Expect 'New Blood' on 'Gold Rush: Alaska' Season Two

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.

"They're just excited that some guys are going out doing something different after all of us have been stuck at home, bottled up, staring at the news watching things go bad," Hoffman said.

Hoffman said that American spirit of "just going for it" is still very much alive with his crew, and that's why the show's message is so captivating. The crew of unemployed greenhorn miners left their families behind in Oregon, on the chance that they would find enough gold to turn a profit.

"Even though we're not professionals and even though we're not the best at anything," he said, "I think they just want to see us make it."

Unfortunately, the Hoffman crew didn't make it this past mining season, but the Discovery Channel announced Friday that the show has been renewed for a second season, answering the what-happens-next question viewers may have been asking when the show ended in disappointment.

Hoffman said he believes they can achieve success next mining season, which will start in the spring. He said he'll be bringing some "new blood" along with him as well as fixing the mistakes he made.

"We started off like little kids in a lot of ways, and I want to make sure that we take what we learned to bring it to the next level."

'Full Disclosure,' a special follow-up episode, will air Feb. 25 at 10PM ET, featuring un-aired footage and reflections from the miners on their experience.