Upon arrival, the cast and crew had paid the landowner $50,000 and set up camp on the villages perimeter. Follows Americans George Wright and Scott Lomu, two hard working men who risk it all to strike it rich as part of a golden plan to recover from losing everything in the real estate crash of 2008. I must agree sadly that this show is a total farce either that or we are looking at two of the most stupid people on earth (with really bad acting skills). IE 11 is not supported. Then, in December 2014, they met Clint Mishleau. With Scott Lomu, George Wright. Life saving hugs or to provide tissues for his whiny wife? Additionally, Mr. Lomu has been appointed as Chairman of the Companys The series chronicles the continuing efforts of former real-estate dealers George Wright and Scott Lomu . But the incident changed the dynamic in the village. Scott Lomu is VP:Investor Relations at Ensurge Inc. See Scott Lomu's compensation, career history, education, & memberships. As far as they knew, they said, Raw had all the required permits. By then, they each had two kids and houses in the suburbs. Season 2 of Jungle Gold premiered in the U.S. on Aug. 11, 2013. 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. The Mormon miners submitted a proposal to Raw TV, the British company that produced the program, and waited. 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 . *Discovery Channel has been pushing this as a new season, though the May 29 new episode is listed as Season 2, Episode 9. (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. I hate Todd fat arse lazy Hoffman because hes a total tool, I cant hate these guys, I just scratch my head at their stupidity and hope Discovery will stop insulting our intelligence and cancel this ridiculous show. Theyd spent the past year trying to dramatize their daily lives for the cameras. Literally, I have never been so scared, Wright told me. It's humbling to see the poverty that exists there. But no such vehicles arrived. In 2011, Scott Lomu saw the Discovery channel TV show Gold Rush and was perplexed that it was a hit. Months later, on March 6, 2013, Wright posted a photo on Instagram of Raw interviewing Lomu outside a Utah diner. Whether the Information Services Department had instructed Raw to seek the commissions approval is unclear; the permit protocol for foreign documentary film crews in Ghana was somewhat vague in 2012. Only the most coldhearted, inhumane person could spend more than an hour in Ghana and think to do that.. We were like, This is the kind of operation we want to be a part of! Lomu said. The two Americans will be tracked down and arrested, a Ghanaian official declared. The next few years were good for Wright and Lomu, who often exchanged tips about real estate deals. The influx of Chinese miners had triggered a rise in armed robberies of Chinese mining camps. 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. George Wright has been appointed as Vice President of The crew had received press accreditation from the Information Services Department, he said. Nature Treasure Hunting Adventure & Exploration Do you guys take any measures to minimize your impact? We came to realize this was a perfect opportunity to show how foreigners can do business the right way in Ghana, Lomu told me. I guess this is what your generation who grew up in a fancy world is all about. He also thought their brand identity could help attract new shareholders in the U.S. Ensurge has operated in Guyana for several years, with a board of directors, environmental standards, and an established network of distributors, drivers, and laborers. Watch my interview with the guys and a clip from the episode: Watch: George and Scott of Jungle Gold talk robbery, accusations, GloRilla, Ice Spice, And The Carefree Black Girl Backlash, Karol G Tells Us About Her Most Personal Album Yet, Maana Ser Bonito, And Collaborating With Shakira, The Rundown: Between Cocaine Bears And Maple Syrup Heists, Margo Martindale Is Absolutely Thriving In 2023. I made a killing, he said. We split the gold with the village, the farmers make a ton of money from us, we employ many, many locals, paying them 10X what they would normally make, we pay taxes, and contribute a ton to the local economy. Their dreams of getting rich in Ghana faded from view. I thought, Why have the authorities not intervened?. According to Lomu, Raw later paid Akwesi $3,000 for his troubles. When Lomu proposed gold dealing in Ghana, Macias needed no convincing. As many obstacles as theyve faced, theyve also learned from them and made smart decisions as well. They were told by the Information Services Department that an arrest warrant had never officially been issued. Hey guys i heard that their are NO more chinese people who are searching for gold. While the landowner applied for a large-scale license, Raw had paid dozens of local men 40 cedis per day (around $20 in 2013, more than twice the standard rate) to dig 8-foot holes in search of gold deposits, a process known as prospecting. Jed Lipinski is a staff writer for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune in New Orleans. 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. 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. Judging from locals reactions to them, the show may indeed have been on the road to redemption. I mean, not logical enough to actually do it, but they clearly considered the idea (and had a relative in the field) before diving in. They hired a former special services agent to beef up security and instituted a no-mercury policy, barring laborers from handling the toxic liquid. Maybe Utah poor is different to my poor. The show premiered in the US in October 2012 to widespread horror, particularly from African Americans. Whose the stupid ones ? WHEN two Mormons from Utah signed up to star in a reality show about gold mining in Ghana, they had no idea what they were getting into. Visionary entrepreneur and leader. The men expected to make easy money in Ghana. Scott Lomu: Because weve moved from Friday to Sunday it seems like our audience has gotten a lot younger. Back at Discoverys headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, the channel was enduring its own crisis. 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. Discovery had ordered 12 episodes, Wright said, but their abbreviated stay produced only enough material for six. We never used arsenic. Scott Lomu and George Wright, . While Ghanaians in the diaspora were railing against Jungle Gold online, members of Ghanas Minerals Commission were quietly fuming about its existence. On the morning of May 9, hours before the first article ran, Wright was in Fahiakobo preparing for the days shoot when he received a disturbing call from Reece. How is the discovery of Autism an emergency? In the final episode of the seven-part series, the struggling pair are offered the chance to work on a large-scale operation for a rich Ghanaian, if they can raise $15,000. We do answer questions and stay in touch here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDu1cQjqGaj-3wBYavW1Hg/videos. tailings, improve recoveries of existing milling operations and improve George Wright and Scott Lomu, former real estate investors that lost everything in the 2008 crash, make the life-altering decision to travel to Ghana in West Africa to hunt for gold. Hes a gentleman whos a land broker. Invigorated by this new prospect, the three men invested in a small-scale operation near the mining town of Obuasi, a four-hour drive from Accra, and took turns traveling to Ghana over the next three months. is that truth, are they gone? First Aired. That February, 5 million people watched the Season 2 finale of Gold Rush, continuing its two-year run as the most-watched cable show on Friday nights. Jungle Gold is back, having started Season 2 on Aug. 11 (now . 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). Around 2.75 million viewers tuned in, making it the fourth most popular primetime cable show that Friday night. Stars of Jungle Gold, George Wright and Scott Lomu, join MSNBC's Alex Witt to talk about their show. Reeling from the news, Lomu flew to Utah the next day. Genre Man vs. A fight breaks out and martial arts-trained angry George, as he was nicknamed, strangles the man until he passes out. 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. But they only had $35,000 left. In April 2013, it premiered on Ghanaian TV. But their return to Ghana was to be even more troubled than round one. James Weir recaps. By announcing gold existed in Fahiakobo on an international TV network, Tay believed Jungle Gold would attract other law-abiding American and European gold miners, slowly lifting the village out of poverty. There was also an image problem. But its neocolonial echoes had caused Ghanaians at home and abroad to accuse Wright and Lomu of exploiting Africa for their personal gain. You were a bad realtor, a dreamer, no clue about mining, engineering, equipment operation, management, or investment. Could their adventures be a reality TV show? To raise the rest, they decided to deal gold in the jungle. Ghanaian law prohibits non-Ghanaians from mining on plots of 25 acres or less, which make up Ghanas small-scale mining sector. The Lomu brothers then drew up a three-page final draft outlining the premise and sample episodes, in which three American entrepreneurs in dire financial straits would grapple with Ghanaian tribal chiefs, gold robbers, rival miners and each other. In June, they produced a series of short videos to show prospective investors. He was still there when I showed up six months later. I saw Tickle hit the front page today, that is pretty silly. It looked like we were being mocked, Donkor said. While Lomu and Wright couldnt tell me too much about whats coming in season two, what they did say sounded intriguing. Season 1 Ep 11. That October, Sam Maynard, Raws head of U.S. factual television and one of Jungle Golds executive producers, informed Wright and Scott that the show had been canceled. Can you talk about your new colleague Dave Thomas? That Mormons would choose to deal gold in West Africa may seem odd, but the pursuit of gold carries historical significance in the Mormon church. Taxis that once passed every 10 minutes, shuttling miners to work, now came a few times per day. In April 2015, they were hired by Utah-based mining company Ensurge to share their mining expertise in Guyana and help attract investors. 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? As the crew debated alternate plotlines, Lomu went out to dinner in Obuasi. ), Earlier this year, I met Wright and Lomu at Wrights four-bedroom house in Eagle Mountain, Utah. But once again, the cost of equipment and labor exceeded the meager amount of gold they found. 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. ", "The stage is being set for a redemptive second season of Jungle Gold., Your weekday morning guide to breaking news, cultural analysis, and everything in between, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. provide mining consultation worldwide. One day in Ghana is more dramatic than this entire freaking episode!. But after Missing the warning signs of a real estate market about to crash and burn, both men lost everything. Filming at home. When I asked them about this, they said the thought had not occurred to them. According to Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb & Various Online resources, famous American Football Player George Wright's net worth is $1-5 Million at the age of 72 years old. Keep 'em coming if you have them. If you havent seen the show, its a doozie. Youre doing this all for your families. At the time, Ghana, Africas second-largest gold producer behind South Africa, was in the midst of a modern-day gold rush. Clean-cut Lomu and Wright were working together in Utahs declining real estate industry when they heard Ghana was experiencing a modern-day gold rush and attracting overseas miners, mainly Chinese, to try their luck. 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). Sat 07 May PG-VL. Furious, Wright and Lomu gathered a dozen local chiefs and tribal elders to solve the dispute. When he and other commission officials watched clips of the show online, they were appalled by its depiction of Ghana. They found almost no gold, sinking the last of their cash into the failed enterprise. They had brought in work and money after all. English. 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. BLOCK! He didnt even sound convinced himself when he said to the blonde Neanderthal that he was going back to Utah.for what? George Wright and Scott Lomu of Discoverys Jungle Gold (Sundays at 10:00 p.m. 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. A lot of people are like, Oh theres a camera, well act like this, said Wright. Thats when we realized our tragedy was good for the show, Lomu said. Because it really is a joke how nave and unprepared these douche bags really are. 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. miners were regularly killed or injured thanks to unsafe practices, Queen: Fans fall in love with MAFS wife, MAFS husbands vile boys night act exposed. Oh my word, they think I killed him, he said. Metacritic TV Reviews, Jungle Gold - Season 1, After borrowing $150,000, George Wright and Scott Lomu travel to Ghana to mine for gold.. 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. Broke and demoralized, the three men abandoned their nascent mining operation in October 2010. 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. But we were willing to wear our heart on our sleeve.. Building Element United to lead the mining industry to a profitable + sustainable future. The cast and crew hid at a nearby compound, where they discovered Wright was suspected of murder and the authorities wanted them arrested. 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. So if you ask us a question, we'll get you answered. Its very easy to lose your temper, it very easy to feel like everybodys trying to take advantage of you and trying to take your land. 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. George Wright have accepted positions as members of the Companys November 23, 2012. 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. Class acts the two of them. But it was Lomus identical twin brother, Bill, a divorce mediator then living in Arizona, who finally took action. There was a sense of disappointment, said Wright. Not everyone celebrated their departure. Back home at 21, he got married and landed a spot on the Utah Jazz Stunt Team. There is no law against foreigners mining in Ghana, anyone can mine in Ghana granted they use a licensed agent. In early August 2012, records show, several Raw crew members sat down with Joseph Aboagye, the Minerals Commissions stern director of policy, planning, monitoring, and evaluation. FYI, for our show specifically, it is 200 hours of content for 43 minutes if show. When the United States Navy SEALs killed bin Laden during the operation, they captured a prize far greater and more valuable [], Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), on Discovery announces limited-run Gold Rush spinoff series, on Discovery special presents details on classified bin Laden intel, http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1124.html, Discovery announces limited-run Gold Rush spinoff series, Discovery Channels Alaskan Bush People recap: A Wolfpack Divided, Discovery special presents details on classified bin Laden intel, Single Ladies Decide if Country Livin is for Them in Farmer Wants a Wife. Jungle Gold. Is it worth all the effort and danger youre going through? He had no idea George is an experienced MMA fighter, the shows gravel-voiced narrators says. G: Oh man if Scott sees this, he's gonna have hay day on this question. Wright and Lomu step out to investigate. Every other cab driver offered to sell them gold at what they claimed were heavily discounted rates. It now occurred to him that theyd simply resumed filming after the August meeting. There are plenty of other channels. This was met with disappointment in the first 5 days of our trip to Africa because it's not even CLOSE to easy to get cheap gold in Africa, they know the price of Gold better than anybody! They stop mining, protecting the environment and local communities. Never had a real job or a real education, never think ahead or do research about anything. Olivia Newton-Johns daughter has revealed how she keeps her connection to her mother alive months after her tragic passing. Watch part 1 unfold here: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/jungle-gold/videos/run-for-the-border-part-one.htm. I think it would shock a lot of people to hear how encouraging they are, and how supportive they are. She was crying hysterically. During that time | the Times-Picayune in New Orleans other cab driver offered to sell them at! They met Clint Mishleau less, which make up Ghanas small-scale mining sector Commission were quietly about... Is more dramatic than this entire freaking episode! agent to beef up security instituted... To sell them gold at what they did say sounded intriguing Dave Thomas had driven into the enterprise! Married and landed a spot on the Utah Jazz Stunt Team gold producer behind South Africa, in! Locals reactions to them, the show online, they decided to deal gold in village. Up six months later, on March 6, 2013, it is 200 hours of for... 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Appointed as Vice President of the Companys November 23, 2012 as the crew debated alternate plotlines, Lomu out!
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