The Discovery Channel has given birth topopular reality shows, includingGold Rush.The premise is fairly simple: Six men decide to mine for gold in Alaska after losing their jobs, enlisting the help of their families.Gold Rushgrew popular enough to have spinoffs, includingHoffman Family Gold, centering onTodd Hoffmanas he starts mining gold again with the help of his father Jack and son Hunter. Even though it premiered last year,Hoffman Family Goldhas proven to be extremely popular.But while Todd Hoffman was still inGold Rush, he was part of a mining operationthat went into some dangerous territory.How dangerous? According to Todd Hoffman, he was almost shot. Yes, really.
Hoffman Family Gold
Todd Hoffman Was Mining for Gold in Guyana – and Was Caught Up in a Car Chase
Hoffman unpacked his close call during an interview, saying that the trouble started when he had finished cashing out a recent haul of gold. The fact that he was carrying two backpacks full of cash attracted the attention of armed men, who wanted to steal it —leading to an intense car chase, reminiscent of those in the movies.The chase grew more intense with the heightening of the moment when he contemplated throwing away some money to create confusion. But as Hoffman detailed, his driver’s screams made matters worse.
“But we got in this car chase like you’d see in the movies, man…And I said, ‘Once we get stuck, I’m throwing the cash out and everybody just lay down. We’re going to throw the cash out.’ We just kept right in front of them. And my driver got us away. And I don’t know how he did it, but he was literally screaming at the top of his lungs and so it added to the drama, like my driver screaming; I’m just freaked.”
Hoffman and his driver managed to escape by the skin of their teeth,but it wasn’t the first timeas Hoffman revealed, that he kept mining for gold, even with the dangers. “We would almost die there probably once a week. Somebody would almost die…That was years ago when we were mining in the jungle.”
Todd Hoffman’s Car Chase Was Deemed Too Extreme for ‘Gold Rush’
The high stakes of a car chase seem like they would fit in perfectly for a reality show about gold mining, but Hoffman revealed thatthe incident was never filmed — and for good reason. “The things I did in the jungle were just – they didn’t put them on camera because it was too freaky,” he said. It makes perfect sense given that most of the hazards miners face aretoo dangerous to be captured on camera. Those dangers often include bears, heavy equipment, and Alaskan localsreportedly shooting at filming crews. Gold mining is a dangerous profession, but Hoffman’s encounter only underlines how dangerous it is.
The 5 Things You Should Know About ‘Hoffman Family Gold’ Season 3
You won’t have to dig far to find this gold.
‘Hoffman Gold Rush’ Fully Focuses on Josh Hoffman’s Gold Mining Career
Hoffman recently returned to the world of TV gold mining withHoffman Family Gold, which once again finds him mining for gold - only this time he’s competing against his son. This comes afterHoffman left the mainGold Rushshow, citing a need to spend more time with his family. “You get to this point where you look at your situation, and think, I need a few years with my kids, to be at home, plus you’ve been on this thing for so many years,“he toldOregon Live, saying that he probably wouldn’t return to the main show any time soon.
Hoffman Family Goldhas already proven to be as popular as its flagship show, scoring a third season that’s currently airing. Hopefully, future excavations have more gold and fewer guns in store for the Hoffman family — provided they don’t go to Guyana.
Hoffman Family Goldis available to stream on Discovery Go, with new episodes airing on Fridays on the Discovery Channel.
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