‘Gold Rush’: Rick Ness Makes Big Decision & Fan Favorite Returns (RECAP)

[Warning: The below contains spoilers for Gold Rush Season 15, Episode 2.]

After last week’s unexpected bombshell, Rick Ness found himself at a crossroads on what to do at Rally Valley. Meanwhile, Parker Schnabel faced his own issues at Dominion Creek, which gave him a less-than-profitable start for the season. Elsewhere, Tony Beets has gotten off to a record-breaking start in gold totals while his eldest son Kevin struck out on his own. See how things shook out for our miners as their respective operations continue. 

Parker Schnabel

Parker Schnabel and Tyson Lee (Discovery Channel)

The 29-year-old poured everything into the Dominion Creek claim, setting a lofty goal of 10,000 ounces a year over the lifespan of a six-year project. That’s a monstrous $25 million needed to get through the season. Every machine was at work knowing there was a lot of ground to cover with a focus on the Long Cut piece of land. Schnabel’s plans unraveled when the cut wasn’t ready for sluicing. Battling frost, he ordered the crew to dig an 8,000 ft. ditch around the edge of the cut to help drain meltwater and speed up the thawing on the frozen ground. The stockpiles would then run through the washplant Roxanne. 

This, of course, put a lot of pressure on Mitch Blaschke and Tyson Lee, who were tasked with the job. Things went from bad to worse for the crew when Blaschke heard something went wrong with the motor of the 480 excavator he was operating. The machinery’s catastrophic failure puts the senior mechanics on the job to repair the swing drive that exploded. These unsung heroes would get things going again, but the equipment issues put him $20,000-$30,000 more in the hole. With no sluicing, there was no gold to weigh, bringing him only 5.6 ounces for the year thus far. Gold needs to start flowing soon or Schnabel may be in some dire trouble. Despite the setbacks, he is up to the challenge. “We’re going to make this work. “Schnabel added, undeterred. 

Rick Ness 

The comeback was looking up for Rick Ness as he and his crew were already seeing a payout of Rally Valley. It’s what Brian “Zee” Zaremba felt was the best start of the season. Despite the progress, Ness had not been seen for a bit. He was floored by the bad news from his Duncan Creek landlord Troy Taylor that he couldn’t guarantee they’d have a water license next year. A devastating blow for Ness, who invested millions into the operation with his future hanging in the balance. After four years of exploring Duncan Creek, he was on the brink of buying the claim outright. Now he only has six months of guaranteed mining, forcing him to rethink all that he had planned. Does he cut his losses and run or go all-in with what could be his last season mining? 

Ness broke the news to the crew. He got a sense they have his back. With the potential of a ton of gold in the valley, they could still potentially hit their 1,500-ounce goal for the season. Ness and the crew decided to stay put. If they go out, they want to go out on top. Rally! Unfortunately, Zee had to go home to his life and family at home after helping Ness get started. Not before he gave his buddy words of encouragement as he “shoots for greatness.” 

Tony Beets

Tony Beets inspecting equipment in yard. (Discovery Channel)

Tony Beets has begun sluicing earlier than ever with a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. Tony Beets. The “King of the Klondike” has two washplants going at his Indian River claim. It’s his fastest start in his 40-year career. Things are going so well, son Mike has started running a third washplant at Paradise Hill. The hard work paid off with the Beets family mined 774 ounces worth $1.9 million in a matter of two weeks. This breaks the previous record at this stage of the season by more than 200 ounces. The patriarch hopes for more good fortune to come. 

Kevin Beets

After working for more than 20 years under his father, Tony Beets’ eldest son Kevin wanted to become his own boss. Dad helped him get started by leasing him Scribner Creek in the Yukon. Despite the act of good faith, Kevin and his partner in life and business Faith Teng have poured their life savings into starting their own operation. The two won’t be doing it alone as Kevin revealed his “secret weapon” in Brennan Ruault. The former logger worked under Schnabel for six years before his explosive exit. Now he is back as Kevin’s foreman. Before they can even get started on securing this 1,000-ounce goal, they need to get their equipment up and running. Tony loaned him some, but it’s not in the best shape. They needed a ripper shank for their D10 Dozer. Kevin knows who had one….Schnabel! 

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The trio set off to Dominion Creek for what may have been an awkward situation given the history between everyone. “This is going to sound a little weird, but is Tony involved in any way aside from helping with equipment?” Schnabel asked Kevin. When he said no, Schnabel felt better about helping him. He gave him the ripper shank to use without paying the $11,000 outright. Schnabel knows how hard it was for him to get started and decides instead to just start a “tab” for Kevin as he goes on this new journey. That was a win for Kevin, knowing he invested $700,000 in a washplant alone. The next step would be getting the dozer and operation going. 

Gold Rush, Fridays, 8/7c, Discovery Channel