Home / Series / Meltdown / Aired Order /

All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 Bite the Bullet

    • October 31, 2013
    • National Geographic

    Rich gets exclusive access to a manufacturing equipment warehouse and goes treasure hunting for precious metals in the equipment's old components. Meanwhile, Dave knows that catalytic converters use platinum, so he gets down and dirty crawling under every old car he can find -- until he ends up at the wrong end of a shotgun. And Diego hits up a firearms dealer in search of guns made with precious metals, and takes an unexpected turn into hunting down a man who has a supply of silver bullets.

  • S01E02 Break the Bank

    • October 31, 2013
    • National Geographic

    Dave decides to fulfill a longtime goal and get his hands on some old mining equipment in the hope that it may contain dirt and rock residue that could, in turn, contain gold. Meanwhile, Rich gets a lead on an old building being gutted and rehabbed and has the chance to search it for anything that might contain precious metals. And Diego hits up a tattoo artist to find gold in an unlikely place.

  • S01E03 Standing on a Gold Mine

    • November 7, 2013
    • National Geographic

    Dave's crew thinks he's nuts when he decides to rip up his new property, a former jewelry store and workshop, but he's convinced there's gold hidden in and under the carpeting. Elsewhere, Diego gets a lead on a vintage electronics dealer and brings his buddy James along, expecting to find the mother lode in vintage motherboards. Meanwhile, Rich's search for precious metals leads him to an antiques dealer selling off an entire storage unit full of items from someone's estate.

  • S01E04 Ready to Rock-It

    • November 7, 2013
    • National Geographic

    Rich hunts for old rocket parts because he thinks they're made with precious metals to withstand the intense heat. Meanwhile, Dave looks for treasure in the form of a photo processing filter used to recover silver found on photo paper. And Diego looks for a trophy as his prize. As long as it's made of real silver, any shaped trophy will do, because the trophy Diego really wants at the end of the day is cash.

  • S01E05 Coffin Up Cash

    • November 14, 2013
    • National Geographic

    Rich buys broken solar panels for the silver inside, but learns it's nearly impossible to get the silver out by himself. He pays a professional to do the job -- a big gamble. Dave is playing it safe, making no initial investment in the dental X-ray fixer solution he's gathering up from local dentists. Used to develop X-rays, fixer removes the silver from the film and contains silver residue. Meanwhile, Diego's made an investment of $450 to buy a casket for the gold letters engraved on it.

  • S01E06 Platinum Payday

    • November 14, 2013
    • National Geographic

    Diego uncovers a giant score in platinum, but to come up with the cash to make the deal happen, he has to not only liquidate his entire bank account, but also pawn his beloved motorcycle. Elsewhere, Rich's hunt for precious metals leads him to a recording studio, where a rapper is trying to sell a bunch of bling. Meanwhile, Dave uncovers an old cell tower console that is loaded with gold.

  • S01E07 Cash in the Chem Lab

    • November 21, 2013
    • National Geographic

    Dave and his buddies have three hours to search an abandoned factory for precious metals. The old building could be a treasure trove, but Dave will have to move fast. Diego visits an auto yard on the hunt for spark plugs. Hoping to cash in on the platinum inside them, he ends up getting a lot more than he bargained for when he tries to make a deal with the yard attendant. Meanwhile, Rich visits a high school chemistry lab to see what precious metals might be lying around in old equipment.

  • S01E08 Fight or Flight

    • December 5, 2013
    • National Geographic

    Diego finds an old plane being sold for parts and makes a deal that he can keep whatever he can pull out. Dave wants to help an elderly couple raise money for moving expenses by going through their possessions and determining what has value, but the couple has trouble giving up their sentimental attachments. Rich goes to a music store in search of a good deal on a flute made of silver, but then he's offered a thousand cell phones from the attic of the store, and that gives him an idea.

  • S01E09 Silver Sword, Golden Pig

    • December 12, 2013
    • National Geographic

    Diego explores the martial arts world in search of weapons that might be made with precious metals. He hits a dead end with a master sensei, but the sensei refers him to an ancient weapons dealer. Knowing that marine testing equipment was made with precious metals in order to withstand saltwater corrosion, Rich visits a warehouse that turns out to be a treasure trove of old test equipment. And Dave visits a gold mine in search of crystallized gold, one of the rarest forms of gold on the planet.

  • S01E10 No Country for Gold Men

    • December 12, 2013
    • National Geographic

    Dave hits pay dirt when he gets access to an old stamp mill, a device used to crush rocks into powder to get the gold out. Diego heads to a racetrack because he thinks he might find old silver horseshoes, but when a trainer suggests he might find silver and platinum at the nearby horse hospital, he goes there instead. Meanwhile, Rich heads out to a Wild West-themed ranch used for movie shoots and weddings hoping to find precious metal antiques.

  • S01E11 Newcomers

    • December 19, 2013
    • National Geographic

    Three urban treasure hunters battle the market and fierce competition as they seek out precious metals in unorthodox places and melt them down for cash. Russell visits an aerospace shop to scope out airplane parts. He puts big money into a massive engine that could contain precious metals -- a risky gamble that he hopes will pay off. Looking to score big on gold teeth, Ron and Melanie strike a deal with a dentist. Meanwhile, Joe visits a medical supply warehouse in search of silver.

  • S01E12 Newbies Dash for Cash

    • December 19, 2013
    • National Geographic

    Russell and Terence take a trip to an estate sale and meet Retro Robin. Russell quickly surmises that there's not a lot of precious metal valuables, except for a sterling silver tea set. They use an acid test and discover it's real, but now they have to haggle with the tough negotiator Robin if they hope to turn a profit. Meanwhile, Ron and Melanie go to an auction house to bid on silver items.