Now that a few sources have confirmed that Gold Rush: White Water will be returning, c has explained why this comeback is taking so long.
Attempting to find gold is a notoriously difficult profession. But, attempting to find gold in the depths of Alaska’s most remote and most dangerous whitewater creeks is even more dangerous than you would imagine.
James’s update about Gold Rush: White Water season seven
And one member of the Gold Rush: White Water crew who understands this better than anyone is James Hamm, who was almost crushed by boulder.
He also got caught underneath a boulder and just generally knocked on death’s door quite a few times in the last couple of years.
However, just because the job is difficult and dangerous, it does not mean that James has given up just yet.
In fact, this Gold Rush: White Water star may have given us a bit of insight into what exactly has been delaying the next season of the show at Discovery’s headquarters in the comments of one of his recent Instagram posts.
James, who posted a few photos of an old mine shaft near his home on October 27, 2022 was asked by a fan when Gold Rush: White Water would be coming back and he promptly responded “soon”.
However, he followed this up with an explanation that the show’s return to television was “out of [their] control until they get us in a time slot I think after goldrush.”
This certainly explains why, even when multiple people who have connections to the show and its cast have confirmed that the show will return for another season, Discovery has yet to announce this season or give us any details about what to expect from the show in the future.
But hopefully this also means that Gold Rush: White Water will be back on our screens very ‘soon.’
James Hamm’s run on Gold Rush: White Water
Though by now James might be a well-known Gold Rush: White Water-face to longtime fans of the show, he did not actually join Dustin’s operation until the third season of the show, when he was referred through (as the show put it) “a friend of a friend.”
All in all, James’ three-season run on Gold Rush: White Water can be summarized as follows:
| Detail | Description |
| First Appearance | November 15, 2019, in “The Pound Zone” (season 3, episode 2) |
| Total episodes | 58 |
| Total seasons | 3 |
| Most recent appearance | June 9, 2023, in “Judgement Day” (season 6, episode 18 |
Will James return for another season?
Season six of Gold Rush: White Water ended on an abysmal note, with very little gold to show for a very difficult season’s work.
But while some of Dustin’s former crew members have already announced that they will not be returning for next season, James seems to have kept a fairly positive outlook on the situation, even going as far as thanking the production crew for “all their hard work” after the season.
Therefore, it is very likely that fans will get to see more of James in future seasons.
What James has been doing in the off season
If you have been watching Gold Rush: White Water since season three aired, then you likely know that James had his fair share of dangerous dredging experiences, even before joining the show.
But it seems like James still likes to find thrill-seeking hobbies while he is at home during the off season, as this “Gold hound; Snowboarder; Skier; Outdoorsman” recently used some of his leftover gold nuggets to purchase his very own air boat.
When Gold Rush: White Water will likely start airing
If Discovery really is waiting for a space to open up on their schedule to start airing the still-unconfirmed seventh season of Gold Rush: White Water, then fans will likely have to wait for the current, 17th season of Bering Sea Gold to come to an end.
And, since this season will only end on Friday, December 22, 2023 – it is likely that the Gold Rush: White Water will only be able to return to our screens in 2024.
However, despite the small glimmer of hope that James’ comments have given us, it is noteworthy that the second half of the sixth season of Gold Rush: White Water ended up being bumped from the show’s usual timeslot.
So if this trend continues in season seven, there is really no telling when we can expect to see the new season starting to air.
After all, the second part of this most recent season ended up being delayed for more than three months, even though it was also already filmed, edited and ready to go.
