Reality Shows manage to find strange concepts without fail, and Gold Rush is proof of that. Airing on the Discovery Channel, Gold Rush is a reality television series that follows the gold-mining efforts of various mining companies. The show aired in December of 2010 and has recently released its thirteenth season.
It has a little over three hundred episodes to its name, and throughout these episodes, the show’s makers have traveled all over south and north America, including places like Alaska and the Klondike region of Canada. The recent season follows the mining adventures of Parker Schnabel, who took over from his grandfather, Rick Ness. Parker’s ex-right-hand man, Tony Beets, one of the most successful mining guys in Canada, Fred Lewis, and Clayton Brothers.
The show’s concept is such that it found itself being appreciated heavily by the male demographic of age 18 years old to 50 years old. The show gained popularity so much that the makers went on to create spinoffs, specials, and other extended versions of the original show. Many behind-the-scenes cast interviews and extra unseen footage were also released to please fans.
Season thirteenth of the show aired on September 30th, 2022, with a total of thirty episodes to be released with it. The show is available on Prime Videos for streaming purposes.
Gold Rush Season 13 Episode 23 Storyline
Season thirteenth of the show feels more significant than ever, with newer and better machines to bring out gold from the ground. This season takes the gold miners back to Yukon, Canada, to discover more gold. Episode twenty-three brings troubles for Tony as he has to deal with a rescue mission to save one of the excavators who finds himself sinking.
Fred Lewis brings a new face to the site, which happens to be his old friend. The Clayton brothers also face trouble as they have to train two rookie miners to work the night shift at a mine land. The episode is titled “Here’s Johnny” and opens with a rainy day. Tony seems under stress because the rains raise the water levels in the ponds and eventually interfere with his work.
We cut to a scene of Micheal Beets, son of Tony Beets, going towards the site but eventually getting stuck in a marsh and slowly sinking in it. Tony, Michael, and Mike struggle with getting their machinery out of the swamp, and while this is happening, Fred Lewis, the other mining team, seems to be working to keep his company afloat.
To cover the expenses of the venture and to pay his men, Fred invites ex-marine Johnny Stanz to help him out, all the while receiving help from the Clayton brothers. Johnny gets the position of the mine manager right as they step out of the car, and Fred’s team does not look very pleased about it. Either way, the work gets distributed, and the team has all their hands on deck.
Trouble does not leave Fred’s team, as Johnny also finds his truck stuck in the mud. The team is, once again, disappointed in him for being a liability. There is a subtle underlayer of tension within the team. The Clayton Brothers get more men to help with the labor, and they turn out to be two teenage-looking greenhorns, Justin Ketchum, and Michael Matthews.
The veterans indulge in helping the boys learn about the job and the machinery. The boys face some issues but eventually manage to end there without many problems. Halfway through the episode, we find Team Tony still trying to get their machinery out of the swamp after shutting down their mining operations. Near the end of the episode, they manage to get their machines out and run again.
The Clayton brothers take the night shift after a day of learning the work and manage to cause serious trouble by dawn. The team comes together to resolve it, and the episode ends with the Clayton brothers measuring the gold discovered and realizing that they are way below their target. Fred and his new manager are also excited about the dig result, but they are also disappointed with the results.
It is a happy ending for Tony because even with all the obstacles in his path and all that time wasted, his expeditions got more gold than anyone on the crew.
Gold Rush Season 13 Episode 23 Review
This Discovery reality show about mining and big machines is a hot thing among the male demographic. With its big brutes and even bigger machines, the show has cast a charm over its fans which has led it to air for the past thirteen years. The show entirely focuses on the miners, their lives, and the gold they manage to collect by the end of each episode.
The show allows us to get an insight into the daily workings and intricacies of the problems that the mine workers face. Though not all of the show and the struggles shown are scripted, some conversations that take place between the crew members are definitely for the camera and for the audience to better understand a situation.
It is really interesting to see the crew work day in and day out and pulling gold even during the night but a lot of the time, this effort amount to nothing. The teams work in the mines to keep their families afloat, to pay their workers working for them, and whatever extra expense may occur. A day’s work that leads to no profit feels like a life lesson at times; not all hard work gets rewarded.
The cast of the show includes families already in the business of gold mining, trying to make money to keep their business going. Season thirteenth brought together three teams, each with a loyal set of mine workers. Fred seems like a nice guy, but he struggles with getting his hands on gold. In the recent episode, he finally went ahead and asked his friend for help, and he managed to get more gold than the Clayton brothers.
This episode was not an easy journey for them, with having to teach the new kids the work and then facing a machine breakdown. They collected the least amount of gold in this episode. Tony is involved in this gig with his entire family and finds the most amount of gold in this episode. He is definitely more experienced than the rest.
The episode never gets boring because of the constant tension due to the situational problems but also because of the chemistry between the guys. They are all friendly people who swear a lot, but some things are clearly brewing between Johnny and Fred’s team. The episode also includes animation of whatever solution it is that the workers come up with to help the fans get a better understanding of what is going to happen next.
Our Verdict
The episode also has a gentle voiceover that guides the viewers with whatever is happening at the moment. With the camera angles and the workers going through a life’s worth of excitement in a single day, the show never gets boring. Though the initial seasons felt more real and raw, the show has gotten a bit sensationalized for the cameras.
The show still has its charm, and its fans remain on the lookout for future episodes. The season will be coming to an end very soon, and the show will release its twenty-fourth episode on March 17th, 2023. We give this episode a rating of 3 out of 5.
Our Rating: ⭐ (3/5).
Also Read: Gold Rush Season 13 Episode 20: Release Date, Spoilers & Where to Watch
