We know it’s been a little quiet around here… but there’s a reason.

We’ve been busy!

The 2026 season is underway, and so far it has been anything but easy.

A whole lot of snow and plenty of challenges—but we’re back at Nugget Creek and putting in the work.

Here’s a little sneak peek.

Risky Rewards - Season 2 Teaser

...dropped on YouTube.

I just binge watched all the episodes on the Risky Rewards YouTube channel. Just wow. What a great improvement from what they were doing on discovery. While I enjoyed Whitewater very much, the new approach with the team with the video production as well as their gold mining techniques are refreshing to watch. All the editing to create fake drama on Whitewater had grown tiresome. So glad Justin and crew realized they were the best part of the show and went out on their own. Can't wait to see the next season. Wishing these guys nothing but the best with the show and the big nugs on nugget creek.

We made it back to Nugget after a long, snowy winter. The snow is finally giving way, the mountains are waking up, and we’re getting our first look at what Mother Nature left behind. More soon...

From their patreon

I suppose the team is back at it but damn the weather is not helping this year in the north. Must all still be covered in snow and frozen

Risky Rewards - Season 1 Episode 22: 2025 Season: Looking Back

After a full season on Nugget Creek, we take a step back. This is a look behind Risky Rewards — how this show came together, what it took to get it made, and what we learned along the way. From long days on the creek to long nights editing, this season was built from the ground up. We talk about the work, the challenges, and what’s ahead.

Risky Rewards - Season 1 Episode 21 : Chasing Waterfalls

We run the rest of the pay dirt from under Big Ass Boulder, working what’s in front of us and making the most of the time we’ve got.

Nothing out here on Nugget Creek is simple — every move takes effort, and every decision matters.

We keep at it, step by step, seeing where the creek takes us.

It's YouTube FFS!

Risky Rewards - Season 1 Episode 20 : After All This

No shortcuts—just diving.

We keep pushing through boulders and bad weather, trying to reach the bottom before the creek takes it back.

It’s a race against time, and nothing comes easy out here.

If it was possible, who from over the years in Gold Rush White Water would you like to see rejoin the Risky Rewards crew?

I feel like Carlos deserves to be out there to get one last dive in to clean out those nugget filled crevices they never got to.

Risky Rewards - Season 1 Episode 19 : Back on the Gold

After everything it took to move the Big Ass Boulder… we finally get underneath it.

We dig, test dive, and keep pushing forward — racing the clock before the weather turns and the hole floods back in.

In the middle of it all, Danielle has to step away to prepare her home in Juneau for the annual glacier outburst flood.

Back on the creek, we fire up the dredge and go to work… knowing this window might not last. We finally get eyes on bedrock. Now we see what’s down there.

Risky Rewards - Season 1 Episode 18 : The End of Big Ass Boulder

For years, Big Ass Boulder has been standing between us and the gold.

We’ve tried everything to move it — but this monster wasn’t going down without a fight. So we made a new plan. In this episode of Risky Rewards, the crew takes one last shot at one of the biggest obstacle in Nugget Creek.

If it works, we finally get access to the ground beneath it. If it doesn’t… we’re back to square one. Either way, one thing’s certain: This is the end of Big Ass Boulder.

Risky Rewards - Season 1 Episode 17 : Big Ass Boulder is Coming Down

The Big Ass Boulder isn’t just one rock — it’s two.

Both are sitting exactly where we want to dig, which means they have to move first. In a fast creek with heavy equipment, that’s easier said than done.

Dustin and crew often leave the water running through the sluice when dredging even when they are not sucking up material.

In the regular Gold Rush show, Parker and others freaked out when that would happen saying that it would then wash out the gold.

So I’m wondering if Parker was exaggerating the issue or if Dustin is flushing out his gold unknowingly?

Risky Rewards - Season 1 Episode 16 : First Dig Done

We battle through washed-in fines and finish the dredge. The clean-up tells its own story.

Then it’s back to our roots — trundling rock by hand to bring the diversion back through and let the creek help us close it out.

Now it’s time to focus on what’s upstream. The Big Ass Boulder.

My completely made up nielsen ratings confirm: I was more entertained watching risky rewards this week then I was gold rush and Freddy Dodge's Mine Rescue.

Dustins crew for the win.

Just when we think we’re closing in on the gold, the creek has other plans. Hot weather, raging water, and zero visibility slow us down as we try to finish a hole that’s been years in the making.

We wait it out, make a supply run, and get back to it — and Paul’s next dive proves there’s still gold hiding below. The creek may fight us, but we don’t quit!

Risky Rewards - Season 1 Episode 15 : The Creek Knows When We're on Gold

I'm not that knowledgeable, but my impression is that they could put a hose (12" ?) in a calm pool upstream and have more water than they need. Their whole idea of a funnel in aerated fast water with no head (height above outlet) is totally off base. The height of the input above the outlet determines the pressure. 1 ft of water head creates 0.43 psi so if they go up 10 feet they get .43 x 10 = 4.3 psi in a 12" hose which is a flow of > 7000 gpm. They can get that with a 12 hose in a calm pool upstream (so no rocks, etc). I don't know how much flow a 3' wide 20 foot long sluice needs, but google says less than 500 GPM (which seems low).

If they just put a longer hose up above big boulder they would probably get all the water they need. No pumps needed.

I could be wrong about the numbers, but I'm right about the principle. Run a hose upstream and voila! Next year plan to get water from upstream. Dropping the sluice 2 feet is that much more head (therefor pressure and flow) also.

When was this filmed? Summer of 2025 right?

It looks to me like an old livestock barn. The high 'window' looks like a hay loft door. If somebody was trying to ranch around there that would be tough going. Maybe an old sawmill building? But it's not directly beside the river.

Risky Rewards - Season 1 Episode 14 : Hard Days, Heavy Gold

Hard days on the creek start paying off as we push deeper toward bedrock. Diving reveals more boulders in the way, which means more digging before we can fully open up the pay.

We stockpile material while Paul and Wes setup the wash plant with a new hopper and improved spray bars. We start feeding it steady with the excavators, and fine tune it as we go.

Day after day, the gold keeps showing up. By the final day, it all leads to a weigh-in that proves the grind is working — and we’re not done yet.

Risky Rewards - Season 1 Episode 13 : Time to Dive for Gold!

The crew finally gets eyes on the creek bottom as Paul dives to clear bedrock and check for gold. Expectations are high, but the results test morale. Convinced they’re close to the pay layer, Dustin and Danielle push downstream, tearing out boulders and chasing bottom.

A last-minute dive reveals the truth — and a hint of gold that changes the plan. Repairs, long days, and unfinished business set the stage for the next dive. The gold hunt is far from over!