A talk with George Wright and Scott Lomu about "Jungle Gold" Season 2, the move to a new night and the reality of "gold fever." . Contribute to changjiangsx/sbm development by creating an account on GitHub. We initially we went to Africa with the last of our cash to flip gold, arbitrage, we hoped to buy it low and sell it for a bit more and create some velocity with that initial capital secured by a real asset the entire time. In June, they produced a series of short videos to show prospective investors. All the details of the secret MAFS boys night are spilt at a boozy dinner party that shocks the experts. Under the section Danger and Risk, Raw wrote: It would be easy to paint Ghana as a dangerous and risky environment, and by our audiences standards it certainly is. George: We met him towards the end of our last little stint out there. He watched in puzzlement as Wright ordered an excavator driver to tear it all down. The program, he soon discovered, was set in Ghana. Wally was convinced it would happen, Wright said. Comments: Why moan about something just find something else to watch. Wrights wife, Marie, sat in amazement as her unflappably nice Mormon husband imitated Rambo: shouting orders, grimacing at the camera, and heaving logs out of the road, his every flippin' and shoot bleeped out to create a bawdier impression. In 2011, an undercover video published by Al Jazeera revealed Ghanaian children as young as 14 working in Chinese-run mining pits. Big props to the crew if they really risked themselves like that to get the footage. Hey guys i heard that their are NO more chinese people who are searching for gold. But we were willing to wear our heart on our sleeve.. For instance, the men boasted of paying farmers 10 times their annual wages to mine on their farmland. There is no law against foreigners mining in Ghana, anyone can mine in Ghana granted they use a licensed agent. When the United States Navy SEALs killed bin Laden during the operation, they captured a prize far greater and more valuable [], Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), on Discovery announces limited-run Gold Rush spinoff series, on Discovery special presents details on classified bin Laden intel, http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1124.html, Discovery announces limited-run Gold Rush spinoff series, Discovery Channels Alaskan Bush People recap: A Wolfpack Divided, Discovery special presents details on classified bin Laden intel, Single Ladies Decide if Country Livin is for Them in Farmer Wants a Wife. But nothing prevents foreigners from investing in small-scale companies owned by Ghanaians. What is behind the allure of gold mining? We just wanted to show what its like in Guyana from our perspective, Wright said. The Friday audience is a different audience. But Wright doesnt regret fighting back. The next morning, Wright searched his iPhone for news of the incident. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . George Wright and Scott Lomu will risk it all to strike it rich as part of a golden plan to recover from losing everything in the real estate crash of 2008. Instead, the men joined a mine support company, run by a fellow Mormon, in the nearby village of Romaso. How does it feel to go to the poorest continent on the planet with the goal to take as much of the little wealth they have left? Akwesi was preparing to harvest his crops when the crew leveled them, he said. Watch part 1 unfold here: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/jungle-gold/videos/run-for-the-border-part-one.htm. 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1975th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 975th year of the 2nd millennium, the 75th year of the 20th century, and the 6th year of the 1970s decade. mining company with profitable operations., Ensurge, Inc. is a Colorado-based holding company that has been engaged Clean-cut Lomu and Wright were working together in Utahs declining real estate industry when they heard Ghana was experiencing a modern-day gold rush and attracting overseas miners, mainly Chinese, to try their luck. In 2009, Macias was working as a private security contractor in Afghanistan, but hed grown tired of war zones. You were slightly mislead. He returned with bad news: The license would not be ready for another six weeks. You would make a good politician though, you could go cry with Speaker of the House John Boehner about how tough it is to support your trophy wife. SENT to Ghana for a TV series, the American stars of Jungle Gold were accused of destroying the environment, exploiting workers, racism and even murder. I feel that resonates with people on a pretty personal level. Theyre hoping things will be different this time. He also thought their brand identity could help attract new shareholders in the U.S. Ensurge has operated in Guyana for several years, with a board of directors, environmental standards, and an established network of distributors, drivers, and laborers. He earned the money being a professional American Football Player. They banned workers from touching mercury, paid workers twice the going rate and hired security. I have never seen the show. A decade later, Mormonisms rapid growth and displays of wealth led the Ghanaian government to ban all Mormon activities, suspecting the church was a front for the CIA. They abandon $20-60 thousand dollar machines, ( 2 excavators, and a wash plant) in the jungle while they fly back and forth to Utah for two years to whine and complain about how bad there lives are and to beg more money from really stupid investors. But as the cast and crews Land Rovers pull out, a pile of logs impedes their path. And I think thats evidenced as anything by the things that Scott and I have been doing. They say theyve learnt from their catastrophic, ratings-winning sojourn in West Africa. In early August 2012, records show, several Raw crew members sat down with Joseph Aboagye, the Minerals Commissions stern director of policy, planning, monitoring, and evaluation. We met that guy a few weeks back. Fahiakobo was hit hard by the June 2013 crackdown. Inusah Fuseini, minister of lands and natural resources, said the show portrayed Ghana as a jungle, vowing to arrest the Mormons. Scott Lomu and George Wright buying supplies during an episode of Jungle Gold. I got a chance to talk with the pair about how the show came about, how they feel about those that accuse them of faking and what their wives really think of what theyre doing. Before the men could start legally mining, however, the large-scale license had to come through. (George: 100 duck sized horses for sure, Scott: 1 duck sized horse) (Will do videos for Karma), Jungle Gold on Discovery Channel this Sunday's 10/9c after Breaking Bad on AMC. He reappears with a gold bar he claims is worth $75,000. locations., Scott Lomu stated, George and I have been approached numerous times to The company owned a large mining operation in Guyana, a former British colony on the Caribbean coast of South America. Meanwhile, the pressure is on the boys to secure a wood-burning stove so the family can stay warm over winter. When he and other commission officials watched clips of the show online, they were appalled by its depiction of Ghana. Whether the Information Services Department had instructed Raw to seek the commissions approval is unclear; the permit protocol for foreign documentary film crews in Ghana was somewhat vague in 2012. One day in Ghana is more dramatic than this entire freaking episode!. | December 22, 2022 On the night of Nov. 13, Lomu was returning alone from their mining site when he got a phone call from Maciass wife. So Literally Ask US Anything, we can't spoil the upcoming season, but anything else is fine. Its still higher than when we originally went to West Africa to find it. Anytime somebody felt we were taking advantage of them, even this idea of colonialism was so off our radar, it felt so out of left field.. The men expected to make easy money in Ghana. On the morning of May 11, the cast and crew arrived at Kotoka International Airport. Fans have praised stunning MAFS newcomer Evelyn for her mission to hold a groom accountable for his bad behaviour towards his wife. A lot of people are like, Oh theres a camera, well act like this, said Wright. A month after the Jungle Gold evacuation, the Ghanaian government conducted a nationwide crackdown on illegal foreign miners, causing thousands of Chinese nationals to be deported. mining operations. George Wright. Scott Lomu: Because weve moved from Friday to Sunday it seems like our audience has gotten a lot younger. Mishleau, a fourth-generation gold miner from Wisconsin, had recently been named CEO of Ensurge, Inc., a publicly traded Utah-based holding company that invests in gold mines in the Americas. A heated argument ensued. We encountered a lot of stuff thats never been shown on TV. Broke and demoralized, the three men abandoned their nascent mining operation in October 2010. Have you ever seen the show 'Gold Rush'? Jungle Gold. It mostly comes down to the bravest of us all which is our wives they support us 100 percent. Now, it seemed, Ghana was taking its revenge. Six months later, in May 2012, Wright and Lomu met with the Raw crew inside an opulent conference room at the Golden Tulip hotel in Accra to discuss the projected arc of Season 1. Is it worth all the effort and danger youre going through? In many ways, the cast and crew reminded Tay of the Chinese miners, whod come to the area three years earlier and boosted demand for taxis, food, clothing, and bottled water. They got through it by dreaming up episodes for their nonexistent reality show. Wright and Lomu step out to investigate. (Both Discovery Channel and Raw, which was acquired by Discovery in 2014, declined to comment for this story.). ", "This is a disgrace for a brand such as the Discovery Channel to glorify what these bandits are doing in our country. But once again, the cost of equipment and labor exceeded the meager amount of gold they found. Tall, handsome, and half-Polynesian, he studied business at Arizona State University and did his Mormon mission in Indianapolis. But the sight of two white guys standing by as a half-dozen Ghanaians labored in the heat created a disquieting visual reminder of Ghanas years as a British colony. Once we did, we got back in touch with him and he had land available still, and from there it was just kind of the beginning of Im not going to say a beautiful relationship, because Im not a huge fan of Dave. As chronicled in their It was January 2011, and Lomu had stumbled onto the first season of Gold Rush, a Discovery Channel reality show that follows three men from Oregon as they mine for gold in Alaska. To ensure the most secure and best overall experience on our website we recommend the latest versions of, Internet Explorer is no longer supported. He moved to Utah in 2000, and when the Olympics Winter Games came to Salt Lake City two years later, he rented furnished houses and apartments to people in town for the event. They whine at how poor they are, yet no wife works (the husbands hardly do either) they live in big mansions, drive fancy cars? Theres something to be said about that allure. But what you do with that really defines who you are.. George Wright in 'Jungle Gold' Photo courtesy of Discovery Channel. Worst of all, popular radio station Joy FM claimed Wright had killed the man he was filmed choking. Fortune seekers George Wright and Scott Lomu know there are no rewards without risks, but even the gold-mining stars of "Jungle Gold" weren't prepared for the danger they and the show's crew faced . It looked like their foray into mining was over until they stumbled across Discoverys Alaskan mining reality show, Gold Rush. But he dropped out after a year to serve a Mormon mission in Buenos Aires. Element United is the first to market in bringing blockchain technology to gold + precious elements. We were like, This is the kind of operation we want to be a part of! Lomu said. Fearing another attack, the Jungle Gold cast and crew evacuated Fahiakobo and holed up in Raws Domenase compound 20 miles away. Discovery had ordered 12 episodes, Wright said, but their abbreviated stay produced only enough material for six. George: Theres something to be said about gold fever about realizing that I dig a hole, I find gold. God-fearing pair are now back in the game, trying their hand at mining in Guyana, on South America's Caribbean coast, posting hair-raising videos on Instagram . understanding of conducting mining operations in underdeveloped Most assumed they were mining illegally. What sort of feedback do you get from viewers about the show? Villagers set up roadblocks and demanded hundreds of dollars. Obviously, wed appreciate it if the gold prices were higher, always; however, were still feeling very good about the price of gold today. By this time, Ghanas mining industry was in chaos, with Al Jazeera reporting on the dangers of illegal mining, fuelled by widespread corruption. They hoped early struggles would lead to large profits by the end of the 10-episode run, benefiting both the stars and the villages they worked in. Weary of small-scale mining, the men enthusiastically agreed. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has over 62,000 members in Ghana, the second-highest membership in Africa behind Nigeria. A task force created by President John Mahama had flushed dozens of Chinese miners from the area, leaving many of the villages men unemployed. become affiliated with a public mining company. Spoiler Alert, yeah, can't answer that, we were there for 4 months about. What would they film if the stars couldnt mine? The shows first season had been a hit, airing on Friday nights behind Gold Rush, Discovery Channels highest-rated show. Read Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper Archives, Feb 15, 1862, p. 2 with family history and genealogy records from chicago, illinois 1860-1945. Jarred by the response, Wright and Lomu responded to many of them, trying to clarify any misunderstandings. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=273569. There was also an image problem. Wright and Lomu found it hard to watch. They were told by the Information Services Department that an arrest warrant had never officially been issued. Wright and Lomu have a plan for a new reality show, about mining and selling gold and their home lives. Wright and Lomu considered escaping into the jungle, but Discovery made the final decision. Another six weeks lands and natural resources, said the show 'Gold Rush ' youre through... End of our last little stint out there a mine support company run! 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