“Gold Rush: Dave Turin’s Lost Mine,” one of the numerous spin-offs of Discovery’s popular “Gold Rush” series, follows Dave Turin after his departure from the flagship series as he tries to revive unused mines in the Western United States, including Arizona, Colorado, and Montana. The series already has three seasons under its belt, and it’s possible it could return for a fourth.
The premise of the series provides plenty of potential for drama and strife, especially with Turin and his crew often putting personal stakes into their potential discoveries. Not every episode is a complete crowd-pleaser, though. With so much cost and potential earnings on the line, fans have come to expect a lot from each episode of “Gold Rush: Dave Turin’s Lost Mine,” and while most deliver, one is the worst of the bunch, according to fans, and for good reason — it’s a rather laidback episode of the wild series.
The Season 2 premiere is the worst episode of Gold Rush: Dave Turin’s Lost Mine
Season 1 of “Gold Rush: Dave Turin’s Lost Mine” had its fair share of drama, ultimately ending with Dave Turin and his crew breaking even, something that becomes a central focus of the Season 2 premiere, “Golden Playbook.” In this episode, Turin gathers his crew to recap the first season and strategize on how they’re going to earn a profit in the new season. While most of the show’s 40 episodes manage at least a 6.0/10, IMDb users rated “Golden Playbook” slightly lower, at 5.5.
The reason for the soft response likely boils down to the lack of action. “Golden Playbook” is a full episode, but it acts more as a special with no real gold action, instead focusing on Turin and his crew discussing the events of Season 1 and teasing the upcoming episodes of Season 2, including Turin telling his crew they will be mining in Montana. There is good background given on the history of gold mining, the crew members, and Turin’s own dedication to mining gold (he even puts his own money on the line), but the episode doesn’t make a ton of progress. It’s likely a better episode for new viewers rather than seasoned fans, who have come to expect more.