During an interview with Oregon Gold, Dorsey revealed that most of the series is completely scripted, to the point that the showrunners even scripted his own dramatic exit from the series. "It is scripted from the beginning. They knew exactly what they wanted to see out of the program." Dorsey explained. "The plans were made, but the footsteps were ours." Dorsey went on to describe how the confrontation between him and a fellow miner named Greg (which left Dorsey with broken ribs) was genuine and did actually happen, but the producers of the show essentially constructed the circumstances surrounding that fight. "They actually direct you into these situations. It became very real. That is why I actually got my ribs broke."
Dorsey went on to claim that the showrunners actually scripted his exit from the series following that altercation, despite the fact that he had no intentions of leaving. Lo and behold, Dorsey ended up leaving the series at the exact moment that the showrunners had written, and it stands to reason that many of the other shocking moments the series has given us over the years were similarly scripted. If "Gold Rush" can script somebody getting their ribs broken and being fired from the series, it seems like they can script anything they want – as long as they make it believable.
