The Season 2 finale of Discovery's "Jungle Gold" featured the cast and crew's intense escape from Ghana as they were wanted by government authorities.
Scott Lomu and George Wright were in Ghana trying to mine gold, but the nation was cracking down on illegal mining.
While the crew claimed they hadn’t broken any laws, the the Ghanaian government nonetheless announced that it wanted them arrested. Their faces were plastered all over the media, putting them in a state of "absolute terror."
They decided they had to get out of Ghana, and the U.S. Embassy agreed. So they headed to the airport, fearful they’d be recognized and arrested, but kept filming on their phones.
They reached the airport, which was filled with military and police. But fortunately for them, it seemed that word had not yet made it to airport officials.
“I hear the greatest sound I ever heard, which was ‘thump.’ He stamped my passport,” Scott recalled. “We’re cleared for take off and we were gone.” The guys took off, and made it home safely.
Scott and George couldn’t believe they suddenly became wanted men potentially facing up to five years in prison in Ghana. One of the men Scott and George were working with was even assaulted by militia men with machetes and hammers.
The guys told Zap2It that the government was alleging they were brutalizing citizens, and argued that wasn't the case. “It's done very carefully and professionally, for how it's done in West Africa. No one's taking advantage of anyone; quite the opposite has happened, because we're viewed as these gullible white guys who come into West Africa with no idea of how things are done.”
Scott tweeted that the episode should silence any reality TV naysayers. And a producer for Discovery said the two days they spent getting the cast and crew out were the most intense of his career.
After all that, Scott and George said they want to get back to Ghana, and mine for gold. So keep your eyes open for a third season.
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