In November 2011, two things happened. The only money these guys will ever have is the money they get from the producer who pays them at least $20-30,000 per episode. For anyone who thinks their decision to pursue gold mining is utterly insane, they explained to me how they came to this conclusion in a way that sounds entirely logical. But he dropped out after a year to serve a Mormon mission in Buenos Aires. Watch part 1 unfold here: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/jungle-gold/videos/run-for-the-border-part-one.htm. Contribute to changjiangsx/sbm development by creating an account on GitHub. He was standing on his bed in boxer briefs as his wife lay beside him and laughed. It was that simple. I guess this is what your generation who grew up in a fancy world is all about. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Why is mining for gold better (in your opinion) than taking your initial capital and investing it wisely? A short video about the incident appeared months later on Discoverys website. Gold miners George Wright and Scott Lomu sit down with THR to talk about the mistakes they tried not to repeat and why they keep returning to Ghana despite the life-or-death stakes. Tweet. A lot of questions have been asked in Ghana about how, and why so many illegal miners were allowed to mine in Ghana without paperwork for so long. That November, Bill emailed the treatment to a handful of production companies, including Raw TV, the British company that produces Gold Rush. The Ghanaian government permitted Mormon activities to resume 18 months after the ban. They found it frustrating that Ghanaian ex-pats, many of whom were out of touch with the realities of Ghanas mining communities, criticized them for exploiting Ghanaians, when in fact, they said, theyd put unemployed Ghanaians to work. The series chronicles the continuing efforts of former real-estate dealers George Wright and Scott Lomu . It's really frustrating because we have the same production company and we hear all sorts of stories about him, but all I know of him is the first tweet I sent to him when our show started was a thank you, "thanks for forging the way in gold show so that our story and show could have a shot, thank you!" Jungle Gold. Hopefully you guys get some good stuff, so everyone can benefit, she responded. I thank my parents. Discovery was so impressed by the clips they upped the season from 10 episodes to 16. If you havent seen the show, its a doozie. During a layover at JFK, he checked his voicemail and found it full of condolences from friends and family. As it happened, Akwesi was the brother-in-law of the landowner, who had cut him out of the $5,000 the show paid in compensation for the cocoa crops. You were slightly mislead. As Richard Bushman, a professor emeritus of history at Columbia University, put it: Mormons think things will work out for the best.. George Wright in 'Jungle Gold' Photo courtesy of Discovery Channel. Not everyone celebrated their departure. The next few years were good for Wright and Lomu, who often exchanged tips about real estate deals. I can say that Parker is a cool kid, he's been supportive to us and so has Fred. But as Reece explained it, a wealthy Ghanaian who owned land around Fahiakobo was willing to acquire a large-scale license himself and hire Wright and Lomu to mine his property. We hope it's a win-win. America. After rainstorms, locals with nothing else to do had taken to searching the gutters for specks of gold. That summer, the men resumed their former routine, traveling to Ghana in shifts. The holes revealed a high concentration of gold in the ground. But we like to think our presence is making a difference. | Learn more about Scott Lomu's work experience, education, connections . [via press release from Discovery] But they trust us enough to know that there are certain lines that we wont cross and that we have, believe it or not, enough common sense to stay alive. It looked like we were being mocked, Donkor said. The next six episodes unfolded in similar fashion. Never had a real job or a real education, never think ahead or do research about anything. If anyones going to make money from gold digging here (other than corrupt officials, thieves and the Chinese government), they at least have a shot. Take a good look, Scottie, he said. Was he born into wealth or was it his own accomplishment? It was a life or death situation.. Not everything works out how you want it to, said Wright. mining operations. In April 2015, they were hired by Utah-based mining company Ensurge to share their mining expertise in Guyana and help attract investors. 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. Share. Spoiler Alert, yeah, can't answer that, we were there for 4 months about. But nothing prevents foreigners from investing in small-scale companies owned by Ghanaians. The next day, Joy FM dispatched its Kumasi correspondent, Erastus Asare Donkor, to gather reactions to the story in the citys streets and markets. In the Season 2 synopsis, Raw admitted the first season had produced disastrous results. But lessons had been learned. Jungle Gold an action-packed reality show about two Mormons from Utah mining for gold in Ghana was a hit when it premiered on the Discovery Channel in 2012. While Ghanaians in the diaspora were railing against Jungle Gold online, members of Ghanas Minerals Commission were quietly fuming about its existence. After averaging 2.65 million viewers a week during its first season on Discovery Channel last fall, Jungle Gold is back, having started Season 2 on Aug. 11 (now airing on Sundays). Because it really is a joke how nave and unprepared these douche bags really are. S: George is a little wordy, here's the short answer. Scott and George test out a brand new claim after racking up huge debts on the Romaso gold mine. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has over 62,000 members in Ghana, the second-highest membership in Africa behind Nigeria. It was time to bail out. We have estimated George Wright's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. Edit: added second related question. On the morning of May 11, the cast and crew arrived at Kotoka International Airport. to possess the upside potential we considered to be a prerequisite. They needed to find money, fast. A rosy conclusion to Season 1 looked unlikely. They forfeited the cash and moved to a less profitable site. Whose the stupid ones ? Though it was never confirmed who the men were or why they had attacked the miners, Wright and Lomu quickly concluded that the militia was looking for them. I talked with Scott and George by phone recently about Jungle Gold, a few days after the Season 2 premiere. By August 2012, more than two months into the shoot, the stars joint venture had found only a few ounces of gold. All the details of the secret MAFS boys night are spilt at a boozy dinner party that shocks the experts. The show is such a fake with the pretend dangers all around them meanwhile the camera-production crew is right beside them every second with security and back-up, oooh Im so scared! Scott Lomu is VP:Investor Relations at Ensurge Inc. See Scott Lomu's compensation, career history, education, & memberships. He was still there when I showed up six months later. 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. Maybe Utah poor is different to my poor. What shocked me is how much seemingly relevant content never gets used. The influx of Chinese miners had triggered a rise in armed robberies of Chinese mining camps. Nevertheless, the district officer demanded Raw visit the Minerals Commissions headquarters in Accra before they continued filming. (The agency did not respond to questions about the status of its investigation.). Around the time Lomu saw himself on TV, Evans Mensah was channel-surfing in his Accra apartment when an image of bright green cocoa trees filled the screen. Heres Our Review Of Cocaine Bear: Oh Hell Yes! But it was Lomus identical twin brother, Bill, a divorce mediator then living in Arizona, who finally took action. I was astonished, Mensah said months later. But their return to Ghana was to be even more troubled than round one. Thats when we realized our tragedy was good for the show, Lomu said. Lomu peeked out the compounds window, half expecting a military convoy to break down the gate and haul them away. Lomu learned what he needed to know about reality TV, put . From left, Victor Kpah, Scot Lomu and George Wright of 'Jungle Gold' Photo courtesy of Discovery Channel. Also, reclaiming and replanting was mentioned and shown, but sadly not near enough, like a 8 seconds. The stars solved the dilemma by essentially pretending to mine, digging in the mud or washing gold by hand when a scene called for it. They found almost no gold, sinking the last of their cash into the failed enterprise. Can you talk about your new colleague Dave Thomas? Scott Lomu and George Wright land at a rural airport in Kumasi, Ghana. But for those thinking that theyre bad actors or are, worse, faking the drama, they have an offer for you come to visit them in Ghana for a few days. We didnt exploit anyone, Lomu told me. We just wanted to show what its like in Guyana from our perspective, Wright said. So, so sad. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. 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.. When I asked them about this, they said the thought had not occurred to them. George Wright has been appointed as Vice President of Public Relations and. Stars of Jungle Gold, George Wright and Scott Lomu, join MSNBC's Alex Witt to talk about their show. Scott receives life-changing news that could change their gold mining futures. They were convinced theyd be arrested at the airport and imprisoned. Coincidentally, Discovery had recently reserved a Russian helicopter to take aerial shots of Wright and Lomus new excavator as it trundled into Fahiakobo. (Raw refused to comment on Aboagyes claim.) Upon arrival, the cast and crew had paid the landowner $50,000 and set up camp on the villages perimeter. As they prepared for shooting one day in May, they heard that armed militia had attacked miners near their old site. Big props to the crew if they really risked themselves like that to get the footage. Back in Ghana, things were no better. One of the things that people always ask Scott and I, even before the show came because we were traveling back and forth to Africa for two years before the show with Discovery Channel even got a green light or was even an idea in either of our minds people would always say, What do you do for work? Wed say, Gold mining. Theyd say, What? 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