned today that I have the team to pull this off this winter.
I'm confident in my skills and their strength in numbers.
[John] Good ground, had a good dive, made some money.
-See that gold? -[Kris] How's it looking?
[John] That looks pretty good. A little trail coming down there.
[Kris] I saw really good gold down there.
-Oh? -[Kris] Oh, yeah.
We had a great day today.
We got gold.
It looks like we're gonna hit 50 ounces for sure.
Good job together, team.
But, yeah, tomorrow is... it's just gonna get better every single day.
All right!
[narrator] While Kris Kelly's team came through...
[Chris] I'm gonna see what I have today here.
Without those boys that they quit.
[narrator] ...solitary man, Chris McCully
is ready to see how going it alone is going.
[Chris] It's really hard to find good divers, right?
One guy can only do so much.
So, I wish I could put some more hours.
But... at least, I'm on the gold.
That's all that matters.
So far, it's looking good.
Okay, here we go.
Let's see what I did in one dive.
And we have 165 grams.
165 divided by 31.1, plus...
Five and a quarter.
Sweet.
So, I got 5.3 ounces in that one dive.
[narrator] 5.3 ounces is worth over 12 grand.
Not bad for a one man team.
And Chris McCully is clawing at the gold-count lead.
[Chris] It's a good haul, but moving forward,
I really need to come up with a crew.
I'm a dad now, and I've got a family.
And I can't really take these kind of risks anymore.
The stakes are way too high.
I can't be solo diving like I did in the past.
Now that I have a family now, all that risk is not worth it.
Safety is first, gold is second,
and Chris BG cannot be replaced. You know what I mean?
So, um... [chuckles]
I think I'm slowly getting this figured out.
[narrator] Down the street...
[Vernon] Okay. This will be our first weigh.
But this is looking pretty good.
[narrator] A pleasant surprise may be emerging for Vernon Adkison
after the season's first dive appeared to be a downer.
-[man] Yeah. -[Vernon] All right.
[Gary] I got my test mat. This right here is our chunky.
So, now, we're down to fine gold here.
[Vernon] Sometimes you think you're on hot gold, and then, the scale breaks your heart.
Yeah, let's start weighing this stuff up.
But there are other times when you think the ground is nothing special.
Come on, come on.
But those hours on the box pay off.
Let's see what it comes out to.
Well, there's one, two ounces.
Three. Four.
Come on, baby. Five.
Six.
6.39.
That's pretty [bleep] good.
Wow.
We were getting a lot more gold than we thought we were getting.
[narrator] 6.4 ounces ring in at over 14 grand.
And just like that, the gatekeeper of Nome
makes his own contribution to Claim 56's revenue.
Ooh, man, that's just like a weight lifted off my shoulders, dude.
[Vernon] That's a fine number.
-[man] That's a lot better than I was expecting it. -[bleep]
I mean, look. Gary's actually smiling over here.
[Gary] I'm stoked. This is awesome.
This puts a big smile on my face, you know.
[Vernon] This proves that 56 is the real deal.
If we can keep it together, the sky's the limit.
You're a new guy, but I'm impressed with your work ethic.
And then, Gary... I mean, he's been my mainstay for years.
[man] You guys are like an old married couple.
[Vernon feigns laughter] Uh... Yeah.
-I mean, we haven't killed each other yet. -[Gary] Yet.
Close, a few times.
[sighs in relief] Okay.
Drinks and dinner on me tonight.
[narrator] With Shawn out of the action,
the fleet fought hard to steal the crown.
Though it still belongs to Mr. Gold.
With Chris McCully hot on his heels,
it may not be Shawn's for long.
Next time...
-[Kris] Idle up! -...on Bering Sea Gold.
You know the job.
We're on gold and now we've got to track it down like wild hounds.
[Shawn] The days are burning.
We're almost at the end of our free royalties.
[yells in frustration]
All right, G. It's showtime.
[Chris speaking]
[man] The air compressor shut off.
Time to get some gold, baby.
[Kris] Let's rock and roll!
[John speaking]