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.
#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.
#5 - The Last Stand
Season 9 - Episode 12 - Aired 7/18/2025
Low on fuel and facing failure, Dustin’s crew races against winter to get to the bottom of Nugget Creek. Exhausted and close to breaking point, a monumental find could signal a shift in fortune, saving Nugget Creek and his mining career.
#6 - 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.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#8 - Winter Waits for No Man
Season 9 - Episode 10 - Aired 6/27/2025
As winter starts to show its teeth, Dustin and his crew fight to find bedrock and the $100,000 in gold he needs to avoid selling his claims. A burnt-out winch causes rocks to pile up in the dive hole increasing tensions between Dustin and Danielle.
#9 - Broken and Stranded
Season 9 - Episode 11 - Aired 7/11/2025
After an airboat disaster, Dustin and his crew are stranded in the wilderness. As supplies start to dwindle -- the crew is stretched to their limits as they desperately search for bedrock and enough chunky gold to save their mining future.
#10 - 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.
#11 - Grave Diggers
Season 9 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/30/2025
After months of hard work Dustin and his crew have nothing but bruises to show for it. Now under the scorching Alaskan sun, Dustin must make an impossible call. Keep going at The Wall or abandon site and start over.
#12 - 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.
#13 - 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.
#14 - Mutiny at Nugget Creek
Season 9 - Episode 8 - Aired 6/13/2025
Desperate to find gold and save his mining career -- Dustin Hurt is ready to risk the lives of his entire crew by chasing gold at the bottom of a deadly waterfall. But an all-out mutiny changes the course of his season.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#15 - 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.
#17 - "Man Overboard"
Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/9/2025
On the gold, Dustin's crew inches closer to a monster payday. On a resupply mission to civilization, Wes goes missing after a life-threatening fall from the airboat into the raging 36°F river, and the crew fears the worst.
#19 - 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.
#20 - When Darkness Falls
Season 9 - Episode 9 - Aired 6/20/2025
A darkness descends on Nugget Creek as mine boss Dustin searches for a Plan B. But his crew may be onto something at their new mine site. After battling bedrock for months, a breakthrough offers them the hope they need.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#21 - 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.
#22 - 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.
#23 - Love and War
Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/23/2025
Dustin and his crew reach their boiling points as exhaustion and the lack of gold at The Wall lead to a world-class fallout. Dustin is forced to take drastic action, calling in help from a controversial source.
#24 - 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.
