‘Gold Rush’: Rick Makes Massive Mistake That Jeopardizes Season (RECAP)

[Warning: The below contains spoilers for Gold Rush Season 15, Episode 5.]

The string of bad luck continued for Parker Schnabel and Rick Ness during the December 6 episode of Gold Rush. For the two miners, it has been a rough start to the season. Between frozen ground or equipment failures, they’ve been met with challenges that have made their goals in the coming weeks harder to achieve than ever. Tony Beets hasn’t made things easier for his eldest son Kevin Beets, who took on the role of mine boss for the first time. Let’s break down what happened with these crews. 

Rick Ness

The underdog has been eager to catch his first Rally Valley gold of the season with 5,000 yards of paydirt stockpiled and ready to sluice. He looked to find the bottom of this potential life-changing ground, eyeing a 1,500-ounce goal. Adding to the sense of urgency was the uncertainty of the Duncan Creek claim after the season with a water license in limbo. Ness felt things were turning a corner for the crew after he secured a 12-inch pump for the Monster Red wash plant. The idea was it would help sluice 300 yards an hour. “This could have been a Ferrari in my garage,” he joked of the $150,000 investment. 

To pay for the pump, Ness needed to pull in 60 ounces in the first week of sluicing. The pump ended up having its own problems including a potential clog. Insult to injury came after the team had to seal an intake line to pull water in to run the wash plant. Despite the repair, water was still not flowing much. Not enough to run Monster Red. A pinch in the intake of the hose was addressed, but the water pressure wasn’t there. After further investigation, it turned out Ness bought the WRONG pump! There was a difference between a volume pump and a pressure pump. This massive mistake put the whole operation at a standstill. What will Ness do to keep things going?

Parker Schnabel

Mitch Blaschke, Tyson Lee and Parker Schnabel in conversation. (Discovery)

The 29-year-old has dug himself into a big hole financially at Dominion Creek. His operation was snakebit by setbacks that have resulted in a mere 135 ounces of gold over four weeks. Far from the 10,000 goal set. Schnabel needed to start sluicing earlier than ever to have some money coming in from the Bridge Cut and Long Cut. He found another problem in permafrost, a subsurface layer of soil that usually melted and made it easier to get through to pay. 

With Mother Nature not cooperating, Mitch Blaschke hoped to rev up the thawing progress using the horsepower of a dozer. He heard a sound coming from underneath the equipment. The frozen ground actually cracked the support braces and weakened the blade’s integrity. Meanwhile, fellow crew lead Tyson Lee used a 480 excavator to send as much pay as possible to wash plant, Roxanne. He encountered more issues fighting the first and concrete-like ground, which shredded the bucket’s cutting edge. This constant stop-start-stop routine has been detrimental to  Schnabel’s operation, which reached a standstill. 

The forecast didn’t show any improvement with 10 more days of cold weather. The cost would spiral out of control. Schnabel started to look at the profit margin and weighed options. He ultimately made the tough decision to stop sluicing entirely, which shit down activity at the site for at least three weeks. Another big blow, but a necessary one to stop hemorrhaging money until they get a handle on what they’re dealing with. There is a weigh-in of 152.3 ounces, equivalent to $380,000. Falling short of the 200 he hoped for. Schnabel has an uphill battle ahead of him. 

Kevin Beets

Kevin Beets and Brennan Ruault stood together looking ove claim. (Discovery Channel)

The rookie mine boss felt the growing pains of running Scribner Creek. Critical equipment delays have slowed down Tony Beets’ eldest son. He spent more than $1 million and started to feel the pressure. Sluicing needed to get underway to get gold flowing. The goal was to get things going over the next three weeks. More problems came when work trucks were getting stuck in the mud. Brennan Ruault noticed the crew hit the water table, which halted production. 

Related

'Gold Rush': Parker Schnabel Plays Hardball With Tony Beets' Son Kevin

The water overwhelmed the drainage ditch and created quite a muddy mess. A pump was needed to help alleviate the water. He didn’t have one, but Kevin knew Dad did. Kevin drove the three miles to Indian River to talk to Tony. He played hardball, telling him he was using the pump. Kevin relied on it being available. Tony said it would take a few days before being done with it. This put Kevin’s deadline at risk and would cost him thousands. He reached out to Schnabel for a pump but got ignored. “I’m not going to jump to attention when you phone me,” he said. Despite having 20 of them, Schnabel seemed to have taught young Padawan a tough lesson.  Kevin acquired the pump from Tony and got back on track. We’ll see if the crew can hit their deadline. Is there light at the end of the tunnel for this Simba? 

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