‘America’s Backyard Gold’: Dave Turin on His Dramatic ‘Gold Rush’ Exit & Finally Finding Peace
Q&A
Have you ever thought about finding your own treasure after watching all those Gold Rush shows? Dave Turin’s upcoming new show America’s Backyard Gold may give you added motivation and insight into how to get started without breaking the bank. “Dozer”
Dave hits the road across the country to meet everyday people and learn their methods. Though it’s more about hitting paydirt but getting to know the stories that go beyond the surface. “We tried to stay true to Gold Rush, but have a little bit of separation so this show can stand alone,” Turin told TV Insider. “Each episode is unique.”
Turin’s itinerary will take him from California and his own backyard of Oregon to Georgia and Alabama. He was first introduced to audiences through Gold Rush, his spin-off Gold Rush: Dave Turin’s Lost Mine in 2019, and Gold Rush: Winter’s Fortune in 2021.
We caught up with the veteran miner to preview what’s to come on the adventures ahead.
How did the concept for this show come about? This is certainly a different concept from your past shows.
Dave Turin: I was seven years on Gold Rush with four years on my show called Dave Turin’s Lost Mine. There were certain aspects of the shows I didn’t like. The high drama, the high stakes. I consider myself a professional miner. I’ve always respected the professionals in this industry, and how hard they work. A lot of times in our industry there is high drama and high stakes, but we can handle it differently compared to the TV shows. I always wanted to show real people doing real work and let the drama come from us facing the environment. We face broken down equipment, facing if there is gold in the ground.
That’s true in real life. We don’t need to produce a lot. After my last show got canceled, because of the high stress, at 64 I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted to have some fun. I wanted to hear people’s stories. I pitched a show that was about the history of gold and how it changed America. I wanted to include human interest stories because everyone has a story, and I love hearing them. I wanted to talk about gold and the process of gold, where to find it, and how you refine it. I pitched it almost two years ago, and now we have the show.
Discovery Channel
The timing is perfect for this show as more people are becoming interested in gold with the way the world is these days.
Exactly. There is a lot of gold out there. If you do your homework and really investigate things, it’s open to the common person. I don’t think you could in a day find gold. But if you do your homework, gold is worldwide. I do believe it is good timing because I believe gold prices will continue to go up. Our economy is changing and there is inflation and our dollar is not worth as much. When you have gold you can actually hold in your hand, it’s an amazing feeling because it’s so heavy and real. And it will always have value. I kind of think gold is God’s currency because it goes clearly back to ancient days. I think gold will always be worth something.
How was it going on the road and meeting these individuals across the country? Anything surprise you?
I think what surprised me was the people. In this show, we interviewed over 60 different people out there finding gold. We had mothers, and ladies who were taking care of kids and panning with the kids. We had retired guys doing it. We had people who were disabled and still loved gold. Could they go out there and pan? No, but they found a way to work with gold. It was amazing. They all have different stories. If you take the time to listen to them, they’re amazing. What I found is gold can help families get through difficult situations. Not only is it monetary and helps out the budget, but collectively it’s hard work. So a family comes together in the outdoors and works together with the common goal of finding gold to help the family.
It’s being out there having fun, working in the wilderness, Mother Nature, and God’s country. A lot of people go out there, and it’s spiritual. They lose themselves. They lose their cell phones and computers. It’s just working in the ground to find that little bit of gold. Most of the time they are making a little bit of money to pay for fuel and food. They are not going to get rich, but they don’t care because it’s like meditation. One guy told me this was his gym. It was how he stayed in shape. There are a lot of things that help. I’ve loved the people I’ve met. It was amazing to see how different they are, but they are the same in wanting to find gold.
DAVE TURIN AND TONY BRANDT DIVING FOR GOLD WITH A HOOKAH SYSTEM IN OREGON. (Discovery Channel)
What can you tease about the first few episodes as you start in California?
I think for me California stood out. Growing up, we all learned about the 49er Gold Rush. Within five years, there were 400,000 people migrating to the West Coast. There were towns that sprung up along the way. I was on a tributary to the American River. Last winter, they had record amounts of snow in the Sierra Nevada. It flushed all that new gold down into these streams. It’s replenished. I went with a guide who was just a character. We were diving in a stream that was four to eight feet deep. We were just fanning the water and moving a little bit of material and finding nuggets.
And so it gave me the feeling of what the old timers saw. I’ve gone to a lot of the famous Gold Rush areas. Everywhere I go I get this feeling I’m walking on hallowed ground. So many people have panned in that creek, dug the dirt up, and could feel in touch with the old-timers. It’s an amazing feeling. All the people I think I met in this show have that same feeling. They respect our history and the people who went before us.
You spoke earlier about stepping away from the Gold Rush world because of the drama and conflict. There was the physical altercation you had with Trey Poulson and the budding heads with [Todd] Hoffman. Have you found peace when revisiting that challenging period?
I made peace with it. I struggled with it initially. This was a difficult time in my life because that was my identity. That was my job. That’s how I made a living, and then it was gone. In my mind, I tried my best to make amends. I sleep well at night. I have no hard feelings. It’s like life. You make what you want out of it. I could have sat around and moped and been angry, but I got over it and moved on. So, I have really good feelings about the past. I have no animosity toward anybody. When that happened, I knew I had to make my own way. Nobody was going to hand me a new job. I pitched two new shows when I left Gold Rush, and they didn’t get picked up. So I worked hard and eventually, it came back around.
Enter America’s Backyard Gold.
This is the fourth TV show I’ve been on, and I enjoy this one more than any of them. It’s almost like I’m entering other people’s world. I get to dive in and ask them why they are there. Most people know my story. I want to know the stories of the people out there doing it because they are everyday people and so passionate. When you meet someone passionate about what they’re doing, it’s infectious. There truly is gold fever. It’s a great TV show, and I think people will enjoy it.
America’s Backyard Gold premiere, March 15, 9/8c, Discovery Channel
Gold Rush where to stream
