The Gold Rush Theory That Changes Everything

Reality television has come to signify high ratings and paychecks since shows like "The Real World" and "The Osbournes" aired in the 1990s and 2000s. While we know that shows like "The Hills" and "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" are scripted and manipulated to have more drama and emotional moments play out, we still often allow ourselves to play into the narrative that it's somewhat real. Many former reality show cast members have gone on the record after the show ended to express how they were coached or how much influence the producers had.

Jamie Otis, who appeared on Season 16 of "The Bachelor," revealed in an interview with The Knot that she felt Ben Flajnik "had his eye on four or five girls and the rest the producers chose." During her and her husband's trial for fraud, Teresa Giudice of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" told the judge and the court that "The image is little more than a carefully crafted fiction, engineered by Bravo TV through scripted lines and clever editing" (via Deadline). 

But what about shows like "Gold Rush"? Some of these people have sold everything in their quest to buy equipment or invest in an old gold mine, and fans are devoted to the gold mining franchise and the cast members' efforts. But one Redditor, u/tomildinio, has a theory that "Gold Rush" is not real.

Season 1 of "Gold Rush" aired in 2010, focusing on six men from a small town who lost their jobs or saw their salaries decrease because of the faltering economy. Most of them don't have experience prospecting, but they decide to head to Alaska and "risk everything" to find gold. Now fans on Reddit are putting forward a theory that the show is as scripted as "The Hills," and some cast have said the same. 

One of the cast members, Jimmy Dorsey, had a lot to say to Oregon Gold. When he asked if the show was scripted, he said "It is scripted from the beginning. They knew exactly what they wanted to see out of the program." Redditor u/tomildinio may be onto something when they said that "They have learned that what sells is the drama, the show of faith, the big machinery, not getting gold," and many fans in the thread agreed. 

While Dorsey has stood by what he's said, others have come forward to deny it. Producer Ed Gorsuch gave an interview with Reality Blurred in which he flat out says "There's no scripts written; the edit doesn't feed them what to do. It comes the other way around; the miners do what they're going to do, and we give shape to it." But he also admits that if something happens off-camera, they will often ask the miners to repeat it on camera. 

We'll probably never know how much of "Gold Rush" is scripted or fake until after the show is off the air, when there's no fear of losing ratings, and thus, money.