Original subtitles

-Huh. -Whoosh, whoosh.

Yeah, really.

-Holy cow. -Jesus.

We've never had anything even close to that.

Narrator: Season 7 of "Gold Rush" is a wrap.

And to make sense of it all we've invited Parker Schnabel and Rick Ness to the studio

to discuss the good

and the bad.

Narrator: of the most tumultuous season yet.

I'm gonna (BLEEP) kill him right now.

and get a glimpse of an off season adventure

Can we talk about that now?

Go for it.

that'll leave Gold Rush fans wanting more.

God. This is...madness.

Narrator: Parker and Rick brought with them new insights.

I think I've chilled out a little, probably.

Yeah, definitely.

Old rivalries

Todd's always chasing things that are too good to be true.

Narrator: And a sneak peek at their off-season trek to the Klondike

Ahh.

I didn't realize that you were gonna try to break your (BLEEP) leg every step.

Oh.

that almost cost them their lives.

Dave, look out.

Narrator: Hang on to your hard hats.

Holy Christ.

Narrator: This is "Gold Rush" nuggets.

For the Hoffman crew, season 7 will always be remembered for this.

But Rick and Parker know violence just isn't good business.

If that kind of stuff is going on at your mine site, then people obviously aren't

-prioritizing the mining. -Yeah.

You're at a mine site, and you're giving up so much to be there.

The only reason you're there is to make money, right?

-Yeah -That's the only reason we're there. -Yup.

Narrator: There's no room for fighting at Parker's mine,

but that doesn't mean the Schnabel crew can't handle themselves.

There's some scrappy guys. Like I would never want to see...

-Mitch in a fight. -Ah no, Mitch would be deadly.

We've got big problems.

Brennan's a big dude but he seems like a teddy bear.

Yeah.

But I still wouldn't want to see him mad.

You don't want to poke a teddy bear today, heh.

I don't want you guys (BLEEP) following me right now.

I think Chris Doumitt... We wrestle a bit and what not, and I think he could

You just have to lay one fist on him

I know. He's got like the strongest old man hands in the world.

Yeah.

Narrator: Each crew has their own mix of muscle and ego.

The trick to keeping it civil is staying focused on the goal even when things are falling apart.

-Shut it down! -Shut it down! -Shut it down!

Cut the conveyer.

-Hey. -Hey. Give me a bar.

Get it shut off before it rips the belt.

Tempers flare and all that. But at the end of the day you've got a job to do.

You have to do your job.

And that's just it. Is, you're giving up so much just to be there. And the

priority should always be...

making money.

So Doumitt, what's our season total?

You ready for this one?

How about 4311 ounces.

That's just over $5 million of gold.

This season was a huge success.

Everybody did great.

Like just nailed it. And we were late

starting sluicing with our new plant.

We were late with Big Red because we didn't have the people.

I'm just still amazed

Um, how well it went, you know.

Narrator: Their success was in no small part a result of the gamble Parker took in the off season.

Yeah, this season we made a pretty big purchase, We bought a brand-new wash plant.

There she is.

Uh. Oh, yeah.

Doesn't that just look sexy.

So, we ended up naming it Sluicifer, which

-Who came up with that. -That was Mitch. -Mitch?

I was, I was kinda rooting for Arnold Sluicinager.

And what was the other one, Goldibox?

Goldibox.

Uh, there was a few other bouncing around. But it's funny. Like, Sluicifer's funny.

Whooo. (laughter).

-Taking its first ride. -From here looks good.

Yeah, Sluicifer did really well for us, I think.

I liked it. I think there's a few little things that we all want to change on it.

But that's really normal. It's a good plant.

Our season starts now.

Here we go.

Time to make some money.

Season 7 would be a breakout year for Parker and his crew.

But it began in the worst way possible.

I lost my grandpa, the man who taught me how to mine and honestly,

I don't know what it's going to be like without him.

My grandpa was a huge force in my life.

He's the only reason I ever started mining.

I wouldn't know anything about gold mining if it weren't for him.

I'm proud of you. Thanks.

So, Give me a hug.

Narrator: Sadly this season Rick also had reason to mourn.

My grandpa died.

Shit. I'm sorry, man.

Narrator: For both, mining was a welcome distraction.

After the funeral I really just wanted to go to work.

I think that we're both a lot alike in that. And we just,

You know, we want to get back to work and we wanna just move on.

You know, you can't just wallow in pity.

Nothing comes out of that.

Once I was in the Yukon, it just made me appreciate more

you know, where people spend their time.

Like Rick and these guys did. Give up so much, you know they come up there

and be in the Yukon with us mining.

And we're all in it together. and I think that my grandpa

spent a lot of time trying to get that message through and it's finally

starting to come through.

There's 30...

Narrator: The operation at Scribner Creek was off to a record start.

(whistles)This is probably our best first cleanup we've had up here.

Narrator: But in gold mining trouble is never far away.

Well. yeah, initially this season, you know, my biggest issues are...

issues with my landlord Tony, right.

Ah, right now we're just shooting for 3000

We went into the season with a 3,000 ounce goal because

I'm not going to pay him steeper royalties.

You know, after 3,000 ounces we're paying him a 25% royalty.

And that means we're working six hours a day for him.

Yup.

I would love to push harder but with the royalties the way they are

I can't.

It's this tossup where..

We don't agree with the contract, but...

It's the ground we're on and we're established there and everything else that I've looked at

you know, doesn't really compare to it. And Tony knows that. So it just

you know, drives the nail in deeper.

Narrator: Parker wasn't budging on his decision to cap the season at 3,000 ounces.

The more we make, the more we work for Tony Beets. Just ain't cool.

I want to be working for Parker fuckin Schnabel.

Narrator: But his crew didn't necessarily agree.

I certainly hear where you're coming from.

Economically, it's a smart move, right. Just not what I expected to hear.

Yeah, I didn't drive 2500 miles to get 3000 ounces. I came up here to make some money.

I was surprised that Rick and all the boys really pushed back on that.

It's a hard pill to swallow, I mean, certainly understandable.

But we're, we're fuckin' winners. You know what I mean, we want to keep winning.

Narrator: Coming up..

All I'm asking for is to cap the royalties at 20%.

Narrator: Another blowout over royalties takes a surprising twist

Hang in there.

that gives Rick the opportunity of a lifetime.

Tony, in his screwed up way definitely did do Rick a benefit.

Narrator: Then Parker and Rick discuss their epic off-season adventure.

One of the craziest things I've ever done.

Narrator: And the new series that chronicles it all.

Holy shit.

Rick.

Do you have to do that to turn?

-No. -How the fuck was I supposed to know?

Narrator: We're spilling secrets in the studio.

I hesitate to believe too much of that.

Right?

Narrator: As Parker Schnabel and Rick Ness join us to recap the mayhem surrounding season 7.

There's always plenty of drama.

Rick!

But this season.

One crew had more than they could handle.

Knock it off.

Let's..One of you's gotta stop.

Let got of me now.

Narrator: The Hoffman crew fight wasn't an isolated incident.

It was the culmination of a season that went from bad...

You're losing thousands of dollars a day.

Aww.

to a downright disaster.

Dave!

It's not hard to spot the cause.

It's a lot easier to get mad about things when you're doing bad.

You know what guys, I hate to say this

but I need you guys to go the next two weeks without pay.

You tell Mindy, you tell Mindy that I'm not getting paid.

She thinks I'm up here making money to support the family.

It's very easy to point fingers at what people are doing things wrong but

Todd's mistake was not doing his due diligence before he dove into all these things.

How much?

12.55

Aww.

Todd's always chased these things that are too good to be true.

And if there was really that much gold left in Oregon, it would have gotten mined a long time ago.

There's a reason why all of us are up in the Yukon.

Yup. No doubt.

It's not cause we like it up there.

That's cause that's where the gold is left is.

-Right. That's where it is.

(Rick laughs)

Narrator: Tony Beets also struggled this season.

Narrator: not with finding gold

but with his efforts to try and bring a second dredge online.

It's a style of mining that Parker just can't get his head around.

Rick and I's number one job, between the two of us, is we have to

try our best to make sure that the dirt without gold is getting thrown away

and that the dirt with gold in it is getting ran through the wash plant.

And, you know,

If you're all of a sudden under 8 feet of water trying to do that,

I mean, you don't stand a chance.

Right? You don't know what kind of bedrock you're in.

you don't know where that nice cubey stuff that has all the gold in it ends.

And you know, Tony's made a decision to sacrifice

getting all of the gold out

for being a bit more efficient and having a few less people around.

And that's a sacrifice that

I don't know is worth it

Because he is leaving gold behind.

Narrator: Their approach to mining isn't the only thing that Parker and Tony disagree on.

Tony is a difficult guy to deal with.

And... a thing that could be very simple, like

You know, if you find this much gold in the ground and we take this much of it, he's managed to complicate

a lot.

You know, after 3,000 ounces we're paying him a 25% royalty.

At the end of the day, something needs to change.

So I tried to get him to change the royalty rates.

He wouldn't but he came up with this second operation thing, right.

He said, if you want to run a second operation, then that second operation will be separate

royalty rates from the first.

Maybe you're not such a bad guy, Tony.

I was like okay, if that's the way you want to do it, we'll jump through your hoops.

But it still..what difference does it make if we're running two operations or

or one big operation. I don't get it.

It doesn't make any sense to me no matter how I look at it.

Narrator: Trying to make sense of anything that Tony Beets says can be tough.

But the new deal made one thing crystal clear,

Rick was getting the chance to run his own operation at Indian River.

So you think you're ready to take this on?

Oh yeah.

You got to be you know, right?

Getting that opportunity is great. It's something that

I don't know if I deserve it or not. I mean there's a lot of dues to pay

to get something like that, normally. you know what I mean. I thank you for letting me do it.

That's for sure.

Yup. We're on paydirt boys.,

It's really nice to have guys that you can say, oh that, you're in a real fucked up situation.

Have fun with that. and trust that

they'll get it all sorted out.

That's a new revelation for me,

Getting to that point and having that confidence in the people around you.

Congratulations.

Woo!

Running your own operation can be satisfying, but Rick found out quickly

that being the boss comes with a lot of responsibility.

The belt for Big Red has got a big gouge in it.

Well we're not fuckin getting a new one. Do I look like a fuckin' belt fairy.

So you just have to make it fuckin' work.

Figure it out.

It was a good taste of being out on my own and seeing what it would be like.

And it was a good victory, ultimately.

This is all your place?

Narrator: This season Parker arrived at Scribner Creek ready to work.

Yeah, it's good to be back.

Narrator: But he didn't come alone.

-Hows it going. -This is Ashley.

Hey, Ashley, how are you?

Well, I was on vacation in Australia last winter and met her there and...

We hit it off pretty well. so I invited her over.

Like, come hang out for some time.

Narrator: Inviting his girlfriend to live at the mine could have been a disaster.

She got thrown into a world that was very strange.

Narrator: But Ashley had no problem fitting in.

When Parker asked me to come to the Klondike, I was super excited.

I'm very adventurous so I'm up for any challenge.

Since they've got such a small team, um...

Parker came and asked me to see if I can help out, and drive a truck.

I mean I'm this little girl and I'm in a huge rock truck.

The tires stand maybe that much taller than me.

So it was a lot of fun.

I'm loving it.

It was really great having her up there this summer.

-You know, she's a happy person -Yup. -and wants to stay busy.

I'm picking nuggets. Ain't no nuggets getting past me.

She ended up, being in the gold room. It's a very...

you know, detailed oriented thing that she was very good at.

Now, that being said your girlfriend of two, three months is now like

looking after

$300,000

worth of gold at a time. Right.

That's a trust exercise.

Narrator: Coming up, -Hi.

Some special guests join us on set to ask a few burning questions.

Are you ever going to cut your hair?

Narrator: Then Parker and Rick reveal details about their epic adventure.

Dawson City here we come.

Definitely the most intense thing I've ever done.

The current is ripping under the shelf

I'm getting pulled downstream.

Look out.

Parker.

Narrator: It's time for Rick and Parker to take a break

and meet some of their adoring fans.

This is the Butler family. Come on in, guys. Come on.

Hi. How's it going.

So you guys all watch the show together?

Yes, We all watch the show, and

And they're usually panning in the kitchen while they watch the show.

We're on the floor and the show goes on.

Do you know how to pan?

Yeah? Did you find some gold?

Probably more than the Hoffman's, huh?

What was your question?

Are you ever going to cut your hair?

That's a popular question.

All right. I'll get a haircut.

I'll cut it all off.

It's a deal.

So who's your favorite gold miner.

-You. -Right on.

-Put it there. -They're there to watch, right? -Yes.

Rick, you have some presents for these guys don't you?

Yes, I do.

Cause sleeves are for nerds, guys.

How awesome.

-A pleasure to meet you guys. You too, Rick.

Guys we have some viewer questions for you.

So I'm asking him?

Correct.

Mr. Parker, why don't you start.

Rob H. Rick you are my fave gold rusher.

Coming from a tattooed gentleman to another,

This might get intimate.

What is your favorite tattoo that you have?

Aw, geez.

I got them all when I was pretty young and I didn't put a whole lot of thought into 'em.

Really? But I

I guess probably my favorite would be the perseverance and anchor on my hand.

Cause that's the name of my grandpa's boat and, uh,

That's really the only one that means anything to me.

Alright. Eric B. asks:

Looking back at all of the things that grandpa instilled in you over the years,

what do you think has made you the best you can be

and what do you think you still need to work towards to become the best person/boss you can be?

Yeah, I think the biggest lesson that I learned from my grandpa was trusting people

or giving them the benefit of the doubt, and trusting that they want to really

perform and they want to succeed and that our interests are aligned a lot more than

I might think or might suspect at times. Right?

and that's something that has been difficult for me to deal with.

Tracy C says: Rick, what are the chances that you will finally...

show Parker that sleeves are for sissies.

Will you show him the way to a sleeve-free existence?

Seeing your arms are the size of my thighs, I think that uh,

I think that I should be wearing sleeves.

Ah...Yeah. I don't think the sleeveless life is for everybody.

Caleb, from Oklahoma.

Parker, any woman willing to drive a rock truck hauling pay to your wash plant is a keeper.

When are you gonna pop the question?

Oh. There she is. No pressure.

Well, actually I'm glad you asked me, Rick. Um...

I'm in no rush to get married.

We'll leave it at that.

(Honk)

No I'm not. Takes more than that to embarrass me.

Mike D. asks:

If you could be any animal in the world, what would you be?

And ask Parker the same question.

Well, I'm my own spirit animal. So I would be me. But what would you be?

I don't know. I've always liked lynx. They're cool. Big kitty.

Meow.

Alright, we have another question here from Matt B.

Hi Rick. There's a rumor you and Parker were working on a special project in the off season.

Can you tell us about it.

Can we talk about that now?

I think we can.

Good. Finally. Because I'm excited about it, man. I mean, that's one hell of a journey.

So, Rick and I set off on the historic gold rush trail.

You know, there's a lot of reasons why I want to do this trip.

You know, one big one is that, you know, for me

It's always been kinda the ultimate adventure that I've wanted to do.

It's a big testament to my grandpa and what he did coming up to Alaska.

Cause he was, he was, you know, an original Alaska pioneer.

And it's the same path that the old-timers took to get to the gold fields.

100,000 people set off on the journey in 1898

and of those. I think only about 30,000 made it.

It's a 40-mile hike up over mountains in the snow and rain and wind

And then you drop down in to Bennett Lake,

and, you have 150 miles of lakes to get across, and then another 350 miles of the Yukon river.

There's sections of the trail that are brutal.

It's serious shit and I'm stoked to share it with everybody.

Narrator: The toughest journey of their lives.

Oh, oh yeah. This is madness.

Dave, look out.

Narrator: 600 miles of mountains.

Ooh. I can't see.

Narrator: Lakes and rivers.

Rick, go left! Rick, go... What...whoa.

Whoa whoa whoa. Whoa.

Narrator: With winter closing in.

Subs by Jack T

We cannot get stuck here. There's no Plan B.

Narrator: For Parker, a test against nature.

Watch out! Watch out.

Narrator: the legend of his grandfather, and the pioneers that came before them.