“Gold Rush”Star James Harness was the mechanic of Todd Hoffman’s crew during the first two seasons. “The fifth special, titled “The Fifth Special”, was the fifth episode of the show.RevelationsThe episode, which aired soon after the finale of the second season, showed that Hoffman had fired Harness. Harness had a conversation with Hoffman in 2012, shortly after he had seen the teaser for the special episode yet to air. The Bulletinabout his time on the series. Harness told the local Oregon paper that the teaser clip portrayed a false narrative regarding his departure from the show. Harness claims Hoffman fired him, but it never happened. “[The teaser] shows [Hoffman] making a comment that ‘I guess this is where we part ways.’ Yet I’m not in the frame. I’m not there,”Harness commented. Harness continued to say that reality is very different from what they portray. “Gold Rush,” saying, “It truly is not the way I remember it, and it distorts my memories.”
Reality TV shows tend to leave a lot footage, so the story isn’t always told. Interview with Oregon GoldJimmy Dorsey, a series alum, noted that he did not always get the best edit. “I think my inexperience in mining and the construction field is not something that they created,”He stated. “You never see me actually turn a wrench. They cut out about ninety percent of the positive things I do.”