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(Los Angeles, CA - September 16, 2013) - It's not mansions, manicures and martinis for these five striking women of Orange County. No, this family is headed North to the grand and treacherous landscape of Alaska to honor their family heritage by reclaiming their famed, abandoned gold mines in search of fortune on ALASKA GOLD DIGGERS premiering Thursday, October 10^th at 8 PM (ET/PT).

In this new six-episode series, ALASKA GOLD DIGGERS, Newort Beach resident SaraJane "SJ" Bartholomae leaves her tony coastal town, along with her four grown daughters - Krista, Korre, Kamme and Tori - when she inherits two gold mines from her self-made oil and gold tycoon father, William "Popper" Bartholomae.  Popper was brutally murdered when she was a child, so SaraJane has only hazy childhood memories of wild Alaska.   But her time in Southern California hasn't prevented her from becoming a crack shot and an outdoors woman.   Not entirely true for all her daughters...

Nonetheless, with gold prices at an all-time high, SJ and her daughters decide now is the time to revitalize the family mines in Nome and Fairbanks, which have remained abandoned since Popper's death.  With their pooled savings and time ticking against them, the five women have only six weeks to get the mines up and running before the wrath of the Alaskan winter descends on them. So they're going all in to battle nature's elements and wildlife and find their feral feminine side - either they strike gold or lose their family legacy forever.

The women hire local mining crews, who are all too quick to jump at the chance of mining the gold-rich land ­ even if it means working with five ladies from sunny Southern California. The women¹s hard work and tenacity earn the respect from the seasoned men who are an invaluable resource. Determined to make ³Popper² proud, the Bartholomae women of ALASKA GOLD DIGGERS rely on their unbreakable family bond in an effort to walk away with the pot of gold.

ALASKAN GOLD DIGGERS is produced for Animal Planet by T Group Productions in association with Henry Island Productions.  Jenny Daly is the executive producer for T Group, Brian Neal and Debbie Shepherd are the executive producer, and co-executive producer for Henry Island Productions.  Keith Hoffman is the executive producer and Sarah Russell is the production coordinator for Animal Planet.  Andy Berg is the development executive for Animal Planet.

Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment.  APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 97 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.