DISCOVERY'S HIT SERIES "BERING SEA GOLD" RETURNS FOR ITS FOURTH SEASON WITH CREWS BATTLING AGAINST EXTREME CONDITIONS AND EACH OTHER FOR THE ULTIMATE PAYOUT

Series Premieres on Friday, August 22, at 9 PM E/P on the Discovery Channel

(Los Angeles, Calif.) - The ambitious treasure hunters are back at it again. Life isn't easy for the gold dredgers in the frontier town of Nome, Alaska. But that doesn't stop them from hunting gold in one of the world's most inhospitable places - the bottom of the frozen Bering Sea beneath four feet thick sheets of ice. From Original Productions, creators of the multiple Emmy Award-winning series DEADLIEST CATCH, the fourth season of BERING SEA GOLD premieres Friday, August 22, at 9 PM E/P on the Discovery Channel.

To the Nome dredging fleet, gold equals freedom. This year, the fortune seekers head out in search of the American dream - each determined to top last year's record-setting gold haul. But can they put their personal battles aside, withstand the arctic environment and concentrate on finding treasure?

After establishing herself as a successful captain, 26-year-old Emily Riedel is back at it again with a brand new, expensive state-of-the-art ice dredge. Facing major debt, Emily is feeling the pressure to find gold fast and prove that her success as Nome's first and only female dredge owner was not a fluke. Meanwhile, Emily's eccentric father, Steve Riedel, is sidelined and planning his ultimate comeback after bottoming out and losing his dredge to the repo man. The Pomrenke duo are back at it as well - this father/son team pulled in a record-setting haul last summer but Shawn Pomrenke, the self-proclaimed "Mr. Gold," has never succeeded under the ice. This year's ice season crews include:

· The Shamrock: Shawn Pomrenke and his dad Steve are fixtures in Nome year-round, running their increasingly successful mining company. However, the guys have never had a lot of success during the winter dredging season - with sub-zero temperatures and snow storms hammering their crew. Also, Shawn can be short-tempered and combative which doesn't help. Can he keep his cool even when the going gets tough?

· The Reaper: Having severed ties with Steve Riedel, the fighting Kelly's are keeping it in the family this season. Sons Kris and Andy are working with their dad, Brad, but there's one big problem. They rarely see eye-to-eye. Let the fighting begin!

· The Eroica: Emily Riedel has faced a lot of uphill battles over the years. Last season, she parted ways with her former childhood friend (and love interest) Zeke Tenhoff - following the suicide of their close friend John Bunce. As Nome's first and only female dredge owner, Emily has a lot to prove and hopes that she can earn enough money to pay off her debts and save up for her big opera ambitions. She has floundered as a greenhorn and exposed her fear of diving. However, she eventually struck gold last summer and now everyone is back for more.

· Miss Nomer: Zeke Tenhoff has returned to Nome and is ready to strike it rich. After facing his personal demons - and a few battles with the law - Zeke is back with a new girlfriend, Sarah, who he met while visiting New Orleans. Zeke has teamed up with dredge-geek Glen LeBaron. But can Glen keep his ego in check? Or will this turn into the ultimate grudge match?

· Steve's World: Steve Riedel is hoping for some major change in luck. He was fired from his first dredge, failed at ice mining and lost his dredge from last summer after it got repossessed. Once the summer season kicks in, Steve plans to pull out all the stops. But for now, he's sidelined in a remote compound on the edge of town, simply known as Steve's World.

· The Wild Ranger: Over the past three seasons, Vernon Adkison has leveraged everything he owns - with nearly a million in the hole - for his dream of striking the mother lode. For Vernon, the stakes have never been higher - and he'll either make it or truly break it this season.

BERING SEA GOLD reveals the real-life dangers of a job with no typical day at the office. As each day passes, the ambitious fortune seekers have only one option: find the gold before debt takes hold. 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, Jeff Conroy and John Gray and Sean Dash. For Discovery Channel, Executive Producer is David Pritikin.

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