The Gold Rush Rick Ness Moment That Went Too Far Sleeve-hating miner Rick Ness has had a wild ride in the years since his abrupt career change. After meeting “Gold Rush” veteran Parker Schnabel, with whom he worked for almost seven years, the musician-turned-gold miner found work and a new career path.
After being appointed as Schnabel’s foreman by Season 8, Ness decided to strike out on his own in search of new patches of land to mine and find riches for himself and the team working under him.
The road has undoubtedly been difficult, with as many dirt-covered lows as gold-plated highs. However, Ness’ hunches have occasionally put him in difficult situations, most notably with his former boss-turned-rival Schnabel. Riding on his instincts and sometimes going against the man upstairs caused problems, most notably in the show’s eighth season. It resulted from a communication breakdown and a confrontation between two “Gold Rush” fan favorites.
In Season 8 of Gold Rush, Rick cost Parker $50,000
Rick Ness’ job as Parker Schnabel’s foreman was to keep his boss. Up to date on the goings-on in their operation. That didn’t always go as planned, especially in the show’s eighth season, when Ness encountered problems at the Panama Canal site. After assuring his boss that he could complete the job independently, Ness hired four more men, costing Schnabel money.
Eventually, his boss summoned Ness, turning their friendly workmate relationship into serious business. Who wanted to make money but wasn’t getting much of it at the time. These difficult times are unavoidable. But if Ness had communicated more clearly, this might not have happened. As a result, Parker told his foreman. “if you want to run your mine site, which is how you’re running this show, doing it with my money without collaborating with me doesn’t work.”
It was also the last time Ness worked for Parker. In the following season, he followed his former boss’ advice. He was forming his team and running his website in Season 9.
