Deadliest Catch and Gold Rush share more in common than their fans think. While the former has crab fishermen braving the terrifying depths of the sea during crab season, the latter dives into the perils of gold mining; not only can a mine collapse on workers, but faulty equipment means that you can miss out on gold hauls. There’s another Discovery show that actually marries the two professions together: Bering Sea Gold. The connection to Deadliest Catch shouldn’t be surprising, as Bering Sea Gold also comes from the creative mind of Thom Beers. But the concept is what’s intriguing — the boats featured on Bering Sea Gold are attempting to mine gold from the sea, and all the problems that entails.
‘Bering Sea Gold’ Has Its Own Unique Approach to Showcasing Gold Hunting
When it first started, Bering Sea Gold decided to split its focus between the summer dredging season and the spring dredging season. This led to a unique title change; since the spring season takes place in icy conditions, the show took the title of Bering Sea Gold: Under The Ice. This continued until the fourth season, when the title reverted to Bering Sea Gold. But no matter the title, one element remained: the sea was harsh. Waves often damage equpiment or sinks boats, while morale rises or plummets based on the working conditions. It’s a far cry from Gold Rush, where mining’s mostly confined to the land.
But when Bearing Sea Gold’s contestants hit a big haul, it’s always worth tuning in. Shawn Pomrenke once launched a mining operation on the Tomcod Claim in Alaska in 37 degree weather, where snow and ice had formed a thick layer over the seawater. Despite this, Pomrenke and his crew were able to find an impressive haul of gold nuggets in the water. “I’m not seeing the nuggets we were hoping for in this jackpot, but we’re on some killer stuff,” he said after finding the nuggets. It’s a great example of how, with a little perseverance and the right location, Bering Sea Gold’s miners can strike gold figuratively and literally.
‘Bering Sea Gold’ Inspired a Real Life Gold Rush in Alaska
Bering Sea Gold has managed to run for 18 seasons since its debut in 2012, with the most recent season premiering this August. This lengthy run has led to would-be gold hunters flocking to Nome, a town in Alaska’s Bering Strait that features prominently on the show. Nome is one of the few places in the United States where seabed mining isn’t outlawed, and Bering Sea Gold has mining leases for prospective gold hunters. But this has led to some pushback from Nome’s residents, including the impact of mining operations on fishing routes and concerns about the ecological impact. It’s not the first time Bering Sea Gold has been subject to controversy; lawsuits have been thrown at miners for their equipment injuring high schoolers. Another miner was sued for losing a very pricey piece of equipment, while the show’s own Shawn Pomrenkehad his own run-ins with the law. Longtime cast member Emily Riedel, who’d been with the show since Season 1, even revealed that she had been fired on her YouTube channel.
‘Bering Sea Gold’ Bears More Than a Few Connections to Other Discovery Shows
Bering Sea Gold’s biggest claim to fame is its connections to other Discovery programs in the process. The biggest is Mike Rowe, who served as series narrator from Seasons 3-12. Rowe’s familiar tone helps to stoke excitement for every episode of Bering Gold Sea, and it’s a job that he took quite seriously. How seriously? Before he was slated to give a speech in Iowa, Rowe learned that there was a Bering Sea Gold special that needed narration and sped over to record it. Gold Rush fans will also notice that a mining family that showed up on Bering Sea Gold, the Martinsons, also made an appearance on the spin-off Gold Rush: Freddy Dodge’s Mine Rescue, where host Freddy Dodge actually sailed the Bering Sea to retrieve some gold. Bering Sea Gold is one of the Discovery Channel’s more underrated shows, combining the thrills of Gold Rush with the dangers of Deadliest Catch and proving to be a winning combination.
Bering Sea Gold is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
