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'Bering Sea Gold': Meet Shawn Pomrenke, Emily Riedel and other miners out to get fortunate on Bering Sea

The show is all set to bring to its viewers it's 13th season - where familiar faces take on the Bering Sea in hope of striking it big
PUBLISHED APR 30, 2021
Kris Kelly, Shawn Pomrenke, Emily Riedel and Ezekiel 'Zeke' Tenhoff on 'Bering Sea Gold' (Discovery/ YouTube)
Kris Kelly, Shawn Pomrenke, Emily Riedel and Ezekiel 'Zeke' Tenhoff on 'Bering Sea Gold' (Discovery/ YouTube)

For the most part, Nome looks like a quaint little city, stuck between the Bering Sea and large swathes of land, often covered in a blanket of snow. But don't let its looks deceive you - Nome is where people come to find their fortune, seeing that it is home to untapped reserves of gold.

For the cast and crew of 'Bering Sea Gold', mining for this precious metal isn't just a job, it's a way of life. Now in its 10th year, the show is all set to bring to its viewers it's 13th season - where familiar faces take on the Bering Sea in hope of striking it big.

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Shawn Pomrenke

There is a reason Pomrenke is known as Shawn 'Mr Gold' Pomrenke. He and his father Steve have taken on the inland mine at Anvil Mountain and the Christine Rose - a massive excavator dredge on the Bering Sea. While he is a second-generation miner, his father Steve certainly put a lot on the line to follow his gold dream - he went from being raised on a dairy farm to becoming a gold miner in Alaska. However, it was a while before Steve struck gold and turns out, Pomrenke was a natural at it. As a formidable team, the two of them have mined for millions of dollars worth of gold from these spots near Nome.

Pomrenke has known to strike it big, seeing that in 2016, he allowed the fleet to handle his untapped Claim 38 and they walked away with 20% of the gold that they found. 2016 was truly a good year for him, seeing that Pomrenke, who has other business ventures besides mining, made an impressive $1 million that year, as reported by Distractify.

In the previous season, we saw him get ambitious, seeing that he wanted to purchase the mining rights to over 10,000 acres of property. The reason? It's believed to be home to a quarter-billion dollars in gold. This time is no different - Pomrenke hopes to mine the most gold in a single season. He also intends on taking over his family's inland mine. Pomrenke is on a mission - to achieve the ultimate pay streak to date.

Shawn Pomrenke (Discovery)


 

Kris Kelly

For Kelly to swap the tropical sandy beaches of Hawaii, where he used to stay, for the harsh breeze of the Bering Sea, it's clear he takes his job extremely seriously. The captain of the Reaper might have had a few hits and misses over the past seasons - from shoddy machinery to emotional meltdowns, it's not been easy for Kelly. For him, his biggest trial has not only been finding gold but also dealing with his family that works with him - father Brad, his brother Andy and even his mother. While his father has had successful mining runs, Kelly can't exactly say the same about himself.

This season could possibly change all of that. With his eyes set on a new mining ground, Kelly is all set to lead the largest vessel he's ever captained in hope of striking gold. A bonus from the captain himself comes in the form of 'Kris Kelly's Secret Guide to Mining' where he dishes out mining knowledge on the show!

Kris Kelly (Discovery)

Brad Kelly


 

Ezekiel 'Zeke' Tenhoff

Tenhoff has definitely had an interesting mining career. An Alaskan himself, Tenhoff's key skill was being a diver, along with his trait to truly get up close and personal when mining in the Bering Sea. He's had his fair share of ups and downs, from a disastrous attempt to run a corporate dredge to run-ins with exes, it's been quite a ride for him. During the previous seasons, fans saw him alongside Emily Riedel, as the on-again-off-again couple navigated through a tumultuous relationship. 

After having reluctantly joined forces with her in the previous seasons, Tenhoff is back in the game and is adding to the mounting tension at the Bering sea. His current focus? A one of a kind sailboat dredge. This will grant him deeper access to claims, and even stay overnight on the dredge, seeing that it can brave storms. While most dredges get pushed back to the harbour in such situations, Tenhoff might just have the upper hand.

Ezekiel 'Zeke' Tenhoff (Discovery)


 

Steve Riedel

While Emily Riedel didn't quite envision herself becoming a gold miner, but the apple doesn't  fall quite far from the tree, seeing that she has followed her father's footsteps and ultimately took on the job.

Steve Riedel, who was first introduced as a diver on the Wild Ranger dredge, is back again for a new season and this time, he has something interesting up his sleeve. Steve Riedel is all set to start from scratch, with plans to assemble a mining rig as well. To top it off, he might even join forces with an unlikely partner, Vernon Adkison. Adkison has fought and fired Riedel multiple times, the two are like chalk and cheese. But seeing that Adkison has a loaded claim and needs all the help he can get, Riedel is now his best bet. Riedel will also be sharing knowledge and information about the remote gold-struck town, in his segment 'Weird Wild Wonderful World of Nome.'

Steve Riedel (Discovery)


 

 
Emily Riedel

For Reidel, a third-generation Alaskan, mining was never her intended career path, seeing that she was studying Opera; mining was just a means to pay for the same. She got into the field with $300 to boot, and went in with the hope of making a bit more cash while she was at it. However, seven years later, Riedel forged her own path, making her the first female dredge owner and captain. Her partnership with Tenhoff might be long gone, but this captain is all geared up for a new season.

With people fighting for their claim over Nome, Riedel has to make a call - either consider operating a second dredge or join the flame war. She decides that the latter is more important and is now on the hunt to create an elite gold diver team. Riedel also happens to be one of the only few members from the cast with an active social media, seeing that she posts rather regularly. In comparison, most of the cast and crew of the show are rather private and elusive. 

Emily Riedel(Discovery)

 
 
 
The latest season of 'Bering Sea Gold' on Fridays at 9:00/8:00c on Discovery and Discovery+

 

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