Plot Synopsis

FILTHY RICHES is a one-hour reality series that follows a group of Americans who make their living in the deep rivers, soggy mudflats and wild backwoods of the United States. Whether it's digging wild ginseng in a Kentucky holler or wrangling eels from white water, these men and women are willing to lace up their boots, spill a little blood and work their fingers to the bone. The blue-collar pioneers appearing in this series are: Ray Turner, who uses his handmade weir to catch eels on the East Branch of the Delaware River and then takes his bounty back to his self-constructed smokehouse deep in the woods; Billy Taylor and his sons, Billy Jr. and Caleb, who hunt for prized root ginseng in the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky, where Billy promotes sustainability by planting ginseng berries; Jim Campbell and Andy Johns, who hunt for bloodworms along the coastal mudflats created by Maine's receding tides, while competing with neighboring clam diggers for territory; Greg Dahl and Albert DeSilva, who acquire permits or receive permission from private landowners to extract burls from trees on the West Coast; and Chris Matherly and Levena Holmes, who scour the forests looking for wild mushrooms for discerning farm-to-table chefs and food sellers who want everything fresh and wild. FILTHY RICHES returned for its second season on Wednesday, May 6, 2015, at 9pm ET/PT. Some familiar faces from Season 1 return to battle every trial Mother Nature throws their way, while some colorful new personalities are ready to dive into the muck in Season 2. Louisiana is known as the stomping grounds for some of the most dangerous creatures in North America. But to Cajuns David LaGrange, Keith Major and Keith's son Seth, the swamp is home. They survive year-round off of everything that the good bayou provides, but come September their attention turns to gators. On the unpredictable Delaware River, Hancock, New York, native Ray Turner has been working on the river for over 30 years, and has built an eel weir where he catches eels migrating to the ocean. On the vast mudflats created by Maine's receding tides, Jim Campbell and Andy Johns dig their way across the mud to find valuable bloodworms they sell to local bait shops. The unwieldy tree growths know as burls were once the bane of the logging industry, but for Cliff Witt, they are a blessing. To wood and burl dealers, artists, instrument makers, high-end auto manufacturers and veneer specialists, the burls that Cliff pulls are referred to as pure gold. Fueled by a steady demand from the restaurant industry, Chris Matherly and his business partner Levena Holmes scour the forests looking for wild mushrooms. They operate the Morel Mushroom Hunting Club, traveling across the country and hunting through unfamiliar forests.
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On Wednesday, June 24, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT, Nat Geo premiered the Season 2 finale of FILTHY RICHES. In the season ender, "Winter Warriors," Mainers Jim and Andy feel the wrath of Mother Nature's plunging temperatures as winter is nipping at the boys' heels. In Hancock, New York, weather nearly shuts down Ray's eel weir. In California, Cliff tries to beat the autumn rains and tackle his biggest job of the season delivering 60 top-quality burls. And down in the Louisiana swamps, the gator hunters get some bonus tags, with a catch: they'll need to bring along a desk jockey determined to bag a monster. So, when it's all added up this season, who will make it big and who will go home broke?