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'Gold Rush' executive producer Doyle mines for ratings gold By Kate O'Hare © Zap2it The quest for Southern Hemisphere riches ends - at least for now - on Friday, Aug. 30, with the finale of the summer series "Gold Rush: South America." The spinoff of Discovery Channel's hit reality series "Gold Rush" premiered on Aug. 2 and continued its predecessor's habit of finding viewers, becoming the day's No. 1 cable show among adults ages 25-54 and men ages 25-54 and No. 2 in all of television among men 2454 and men 18-49. The regular "Gold Rush" series has its fourth season premiere in October. In a TV universe where it's often difficult to get men to give up their video games and sports to actually sit down and watch reality or scripted television, "Gold Rush" has succeeded by following a motley bunch of gold miners seeking to make a fortune by finding the precious metal. It also helps that the men do it by driving around huge earth-moving equipment. "It's man heaven," says executive producer Christo Doyle, who has become known to fans through his online and now televised behindthe-scenes chats with the "Gold Rush" miners and camera crews. His one-hour on-air show is now called "The Dirt" - on finale night, it airs right before "Gold Rush: South America" - and it features Doyle doing candid, sometimes contentious and sometimes confusing, interviews with the show's featured miners: Oregon native Todd Hoffman, his dad, Jack Hoffman, Freddy Dodge and their hardluck crew; teen Parker Schnabel, his beloved, 90-something "Grandpa," John Schnabel, and his 2 outspoken mother, Nancy Schnabel; and the fatherson "Dakota Boys," dad "Dakota Fred" Hurt and son Dustin. Over the course of "Gold Rush: South America," Todd Hoffman, tired of wresting gold from Alaska's frozen ground (he did get more than $1 million last year), decides to try his luck in the jungle instead. As Twitter and TV fans know, Hoffman and Doyle don't have the warmest of relationships, with each resenting the other's perceived intrusions into his territory. Explains Doyle, "Recently, he said on Twitter, 'Christo Doyle, no matter what you do, we'll never actually be friends,' which I'm actually fine with. We have a good professional relationship; we really do. I respect him for what he does, and he respects me. "We both know that 'Gold Rush' wouldn't be where it is today without each other. At least I know that; maybe he doesn't know that." And then there's Hoffman's unmistakable personality, a mix of evangelical preacher, P.T. Barnum-type showman, dreamer, leader and deal maker. "Todd told me he wanted to move his operation," says Doyle. "I told him he was completely insane. But the beauty of Todd is that he's insane, is that he's a dreamer. At a trade show in Las Vegas, he got wind of there being some great ground in South America. So he begged and pleaded with us that he wanted to go to South America on his quest. "The more we looked at it, the more we thought it would make for a great little offseason run, and off we were." But, similar to his string of misfortune and mishaps in Alaska and Canada's Yukon, Hoffman's time in the jungle has been fraught Freddy Dodge (left) and Todd Hoffman star in "Gold Rush: South America" Friday on Discovery Channel. with misunderstandings, that is that he drives me "Obviously," says Doyle, Schnabels and for Parker conflicts with the locals, "I can't discuss the deals nuts, and he's driving the this season." lost opportunities and wild guys in his crew nuts. we have with talent. And what would a show chances fueled by blueBut what I can say is, "But he is incredibly about crazy miners be sky optimism. without these guys having without a new wrinkle in charismatic, and he is When it's noted that tremendous skin in the very convincing. He's a the quest? Hoffman's perpetual game, we would have smart guy; he just hasn't "I can't give away too problems puzzle viewers, no show. You'll see, this quite hit it the way he much," says Doyle, "but I Doyle says, "Me, too. Join (upcoming) season, Todd wants to hit it yet, and can tell you that we get the club. I don't know." goes way out on a limb. there's always something into some brand-new And yet, Hoffman The way that is playing better out there." territory this (fall) on 'Gold always turns up another out now on 'Gold Rush,' Some fans have lead. there's nothing more real. Rush.' " speculated that either Hoffman recently "He is ADD, self"Parker Schnabel, his remarked that "There is admittedly so," says Doyle. Discovery or the parents gave him his production company much more than gold in "So, he's not just picking college fund to go north. is secretly funding South America." up leads; he's actively That's all a very real the mining, especially "That is correct," says looking for leads at all scenario, and it's very times. The net result from Hoffman's adventures. nerve-racking for both the Doyle. The Goshen News • TV Spotlight • August 19-25, 2014

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