America’s Toughest Jobs Gold Mining

This week’s episode sees our contestants employed as gold miners, panning for gold at the Crow Creek Mine

Gold Panning

in Alaska. They will be working in frigid 35 degree water, running down from melting glaciers through the countryside. After a quick rundown from a couple of experienced miners, they begin what will become a 24 hour shift spread over the next two days. The contestants quickly realize that no one is going to get rich quick as after three hours of panning, no one has produced any gold. Finally Sandy and Rick come up with a few small pieces of gold, while Phil’s luck goes the other way as he slips while treading through the ice cold waters of the creek. Meanwhile Ben seems to be spending more time complaining about the cold than actually working. At the end of the day the team is then supposed to come together as a team and set up camp to spend a night out of the bitter cold. The entire ordeal is comical as best as everyone wants to be leader but no one is able to lead. The tension begins to build between Rie and Bryce as well when Bryce tries to order her around while Rie attacks his work ethic.

The next morning arrives with Rick and Michela cooking breakfast while Rie, Sandy and Ben gather firewood, while the rest of the contestants sit around and watch. Soon afterward the contestants are split into teams for the second part of the job, where again each contestant will be judged by the two miners. The team of

Phil Kolarczyk

Chris and Rick as well as the team of Eric, Rommel and Ben both seem to be working well together. However elsewhere it seems as if Steven can’t keep up with his teammates of Rie and Sandy. Even more frustrating is watching Michela doing all the work while her partners Phil and Bryce accomplish nothing. In the end nothing goes unnoticed though as the bosses acclaim Sandy as the hardest working and announce Steven, Phil, Bryce and Ben as the bottom four. They will each have 15 more hours to produce the most gold possible, with whoever pans the least set to go home early. All four work tirelessly through the night but it is Phil (just barely missing Ben’s total weight) who is sent home this week. Again with what seems to be a trend it is announced that Phil has accepted a job with a trucking company in Alaska rather than returning home to his pharmaceutical job.