Too Few Hands, Too Many Breakdowns – Full Episode Recap | Gold Rush

Oh. So, what’s happening?
>> So, Tony, we lost uh seven good people.
Jacob, too. I >> left in the middle of the night and they all went to Pogger.
You must be my shining personality. I >> guess so.
>> A bunch of weasels. They can’t tough it out.
They did me a favor. Left all by themsel.
I hope Parker has a lot of fun with him.
He can deal with it.
>> Yeah.
>> I’m actually happy. Yeah.
You know, it’s not going to stop us. I mean, the core group of us is still here.
>> So, I guess no more days off for the people.
>> Okay, let’s get on with it.
Turn around is very very high for some reason this year.
>> Whatever. Personally couldn’t really give a less that flew around myself. You know what I mean?
After losing seven crew members, king of the Klondike Tony Beats is forced to get his hands dirty to keep the gold flowing.
>> As long as you get gold in the box, that’s all that counts.
>> To date, Tony’s put $16 million in gold in the box. Just last week, he hit his biggest gold weigh of the season, 672 ounces. And he wants another mega payday by the end of the week.
What the?
>> Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
>> We got cracks. crack. See?
>> Slooot’s impact bed has fallen into the plant, smashing up the whole top shaker deck.
>> Okay, so what does the rest look like underneath that?
Hey, Dolphin. Move the over.
>> I’m moving.
>> We’ll get cozy over there.
>> Yeah, we can cuddle.
>> Remember, you’re going to be the girl.
>> Okay, I’m going to turn around. You never like to have >> That’s never ending, huh?
>> Jeff, turn over. Oh, >> okay. I’ll take a picture and show it to him.
>> On the call. Slooot’s manufacturer, Jeff Turnell.
>> We’ll do a video call. Here you go.
How the do you do that? This is the speaker.
How the you turn the camera on? Okay.
Anyway, whatever. We’ll send you a picture and I will call you right back.
How’s that? Here we go.
>> That sounds great.
>> Okay. Bye.
And a quack.
And another.
Another.
There we go. Bing.
>> Oh, hey, there you are. Did you get the pictures?
>> I did. Yes.
>> Um, to me, I think your best action is going to be taking that top deck out and replacing it.
Holy.
I’ve been a lot more hands off this year.
We’ve got four wash plants running, which is crazy, but we have a long ways to go.
31-year-old Parker Schnobble’s season is in danger of coming off track.
14 weeks in, he’s banked over $22 million in gold.
But his numbers are slipping. Last week, he had his worst gold way yet.
>> It’s a little disheartening. It’s a bit scary.
When you compare to Tony Beats, it’s like he’s on a very very far far end of a spectrum in terms of how you treat people. That’s fine. That’s Tony’s style. It’s not my business.
But, you know, early years I was terrible. I was a dick. But you live and learn, right?
It definitely annoys me hiring all these new people and they just come and get to run whatever piece of equipment they want, but the people that have been here a while are just kind of stuck where they are.
>> It definitely like upsets people. Like poor Evan has been working here for years and he knows how to run a hoe, but yet they keep him still running a plant, which I think is bull.
Well, Chris, how’s the last run looking here?
>> Uh, chunky.
>> Nice.
>> At Parker’s Indian River claim, Foreman Mitch Blashki is making a pit stop as he transitions from pit one to pit two.
We’re just running out of days here. So, my big concern is, is there actually any gold in it?
>> There might be more, but that just that one just stuck out to me.
>> A nugget for good luck.
>> Pit one has delivered just 500 ounces in 4 weeks. Now, Mitch is in a race to get slooing at pit two and increase Parker’s weekly gold total.
>> This wash plant move needs to be the fastest one that we’ve done this season.
All righty, time for moving rock sand.
So Sean, you going to have that road done and ready by the time we get there with the wash plant parts. We need to have this thing back up and running by the end of the day for night shift. So it’s a lot to do, but I think we can make her happen.
>> All right, let’s do it.
>> All right.
Normally, this is all stuff we’d have done, have it ready and prepped.
Just being short-handed is kind of a pain in the ass.
So, just try and pull it out and towards me a little bit here.
Uh, first time I’ve ever done anything like this.
Feel like it’s uh putting some trust on me to be able to do this. It’s nice to see.
>> After 4 years running truck and loader, Parker’s triing Evan Curts on excavator.
His first task drag Lucifer’s twin slle runs onto the low boy. I kind of know what I’m doing, but I also don’t really know what the I’m doing.
>> Oh, that’s close.
>> So, I’m a little nervous.
>> That’s real easy.
>> We couldn’t have cut that any tighter.
>> Yeah, buddy. Nice and easy.
>> The 20ft runs must be dead center on the trailer bed or they risk tipping off the side. Ah, >> going pretty smoothly here.
>> Keep going. Keep going.
Yeah. Twist it.
One more.
>> Perfect. Stop. Nice job, man.
Look at you go.
>> That’s so much just anxiety.
Just in time for night shift, Mitch and the crew are slooing pit two. With all eyes on the new pit to pay out.
>> How’s it going, man? Good. How are you?
>> Not too bad.
You guys got her moved in a hurry.
Mainly just the two of you and Sean.
>> Yeah, pretty much.
>> Dude, you guys are smashing it.
40 miles away.
Slooot’s been out of action for 5 days, but the new top deck has finally arrived. Now, cousin Mike must remove the old one before installing the new frame. An epic task which will cost him another whole day of slooing.
Keith is going to cut the deck in half.
Then we’ll uh give it a pull with a crane. Yank it out.
>> Yeah.
The longer we take, the more money it costs. So, we better hurry up.
Oh, yeah. That’s a lot of torque.
Woo. Woo!
Nice.
>> That’s what we were looking for.
>> Hopefully our new deck goes in as easy as this one come out.
>> We’ll uh take these side plates out and then we’ll put the new deck in from the top.
He almost broke half. You should do a little more gentle.
>> It’s all Hold it. Yeah.
Okay.
Right there. A little bit more.
That’s going to be close. Yeah. adding more my way.
>> Okay, we’re on the frame over here.
>> Oh, yeah.
I didn’t think of that one.
Okay, comealongs. Comeongs.
It doesn’t fit. We got the manifold in the way. So, now we got to let one side down to get underneath the frame there.
But at the same time, we got to get underneath the spray bars on the side.
So, we’re going to have to have one corner up and three corners down. So, that’s where the comealongs come in.
Cousin Mike uses hand operated winches or comealongs positioned to allow the crew to precisely raise or lower each corner.
Oh yeah.
Okay, >> there we go.
We’re in there now.
>> Feels good, doesn’t it?
>> Yeah, it does.
>> Okay, so it’s going to come my way and down.
>> Okay. Whoa.
That’s it.
>> It looks good.
>> Woo.
>> Yay.
Last job, secure the deck and put new screens in.
>> There we go.
So, new shaker deck is in. So, we better get this plant fired up and back to sloo.
>> It’s cost them 6 days of slooing and over a million dollar in lost gold production. Okay, >> off we go. But Tony’s Indian River wash plants are back on the gold.
>> I’m glad I’m still in the excavator feeding the plant because people have been fired for less, you know.
>> Let’s get that gold, man.
>> Finally, we’re losing.
>> Awesome.
>> That went all right.
>> This should be good to the end of the season now, >> I would say. So, >> well, that’s slick, man. Nice deep ball run. Thanks. That’s awesome.
>> Perfect.
>> Well, we lost some people, but you know what? It’s going to work out just nice.
>> Let’s see what we got >> from its 7-day run last week. Slooot scored over 330 ounces. But this week, the plant ran for just 24 hours.
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 >> 45.48 >> worth $159,000.
>> It kind of hurts a little.
>> Whining about it don’t make it any better.
Well, uh, this one’s very full.
>> Who wants to count? It’s Michael, Miguel, brother. Mine. I >> don’t have my glasses with me. I >> keep forgetting that you have glasses now.
>> You have glasses?
>> He’s looking very sophisticated.
>> Are you ready?
>> 10 20.
>> All week, wash plant find a lot ran bedrock, which Tony’s gambling will deliver over 200 ounces.
140 150 160 170 180 237.68 >> worth over $830,000.
>> Perfect.
>> I’m happy with that. All I know is that this price we’re not going to leave anything behind. Let’s all stood >> through that.
>> This week’s gold takes Tony to a season total of 4,894 ounces worth over $17 million.
>> Why don’t you guys bring all this stuff away and then you and I can go back to the hill.
>> Yeah, why don’t you get out?
>> Are you talking to me?
>> No.
>> Bye, children. Bye. Goodbye.
Recent gold ways from all four plants totaled in the 400s. Now Parker’s looking to get back to 550 ounces or more.
>> Mitch, we’re going to start with Roxan cuz you guys had a plant move last the old cut.
>> All right, let’s see what Roxan did here.
We got 20 >> last week. Kenan Stewart’s pit one got 100 ounces >> 70 76.3 >> worth over $260,000.
>> That’s the last of cut one. That’s the end of it. Okay, Tyson, we got Big Bob here.
>> All righty. Let’s see how Bob did in the bridge cut >> 10.
>> This season in Dominion Creek’s bridge cut, Bob has averaged nearly 160 ounces a week.
>> 100 110 120.7 >> worth $422,000.
>> It’s not bad.
>> Not bad. You’re in three digits. Can’t argue. Yeah.
>> And then the golden mile.
>> All righty. Let’s see how two wash plants did together.
>> Last week, Slooifer and Big Red delivered 247 O.
20 40 80 160 200 236.4 >> worth over $820,000.
>> Nice.
>> Yeah, it’s not bad.
Last week we had 453 ounces on the nose.
This week it’s 433.4.
>> Parker’s numbers have dropped now for the second week in a row. And with Parker spending close to a million dollars a week, he can’t afford for it to slide anymore.
>> Things have definitely slowed down since the beginning of the season.
We started really good and we’re kind of going downhill. We need somehow to pick that back up and get back on schedule.
>> He’s telling you guys to find better ground.
>> Well, I’m trying to do it nicely.
>> It’s too late for that.
>> Okay.