‘Gold Rush’ Recap: Rick Ness Achieves Yukon Dream & Beets Crew Member Makes Dramatic Exit

Rick Ness
Discovery Channel
Rick Ness (Discovery Channel)

[Warning: The below contains spoilers for Gold Rush Season 15, Episode 11.]

The January 17 episode of Gold Rush marked a major milestone for Rick Ness. The 43-year-old’s goal was to own his claim outright and officially be a Yukon land owner at Duncan Creek. It’s a journey that goes back to 2012 when he drove his $1,500 truck up to Alaska. He decided to take a job with a young gold miner named Parker Schnabel. After breaking out on his own, Ness gambled on buying a remote piece of ground. Now after five years, he made the final 250-ounce payment on the property to Troy Taylor. He officially went all in despite the uncertainty regarding the water license. Ness can’t think about next year with a 1,500-ounce season goal to attain. 

Elsewhere, Tony Beets has enjoyed success at his Indian River and Paradise Hill claims. Eldest son Kevin was still struggling to get the first taste of gold at Scribner’s Creek. Unfortunately, during the episode more drama bubbles to the surface. Schnabel isn’t doing that much better, but has banked on running three wash plants simultaneously to dig him out of the financial hole he’s in. 

Read on to see how these hard-working miners did this week. 

Rick Ness

Buzz Legault pointing out from excavator

Rick Ness crew member Buzz Legault (Discovery Channel)

Just about halfway through the season, Ness found himself two thirds into his 1,500-ounce season goal, but the biggest cut at Rally Valley mined out. It was time to move on to what they’re calling the five-and-a-half acre Crew Cut. Ness worked on stripping and building up the pay pile for wash plant Rocky, which sat idle for almost a year. Sluicing would have to wait as oil was discovered dripping from the excavator. It turned out it blew a turbo, which delayed things with Rocky. The cavalry arrived in the form of Ness driving in a new excavator. His first weigh-in  as an owner was a measly 10.23 ounces worth just $25,000. Sluicing for three days, Ness fell short of his weekly goal of 43 ounces to hit his 1,500-ounce target. The crew remained dedicated to the cause despite the setbacks. 

Beets Crew

Kevin Beets in excavator

Kevin Beets/Discovery Channel

After 10 weeks into the season, the Beets family has mined 2,500 ounces worth more than $6 million in gold. Elder son Kevin hasn’t supplied any of that. “He’s got to get his sh*t together,” Tony declared. Kevin was weeks behind on his royalty payments to dad. He struck a deal with a company with sluice equipment. To help Kevin get on the gold, Tony helped haul in the key machinery needed for sluicing, which was a conveyor and hopper feeder. The hope was to get the new wash plant on the pad at the Links Cut. The crew were under the gun to deliver. 

Right-hand man Brennan Ruault couldn’t focus on the job at hand thanks to more drama within his crew. Once again at the center was Ash Phillips, who was seen having a cigarette break rather than working on the rock truck. Ruault brought Phillips and her fiance Matt Kiefer on board to lend a hand. Ash had previously gotten into it with fellow operator Hunter Canning. Ruault had a heated conversation with Phillips. Much like that Michael Jackson meme, Canning had a bag of popcorn to watch the situation unfold. Phillips told Kiefer she was done, not appreciating the talking to she had with Ruault.  

Phillips said to the producer she and Kiefer had enough and that she was going home. Kiefer was heartbroken as he wanted to save for a down payment on a house. Phillips said, “Down in Alberta if someone gave me the grief I’ve been given, I could punch them in the head.” The couple left the site. Kevin revealed he decided to let Phillips go. He gave Keifer the option to stay, but knew he wasn’t going to. At the Links Cut, they are down two crew, which would put more pressure on Ruault to finish the pad for the wash plant. The small but mighty crew work toward getting the pad placed. 

Parker Schnabel

Tatiana Costa looking happy and smiling during clean up

Parker Schabel crew member Tatiana Costa. (Discovery Channel)

Schnabel hoped to turn a corner with three wash plants running for a full week. He needed the three plant blitz to get him out of a massive hole, knowing he was nowhere near his 10,000-ounce goal. To supercharge production at the Bridge Cut, Schnabel brought in the big guns in two A60s, the biggest rock trucks at his mine site. Just as things were looking up, operator Tatiana Costa had to deal with a broken tailgate. Rather than a timely repair, the mechanics decided to just remove it so the truck can get back to work. Costa opened up a bit about her romance with fellow crew member Taylor Matejka. She revealed the two met while scuba diving in Indonesia. 

More trouble came when one of the A60 rock trucks flipped over on its side hanging over a 50-foot drop. The A60 weighed 50 tons, which made things even more difficult. Matejka oversaw the recovery mission to get the truck back on its feet. Meanwhile gold cleaning guru Chris Doumitt. He felt the stress of three plants running across three locations. You could say this loyal soldier was heading into his “I’m too told for this sh*t era.”

Doumitt reached the point where he had no alternative but to ask Schnabel for help. Schnabel was willing to move a valuable crew member from the field. Although when Doumitt suggested names, Schnabel turned them all down. “It’s not fun anymore. If I leave…,” Doumitt playing hard ball. Not wanting to lose a good member of the team, Schnabel thought Costa was a good idea. It then came time for the weigh-in. Big Red at the Bridge Cut generated 74.90 ounces. Roxanne at Long Cut led to 207.40 ounces. Good old Bob rocked it with 303.07 ounces. This brought in overall 586 ounces worth $1.5 million. It was Schnabel’s best cleanup all season. Can he keep the momentum going? 

Gold Rush, Fridays, 8/7c, Discovery