Todd Hoffman and his team of six unemployed, inexperienced gold miners from Oregon may not have found enough gold to break even, but the subjects of Discovery Channel's new hit series 'Gold Rush: Alaska' did make reality TV gold for the network.

The 10-episode series ended Friday night with the Hoffman crew fighting the start of the Alaskan winter, ultimately forcing them to close their mining camp and head back home having recouped nowhere near the more than $250,000 they invested in the expedition.

The show captivated an audience of more than 3 million viewers every week. Although he didn't succeed this mining season, Hoffman is humbled by the millions of viewers who got behind him and his crew, he tells PopEater.