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Title: Anyone Here Watch Gold Rush?
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Published: Jan 7, 2013
Author: me
Post Date: 2013-01-07 09:47:32 by James Deffenbach
Keywords: None
Views: 463
Comments: 22
I have watched Gold Rush since the first show of the first season. Some of it is pretty good when they have actual miners who know what they are doing (like the young kid, Parker Schnabel and his grandpa) and the big guy from Sweden or Norway or wherever it is he's from. But I thought, and have for a while, that there was just too much about the show that was "off." I learned a bit more about it last night. There is a group on facebook called the Gold Rush Alaska Gossip and it pretty well lays out that the group the show centers on, the Hoffman crew, really don't know what they're doing, have sponsors (like Volvo) and leave when the producers get the footage they want. And Todd is always talking about "the American dream" yet now they are in Canada and using equipment made by a foreign company. And when the show started out the storyline was they were all down on their luck and about to lose their homes and how they were going to Alaska and try to get rich mining gold. Well, the mechanic in the first season, James Harness, apparently wasn't all that broke. Here is a car he owned at the start of the first season (and may still for all I know). Does THIS look like a car owned by someone who is "broke"? James Harness owns this 2004 GTO Banshee built by PFYC. Besides the body modifications the engine can put out 570 to 590 horsepower. This car was featured on the cover of Pontiac Enthusiast March/April 2005. Outside it has; over 1/3 carbon fiber and fiberglass to lighten it up (bumpers, skirts, hood, fenders, deck, & spoiler), Wilwood 6-piston Calipers with oversized slotted rotors, 4-piston rear Axis Milano wheels, and Toyo Proxes T1-s tires. Interior Color: black And, while Todd claims to have gone to all these colleges and everything the records indicate that he attended one semester at one college. Anyway, if you watch the show you might want to check out that facebook page. I will probably keep watching it because I like Parker Schnabel and his family but now I know more than I ever cared to about the rest of the show and won't be seeing it through the same eyes. 
Visible Options: banshee, stripes, spoiler, ground effects
Owner: James Harness (audioproducts@comcast.net ) from Oregon OR
Posted: 11/21/2007
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 15.
#4. To: James Deffenbach (#0)
Been thinking about watching it, since Netflix removed Ice Road Truckers and American Pickers.
It's ok but the best part of the show is Parker and his grandpa and that Tony Beets guy, all of whom are real miners, not hobby miners like Todd and his crew. The funniest thing I have heard, or one of the funniest anyway, is the person who does all the voice over on the show and how he always says that the fuel expense for every crew--whatever size it is or whatever equipment they use--is 1,000 dollars. Ridiculous. First of all, Todd and his crew aren't even paying for ANY fuel and, even if they were then an operation the size of the one he's running would most certainly use more fuel than Parker Schnable would. And Tony Beets has a huge operation and in all likelihood his operation would burn far more fuel (and he is a full time miner with a big overhead).
Todd obviously did zero research before undertaking this venture. His intentions are good, but then, that's what the road to hell is paved with. The guy's a moron who I wouldn't put in charge of operating a sandbox. Oh, and Dakota Fred is a claim jumping, club footed douche nozzle.
Todd didn't lose his first claim because of Fred. That is what I thought too until I read so much on the site where all this came from. Apparently Todd and his crew violated so many rules and regulations that the state of Alaska banned them from mining there. Not that I like Fred, I don't. He has a terrible attitude but he really didn't take anything that Todd was ever going to get back.
He lost Quartz Creek because he missed a payment during the off-season. Fred was none too happy to run the Hoffman crew off the claim, especially after seeing Todd's dad find that glory hole. They did all the digging, then Fred, after running them off, made straight for the bottom of that hole. It's kinda karmic how that same year, Fred lost his home and belongings in that flood. That almost renewed my faith in god.
Gold Rush Alaska Gossip What have we here? Its a photo of the GRA miners, including Fred, taken on May 17th at the tourism party in Haines, AK. Why is this odd? The dust up between Fred and the miners happened the first week of May. We know this because snow is is still on the ground in places and in the tree's, go and review the video. The temps are in the 60's on May 17th, the snow is long gone. Here you have supposedly mortal enemies all in one place, smiling for the cameras. The whole feud thing is a fake, just like Doresy was faked in season 1. They all knew Fred bought the mine on Ap 12th, this was just faked drama. The show is scripted, just like Dorsey said it was.
For anyone still interested in what happened leading up to the total fabricated episode 1 in season 2, here's the story. "Earle Foster never leased his claims for a television production. He was shocked to learn what was going on at Porcupine Creek. Fred and Earle did pay a visit, and Fred stayed at the request of the show's producers. He WAS NOT sent by Foster to straighten anything out. The Hoffman's never had a mining permit (for Porky), only an exploration permit. Just about everything the Hoffman's did at Porcupine Creek was illegal. They cut down trees illegally, they shot the bear illegally, they withdrew water from Porcupine Creek illegally, they didn't abide by the exploration permit's excavation/reclamation plan. They didn't store fuel per methods allowed by their permit. And on and on. Todd refused to make the lease payment to Earle required by their agreement. (I think it was due September 1) Instead, he pocketed the money given to him by the show's producers to pay for the lease. The entire debacle was very upsetting and personally and professionally embarrassing for Earle. He was not a happy camper. Anyway, near the end of the 2010 season, Todd knew he would not be coming back to Porcupine Creek. Alaska wouldn't allow it, and Foster was stiffed for the rent, so he wasn't going to cooperate. And, of course, nobody knew at the time the show would become such a hit. There was much scrambling about to get things together for the second season, but that is another story. BTW, I have a copy of Todd's exploration permit. You can't get this on the internet, I had to do a little "mining" myself to gain possession of it. I know what I'm talking about." So thats what happened. Todd screwed everything up so badly with the state of Alaska that he probably will never be allowed to mine there again. Thats why they're in Canada, and Todd is pretending thats where he always wanted to be. The Hoffman's knew they wouldn't be going back to Porky, they knew Fred had bought the claim. When they went to Porky in the first episode, they had no permits, so they pretended to mine. It was all a setup so Fred could be blamed for claim jumping. They already had a claim deal at Quartz Creek. Dozer Dave was already there setting it up when Todd was making all those frantic fake phone calls looking for a claim they already had. If it can be proven that all of this was faked, and it can, how much of the rest of the show is faked? Thats exactly what we're going to find out.
#16. To: All (#15)
www.thegoldmachine.ca/Model_100.html We found out this is the 'blue monster' Todd keeps babbling about on FB. Its a huge gold trommell from a company in Canada. Its The Gold Machine designed by Ray Brosseuk. These things are very expensive, over $100,000. Todd has always been equipment crazy, he apparently feels if you have the best toys the gold will find you. Real miners sink their money into finding where the gold is first, but not Todd. He feels if you are ready, and have spent a zillion dollars on equipment, gold will seek you out. I thought they were broke, yet they take trips to New Zealand and spend a fortune on stuff they don't need. Must be nice...
Gossip.
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#5. To: Prefrontal Vortex (#4)
#6. To: James Deffenbach (#5)
#7. To: Obnoxicated (#6)
#10. To: James Deffenbach (#7)
#14. To: Obnoxicated (#10)
October 29, 2011
#15. To: Obnoxicated, all (#14)
I used to think Fred "stole" the Hoffman's claim too until I read stuff like this on the site I linked to.
Replies to Comment # 15.
#18. To: James Deffenbach (#15)
End Trace Mode for Comment # 15.