‘Gold Rush’: Rick Ness Reveals Big News to His Crew About Season

[Warning: The below contains spoilers for Gold Rush Season 16.]

Parker Schnabel has been happy to see progress on Gold Rush. During the December 19 episode he leaned in on Mitch Blaschke, his foreman at Sulphur Creek, to squeeze every ounce of the good stuff before their water license expires. 

It’s also been a good Season 16 for Tony Beets, who cashed in on the Early Bird Cut at Indian River. However, the demanding “King of the Klondike” put the pressure on youngest Michael to get Paradise Hill on the gold. An almost impossible task after Tony relocated half his crew and equipment elsewhere. Rick Ness suffered a devastating blow when his Diamond Cut at Lightning Creek only brought in seven ounces. With his final 100-ounce payment due to Troy Taylor, the underdog’s fortunes needed to change. 

Read on to find out if they do.

Parker Schnabel

Parker Schnabel/Discovery Channel

There were three weeks left to make the most of the Sulphur Creek claim as Mitch looked for pockets of gold left by old miners. Parker panned a space and discovered a good inductor more could be found. Down to the wire, Mitch was instructed to extend the cut two acres and sluice as much pay as they could. Parker called in reinforcements with five trucks, two excavators and a loader feeder for wash plant Roxanne. They experienced a hiccup with one of the excavators and had to shut down, which meant it could cost them $8,000 an hour. 

Mechanic Taylor Matejka found the problem centered on the parking brake and got things going again. Parker’s crew met up for their weigh-in. Bob at the Bridge Cut came in at 188.40 ounces. Next was Sluicifer in the Golden Mile that generated 232.10 ounces. Last but not least did the plan to expand Sulphur pay out? The result was a nice 406.50 ounces. That one plant actually matched the output of Tyson Lee’s two plants that ran. The total 827 ounces worth $2.8 million was the most Parker banked in one week. 

Rick Ness

Rick Ness/Discovery Channel

The uphill battle continued for Rick at Lightning Creek. However, he remained optimistic about new ground dubbed the Boulder Cut. Dedicated team member Ryan Kent was brought in to repair an excavator. Operations were at a standstill with that being the main machine to load the rock trucks in a quick manner. Ryan discovered a leaky hose near the pump. He disconnected the hose, removed it, and then replaced it with a new one to restore the hydraulic system. In the middle of all this, Rick Ness called his team over to break some big news. An extension to the water license at Duncan Creek was granted! Beers broke out to celebrate. Over four years, Vegas Valley paid out nearly 6,000 ounces with a pay pile there that could be worth more than $1.4 million of gold. The Boulder Cut generated 22.35 ounces worth $78,000 this week. The team were anxious to get back to Duncan Creek, but Rick was already in the thick of it at Lightning Creek. He now had to plan his next move. 

Tony Beets

Tony Beets/Discovery Channel

Tony had a nice start of 1,800 ounces at the Early Bird Cut and was hard at work opening the Corner Cut to get him ever so close to that 6,500-ounce goal. It’s a process to get down to pay. At Paradise Hill, his son Michael felt defeated without the resources he needed. He visited with his mother Minnie for guidance. “It’s worrisome that he takes your equipment,” Minnie admitted. Michael needed a Plan B and had to find some machinery somewhere. Minnie broached the subject of Michael having his own spot without interference like eldest Kevin. She believed it would happen . Michael wasn’t so sure. 

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They made a $20 bet on it. Until then, Michael got back to work as he looked for old pile tailings. He looked to wash plant Harold to help with that. He needed to connect the water supply first. However, rain was a headache for the crew.  Michael ended up with some gold for the first time this season, 14.28 ounces worth nearly $50,000. Minnie said she was proud of him. She brought up the idea to Tony that Michael have his own place to run. Tony wanted him to stay on the Trommel for now. At Indian River the Early Bird Cut brought in 398.18 ounces worth almost $1.4 million. That’s more than 2,300 ounces this season so far.

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