The Most Dangerous Animal of All

Facing financial ruin and an end to their dream of striking it rich, Todd and Jack Hoffman refuse to give up. They make the decision during the off-season to go deeper into debt, acquiring better equipment and crew for one more crack at hitting the motherlode.

The crew arrives in Porcupine Creek eager to find gold; "Dakota Fred" returns with a bombshell.

The Hoffman crew heads north to the Klondike in a desperate bid to find a new claim and salvage their mining season. Sixteen-year-old Parker Schnabel takes over the Big Nugget Mine while Dakota Fred fills in holes at Porcupine Creek.

Jack and Todd Hoffman go head-to-head over how to set up their new claim. At Porcupine Creek, Dakota Fred rips out the wash plant and finds gold that he forced the Hoffmans to leave behind. At Big Nugget mine, Parker continues to hit pay dirt.

The Hoffman crew confronts the permafrost that lies between them and the gold. As the Dakota Boys set up their new wash plant, Fred pushes his son too hard and Dustin storms off. Parker faces a breakdown that leaves his mining season at a stand still.

A crew rebellion forces Todd Hoffman to dig test holes on the claim. The tension mounts as they wait to see if they're sitting on a gold-rich pay streak or about to go bust. Then, Fred is forced to abandon mining as floods in North Dakota destroy his home.

The Hoffmans are finally on the gold but a new love threatens to derail mechanic James Harness right when the crew needs him most. Desperate for pay dirt, Parker bulldozes a dangerous road up the side of a mountain and Fred returns to Porcupine Creek.

The Hoffmans realize they could be losing thousands of dollars of gold out of the end of their sluices and they are forced to tear apart the washplant and rebuild. At Smith Creek, Parker turns into a lumberjack to get to his gold.

With the wash plant prepped, the Hoffman crew finally has their first clean-out of the season. Pressure mounts at Big Nugget where Parker is forced to run his grandfather's safety dirt but when John decides to shut the wash plant down, Parker explodes.

In this special, exclusive behind-the-scenes footage capturing the production of Gold Rush is revealed. Four film crews, spread over 600 miles, battle the wilderness in Alaska and the Klondike to film every twist and turn of the three mining operations.

Jack Hoffman's precious excavator gets stranded in the creek and requires emergency surgery in the wilderness. Meanwhile, the crew fine-tunes their wash plant which doubles their efficiency at finding gold.

Short on time, the Hoffman crew decides to run night and day in a struggle to get to the gold while a federal mining inspector pays a surprise visit to both Fred and Parker. The inspector finds safety violations and both operations face closure.

The Hoffman crew is dead in the water until Harness can repair their broken excavator. Parker Schnabel totals his gold for the season and hands the Big Nugget mine back to his grandpa. Meanwhile, the Dakota boys lock horns trying to reopen their mine.

A key crew member calls it quits at Quartz Creek. Meanwhile, massive rocks break Dakota Fred’s derocker and Parker reconsiders his future after smelting his 35-ounce season haul into a solid gold bar.

A heart attack has 91-year-old mining legend John Schnabel battling for his life. The Hoffmans find a gold nugget that becomes a game-changer and Dakota Fred accomplishes what Jack Hoffman never managed to do at Porcupine Creek.

The Hoffman crew risks its all to run through the night in a bid to finally break even for the season. Fred has to abandon his best paydirt yet when his excavator gets stuck in the pit and John Schnabel returns to the Big Nugget Mine after his heart attack.

This special lifts the curtain on Gold Rush and goes inside the lives of the men seeking gold and treasure in Alaska and the Klondike. All-new interviews and never-before-seen footage present insights into the miners' unique world.

The Hoffman crew battles frozen dirt and pipes as they struggle to hit their 100-ounce goal. Parker makes a last-ditch effort at Smith Creek Hill and the Dakota Boys' season may be over when Dustin smashes the side of the wash plant.

The Hoffman crew is desperate to get 100 ounces, but Todd's decision to run the dozer on solid ice ends in disaster. The Big Nugget mine faces closure if Parker fails to hit a pay streak and Dakota Fred thinks he's finally found Jack Hoffman's glory hole.

A glimpse into the lives of the men who seek gold in Alaska and the Klondike.