Have you ever seen the show 'Gold Rush'? It now occurred to him that theyd simply resumed filming after the August meeting. 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." . Additionally, Mr. Lomu has been appointed as Chairman of the Company . G: When the show gets edited they are continually making editing choices between our daily life choices and events. Interview: Scott Lomu and George Wright of "Jungle Gold". They got through it by dreaming up episodes for their nonexistent reality show. provide mining consultation worldwide. The Minerals Commission claimed the crew had pushed ahead without adequate permissions and secretly asked the countrys National Security Agency to investigate them, fearing a stampede of greedy foreign miners, according to Buzzfeed. A task force created by President John Mahama had flushed dozens of Chinese miners from the area, leaving many of the villages men unemployed. Please subscribe here for answers, 1st video released today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS7g-l3-M5k. ET) give the term gold diggers a literal spin with this reality show, now in its second season. Those guys on the dredge they were having a really good time. He paused. He didnt even sound convinced himself when he said to the blonde Neanderthal that he was going back to Utah.for what? Olivia Newton-Johns daughter has revealed how she keeps her connection to her mother alive months after her tragic passing. (The agency did not respond to questions about the status of its investigation.). Their families reaped the rewards of their hard work as both men enjoyed the American dream. How did he come to acquire his assets? You were slightly mislead. George: When we first originally went to Africa gold was actually lower than it is today, even though its taken a hit over this last year. According to Lomu, Raw later paid Akwesi $3,000 for his troubles. The men expected to make easy money in Ghana. As the crew debated alternate plotlines, Lomu went out to dinner in Obuasi. On the night of Nov. 13, Lomu was returning alone from their mining site when he got a phone call from Maciass wife. As far as they knew, they said, Raw had all the required permits. Thats the last were going to see of Ghana.. Lomu and Macias had been best friends growing up; as a teenager, Lomu had baptized him into the Mormon church. Maybe Utah poor is different to my poor. Taxis that once passed every 10 minutes, shuttling miners to work, now came a few times per day. Discovery moved the show from Friday to Sunday nights, where it competed with NFL football for the eyes of American men, their primary demographic. 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. I can say that Parker is a cool kid, he's been supportive to us and so has Fred. A rosy conclusion to Season 1 looked unlikely. They cast Wright and Lomu as hardworking family men engaged in a heroic struggle against hostile and uncooperative natives. Big props to the crew if they really risked themselves like that to get the footage. And so they were deeply leveraged when the housing market collapsed in September 2008. Lomu and Wright didnt head to Africa with dreams of reality TV stardom, and it seems having a camera crew around when youre trying to work is more of a pain than anything else. George Wright and Scott Lomu filming in Ghana for Jungle Gold. They hadnt actually killed anyone, after all, and they were not mining illegally. George Wright in 'Jungle Gold' Photo courtesy of Discovery Channel. Wright caught malaria. How Does the CBS True Lies Series Compare to James Camerons 1994 Movie. Macias took his own life, and the wheels were set in motion for their star-crossed show. After rainstorms, locals with nothing else to do had taken to searching the gutters for specks of gold. Viewers claimed the show was racist, portrayed locals in outdated colonial stereotypes, and exploited impoverished Ghanians for money and ratings. Scott Lomu and George Wright join our company. 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). Read Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper Archives, Feb 15, 1862, p. 2 with family history and genealogy records from chicago, illinois 1860-1945. Meanwhile, the pressure is on the boys to secure a wood-burning stove so the family can stay warm over winter. 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. But in Ghana, as in other former colonies, a strong aversion to neocolonialism endures. By then, they each had two kids and houses in the suburbs. 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. Lomu peeked out the compounds window, half expecting a military convoy to break down the gate and haul them away. 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. Sat 07 May PG-VL. He had some access to some land that Scott and I were needing, if we can come up with the money, so we had to come back home and figure out how were were going to do that. Haha! Given Africans response to Season 1 in the States, Lomu had begged Raw not to air the show in Ghana, fearing retaliation. Only the most coldhearted, inhumane person could spend more than an hour in Ghana and think to do that.. Their wives are also dedicated to the idea of not just funding their own families but making sure Wallys kids and wife are taken care of. Soon we will be creating games and NFTs based on real elements. Last year we were forced to use mercury which was really hard for a lot of people. He is from the United States. Scott Lomu might have a wife or a husband. Obviously, wed appreciate it if the gold prices were higher, always; however, were still feeling very good about the price of gold today. According to government records, the Minerals Commissions district officer in Dunkwa had discovered Raw filming a mining site without its owners consent. I think it would shock a lot of people to hear how encouraging they are, and how supportive they are. But nothing prevents foreigners from investing in small-scale companies owned by Ghanaians. 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. Lomu and Macias worked construction for a Mormon homebuilder in Utah. It was tempting, but it didnt make sense: Anyone could sell gold to the state-run Precious Minerals and Marketing Company for just 2% under the global price. They wanted to know how we had allowed such a disgusting program to air on TV, a spokesperson for the commission told me. S: That's a great question, we get it a lot. Weve learned the people of Ghana and weve always known this are great, humble people.. G: Oh man if Scott sees this, he's gonna have hay day on this question. When Doyle learned the arrest warrant had been extended to the crew, he called for an immediate evacuation. It was the second season of Jungle Gold set in Ghana that the fans of TV shows about gold prospecting are still talking . Jungle Gold is back, having started Season 2 on Aug. 11 (now . Lomu couldnt believe what he was seeing. Visionary entrepreneur and leader. Discovery was so impressed by the clips they upped the season from 10 episodes to 16. But on Macias and Wrights first trip in May 2010 (Lomu stayed behind in Utah), buying gold proved trickier than theyd anticipated. I have never seen the show. They hired a former special services agent to beef up security and instituted a no-mercury policy, barring laborers from handling the toxic liquid. In a 2013 Reddit AMA, several commenters asked Wright and Lomu whether the scene was scripted. Wed put our last $50,000 into that site, Wright said. If so, what do you think of those guys up in Alaska? Season 2. With Scott Lomu, George Wright. We didnt exploit anyone, Lomu told me. As reggae music jingles in the background, Wright pans his GoPro across the sunny streets of Georgetown, Guyanas capital, remarking on its laid-back Caribbean vibe. Their dreams of getting rich in Ghana faded from view. Missionaries first arrived in Ghana in the 15th century, but the Mormon church was not established in West Africa until 1978, when it reversed a long-standing policy barring black men from the priesthood. 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. From [], Do the Alaskan Bush People get paid? Runtime. And its worked up to this point. | Learn more about Scott Lomu's work experience, education, connections . Ask something else I can answer. The reality stars of Jungle Gold on the Discovery Channel (DStv 121) face fines, arrest and even possible imprisonment over charges of alleged brutality and illegal mining in Ghana, with the Ghanaian government which now wants to see Scott Lomu and George Wright apprehended and arrested. Channel. FYI, for our show specifically, it is 200 hours of content for 43 minutes if show. A soaring Mormon temple, one of only three on the continent, sits in the heart of Accras commercial district, surrounded by European embassies. George Wright have accepted positions as members of the Companys If you take any human being out to a site where theres gold, and give him a shovel and they find gold there, theyll say, Give me more shovels, give me more people! Because its really quite addictive once you catch it. Tens of thousands of foreigners, the majority of them Chinese, had flocked to the countrys rural mining regions since the recession, lured by stories of Klondike-caliber windfalls. The show, the first article said, captured horrifying scenes of foreigners taking over mining sites and killing indigenes. In the second, Fuseini promised to track down and arrest the two Americans. Weary of small-scale mining, the men enthusiastically agreed. In 2009, when Lomus father-in-law, a wealthy lawyer in Salt Lake City, suggested Lomu try dealing gold in Ghana, he latched onto the idea. In a surreal scene, Lomu jumps in the car with a gold bar he says is worth $75,000, before a masked man runs out of the jungle firing a machine gun, steals the gold and runs off. And though Mormons make up less than a quarter of 1% of Ghanas 25 million people, they hold a strong symbolic presence in the country. is that truth, are they gone? 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 _________________________________________, 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. Jungle Gold, Discovery Channel's latest reality effort, follows two Americans on their quest to strike it big in Ghana, Africa.After losing hundreds of thousands in the real estate collapse, George Wright and Scott Lomu tried to find the silver lining actually it was more of . All the details of the secret MAFS boys night are spilt at a boozy dinner party that shocks the experts. I'm honestly not a fan of Reality tv at all, I want to watch good scripted shows with compelling stories. The robbery scene was intense but definitely felt like the video was pulled off a little too well. By this time, Ghanas mining industry was in chaos, with Al Jazeera reporting on the dangers of illegal mining, fuelled by widespread corruption. Ghanaian law prohibits non-Ghanaians from mining on plots of 25 acres or less, which make up Ghanas small-scale mining sector. But the incident changed the dynamic in the village. Wright and Lomu had never imagined they would end up mining for gold in Ghana. In 2011, Scott Lomu saw the Discovery channel TV show Gold Rush and was perplexed that it was a hit. At the time, Ghana, Africas second-largest gold producer behind South Africa, was in the midst of a modern-day gold rush. It is really pathetic. In April, Ensurge hired both men: Wright as vice president of public relations, Lomu as vice president of investor relations. Also, reclaiming and replanting was mentioned and shown, but sadly not near enough, like a 8 seconds. In 2010, they and a friend, Wally Macias, invested in a small operation and took turns flying out to work there. When the episode ended, he immediately decided to investigate Jungle Gold. One of them was Wright, whose entrepreneurial drive and years in South America Lomu saw as an asset. Gold prices were high, getting equipment was cheap. Maybe little Scottie will have a headache or a hang nail as his next excuse for constant failure. Now, it seemed, Ghana was taking its revenge. According to Lomu, Raw had replied that Discovery could not pull the show from Ghana without pulling it from DStv altogether. Other scenes needed no stage-managing. Gold dealing, they concluded, was a scam. 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. What is behind the allure of gold mining? If you cannot answer that for Spoiler reasons, how many months were you in Ghana for, this year? What happens when a government shuts down an illegal camp is it basically displaces 80-100 local young men who no longer have a job. That drippy wife should stop whining and deal with it while her husband a finally does a days work. Within months of Jungle Golds U.S. premiere in October 2012, they had become the face of Ghanas foreign mining community, which many blamed for destroying the countrys environment and harming its people. But none of them seemed In Jungle Gold, Discovery Channel's hit reality series, George Wright and Scott Lomu try their best to climb out of a mountain of debt.Their loyal families wait at home while the two toil away in Ghana, hoping to strike gold and solidify their financial futures. 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