It took two years to get here, but this season, four competing gold mining crews have made it to the big leagues.

After finding just 35 ounces of gold last year, worth about $56,000, 18-year-old Parker Schnabel has to prove to his grandfather, John Schnabel, that he's got what it takes to be a real Alaskan gold miner. He hires a new crew, mines new land and rebuilds his aging wash plant from the ground up. And it pays off. In one week Parker gets more gold out of Big Nugget than all of last season. But can he keep up the momentum and turn a profit for the mine - and his grandpa?

Across the creek from Parker is the Porcupine Creek mine, run by "Dakota Fred" Hurt and his son Dustin. And their plans are just as big. They pulled in 80.4 ounces last year, worth about $128,000, but that just whet their appetite. The weather turned last season just as they hit bedrock at the bottom of the glory hole - a spot thought to contain millions of dollars-worth of gold. With a female miner joining the Dakota Boys this season, they excavate a 90-foot crater and deal with the effects of the worst winter in 50 years to get to the gold.

In their quest to find 1,000 ounces of gold this season, more than ten times the amount they found last season, the Hoffmans double down with two claims, two wash plants, twice the crew and twice the equipment. And at his insistence, Dave Turin leads the second mine, forcing the Hoffman crew to pick sides. Half of the original crew chooses to mine with Dave and the strategy pays off. Between the two mines they break all previous gold counts – but the pressure to get to 1,000 ounces drives a wedge between the crews and it's a battle between Team Todd and Team Turin for who can produce the most gold.