But where? This was a good start. Olivia Newton-Johns daughter has revealed how she keeps her connection to her mother alive months after her tragic passing. Consumed with other business, hed all but forgotten about Raw. So, thanks again. 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. Lomu peeked out the compounds window, half expecting a military convoy to break down the gate and haul them away. Wright, 32, a mixed martial arts enthusiast with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, grew up in California before moving to Utah at 16. In 2009, when Lomus father-in-law, a wealthy lawyer in Salt Lake City, suggested Lomu try dealing gold in Ghana, he latched onto the idea. We kind of shed a pretty big spotlight on the activities of illegal miners in Ghana. Since completing the series, Lomu and Wright continue to America. We fell comfortable. Don't miss the season finale of Jungle Gold on Discovery, featuring Food Insurance friend's Scott & George Shining Dawn- Jungle Gold's Scott Lomu & George Wright Coincidentally, Discovery had recently reserved a Russian helicopter to take aerial shots of Wright and Lomus new excavator as it trundled into Fahiakobo. Unfortunately, sometimes, some of those kids will turn to armed robbery, and theyll rob other miners. Fortune seekers George Wright and Scott Lomu know there are no rewards without risks, but even the gold-mining stars of "Jungle Gold" weren't prepared for the danger they and the show's crew faced . Viewers were shocked that Americans would broadcast illegal mining, and activists claimed throwing money at people unused to financial decision-making was a mistake. We work really hard and its really dangerous at times. This was never a get-rich-quick scheme. This is a tale of our times the new American Dream set in the jungles of Africa, the introduction read. Haha! It sounded like they were the target. 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. The next morning, they passed through customs and boarded a privately chartered jet bound for Paris. Under the section Danger and Risk, Raw wrote: It would be easy to paint Ghana as a dangerous and risky environment, and by our audiences standards it certainly is. Fans have praised stunning MAFS newcomer Evelyn for her mission to hold a groom accountable for his bad behaviour towards his wife. Airing in the slot behind Gold Rush, it had helped Discovery dominate the Friday night cable ratings. Lomu and Macias worked construction for a Mormon homebuilder in Utah. We knew this was going to be a 5-to-10-year job on our part. "We didnt exploit anyone. Public Relations and Scott Lomu as Vice President of Investor Relations. And one of their original crew had taken his own life. From [], Do the Alaskan Bush People get paid? Had anyone in the terminal listened to the radio the day before, the sight of two dozen white people discreetly filming themselves on iPhones and iPads should have rung alarms. During a layover at JFK, he checked his voicemail and found it full of condolences from friends and family. Oh my word, they think I killed him, he said. Lomu signaled for the check. The Chinese miners remained on the site, and Lomu forfeited the money he paid for it. In the most cases they also have children. To guarantee cell service in the bush, the company bought Raw a 30-foot antenna. Those guys on the dredge they were having a really good time. He paused. Worst of all, popular radio station Joy FM claimed Wright had killed the man he was filmed choking. How could I not show that?. In perhaps the best-known episode from Jungle Gold, an excavator is ripping up an acre of cocoa trees when an irate cocoa farmer named Akwesi emerges from the bush, machete in hand. After rainstorms, locals with nothing else to do had taken to searching the gutters for specks of gold. The cast and crew pulled into Fahiakobo that March. mining operations. In the five years it takes a cocoa tree to fruit, he said, they often make poor decisions that cause them to be economically or physically displaced. The lure of foreign wages, he added, can incentivize village youth to drop out of school. Wright caught malaria. George: Theres something to be said about gold fever about realizing that I dig a hole, I find gold. Gold, which ran two seasons on the Discovery Channel. Gold prices were high, getting equipment was cheap. Missionaries first arrived in Ghana in the 15th century, but the Mormon church was not established in West Africa until 1978, when it reversed a long-standing policy barring black men from the priesthood. We met him last year. That would be exporting it, as Wright and Lomu have to mine through such obstacles as armed locals and illegal miners . Press J to jump to the feed. The series chronicles the continuing efforts of former real-estate dealers George Wright and Scott Lomu as they mine for gold in Ghana in an attempt to pay off the over $1 million debt they face in the wake of the real-estate crash. The cast and crew hid at a nearby compound, where they discovered Wright was suspected of murder and the authorities wanted them arrested. When I visited Aboagye in his cluttered office the following year, he told me hed requested a synopsis of the program the crew planned to make. 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. Ghanaian law prohibits non-Ghanaians from mining on plots of 25 acres or less, which make up Ghanas small-scale mining sector. I can say that Parker is a cool kid, he's been supportive to us and so has Fred. The production team swore to take a different approach to the second series. 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. Jungle Gold is back, having started Season 2 on Aug. 11 (now . (Raw declined to comment on the incident.) They watched as the title card flashed onscreen to the sounds of an explosion and a screeching howler monkey. How is the gold market lately? On the morning of May 10, 2013, George Wright woke up in the small Ghanaian town of Domenase to learn that the countrys largest media outlet was accusing him of murder. To ensure the most secure and best overall experience on our website, we recommend the latest versions of. Not everyone celebrated their departure. Scott and I know we could have done better. Interview from the Chicago Resource Expo with George Wright & Scott Lomu from Discovery Channles hit show Jungle Gold DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ensurge, Inc. (Trading Symbol: ESGI) announced today that Scott Lomu and Is it worth all the effort and danger youre going through? When Lomu suggested removing the miners by force, a chief replied: If you attempt it, they will kill you! The crew captured everything on film and loved it. Upon meeting me, hed asked hopefully if I was with Raw, heralding the return of Jungle Gold. Its a sad story, but their determination to continue in Wallys honor is one you have to hear. The men expected to make easy money in Ghana. One day in Ghana is more dramatic than this entire freaking episode!. 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. It was clearly time to go. Wrights wife, Marie, sat in amazement as her unflappably nice Mormon husband imitated Rambo: shouting orders, grimacing at the camera, and heaving logs out of the road, his every flippin' and shoot bleeped out to create a bawdier impression. A talk with George Wright and Scott Lomu about "Jungle Gold" Season 2, the move to a new night and the reality of "gold fever." . Should they find enough gold, they intended to build a Ghanaian schoolhouse in Maciass name. Jungle Gold. And George and I think as a direct result of the show there are a lot of government and military raids on illegal mining camps, and there are a lot of robberies happening. Phone calls from furious Ghanaian expatriates poured in. The shows first season had been a hit, airing on Friday nights behind Gold Rush, Discovery Channels highest-rated show. They had first heard about the show in July 2012, while the cast and crew were still in Ghana filming Season 1. When I asked them about this, they said the thought had not occurred to them. 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. Not a land owner. We also discussed the fact that they initially started out with another partner who committed suicide just one day before they got the call from Discovery. George: I think this all would have ended a long time ago had our wives and our children, and even extended family and close friends, not been so supportive. Still, they thought the furor would blow over. Theres a lot of feedback we get where people are just really inspired by the idea that we have a goal and were willing to do whatever it takes to obtain that goal. George Wright has been appointed as Vice President of Public Relations and Scott Lomu as Vice President of Investor Relations. We didnt want them to present Ghana as a lawless place where foreigners can come and engage in illegal mining, he explained. I was astonished, Mensah said months later. But it was Lomus identical twin brother, Bill, a divorce mediator then living in Arizona, who finally took action. We do answer questions and stay in touch here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDu1cQjqGaj-3wBYavW1Hg/videos. We lost a ton of money! Wright said. Nature Treasure Hunting Adventure & Exploration Only the most coldhearted, inhumane person could spend more than an hour in Ghana and think to do that.. Watch the Run For the Border episode. We were in panic mode. Wright found work translating Spanish for an Arizona-based equipment supplier bidding for contracts in Colombias mining sector. Were more committed now than we ever have been. But Raw believed they could meet the challenges of filming a gold-mining operation in Ghana; in the Season 1 synopsis, they noted that their contributors would be paragons of responsible mining. Discovery, which had green-lit the show in March, had insisted Wright and Lomu hire locals, replant cocoa crops on mined land, and abide by the rules of Ghanas Environmental Protection Agency. is that truth, are they gone? Watch part 1 unfold here: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/jungle-gold/videos/run-for-the-border-part-one.htm. He is from . Wright and Lomu considered escaping into the jungle, but Discovery made the final decision. Fri 1 Jul 2022 13.18 EDT. Greenhorn gold miners George Wright and Scott Lomu put everything on the line -- their lives included -- to hit pay dirt in the gold-rich and danger-filled jungles of Ghana. Scott Lomu. 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). It looked like their foray into mining was over until they stumbled across Discoverys Alaskan mining reality show, Gold Rush. Tens of thousands of foreigners, the majority of them Chinese, had flocked to the countrys rural mining regions since the recession, lured by stories of Klondike-caliber windfalls. The entire landscape of the mining industry over the last year has changed dramatically, and so we encountered a lot this season. (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. As chronicled in their Ghanas Minerals Commission had taken to decrying what it called the illegal mining menace., These controversies presented possible PR problems. 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. George Wright and Scott Lomu will 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. They have to prove the new claim is stacked with gold or their investors will pull funding. Because it really is a joke how nave and unprepared these douche bags really are. We thought we could explain any misunderstandings to the government, Wright said. On Oct. 15, 2012, more than two months after the meeting, the synopsis arrived. Share. Can you tell us your secret at being perfect such as yourself. On Oct. 26, 2012, the night of the U.S. premiere, Wrights extended family gathered around the TV in his living room in Eagle Mountain, Utah, a predominantly Mormon town an hour outside Salt Lake City. Since Jungle Gold aired, small mining companies from around the world have contacted Wright and Lomu through Facebook to propose mining partnerships. All were shocked to think Americans would film themselves engaging in illegal mining, let alone broadcast it. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=273569. This time, they mined on the land of a Ghanaian Mormon bishop who had partnered with Lomus father-in-law. Big fan of the show, one my friends is from Ghana and I got him watching the show as well. Desperate for cash, he recruited two men he thought would make enthusiastic gold dealers. 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