The first couple seasons were passable entertainment, but the show went downhill quickly. The premise is a rotating set of four or five mining teams looking for gold in the ocean off the coast of Nome. What's not to like about a treasure hunt? A lot, as it turns out.
What should be an exciting treasure hunt is dragged down by a collection of most unlikeable people on earth. Shawn fights with his father. Emily fights with her boyfriend and father. The Kelly's fight with everyone and everything. Vernon fights with his crew. This type of family drama may appeal to some, but to me it's just annoying filler exercising my fast forward finger.
Another failing of the show is none of them are good at their jobs. None. Shawn finds a lot of gold, but then forms a partnership that goes bankrupt. Emily spends more time parading around as a Nome 7 New York 3 sex object than she does actually accomplishing anything. The Kelly's couldn't find gold in Fort Knox and seem to exist simply to make the audience feel superior. Vernon is another who "spent his life's savings" finding nothing. Yet he's back each season. Zeke is seemingly educated, the only one in this lot, but has crippling emotional issues and can't find anything either. It's clear without the show salaries propping them up these people would be flipping burgers somewhere.
While each team is individually failing to be successful miners they find time for inter-group conflicts of the most tedious sort. There are hundreds of boats out there mining each season, yet our handful of groups manage to run into each other constantly. The net result is even more yelling and manufactured drama.
Ultimately all you come away with the impression Nome is hell on earth, people by individuals who belong there and no where else.
Three stars for the first couple seasons. No stars after that. How a show this depressing has survived to today is sad mystery. Three stars.
What should be an exciting treasure hunt is dragged down by a collection of most unlikeable people on earth. Shawn fights with his father. Emily fights with her boyfriend and father. The Kelly's fight with everyone and everything. Vernon fights with his crew. This type of family drama may appeal to some, but to me it's just annoying filler exercising my fast forward finger.
Another failing of the show is none of them are good at their jobs. None. Shawn finds a lot of gold, but then forms a partnership that goes bankrupt. Emily spends more time parading around as a Nome 7 New York 3 sex object than she does actually accomplishing anything. The Kelly's couldn't find gold in Fort Knox and seem to exist simply to make the audience feel superior. Vernon is another who "spent his life's savings" finding nothing. Yet he's back each season. Zeke is seemingly educated, the only one in this lot, but has crippling emotional issues and can't find anything either. It's clear without the show salaries propping them up these people would be flipping burgers somewhere.
While each team is individually failing to be successful miners they find time for inter-group conflicts of the most tedious sort. There are hundreds of boats out there mining each season, yet our handful of groups manage to run into each other constantly. The net result is even more yelling and manufactured drama.
Ultimately all you come away with the impression Nome is hell on earth, people by individuals who belong there and no where else.
Three stars for the first couple seasons. No stars after that. How a show this depressing has survived to today is sad mystery. Three stars.