Gold Rush: Winter's Fortune Release Date, Cast, And Locations - What We Know So Far

The actual American gold rush might have ended in the 19th century, but reality shows about gold miners are as lucrative as they've ever been. The original "Gold Rush," which was entitled "Gold Rush: Alaska," premiered on Discovery in 2010 and has aired almost 260 episodes over 11 seasons– and Season 12 looks likely. The success of "Gold Rush" has led to a veritable cornucopia of spin-off series, which include: "Gold Rush: The Jungle," "Gold Rush: South America," "Gold Rush: Parker's Trail," "Gold Rush: White Water," "Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine," and "Gold Rush: Freddy Dodge's Mine Rescue."

And now, there's yet another spinoff series to add to the haul: "Gold Rush: Winter's Fortune." This series will be a bit different than a typical "Gold Rush" show. Instead of focusing on the miners' effort to dig as much gold as possible, this one is all about preparation. Set during the winter, when the frozen ground in the Yukon Territory makes gold mining impossible, "Winter's Fortune" will see the gold miners working in dangerous freezing conditions to set themselves up for a potentially huge score next spring.

Here's everything we know about "Gold Rush: Winter's Fortune."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Gold Rush: Winter's Fortune" will premiere on Friday, June 30 at 8 p.m. Eastern, on both Discovery and Discovery+.

The premiere comes during a busy 2021 for the franchise. The spin-off series "Gold Rush: Freddy Dodge's Mine Rescue" premiered on January 4 to help kick off the launch of Discovery's subscription-based platform, Discovery+. The flagship program, "Gold Rush," aired its Season 11 finale on March 19. The same day as that finale, "Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine" premiered. Its first season just ended on June 25 (via Discovery). "Gold Rush: Whitewater" also concluded its fourth season on March 12.

Discovery hasn't specified how many episodes the first season of "Gold Rush: Winter's Fortune" will have, but if it follows the model established by other "Gold Rush" spinoffs, it should have about 16 episodes. ("Gold Rush" seasons usually have 20-22 episodes, not including specials.) So, look for "Gold Rush: Winter's Fortune" to conclude in November.

In the press release announcing "Gold Rush: Winter's Fortune," Discovery also announced the show's five main cast members, who have all starred on other "Gold Rush" shows. They are: Tony Beets, Rick Ness, Dave Turin, Fred Lewis, and Dustin Hurt.

Additionally, the press release also teased what each of them will be facing this season. The price of gold has risen in recent years, which has sparked what Discovery calls a "modern-day land grab." Longtime Klondike miner Tony Beets aka "The Klondike King" is coming off a down year and makes a risky multi-million dollar investment to upgrade his digging equipment. Rick Ness and his crew are trying to scale up their operations for a bigger haul next season. Dave Turin, who's been starring on his own spinoff show about rehabilitating old mines, will return to the Klondike and try to pick up as much land as he can. 

Lastly, newcomer Fred Lewis will be trying to prove he has what it takes after a paltry $12,000 haul last season, while Dustin Hurt's camp gets hit by landslides.

Like most shows in the "Gold Rush" franchise, "Gold Rush: Winter's Fortune" will be filmed in two main areas: the Alaska panhandle near Haines, and the Klondike region of the Yukon. Tony Beets' mine is the Paradise Hill claim, located in the Yukon. The Beets family has been working the claim for about 25 years. Previously, Rick Ness has worked for fellow "Gold Rush" cast member Parker Schnabel, but more recently he's started his own company. In 2020, Ness reopened the mine near Keno City, Yukon (via Distractify).

Dave Turin's claim hasn't yet been announced. Based on the press release, most likely he'll be working a new claim. Fred Lewis' claim during "Gold Rush" Season 11 is located in Sumpter, Oregon, although he's previously worked for Schnabel as well (via Oregon Live). Dustin Hurt's claim is in the Porcupine District of Alaska, near Haines.

It should be a blustery season of TV.