The WORST episodes of Gold Rush: White Water

Every episode of Gold Rush: White Water ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Gold Rush: White Water!

Gold miners Dakota Fred and his son Dustin are back – returning to McKinley Creek Alaska, determined to make a fortune no matter the risk. But to find the big gold payout, they'll put their lives on the line by diving deep beneath the raging waters of one of Alaska's wildest creeks.

Last Updated: 3/18/2025Network: DiscoveryStatus: Continuing

7.00

326 votes

#1 - Boulder Battles

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/16/2018

Fred's ex-boss Todd Hoffman has invested $50,000 in the Dakota Boy's operation. He infuriates Dustin, when he pays a surprise visit in a chopper.

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7.09

269 votes

#2 - Inland Tsunami

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/23/2018

73-year-old Dakota Fred gets married for the fourth time and a landslide upstream threatens to unleash a wall of water that could destroy the dive site and drown the miners.

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7.12

343 votes

#3 - Dredge Down

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/2/2018

The first gold nugget promises a monster payday. But when Dustin dives into the danger zone, a torrent where the current moves rocks, a rogue boulder almost costs him his life.

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7.16

269 votes

#4 - The Graboid

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 3/16/2018

The Dakota Boys are digging down to bedrock gold but when they hit the biggest boulder of the season Dustin is forced to rig a new mechanical solution the Graboid.

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7.22

377 votes

#5 - Between Craziness & Insanity

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/19/2018

The Dakota Boys return to McKinley Creek to dive for millions in gold. But the fierce Alaskan winter has destroyed their mining equipment. Their luck changes when Dustin locates the perfect plunge-pool he believes contains a massive pile of nuggets.

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7.24

339 votes

#6 - First Gold

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/26/2018

'The Dakota Boys' launch their gold dredge. Fred dives in the raging white water, and despite running out of air, the 72-year-old veteran succeeds in finding their first gold.

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7.33

130 votes

#7 - Gamblin' Man

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/17/2021

In a bid to rescue his season, Dustin plans a daring double dive to get gold. Meanwhile, Kayla's crew struggles to adapt after losing a crew member.

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7.35

97 votes

#8 - A Dying Wish

Season 8 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/22/2024

Dustin departs Nugget Creek when he's needed most to attend Dakota Fred's 80th birthday celebration. With Dustin away, the miners turn to questionable tactics to dig them out of a deep hole.

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7.40

123 votes

#9 - 4-Ounce Nugget

Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/28/2023

Weeks of battling Mother Nature has the crew at Nugget Creek running on empty -- but seeing a 4-ounce nugget is all the motivation Dustin needs to take charge of his season.

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7.42

289 votes

#10 - Hypothermia

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/2/2018

The Dakota Boys' desperate bid to hit bedrock gold is thwarted when 73-year-old Fred's heating system fails mid-dive and he's is overcome by the glacial Alaskan water.

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7.42

67 votes

#11 - Get Rich or Die Trying

Season 8 - Episode 11 - Aired 5/10/2024

Feeling the squeeze of winter's grip tightening around them, desperation pushes the miners a step too far in their search for millions in gold.

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7.44

262 votes

#12 - End of Days

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/23/2018

A flash flood racing down McKinley Creek threatens to kill the crew and destroy their operation, but the Dakota Boys still manage to find more gold than they've got all season.

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7.44

124 votes

#13 - Boiling Point

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/10/2021

Fred celebrates his 78th birthday the only way he knows how -- diving for gold. But a deadly widow maker threatens to end it all. Kayla's crew is on a hot streak, but their luck runs out as tensions between crew members reach a boiling point.

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7.45

150 votes

#14 - The Gold Cave

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/13/2019

Dustin discovers a secret gold cave that could hold millions. Fred and his crew head upstream into a mini-waterfall to find a huge deposit of gold, but first they have to move their 700lb dredge up dangerous rapids.

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7.47

137 votes

#15 - Groundbreaking Gold

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/3/2021

Fred opens the door to a new site. Kyla makes a season-changing discovery.

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7.47

123 votes

#16 - Blood Red White Water

Season 7 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/1/2023

The collapse of a snow bridge sends a tidal wave of water ripping through Nugget Creek, leaving Dustin and his crew directly in its path. Rumors of a fabled gold-rich layer of hardpack have Scott seeing red.

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7.48

134 votes

#17 - Missing In Action

Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/14/2023

With Dustin M.I.A., the crew takes matters into their hands, hellbent on getting to the gold on Nugget Creek; bad blood between crew members derails the momentum and Mother Nature deals a killer blow, obliterating the creek beyond all recognition.

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7.50

125 votes

#18 - In Death’s Shadow

Season 7 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/1/2023

Dakota Fred locks horns with a 50-ton monster in the ultimate treasure hunt for life-changing gold. Dustin’s crew refuses to yield to the looming danger above, and Kayla’s crew makes a monumental discovery that could turn their season around.

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7.50

133 votes

#19 - Shake Up

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/19/2021

Under extreme pressure to get his first gold of the season, Dustin pushes both crews to their limits. But it's not easy getting his new recruits up to speed at one of the world's most dangerous mine sites. And before they can prove themselves, mother nature shakes things up.

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7.51

136 votes

#20 - Explosion at Nugget Creek

Season 6 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/30/2022

An unexpected storm tears through Nugget Creek, putting their dive sites and dredges in severe jeopardy. Dustin doubles down on his airboat gamble. Mounting pressure causes a potentially season-ending explosion.

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7.51

133 votes

#21 - Enter the Mammoth Claw

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/4/2020

Dustin's crew is finally down to virgin ground but discovers their equipment is no match for the giant boulders at Rockfall Ravine, so Wes fabricates a new tool for their arsenal -- The Mammoth Claw. Fred puts greenhorn Scott to the test.

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7.52

142 votes

#22 - Roll of the Ice

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/5/2021

Dustin Hurt takes the biggest gamble of his life. But will doubling his crew mean double the reward or double the danger? Fred hurt drops a bombshell on Dustin that will change their future forever.

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7.52

90 votes

#23 - Diving Deeper

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/22/2019

The Dakota Boys and their crew members reflect on their wild season and look ahead to what's next.

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7.52

132 votes

#24 - Ride or Die

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 2/5/2021

With their richest site picked clean, Dustin and crew move upstream to The Chute a promising, yet dangerous site with rapids stronger than ever. Fred and crew rethink their operation and adapt the rock drag method to a vertical lift system.

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7.54

128 votes

#25 - Judgment Day

Season 7 - Episode 9 - Aired 5/1/2023

The fate of the mining season relies entirely upon the next 72 hrs. Will Dustin and his crew dig themselves out of the deepest hole ever and uncover Nugget Creek’s legendary gold, or go home bruised and broke?

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