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Discovery Channel is on the hunt for precious gems.
The network has greenlighted a series titled Game of Stones about an “extreme gem hunter” named Don Kogen, who is described as a “legend” in the business. Kogen, who is CEO of Gem Guys Inc., specializes in rare stones “from the most dangerous and lawless places on earth, racing the clock to be the first to each new find, always staying one step ahead of the competition.”
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The series, set to debut at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Friday, Feb. 28, will follow the adventures of Kogen as well as his crew. Each episode will find them in a new country, including Thailand, Turkey, India, Tanzania and Brazil, as they try to beat their competitors to be the first to find the rare stones. They also must deal with the constant risk of being robbed, carjacked and ambushed.
The series joins a successful lineup of shows that also includes Discovery’s top-rated Gold Rush and Jungle Gold, which follow crews on the hunt for gold in dangerous and remote locations.
Read more about Kogen and his team below:
Kogen left school in Houston as a preteen to travel to Thailand with his father. As a teenager, he was left to his own devices in a sink-or-swim situation and began to sell stones on the streets of a Thai gem trading town to survive. Kogen sacrificed much along his path to success, chasing his dreams for bigger and rarer stones which kept this gem addict’s blood pumping. Kogen later returned to the U.S. and last year traveled to 50 countries in search of the rarest stones on earth, including Cambodia ‘Sunset’ Rubies, Royal Blue Sapphires, Canary Yellow Tourmaline and Transvaal Emeralds.
Kogen cornered the market on rare stones by building a tight and trustworthy team that includes Australian-born Gavin, a gemologist who will do anything to get his adrenaline fix. Tony is the broker, the money man, who has an acute understanding of the ups and downs of the rare stone industry. Fear is ex-military and a former bomb disposal unit member whose many talents are crucial to each success – he also protects the team and their cash, up to one million dollars at a time. Rounding out the Game of Stones crew is Kat, Kogen’s right-hand woman who handles the logistics. From visas, passports and schedules to airplanes, choppers, boats, trains and cars, Kat helps pave the way and sets the team up to win with seamless approaches and successful getaways.
Game of Stones is produced for Discovery Channel by Double Act, with Alastair Cook and Rob Davis as executive producers and Jim Nally as showrunner. For Discovery, Joseph Schneier and Joe Weinstock are exec producers, with John Cavanagh as producer and Tara Hunter as coordinating producer.
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