How Some Gold Rush Fans Really Feel About The Hoffmans

The newest "Gold Rush" spin-off, "Hoffman Family Gold," reunites longtime fans of the franchise with former cast member Todd Hoffman, as he tries to get back into the gold-mining business alongside his father, Jack, and his son Hunter. Throughout the first seven seasons of "Gold Rush," the Hoffmans were an absolutely essential part of the series, with Todd Hoffman himself serving as the de-facto series lead prior to his abrupt departure from the series.

Indeed, it's not a stretch to say that without Todd Hoffman, there may never have been a "Gold Rush" at all. Season 1 of "Gold Rush" was entirely focused on the mining crew led by Todd and Jack Hoffman, whom — after being hit hard by the recession — decided to try their hands at gold mining in order to become rich. Hoffman moved from his home state of Oregon up to Alaska with six other men who had faced hard times due to the economic climate of the time, and his journey throughout that first season helped to launch one of the biggest media franchises Discovery has to offer.

Considering the fact that Todd Hoffman and his family were an absolutely crucial part of Discovery's "Gold Rush" for so many years, you would think that they would be fan favorites ... but evidently, the truth is more complicated. In fact, while it might seem incredibly odd, the internet makes it seem that most fans don't really want to see Hoffman or his family return to the series anytime soon.

In a recent Reddit post discussing the Hoffman family's potential return to the series, fans were incredibly vocal about their dislike of the Hoffmans and the part they played within the series. "I do like them as people, and at times they were amusing to watch," wrote u/artsfols "but in the 3 part Gold Rush retrospective there's too much pain, too much shooting themselves in the foot, and too much bad management." 

"Todd and his company are clown miners," echoed u/TheIrishPeasant, making their thoughts on the mining skills of the Hoffmans quite evident. Other users chimed in to agree, with many claiming that the Hoffmans' mining methods are not effective, flawed, and that their crews regularly display a lack of mining experience while on the job. "Todd acts like some kind of brilliant foreman or whatever, and I'm always shocked when they do well in spite of him," wrote u/sailor_moonmoon. Another user, u/katybops, emphasized that the only thing they enjoy about seeing the Hoffmans on the series is Todd's faux-confidence as he gives the appearance of being knowledgeable about mining. 

The unbelievable amount of dislike that "Gold Rush" fans seem to hold for the Hoffmans is truly baffling, especially when you consider that there may never have been a "Gold Rush" in the first place without the Hoffman family. In any case, one has to hope that Todd and his crew will prove all of his doubters wrong in "Hoffman Family Gold" as its first season continues.