The Real Reason You've Heard This Word On Gold Rush So Many Times

"Gold Rush" continues to be a huge hit for Discovery, having run for over a decade and still going strong with twelve seasons and five spinoff shows. The reality show follows a number of gold mining crews in various locations including Alaska, Colorado, and Canada's Yukon region, giving viewers an inside look at the day-to-day toil, and potentially high payoffs, experienced by professional miners. 

Viewers undoubtedly tune in for fascinating insight into the mining life, including details about mining company rules, such as hiring and firing practices and pay rates. It seems fans are equally interested in following the lives of the crews (which are often family operations) and the unfolding dramas and clashes between costars. There is perennial speculation about why particular cast members left the show, and where they disappeared to. 

But there's one fascinating and surprising aspect of "Gold Rush" that fans might be completely unaware of: the show's cast members are required by producers to repeat one particular word over and over when on camera.

While the hunt for gold is obviously the primary subject matter of "Gold Rush," viewers may have noticed that the word is constantly repeated on-screen, almost to an excessive extent. As revealed by TheThings in a 2020 article, this is because the show's producers and executives require cast members to use the word "gold" over and over as often as possible during filming.

As with any specialized profession, gold miners have their own jargon, with various terms for their much-sought-after prize, including "color" and "mother lode." But the producers of "Gold Rush" enforce a strict ban on the use of this insider lingo, insisting instead on continuous use of "gold," regardless of how counterintuitive that might seem for professionals. Perhaps to ensure the broadest audience reach possible, executives prefer the term that would be immediately understandable by miners and non-miners alike.