George Wright and Scott Lomu of Discoverys Jungle Gold (Sundays at 10:00 p.m. There is no law against foreigners mining in Ghana, anyone can mine in Ghana granted they use a licensed agent. How does it feel to go to the poorest continent on the planet with the goal to take as much of the little wealth they have left? George Wright has been appointed as Vice President of Our cutting room floor can have its own AmA! George Wright and Scott Lomu filming in Ghana for Jungle Gold. WHEN two Mormons from Utah signed up to star in a reality show about gold mining in Ghana, they had no idea what they were getting into. We saw mining as an opportunity and used our cash to purchase some equipment. There are so many ways to help in Africa, but we are shining a light on the problem of clean water in Africa along with http://www.worldserveintl.org and http://www.peoplewater.com So please donate to World Serve if you are so moved to help this amazing organization. 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. Unfortunately, most locals can't afford to mine the gold, they need outside investment. Oh my word, they think I killed him, he said. Last year we were forced to use mercury which was really hard for a lot of people. How is the gold market lately? There were things we didnt expect, things that normally wouldnt happen to us happened because the cameras were there, said Lomu. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Tall, handsome, and half-Polynesian, he studied business at Arizona State University and did his Mormon mission in Indianapolis. Season 1 Ep 12. (It has since been clarified in the wake of Jungle Gold.) Its very easy to lose your temper, it very easy to feel like everybodys trying to take advantage of you and trying to take your land. Interview: Scott Lomu and George Wright of "Jungle Gold". To ensure the most secure and best overall experience on our website, we recommend the latest versions of. But, you will find Ghana a fantastic country. Last modified on Sat 2 Jul 2022 00.15 EDT. Judging from locals reactions to them, the show may indeed have been on the road to redemption. That October, Sam Maynard, Raws head of U.S. factual television and one of Jungle Golds executive producers, informed Wright and Scott that the show had been canceled. Maybe Utah poor is different to my poor. We really liked the people of Ghana, the people we worked with. As chronicled in their Who gave you permission to work here? Akwesi demands, before tackling the crews Ghanaian security guard. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . I believe its God who brought them to me, Alan Tay, who served as a handyman for Wright and Lomu during the Season 2 shoot, later told me. When Doyle learned the arrest warrant had been extended to the crew, he called for an immediate evacuation. George: Theres something to be said about gold fever about realizing that I dig a hole, I find gold. A task force created by President John Mahama had flushed dozens of Chinese miners from the area, leaving many of the villages men unemployed. I'm honestly not a fan of Reality tv at all, I want to watch good scripted shows with compelling stories. Once we did, we got back in touch with him and he had land available still, and from there it was just kind of the beginning of Im not going to say a beautiful relationship, because Im not a huge fan of Dave. I have never seen this dude, Marie remembers thinking. But we were willing to wear our heart on our sleeve.. Wright and Lomu had never imagined they would end up mining for gold in Ghana. I like him every once in a while (laughs) its just really hard to trust him. The entire landscape of the mining industry over the last year has changed dramatically, and so we encountered a lot this season. these comments make me laugh, if show is that bad stop watching it. Can you talk about your new colleague Dave Thomas? But they had not received permission from the Minerals Commission to film mining lands. Patchy reception made it hard to hear, but a few words registered clearly: Wallys dead. That morning, Macias had driven into the mountains outside Kanab and shot himself with a rifle. George: We met him towards the end of our last little stint out there. Back in 2009, Scott Lomu and George Wright, two clean living Mormons, were trying to find a way to make money after suffering huge losses when the housing bubble popped the year before. it was rated as one of the top programs on the Discovery Channel. Phone calls from furious Ghanaian expatriates poured in. Airing in the slot behind Gold Rush, it had helped Discovery dominate the Friday night cable ratings. Fans have praised stunning MAFS newcomer Evelyn for her mission to hold a groom accountable for his bad behaviour towards his wife. Net Worth in 2021. America. It was that simple. Jungle Gold an action-packed reality show about two Mormons from Utah mining for gold in Ghana was a hit when it premiered on the Discovery Channel in 2012. But what you do with that really defines who you are.. They wanted to know how we had allowed such a disgusting program to air on TV, a spokesperson for the commission told me. A rosy conclusion to Season 1 looked unlikely. To ensure the most secure and best overall experience on our website we recommend the latest versions of, Internet Explorer is no longer supported. He watched in puzzlement as Wright ordered an excavator driver to tear it all down. The program, he soon discovered, was set in Ghana. Whether the Information Services Department had instructed Raw to seek the commissions approval is unclear; the permit protocol for foreign documentary film crews in Ghana was somewhat vague in 2012. 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. In June, they produced a series of short videos to show prospective investors. Just that fast, he blocked me and Scott and never gives an ounce (no pun intended) of support. | December 22, 2022 I can say that Parker is a cool kid, he's been supportive to us and so has Fred. The men said they received tons of outraged tweets and Facebook messages, many from Africans in the U.S., accusing them of deceiving Ghanaians and raping the countryside. His first radio story, which cast doubt on the Americans legal status, aired the first week of May. We didnt think it would make us look cool and it certainly didnt.. What happens when a government shuts down an illegal camp is it basically displaces 80-100 local young men who no longer have a job. So what do you watch instead? The Guyana operation was expanding, and Mishleau valued Wright and Lomus years of mining experience in Ghana. But where? If you havent seen the show, its a doozie. He was crushed to learn I was not. Genre Man vs. First, their new landowner revealed the mining licence wasnt ready, so they couldnt film any actual work. Literally, I have never been so scared, Wright told me. Other scenes needed no stage-managing. They just have to survive long enough to go back and tell the world, I guess. We initially we went to Africa with the last of our cash to flip gold, arbitrage, we hoped to buy it low and sell it for a bit more and create some velocity with that initial capital secured by a real asset the entire time. Under Review. Theyd spent the past year trying to dramatize their daily lives for the cameras. When I visited Romaso months after Wright and Lomu fled, a cocoa farmer whod witnessed the fight told me it had been painful to watch. There are plenty of other channels. We kind of shed a pretty big spotlight on the activities of illegal miners in Ghana. Meanwhile, the pressure is on the boys to secure a wood-burning stove so the family can stay warm over winter. In 2010, they and a friend, Wally Macias, invested in a small operation and took turns flying out to work there. He was standing on his bed in boxer briefs as his wife lay beside him and laughed. 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. G: Oh man if Scott sees this, he's gonna have hay day on this question. The following year, they tried again, on the land of a Ghanaian Mormon bishop. Website: www.ensurgegold.com, Ensurge, Inc.Clint Mishleau, 702-728-5187ensurgeinfo@gmail.com, Internet Explorer presents a security risk. Villagers routinely set up roadblocks and demanded hundreds of dollars to pass. technology to existing mining operations to recover gold from existing Still, the acceptance of Mormonism in Ghana today belies a troubled history. *Discovery Channel has been pushing this as a new season, though the May 29 new episode is listed as Season 2, Episode 9. When the United States Navy SEALs killed bin Laden during the operation, they captured a prize far greater and more valuable [], Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), on Discovery announces limited-run Gold Rush spinoff series, on Discovery special presents details on classified bin Laden intel, http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1124.html, Discovery announces limited-run Gold Rush spinoff series, Discovery Channels Alaskan Bush People recap: A Wolfpack Divided, Discovery special presents details on classified bin Laden intel, Single Ladies Decide if Country Livin is for Them in Farmer Wants a Wife. In April, Ensurge hired both men: Wright as vice president of public relations, Lomu as vice president of investor relations. Scott Lomu and George Wright buying supplies during an episode of Jungle Gold. We didnt exploit anyone, Lomu told me. 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. That supports been really the lifeblood in this entire operation. In the Season 2 synopsis, Raw admitted the first season had produced disastrous results. But lessons had been learned. We were like, well show them the failures, the terrible, horrible stuff. TV-PG. The Friday audience is a different audience. _________________________________________, Scott Lomu, George Wright and Dave Thomas of Jungle Gold: Credit Discovery Channel, The money was given to Dave so they could mine that land,I even think it a bit suspicious that he walked away Scott free and no-one says anything, Really enjoyed watching but what about the money they gave to Dave Thomas are they not wanting it back,after all it wasnt their money it was the father in laws. provide mining consultation worldwide. A lot of people are like, Oh theres a camera, well act like this, said Wright. A soaring Mormon temple, one of only three on the continent, sits in the heart of Accras commercial district, surrounded by European embassies. In April 2013, six months after its U.S. premiere, Jungle Golds first season had debuted in Ghana on DStv, an African satellite network with 8 million subscribers. It was January 2011, and Lomu had stumbled onto the first season of Gold Rush, a Discovery Channel reality show that follows three men from Oregon as they mine for gold in Alaska. On Oct. 15, 2012, more than two months after the meeting, the synopsis arrived. You were slightly mislead. Season 2. (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. While Ghanaians in the diaspora were railing against Jungle Gold online, members of Ghanas Minerals Commission were quietly fuming about its existence. We came to realize this was a perfect opportunity to show how foreigners can do business the right way in Ghana, Lomu told me. Gold, which ran two seasons on the Discovery Channel. We met that guy a few weeks back. One op-ed, titled Jungle Gold: A Case Study in the Exploitation of Africa, captured the collective indignation that greeted the series. I was astonished, Mensah said months later. But that doesnt tell the full story. As Richard Bushman, a professor emeritus of history at Columbia University, put it: Mormons think things will work out for the best.. Not everything works out how you want it to, said Wright. 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 One of them was Wright, whose entrepreneurial drive and years in South America Lomu saw as an asset. The most recent episode where Scottie had to fly home immediately because his boy was diagnosed with autism was just another laughable fake emergency. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Not that Id recommend it, but theyre pretty sure they can school any critics. So they turn to other means. I guess this is what your generation who grew up in a fancy world is all about. 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