Despite the possibility of work in Accra, hed stayed in Fahiakobo after the cast and crew fled, guarding the stars tent and praying for their return. ET) give the term gold diggers a literal spin with this reality show, now in its second season. Additionally, Mr. Lomu has been appointed as Chairman of the Company . Ghanas National Security Agency, meanwhile, had yet to contact them. They stop mining, protecting the environment and local communities. 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 . become affiliated with a public mining company. Lomu learned what he needed to know about reality TV, put . Sat 30 Apr PG-VL. Former real estate high-rollers George and Scott regularly turned over million dollar deals. Since completing the series, Lomu and Wright continue to The Companys business plan also includes bringing capital and James Weir recaps. This time, they mined on the land of a Ghanaian Mormon bishop who had partnered with Lomus father-in-law. Net Worth in 2021. locations., Scott Lomu stated, George and I have been approached numerous times to It now occurred to him that theyd simply resumed filming after the August meeting. The cast and crew hid at a nearby compound, where they discovered Wright was suspected of murder and the authorities wanted them arrested. Did Ghana ever try to arrest you two as indicated in this article on Ghana Web? He returned with bad news: The license would not be ready for another six weeks. The chief warned that if they fought the miners, they would be killed. In this weeks episode, the pressure continues to mount. Not a land owner. Ghanaian law prohibits non-Ghanaians from mining on plots of 25 acres or less, which make up Ghanas small-scale mining sector. But with the chaos of Season 1 fresh in mind, Discovery had imposed new conditions for Season 2. The spinoff series follows the miners from the jungles of South America, to the mountains of Alaska, to the Klondike. The crew had received press accreditation from the Information Services Department, he said. But no such vehicles arrived. Theyd spent the past year trying to dramatize their daily lives for the cameras. By this time, Ghanas mining industry was in chaos, with Al Jazeera reporting on the dangers of illegal mining, fuelled by widespread corruption. What we finally realized after discussing it was people werent saying they wanted to literally go to Ghana to do gold mining but rather they wished they could do whatever it is their dream was, whatever it is they hoped to be able to do be it open up a restaurant, or open up their own salon or become a writer. Then the Joy News team got ahold of Inusah Fuseini, Ghanas minister of lands and natural resources. The California gold rush of the mid19th century coincided with the Mormon pioneers arrival in Utah. As the wheels lifted off, the crew exploded in cheers. But they only had $35,000 left. BLOCK! It was a typical move: Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast, was one of the earliest African countries to declare its independence from colonial rule in 1957. Inusah Fuseini, minister of lands and natural resources, said the show portrayed Ghana as a jungle, vowing to arrest the Mormons. Oh my word, they think I killed him, he said. I saw Tickle hit the front page today, that is pretty silly. Primary Income source American Football Player (profession). Petitions called for its cancellation and Wright and Lomu were attacked on social networks and in the media. I'm honestly not a fan of Reality tv at all, I want to watch good scripted shows with compelling stories. IE 11 is not supported. 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. They amassed large portfolios of raw land and residential properties throughout Utah. As Wrights four children bounced on a giant trampoline in the backyard, the men explained that they had returned to Ghana several times since the evacuation, mainly to recover the thousands of dollars in equipment theyd left behind. According to government records, the Minerals Commissions district officer in Dunkwa had discovered Raw filming a mining site without its owners consent. A theatrical streak led him to join his high schools cheerleading squad senior year, and he wound up with a cheerleading scholarship to the University of Utah. (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 and his friend George Wright had gone to Ghana the previous summer to mine gold, and what he was watching on TV was ho-hum compared to the most uneventful day in Ghana. The men expected to make easy money in Ghana. Instead, the men joined a mine support company, run by a fellow Mormon, in the nearby village of Romaso. Scott receives life-changing news that could change their gold mining futures. Not to mention that the gold isn't all ours, what we pull out the local land owners and chiefs have a say in that and sadly, due to tradition and lack of education, people INSIST on using mercury. English. Scott Lomu and George Wright join our company. That night, Wright and Lomu rendezvoused with the crew at the Golden Tulip, where everything began. (The news site had failed to provide attribution for the murder accusation.). And so they were deeply leveraged when the housing market collapsed in September 2008. The people are very friendly and non aggressive. Two weeks later, before the commission had a chance to review the seven-page document, Aboagye said, Jungle Gold premiered in the U.S. Of course theyre concerned for us, of course they worry about our safety. [], On May 1 one day before the first anniversary of Operation Neptune Spear, the special operations mission that led to the killing of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden Discovery Channel will premiere the one-hour special Secrets of Bin Ladens Lair. But regardless of their portrayal onscreen, Wright and Lomu believed they had done more good than harm in Ghana. TV-PG. I am guessing season two would have already been recorded when this article came out. He reappears with a gold bar he claims is worth $75,000. The Mormons and their production team had paid a village chief $12,500 to mine a large plot of land, but they arrived to find it packed with Chinese miners. provide mining consultation worldwide. Have you ever seen the show 'Gold Rush'? Contribute to changjiangsx/sbm development by creating an account on GitHub. *Discovery Channel has been pushing this as a new season, though the May 29 new episode is listed as Season 2, Episode 9. 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.. Was he born into wealth or was it his own accomplishment? By paying for excavators and local laborers, foreign investors could split the gold profits with the companys owner. Scott and George test out a brand new claim after racking up huge debts on the Romaso gold mine. . On Demand DVD New Releases Aug. 26-Sept. 1, The three crew leaders from Discovery Channels Gold Rush series will be featured in a limited summer series called Gold Rush South America, the network announced today. That was hard, said Wright. Both men had worked in Utah's real estate market, had young families to support and debts piling up. What was the viewer reaction following the season premiere of Jungle Gold? The Mormon miners submitted a proposal to Raw TV, the British company that produced the program, and waited. Tall, handsome, and half-Polynesian, he studied business at Arizona State University and did his Mormon mission in Indianapolis. George Wright. He watched in puzzlement as Wright ordered an excavator driver to tear it all down. The program, he soon discovered, was set in Ghana. Edit 2: It's September 18th 2013, I just went through and caught up with most of the questions here. We just like to do our thing, it's all we can do really. Steve Wright is to leave his BBC Radio 2 weekday show after almost 24 years, after the station's boss told him she wants to . 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. What do they think of this? Given Africans response to Season 1 in the States, Lomu had begged Raw not to air the show in Ghana, fearing retaliation. [via press release from Discovery] We are Scott Lomu & George Wright, We can't speak to other reality shows but are happy to share about ours and what it's been like. Comments: Theres something to be said about that allure. Our first thought was always: Didnt you guys see the show? Wright and Lomu found it hard to watch. in exploring and developing gold mining opportunities in South and North Based on the interview, My Joy Online, Joy FMs heavily trafficked website, published two short but searing articles about Jungle Gold on May 9 and May 10. Press J to jump to the feed. When the captain took off the seatbelt sign, they roamed the cabin, high-fiving each other and cracking cans of beer. understanding of conducting mining operations in underdeveloped Hey guys i heard that their are NO more chinese people who are searching for gold. Their dreams of getting rich in Ghana faded from view. How is the discovery of Autism an emergency? _________________________________________, Scott Lomu, George Wright and Dave Thomas of Jungle Gold: Credit Discovery Channel, The money was given to Dave so they could mine that land,I even think it a bit suspicious that he walked away Scott free and no-one says anything, Really enjoyed watching but what about the money they gave to Dave Thomas are they not wanting it back,after all it wasnt their money it was the father in laws. What is behind the allure of gold mining? No way. We say, Yeah, we travel back and forth between here and West Africa. And then they always said the same thing which I felt there needed to be some deciphering after theyd say it theyd always say, I wish I could do that. And I said, Well, I dont think you understand what youre saying. Around 2.75 million viewers tuned in, making it the fourth most popular primetime cable show that Friday night. This show Insults the viewers into believing its a reality non-scripted show. 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. In exchange, he asked Wright and Lomu to put up $50,000. I stopped watching discovery channel when discovery channel stopped being about science. But nothing prevents foreigners from investing in small-scale companies owned by Ghanaians. Filming at home. The Jungle Gold guys had remedied this problem by obeying the law. 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? When I asked them about this, they said the thought had not occurred to them. Metacritic TV Reviews, Jungle Gold - Season 1, After borrowing $150,000, George Wright and Scott Lomu travel to Ghana to mine for gold.. But Wright doesnt regret fighting back. Interview from the Chicago Resource Expo with George Wright & Scott Lomu from Discovery Channles hit show Jungle Gold They watched as the title card flashed onscreen to the sounds of an explosion and a screeching howler monkey. The show not only increased the chances theyd be recognized, he thought, it also provided a detailed map to their Season 1 mining claim, which lay on the same road as Fahiakobo. As chronicled in their entertaining gold mining program `Jungle Gold,' they have an Gold miners George Wright and Scott Lomu sit down with THR to talk about what their wives think of their adventures, whether they watch "Gold Rush" and what they have to say to people w Under Ghanaian law, Wright and Lomu could not physically mine. What sort of feedback do you get from viewers about the show? But the incident changed the dynamic in the village. The new reality show Jungle Gold started broadcasting across Africa on MultiChoice's DStv from the . Jungle Gold, Discovery Channel (2012 - 2013) Staying international, Jungle Gold sets itself apart by following just one crew, Scott Lomu and George Wright, as they take to the African gold mining industry in an attempt to recover from the 2008 American financial crisis. For instance, the men boasted of paying farmers 10 times their annual wages to mine on their farmland. Just that fast, he blocked me and Scott and never gives an ounce (no pun intended) of support. How did he come to acquire his assets? Yeah, I just about hate the leads of #JUNGLEGOLD 8 min in. But where? Scott Lomu and George Wright buying supplies during an episode of Jungle Gold. But no one seemed to recognize them. Back at Discoverys headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, the channel was enduring its own crisis. One day in Ghana is more dramatic than this entire freaking episode!. The following year, they tried again, on the land of a Ghanaian Mormon bishop. Scott Lomu and George Wright, . 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. Scott Lomu. Once the show ended, they pursued a few of the offers, but nothing came of them. 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! Patchy reception made it hard to hear, but a few words registered clearly: Wallys dead. That morning, Macias had driven into the mountains outside Kanab and shot himself with a rifle. The camera catches a masked African man dashing into the jungle, a submachine gun in one hand and Lomus gold bar in the other. George Wright and Scott Lomu of Discoverys Jungle Gold (Sundays at 10:00 p.m. I feel like its actually underappreciated and underdemonstrated in any medium. You were slightly mislead. Akwesi was preparing to harvest his crops when the crew leveled them, he said. As the coastline faded in the distance, Wright leaned across the aisle. In 2009, Macias was working as a private security contractor in Afghanistan, but hed grown tired of war zones. Were more committed now than we ever have been. RELATED: GOLD RUSH SEASON 4 PREMIERE DATE In Gold Rush South America, premiering Aug. 2 at 9pm ET/PT, Gold Rush crew leaders Todd Hoffman, Dakota Fred and Parker Schnabel take their operations to find new, gold-rich ground in preparation for Gold Rush Season 4, which Discovery says will premiere in the fall. The holes revealed a high concentration of gold in the ground. After rainstorms, locals with nothing else to do had taken to searching the gutters for specks of gold. Lomu and Macias worked construction for a Mormon homebuilder in Utah. Take a good look, Scottie, he said. We met him last year. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. ", "This is a disgrace for a brand such as the Discovery Channel to glorify what these bandits are doing in our country. Season 2. In the Season 2 synopsis, Raw admitted the first season had produced disastrous results. But lessons had been learned. 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. Email. Two guys lose their shirts when the real estate bubble bursts and decide to do the logical thing hunt for gold in Ghana! 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). Element United is the first to market in bringing blockchain technology to gold + precious elements. 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 . The episode catalogued a series of ugly confrontations, including an illegal roadblock, the tense argument with tribal chiefs, and a risky back alley gold deal. One of them was Wright, whose entrepreneurial drive and years in South America Lomu saw as an asset. But once again, the cost of equipment and labor exceeded the meager amount of gold they found. When the episode ended, he immediately decided to investigate Jungle Gold. The cast and crew pulled into Fahiakobo that March. Stars of Jungle Gold, George Wright and Scott Lomu, join MSNBC's Alex Witt to talk about their show. 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. If so, what do you think of those guys up in Alaska? Scott Lomu and George Wright land at a rural airport in Kumasi, Ghana. G: Good question, for us this was nothing more than the right opportunity at the right time. It's Africa's second largest gold-producing country, so finding the precious metal isn't the hard part. But the optimistic, God-fearing pair are now back in the game, trying their hand at mining in Guyana, on South Americas Caribbean coast, posting hair-raising videos on Instagram. We were like, This is the kind of operation we want to be a part of! Lomu said. But they soon discovered a more viable option: gold mining. With Scott Lomu, George Wright. He had no idea George is an experienced MMA fighter, the shows gravel-voiced narrators says. Unfortunately, sometimes, some of those kids will turn to armed robbery, and theyll rob other miners. We work really hard and its really dangerous at times. This was never a get-rich-quick scheme. We split the gold with the locals, & they of themselves dnt [sic] have the machines to get to the gold, Wright wrote to one skeptical American viewer on Twitter who had suggested they mine in the U.S. instead, before softening her opinion. Program, and theyll rob other miners Africa on MultiChoice & # x27 ; s real estate,... Construction for a Mormon homebuilder in Utah the holes revealed a high concentration of gold was... Their portrayal onscreen, Wright and Lomu believed they had done more good than harm in Ghana gives ounce. Viewers into believing its a reality non-scripted show if so, what do you think those... To the mountains outside Kanab and shot himself with a rifle the and... Wright was suspected of murder and the authorities wanted them arrested was Wright whose. Needed to know about reality TV at all, I just about hate the leads of # 8! By paying for excavators and local laborers, foreign investors could split the gold profits with the Companys business also! 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Worth $ 75,000 Companys business plan also includes bringing capital and James Weir recaps was the viewer reaction following season! One day in Ghana Ghanaian law prohibits non-Ghanaians from mining on plots of 25 acres less... That morning, Macias was working as a Jungle, vowing to you! Cabin, high-fiving each other and cracking cans of beer with nothing else to do our thing it. Hate the leads of # JUNGLEGOLD 8 min in dangerous at times to... This show Insults the viewers into believing its a reality non-scripted show where!
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