DISCOVERY'S #1-RATED SHOW "GOLD RUSH" RETURNS FOR ITS NINTH SEASON WITH NEW RIVALRIES AND CREWS RISKING IT ALL FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM

Season Premiere to air Friday, October 12, at 9 PM ET/PT with Pre-Show 'The Dirt' Returning at 8 PM ET/PT on Discovery

(LOS ANGELES) - It's a new beginning for GOLD RUSH - new miners, new rivalries and brand-new claims. This season, the miners will stop at nothing as they risk it all in pursuit of the American Dream. But who will come out on top? Discovery's #1-rated show GOLD RUSH returns for its ninth season on Friday, October 12 at 9 PM ET/PT.

This year, Rick Ness has decided to step it up and become a mine boss with a claim of his own. He's seen it all - and put in the grunt work - after working six years under fellow miner Parker Schnabel. Rick cashes in his life savings and literally puts everything on the line. But is he ready? In the off-season, Rick spent most of his time nursing his mother until she passed away. As a result, he's far behind the others as they race into the mining season. But that isn't his only uphill battle. Rick has recruited a crew of his Wisconsin buddies, who leave behind their jobs, families and homes, to take a chance on of striking it rich. But only time will tell if his dad's prediction will come true that "he'll come home broke with no friends." The stakes don't come much higher this year for Rick.

While gold miner and rival Todd Hoffman is out, things aren't any easier for 23-year-old Parker Schnabel. As the new season kicks off, Parker finds himself in a land war with legendary Klondike miner Tony Beets. Parker's initial plan was to return to Tony's ground - the richest he's ever mined - and deliver more than 6,000 ounces of gold worth $7.2 million dollars. But things go south when he tries to negotiate a royalty rate and must move to another claim. The plan doesn't sit well for Tony - who could lose millions - and he's determined to teach young Parker a lesson. It's a tough start for Parker - especially without having Rick or his long-term girlfriend Ashley by his side.

Meanwhile, legendary Klondike miner Tony Beets has a masterplan this year - to get the two ancient dredges mining and turning around some major profit. And he's determined that nobody, especially Parker, will get in his way. Tony's also looking ahead at his kids' future and is doubling down on everything this year including dredges, barges and gold. He's also not afraid of a good challenge - and has vowed to match Parker's lofty $72 million season goal. And if one thing is certain - he'll run as many wash plants as it takes to ensure he beats his young rival.

Also returning this year is the GOLD RUSH pre-show The Dirt, a series of one-hour shows, beginning 8 PM ET/PT on Friday, October 12. The Dirt will give the inside scoop on everything that went down this year. Fans will be given the opportunity to interact with the miners and get access to behind-the-scenes, cutting room floor material that never makes it into the show.

This year's GOLD RUSH will be unlike anything seen before. Each week, the gold total will be tallied, pushing the miners to their limits to prove who is ultimately on top. And for viewers who want to catch up on prior seasons, GOLD RUSH is available to binge on Discovery GO, the network's live and on demand TV Everywhere streaming service, and through TV providers - free with their subscription.

GOLD RUSH is produced for Discovery Channel by Raw Television, where Dimitri Doganis, James Bates and Mike Gamson are executive producers and Justin Kelly is co-executive producer. For Discovery Channel, Matthew Vafiadis is executive producer and Greg Wolf is coordinating producer.

About Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 224 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the leader in global entertainment reaching 3 billion cumulative viewers in more than 220 countries and territories. Discovery satisfies curiosity, entertains and inspires viewers with high-quality content through global brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and through the Discovery Digital Networks portfolio, including Seeker and SourceFed. Discovery owns Eurosport, the leading pan-regional sports entertainment destination across Europe and Asia-Pacific. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.