TV's 'Bering Sea Gold' Glimmers

Source: The Washington Post, Hank Stuever  (1/26/12)

"Glaciers have slowly deposited fine bits of gold all over the coastline floor. In frigid waters, a skilled crew can Hoover up several ounces of gold per day among the muck and rocks. In one early episode of 'Bering Sea Gold,' a crew brings in more than 40 ounces in one day, assaying at more than $150,000 at the current price."


The Washington Post, Hank Stuever

The state of Alaska and the genre of reality docu-TV have almost animalistic mating urges. They just can't stay away from one another, which is how we at home came to know too much about crab fishing, gold prospecting, grizzlies, snow machines, ice-road truckers, chartered plane pilots and the taste of the season's first whale blubber. Add to that a certain out-of-work politician and the humdrum patrols of the state's troopers, and it's been a whole lot of defrosted drama. Yet very little of it has made for memorable watching.

The real trick is to match the adrenaline and wonder of “Deadliest Catch,” Discovery’s manliest and most rewarding hit to date, which has tossed on the darkened seas for several seasons of crab harvests with a modern, Melvillian sense of doom. . .View Full Article