Gold Rush and Hoffman family fan smark your diaries. The second part of Hoffman Family Gold season 1 will premiere on Discovery Channel on Tuesday 27 June.
When we last saw the Hoffmans they were in remote Alaska, with seven weeks to grab the gold before winter froze them out. Now Todd, his father Jack and son Hunter are determined to surface mine a daunting 28kg of this precious metal with their hand-picked wash plant and all-star crew.
And this time round Hunter won’t take the back seat he’s adamant on running his own plant.
We caught up with Todd, who’s also a country crooner with some serious singing chops, to see what we can expect from the golden family this time round.
“We're trying to get to the point where we hit around $2 million worth of gold. You're going see a struggle between a father and a son trying to get to the next level with a business that’s probably the hardest thing anybody can do in my opinion.”
No kidding, Alaskan surface mining is all about frigid temperatures, intense labour, and high stakes. So, what keeps them motivated?
“We believe gold is going to be $5000 to $10 000 an ounce someday,” says Todd. “It just makes sense for our worldview.”
But being on TV hasn’t always been easy. Since day one the family have had their every mining move scrutinised by those who think they could do it better. Todd admits that being “a chubby guy who’s basically put out all our dirty laundry for the world to see” comes with its own drawbacks.
“I don't believe in fame and I'm not that famous just famous enough to be an oddity,” he says. “To be on reality TV you must have a strong family and know who you are with God. You can't have what's called ‘a weak constitution’.
But then again, you also get amazing message from people you’ve inspired. And then there's people who have followed me and love to hate me but still watch every episode!”
Whatever you think of how the Hoffmans choose to mine, their larger-than-life personalities and sheer determination are mesmerising to watch. No wonder Gold Rush which many people don’t know Todd created is one of Discovery Channel's biggest shows of all time.
The second half of this season looks to have a similarly golden appeal.
“It’s on another level and we think it's probably the best show on the whole Discovery network right now,” Todd says. “You’re going to see more drama, more gold, and more family. You’ll identify with us as characters and people. This is why I started Gold Rush. And this is why I started Hoffman family gold. Don't miss it.”