Discovery's BERING SEA GOLD Season Two to Premiere 1/4

Related: BERING SEA GOLD, Discovery, Reality TV

Life is not easy for the gold dredgers in the frontier town of Nome, Alaska. But that doesn't stop the crew of driven and sometimes desperate fortune seekers from hunting gold at the bottom of the Bering Sea. From Thom Beers' Original Productions, creators of the Emmy Award-winning DEADLIEST CATCH, the second season of BERING SEA GOLD premieres Friday, January 4 at 10 PM E/P on Discovery Channel.

This year, the stakes are even higher as the dredgers must improve on past failures and find gold to survive. However, dredging isn't getting any easier. A group of government officials are hell-bent on putting some order in place -- setting new regulations that cause headaches and roadblocks for the entire fleet. With gold rush fever brewing, new miners are drawn to Nome in search of hitting the mother lode. And a sudden, tragic death will make this a summer that no one will forget.

BERING SEA GOLD season two picks up from last year and follows the adventures of four dredging crews as they battle the conditions - and each other - in search of gold. This season includes the crews of:

· The Christine Rose: Hotheaded Shawn Pomrenke is on a mission to prove to his father, Steve, that he's grown up. Last season, Shawn failed to prove that he was ready to take over the family business. But has Shawn learned his lesson? With a goal of 1,000 ounces of gold this season, he gets a new chance to step up to the plate and prove that he's ready to lead. However, after an arrest leaves him behind bars, his father Steve still has his doubts.

· The Edge: Nome native Zeke Tenhoff is abandoning his original dredge -- the dysfunctional, slapped-together Clark -- in favor of a bigger, souped-up dredge with a powerful and dangerous suction hose. Joining him is his on-again, off-again love interest Emily Riedel as deckhand and Zeke's lifelong best friend, John Bunce, an experienced diver and gold dredger. This is their big shot at redemption after last season's disappointing results.

· The Wild Ranger: Owner Vernon Adkison is back and focused on succeeding as a dredger. Unlike last year, where he was more like an absentee landlord, this season he is all in. Vernon has invested his entire life savings: half a million dollars on a small armada including his flagship vessel The Wild Ranger and five other dredges. Despite being fired twice last season, Steve Reidel will return as Vernon's relief captain and diver. Will Vernon find enough gold to survive? And will Steve remain focused on the job?

· The Anchor Management: Last year, Captain Scott Meisterheim was accused of incompetence and being a thief while on board The Wild Ranger. Now he's back in town to prove that he's neither. This season, Scott has a dredge all of his own - a slick and shiny rig full of hi-tech equipment all of his choosing. Borrowing $150,000 from some "bad people," Scott needs to find a mountain of gold to pay off his debts. But will the salty miner be able to handle the pressure? Or will he lash out and hit the bars, making a true recipe for disaster?

For those who can't wait for the new season to begin, a special sneak peek episode will air Friday, December 28 at 10 PM E/P on Discovery Channel with behind-the-scenes footage and the show's most memorable moments.

BERING SEA GOLD is produced for Discovery Channel by Original Productions, a Fremantle Media company. For Original Productions, executive producers are Thom Beers, Philip D. Segal, Jeff Conroy, John Gray, Sheila McCormack and Cameron Glendenning. For Discovery Channel, executive producer is David Pritikin.

About Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 210 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 149 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including Revision3.