Gold Rush: White Water is known for its rollercoaster ups and downs, but the crews have brought in thousands of dollars’ worth of gold over the years.
When the original Gold Rush show (titled Gold Rush: Alaska at the time) first premiered all the way back in 2010, the show quickly proved that the process to unearth this valuable metal was not as glamorous as it is made out to be.
And it did not take long for the Dakota Boys to prove that it is even more difficult to mine for gold at the bottom of Alaska’s most remote white water creeks.
Gold Rush: White Water – no pain, no gain
Fred, Dustin, and their crews on Gold Rush: White Water have had to overcome everything ranging from family-drama and freezing temperatures to malfunctioning equipment, to widow-makers and more, over the course of the show’s first seven seasons.
And while season six may go down in history as Gold Rush: White Water’s worst season to date, this does not mean that the crew has never had anything to show for their efforts.
In fact, all combined, the Gold Rush: White Water team has brought in well over $300,000 worth of gold over the years (not counting the show’s most recent, seventh season, which may just turn out to be the most high-yielding season to date).
The Gold Rush: White Water gold tallies
Fred, Dustin and the rest of the Gold Rush: White Water team certainly had a few kinks to work out when the show was just starting out.
But by the time that season three, four and five of the show rolled around – they were raking in more than $100,000 worth of gold consistently.
The final weigh-ins for Gold Rush: White Water (not including season six – which did not have a final weigh-in – and season eight, which is still airing) and the relative value of the gold at the time of filming can be summarized as follows:
| Season | Final weigh-in | Value |
| Season 1 | Just 2.5 ounces | About $3,000 |
| Season 2 | Just over 10 ounces | About $13,000 |
| Season 3 | Just over 46 ounces | Over $100,000 |
| Season 4 | Just over 41 ounces | Over $100,000 |
| Season 5 | Just over 54 ounces | Over $100,000 |
Season seven’s record-breaking gold find
Season six of Gold Rush: White Water ended with the crew so dejected that they did not even weigh all of their gold for the season.
However, season seven is already going much better. In fact, Dustin and the crew have already dredged more than $20,000 worth of gold –including a huge, 6-ounce nugget (the biggest in Gold Rush history), as well as a few other, smaller nuggets.
Also read:
- How much is Gold Rush: White Water’s nugget really worth?
- Why there was no Gold Rush: White Water season 6 gold total
Is there more gold to come this season?
Gold Rush: White Water would simply not be the show that we all know and love, if the crew’s amazing progress so far this season was not hampered by flash floods and a big boulder.
And while there is certainly a good chance that Dustin and the crew will be able to hit pay-dirt (again) at some point before the end of this season, they are also facing having to abandon the operation early again, as it seems like winter is approaching Nugget Creek much earlier than expected.
In the end, it seems like this season’s fate (and the crew’s final gold tally) will be determined in the next episode or so.
If the crew does manage to break through the hard-pack and Dustin is right about what is hiding underneath that boulder, Gold Rush: White Water season seven may just turn out to be the show’s most successful season ever.
But if the team fails to reach bedrock, they may end the season once again defeated by the big boulder.
How does this compare to regular seasons of Gold Rush?
Dustin and Fred are always quick to remind viewers that mining at these remote, underwater claims, hidden deep within the Alaskan wilderness is very different from mining at huge operations like those of the Beets-family, or Parker Schnabel.
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And although the Gold Rush: White Water crews often have much lower operating costs than the Gold Rush crews, they also have much lower yields.
Even if Dustin and his crew manage to bring in more than 50 ounces at the end of season seven, they will still not be anywhere close to Gold Rush season 14’s final tallies, which saw Rick Ness crew end up with more than 1,100 ounces, Tony Beets’ crew end up with just over 3,000 ounces, and Parker Schnabel’s crew with well over 7,300 ounces.
Though it is worth noting that none of these crews have a 6-ounce nugget to brag about.
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