$2.2M Cross-Media Reality Show Bows

'Gold Rush' On, On AOL.com; Clues In CBS Shows, Elsewhere

(CBS)  The people behind the hit TV show "Survivor" have taken reality programming to a new frontier with "Gold Rush, a groundbreaking reality show that gives contestants a shot at $2.2 million.

The cross-media program debuted Wednesday on AOL.com, but viewers will find clues on television and elsewhere.

"Entertainment Tonight" co-anchor Mark Steines, the host of "Gold Rush," and "Survivor" creator Mark Burnett, the producer of "Gold Rush," explained it all to Julie Chen on The Early Show Wednesday.

To watch the segment, click here.

Steines also stopped by The Early Show in July to chat about "Gold Rush" with Chen.

At the time, he told her, "What you really need to know is quite simple. Mark Burnett, the genius that he is, has parked somewhere in America $2.2 million in gold, and all you have to do is go get it.

"You don't have to eat bugs or be a rock star or be living on Survivor Island or some heavy weight champion. You do it by going online to aol.com/goldrush.

"There will be clues given there that I'll do that will ask you to, say, watch 'CSI' tonight, and you'll find clues embedded in that show to help answer this question. And there will be a question for you to answer. It's that simple.”

The questions, he says, will all be based on pop culture: "You don't need to be, you know, an expert in ancient history or something to figure this out. You just need to know what lipstick Madonna was wearing the other night on 'Entertainment Tonight.'