| Learn more about Scott Lomu's work experience, education, connections . Lomu had heard that Americans could expect to buy gold in Ghana and resell it in the U.S. for a profit approaching 20%. Jungle Gold. Its still higher than when we originally went to West Africa to find it. Hes a gentleman whos a land broker. Comments: We just like to do our thing, it's all we can do really. G: Oh man if Scott sees this, he's gonna have hay day on this question. We kind of shed a pretty big spotlight on the activities of illegal miners in Ghana. From [], Do the Alaskan Bush People get paid? For anyone who thinks their decision to pursue gold mining is utterly insane, they explained to me how they came to this conclusion in a way that sounds entirely logical. Todd Hoffman, Tony Beets, and Parker Schnabel in Gold Rush. There was also an image problem. They say theyve learnt from their catastrophic, ratings-winning sojourn in West Africa. Soon we will be creating games and NFTs based on real elements. As the coastline faded in the distance, Wright leaned across the aisle. Back in 2009, Scott Lomu and George Wright, two clean living Mormons, were trying to find a way to make money after suffering huge losses when the housing bubble popped the year before. A lot of people are like, Oh theres a camera, well act like this, said Wright. Focused on the action, the show failed to explain the complicated licensing process, causing many to assume they were mining illegally. Fortune seekers George Wright and Scott Lomu know there are no rewards without risks, but even the gold-mining stars of "Jungle Gold" weren't prepared for the danger they and the show's crew faced . Now, as he scanned his iPhone, Wright saw that he and his co-star, Scott Lomu, were also facing government accusations of illegal gold mining. And yes, I have heard many of them are gone. It's really frustrating because we have the same production company and we hear all sorts of stories about him, but all I know of him is the first tweet I sent to him when our show started was a thank you, "thanks for forging the way in gold show so that our story and show could have a shot, thank you!" No way. We say, Yeah, we travel back and forth between here and West Africa. And then they always said the same thing which I felt there needed to be some deciphering after theyd say it theyd always say, I wish I could do that. And I said, Well, I dont think you understand what youre saying. All the details of the secret MAFS boys night are spilt at a boozy dinner party that shocks the experts. The production team swore to take a different approach to the second series. The Mormons stuck to soda. Missionaries first arrived in Ghana in the 15th century, but the Mormon church was not established in West Africa until 1978, when it reversed a long-standing policy barring black men from the priesthood. Was he born into wealth or was it his own accomplishment? G: When the show gets edited they are continually making editing choices between our daily life choices and events. Upon meeting me, hed asked hopefully if I was with Raw, heralding the return of Jungle Gold. Scott Lomu: Because weve moved from Friday to Sunday it seems like our audience has gotten a lot younger. Unbeknownst to the cast and crew, Aboagye requested that Ghanas National Security Agency investigate them. Two guys lose their shirts when the real estate bubble bursts and decide to do the logical thing hunt for gold in Ghana! She was crying hysterically. The problem, as Tay saw it, was that most of the Chinese miners were operating illegally, meaning they paid no taxes and ignored environmental regulations. We are Scott Lomu & George Wright, We can't speak to other reality shows but are happy to share about ours and what it's been like. Still, the acceptance of Mormonism in Ghana today belies a troubled history. Follows Americans George Wright and Scott Lomu, two hard working men who risk it all to strike it rich as part of a golden plan to recover from losing everything in the real estate crash of 2008. Theyre hoping things will be different this time. We have a full Biography, Photos, Theatre Credits, and more! For instance, the men boasted of paying farmers 10 times their annual wages to mine on their farmland. The camera catches a masked African man dashing into the jungle, a submachine gun in one hand and Lomus gold bar in the other. Scott Lomu and George Wright land at a rural airport in Kumasi, Ghana. As reggae music jingles in the background, Wright pans his GoPro across the sunny streets of Georgetown, Guyanas capital, remarking on its laid-back Caribbean vibe. But none of them seemed He reappears with a gold bar he claims is worth $75,000. G: Good question, for us this was nothing more than the right opportunity at the right time. As Brigham Young understood, gold mining is an inherently unstable profession. In early August 2012, records show, several Raw crew members sat down with Joseph Aboagye, the Minerals Commissions stern director of policy, planning, monitoring, and evaluation. I have never seen the show. Their wives are also dedicated to the idea of not just funding their own families but making sure Wallys kids and wife are taken care of. Proof: https://twitter.com/JungleGeorgeVI/status/365907125215576064 https://twitter.com/JungleGoldScott/status/365907460332068864, Edit: We are going to keep this open. We didnt want them to present Ghana as a lawless place where foreigners can come and engage in illegal mining, he explained. George Wright and Scott Lomu filming in Ghana for Jungle Gold. Theres something to be said about that allure. Near the bottom, he noticed a message from his brother Bill. The Lomu brothers then drew up a three-page final draft outlining the premise and sample episodes, in which three American entrepreneurs in dire financial straits would grapple with Ghanaian tribal chiefs, gold robbers, rival miners and each other. But they had not received permission from the Minerals Commission to film mining lands. This show is 90% scripted, the laws they portray in the show are complete non-sense. mining operations. S: George is a little wordy, here's the short answer. But Alan Reece, a Guyanese mining foreman the men had befriended, discovered a promising alternative in the nearby village of Fahiakobo, a hilltop settlement of around 30 mud huts flanking a red dirt road. So, so sad. They forfeited the cash and moved to a less profitable site. Salary in 2020. Hey guys i heard that their are NO more chinese people who are searching for gold. But we were willing to wear our heart on our sleeve.. In the five years it takes a cocoa tree to fruit, he said, they often make poor decisions that cause them to be economically or physically displaced. The lure of foreign wages, he added, can incentivize village youth to drop out of school. Their timing was perfect. Many people crumble with the fame and do really stupid outrageous things. But once again, the cost of equipment and labor exceeded the meager amount of gold they found. Season 1 Ep 12. Gold dealing, they concluded, was a scam. But as Reece explained it, a wealthy Ghanaian who owned land around Fahiakobo was willing to acquire a large-scale license himself and hire Wright and Lomu to mine his property. Runtime. We met that guy a few weeks back. So if you ask us a question, we'll get you answered. The chief warned that if they fought the miners, they would be killed. God-fearing pair are now back in the game, trying their hand at mining in Guyana, on South America's Caribbean coast, posting hair-raising videos on Instagram . George Wright and Scott Lomu of Discovery's "Jungle Gold" (Sundays at 10:00 p.m. Gold miners George Wright and Scott Lomu sit down with THR to talk about the mistakes they tried not to repeat and why they keep returning to Ghana despite the life-or-death stakes. Weve always felt like maybe we need to have the production company subtitle him with truth. Bottom line, hes surprised us in a lot of good ways, and hes surprised us in a lot of bad ways, as youll see in the season to come. But Wright doesnt regret fighting back. Oh my word, they think I killed him, he said. He is from the United States. After rainstorms, locals with nothing else to do had taken to searching the gutters for specks of gold. It's Africa's second largest gold-producing country, so finding the precious metal isn't the hard part. The Minerals Commission claimed the crew had pushed ahead without adequate permissions and secretly asked the countrys National Security Agency to investigate them, fearing a stampede of greedy foreign miners, according to Buzzfeed. Tall, handsome, and half-Polynesian, he studied business at Arizona State University and did his Mormon mission in Indianapolis. Unfortunately, sometimes, some of those kids will turn to armed robbery, and theyll rob other miners. I think our audience got younger and that could be because we were advertised heavily during Shark Week. The series chronicles the continuing efforts of former real-estate dealers George Wright and Scott Lomu . Big props to the crew if they really risked themselves like that to get the footage. Every other cab driver offered to sell them gold at what they claimed were heavily discounted rates. [via press release from Discovery] It may have been their worst nightmare, but it made gripping TV. When the captain took off the seatbelt sign, they roamed the cabin, high-fiving each other and cracking cans of beer. Thats when we realized our tragedy was good for the show, Lomu said. I Am A, where the mundane becomes fascinating and the outrageous suddenly seems normal. Ghana challenged their intentions from the start. They hadnt actually killed anyone, after all, and they were not mining illegally. He also began investing in real estate, which was how he met Scott Lomu. To guarantee cell service in the bush, the company bought Raw a 30-foot antenna. The next morning, Wright searched his iPhone for news of the incident. I can hardly wait to see what drama they come up with next. Ensurge Inc. announced that Scott Lomu and George Wright have accepted positions as members of the company's management team. We really liked the people of Ghana, the people we worked with. It was the second season of Jungle Gold set in Ghana that the fans of TV shows about gold prospecting are still talking . The stage is being set for a redemptive second season of Jungle Gold, they wrote. George Wright has been appointed as Vice President of Public Relations and Scott Lomu as Vice President of Investor Relations. But no such vehicles arrived. Maybe Utah poor is different to my poor. But he dropped out after a year to serve a Mormon mission in Buenos Aires. Lomu and Wright promised to show people more respect and understanding. Watch my interview with the guys and a clip from the episode: Watch: George and Scott of Jungle Gold talk robbery, accusations, GloRilla, Ice Spice, And The Carefree Black Girl Backlash, Karol G Tells Us About Her Most Personal Album Yet, Maana Ser Bonito, And Collaborating With Shakira, The Rundown: Between Cocaine Bears And Maple Syrup Heists, Margo Martindale Is Absolutely Thriving In 2023. . Only the most coldhearted, inhumane person could spend more than an hour in Ghana and think to do that.. We split the gold with the locals, & they of themselves dnt [sic] have the machines to get to the gold, Wright wrote to one skeptical American viewer on Twitter who had suggested they mine in the U.S. instead, before softening her opinion. That summer, the men resumed their former routine, traveling to Ghana in shifts. become affiliated with a public mining company. Could their adventures be a reality TV show? ", "This is a disgrace for a brand such as the Discovery Channel to glorify what these bandits are doing in our country. Have you ever seen the show 'Gold Rush'? It was terrifying, it was really scary, Wright admitted. George Wright. Genre Man vs. Scott and I know we could have done better. The Guyana operation was expanding, and Mishleau valued Wright and Lomus years of mining experience in Ghana. During a layover at JFK, he checked his voicemail and found it full of condolences from friends and family. I talked with Scott and George by phone recently about Jungle Gold, a few days after the Season 2 premiere. The Ghanaian government permitted Mormon activities to resume 18 months after the ban. George Wright: Theres a lot of entrepreneurs out there that get in touch with us. A lot of questions have been asked in Ghana about how, and why so many illegal miners were allowed to mine in Ghana without paperwork for so long. In 2011, an undercover video published by Al Jazeera revealed Ghanaian children as young as 14 working in Chinese-run mining pits. We split the gold with the village, the farmers make a ton of money from us, we employ many, many locals, paying them 10X what they would normally make, we pay taxes, and contribute a ton to the local economy. As he later told Wright, All it takes is a handful of guys with firearms to see the show and come looking for us.. It's humbling to see the poverty that exists there. It now occurred to him that theyd simply resumed filming after the August meeting. But they trust us enough to know that there are certain lines that we wont cross and that we have, believe it or not, enough common sense to stay alive. After a month of waiting, Alan Reece, the mining foreman, contacted the landowner for an update on his application. understanding of conducting mining operations in underdeveloped Website: www.ensurgegold.com, Ensurge, Inc.Clint Mishleau, 702-728-5187ensurgeinfo@gmail.com, Internet Explorer presents a security risk. The reality stars of Jungle Gold on the Discovery Channel (DStv 121) face fines, arrest and even possible imprisonment over charges of alleged brutality and illegal mining in Ghana, with the Ghanaian government which now wants to see Scott Lomu and George Wright apprehended and arrested. Press J to jump to the feed. I hate Todd fat arse lazy Hoffman because hes a total tool, I cant hate these guys, I just scratch my head at their stupidity and hope Discovery will stop insulting our intelligence and cancel this ridiculous show. ", "The stage is being set for a redemptive second season of Jungle Gold., Your weekday morning guide to breaking news, cultural analysis, and everything in between, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. Villagers set up roadblocks and demanded hundreds of dollars. Tay saw the show itself as a good thing for the village. He had some access to some land that Scott and I were needing, if we can come up with the money, so we had to come back home and figure out how were were going to do that. In 2011, Scott Lomu saw the Discovery channel TV show Gold Rush and was perplexed that it was a hit. They whine at how poor they are, yet no wife works (the husbands hardly do either) they live in big mansions, drive fancy cars? These two are typical failed realtors who have entitlement issues just like the rest of the yuppies of their generation. Wright and Lomu step out to investigate. Scott receives life-changing news that could change their gold mining futures. All times AEDT (GMT +11). When I visited Aboagye in his cluttered office the following year, he told me hed requested a synopsis of the program the crew planned to make. Around 2.75 million viewers tuned in, making it the fourth most popular primetime cable show that Friday night. We were like, well show them the failures, the terrible, horrible stuff. They abandon $20-60 thousand dollar machines, ( 2 excavators, and a wash plant) in the jungle while they fly back and forth to Utah for two years to whine and complain about how bad there lives are and to beg more money from really stupid investors. Tay, who at 53 resembles an older version of the actor Idris Elba, grew up in Accra before embarking on a mining career in his thirties. The next six episodes unfolded in similar fashion. Don't miss the season finale of Jungle Gold on Discovery, featuring Food Insurance friend's Scott & George Shining Dawn- Jungle Gold's Scott Lomu & George Wright There was a sense of disappointment, said Wright. When I asked a 21-year-old local named Nana Jyamfi what he did for a living, he laughed: Im waiting for the Chinese to come back.. The next few years were good for Wright and Lomu, who often exchanged tips about real estate deals. If you havent seen the show, its a doozie. One op-ed, titled Jungle Gold: A Case Study in the Exploitation of Africa, captured the collective indignation that greeted the series. One of the things that people always ask Scott and I, even before the show came because we were traveling back and forth to Africa for two years before the show with Discovery Channel even got a green light or was even an idea in either of our minds people would always say, What do you do for work? Wed say, Gold mining. Theyd say, What? When Lomu suggested removing the miners by force, a chief replied: If you attempt it, they will kill you! The crew captured everything on film and loved it. And George and I think as a direct result of the show there are a lot of government and military raids on illegal mining camps, and there are a lot of robberies happening. We were like, This is the kind of operation we want to be a part of! Lomu said. George: We met him towards the end of our last little stint out there. Lomu knew his friend had experienced post-traumatic stress from his tours in Afghanistan. One day in Ghana is more dramatic than this entire freaking episode!. He moved to Utah in 2000, and when the Olympics Winter Games came to Salt Lake City two years later, he rented furnished houses and apartments to people in town for the event. So now I'm just leaving this thing open . George Wright has been appointed as Vice President of Alan Tay, Wright and Lomus handyman, was doing something similar. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=273569. Language. Tens of thousands of foreigners, the majority of them Chinese, had flocked to the countrys rural mining regions since the recession, lured by stories of Klondike-caliber windfalls. For fun (I didnt want anything out of it, Bill told me), he learned the format for reality show treatments from a producer friend in Los Angeles. Back at Discoverys headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, the channel was enduring its own crisis. Not everything works out how you want it to, said Wright. George Wright and Scott Lomu of Discoverys Jungle Gold (Sundays at 10:00 p.m. Had anyone in the terminal listened to the radio the day before, the sight of two dozen white people discreetly filming themselves on iPhones and iPads should have rung alarms. 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scott lomu and george wright now