Discovery to Premiere New Season of Hit Series BERING SEA GOLD, Today

For the past century, the shores and waterways of Nome, Alaska have been a beacon to hard working dreamers. Fortunes have been won and lost for the miners seeking the golden riches of the Bering Sea. Now, after years of mining, the easy gold is long gone and dependable ground is starting to run dry. Those still willing to seek gold in Nome are increasingly driven to the extreme, having to go deeper into the Bering Sea and risk more than ever before to claim it. It's a big gamble - and where ingenuity and nerves of steel could bring huge fortune. From Original Productions, creators of the multiple Emmy Award-winning series DEADLIEST CATCH, the new season of BERING SEA GOLD premieres Wednesday, January 18, at 10 PM ET/PT on the Discovery Channel.

This season, Shawn Pomrenke struggles to hold together his family's flourishing mining empire. Staking their future on 10,000 acres of property thought to contain a quarter-billion dollars in gold, closing the deal requires a $3 million down payment. To finance the transaction, Shawn returns to the Bluff, a remote location 100 miles east of Nome. With the family's future and his reputation on the line, Shawn needs a big payout. Anything less and the entire EMPIRE could come tumbling down.

Meanwhile, Zeke Tenhoff continues his alliance with former flame Emily Riedel. The pair heads 26 miles off shore to Sledge Island, a mysterious, deserted, volcanic formation fabled to have mounds of gold in its unexplored waters. If the duo can make it across the open ocean in their tiny dredge and manage to find gold, they'll be at the top of Nome's new gold game.

After five years of scheming and scamming, most of Nome harbors a severe distrust of the Kelly family, making it difficult for them to get access to good mining ground. This season, Kris has been elevated to captain, with the hope of turning things around, pulling his family's finances - and reputation - out of the gutter. This summer, he'll make sure everything works, including his dad and brother but with bridges burned, options are running out for the Kellys. If Kris can't learn to overcome the odds by legitimate means, it could sink his mining ambitions for good.

Nome newcomer - George Young -hopes to create his own gold mining enterprise and get out from under his older brother's shadow. An avid outdoorsman, diver, sport shooter, skier and passionate adventurer, George is clearly undeterred by the pick-up truck accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. In debt from buying and outfitting the dredge, he sets his sights high from deep in the hole. Like so many before him, George thinks he has what it takes to hit a golden payday. He just hopes that unlike all those others, he's right.

BERING SEA GOLD is produced for Discovery Channel by Original Productions, a Fremantle Media company. For Original Productions, Executive Producers are Thom Beers, Philip D. Segal, Sarah Whalen, Jeff Meredith and Co-executive producer is Dave Freed. For Discovery Channel, Executive Producer is John Slaughter and Coordinating Producer is Brian Peterson. "Like" BERING SEA GOLD on Facebook at facebook.com/BeringSeaGold and follow the series on Twitter @BeringSeaGold. To learn more, go to www.discovery.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/discovery and on Twitter @Discovery and be sure to check out old seasons of BERING SEA GOLD on Discovery GO at DiscoveryGO.com