‘Gold Rush’: Tony Beets Makes Shocking Offer to Rick Ness

There is one thing evident about being a miner from watching Gold Rush. They have to know how to deal with the highest of highs and lowest of lows. Rick Ness arguably went through a rollercoaster ride of a season, perhaps more than any of those featured. And during the March 13 episode the underdog reached another crossroads.

For Tony Beets, it has been the complete opposite as the “King of the Klondike” came out of the gate hot and is on the verge of his 6,500-ounce goal. Parker Schnabel had poured all his resources while taking a big swing with an incredible 10,000-ounce goal. The last few weeks things took a turn with less weigh-ins than he’d like to see on the expansive claims he holds.

Does the tide turn for him? Let’s dig into what unfolded this week on the Discovery Channel series.

Rick Ness

Rick Ness (Discovery Channel)

Four months into the season Rick has a deep hole to get out of, already spending $1 million hoping to hit big in the Valhalla Cut. With only 500 ounces he needed it more than ever, to the point he could lose everything. Just when Rick thought we were nearing the light at the end of the tunnel, the boss was hit with another gut punch. Operator Bailey Carten, who’d been heading up getting the cut down the pay, made a startling discovery. There was a significant clay layer with no gold, meaning instead of profit there was a dead zone.

Rick made no bones about his struggles with a big decision to make on the horizon. “This could be the thing that makes my entire life great or ruins it,” he thought. He went off to do a little soul-searching and received a visit from Tony and his wife Minnie. Rick laid out what he had at Duncan Creek, which had Tony intrigued. The veteran then presented the idea of a bombshell buyout offer. Minnie asked cameras to leave while they potentially negotiated a deal. Tony would be open to acquiring or maybe even partnering?! Rick contemplates taking the money and running. He hinted the deal would be to the tune of seven zeroes. There was no doubt a lot to think about.

Tony Beets

Tony Beets (Discovery Channel)

At Indian River, Tony showed no signs of slowing down. He was on the verge of breaking records with almost two months left in the season. He had three wash plants running including Sluice-A-Lot and Find-A-Lot at Indian River. His son Mike even got the Trommel going at Paradise Hill. At the Corner Cut, Sluice-A-Lot accounted for half of Indian River’s gold production. So having it go down due to a broken conveyer drum pulley was a hit. It was up to Cousin Mike to raise the plant and drag it out with the dozer until it’s free from dirt. Then the job involved removing the conveyer and belt to access the broken part to install a new one and reattach the belt.

The new part may take up to a week or two. Tony wasn’t about waiting and losing major bucks in the process. The crew located a pipe the same diameter as the busted drum. They just needed to cut it to the right size. Once the work was done, Sluice-A-Lot were back sluicing. During the weigh-in the few days running added 84.76 ounces. Find-A-Lot, which was going all week, brought in 278.18 ounces. The Trommel gave the total a nice shot in the arm with 262.14 ounces. The haul brought them to more than 6,600 ounces worth $23 million, exceeding their goal.

Parker Schnabel

Parker Schnabel (Discovery Channel)

Parker has been frustrated in the home stretch of the season, still about 3,000 ounces outside his 10,000-ounce target. The way to get them to the finish line was to run the wash plans nonstop and sluice every bit. Last week, the crew had to shut down two wash plants to turn all attention to digging the last bit of pay from the Golden Mile. This is an ongoing job, but Parker wanted to at least get one of the plants sluicing. Big Red needed to be moved in order to accomplish this. The timing may not have been the best, but foreman Tyson Lee had to step away and fly out for his sister’s wedding.

'Gold Rush': Parker Schnabel Takes Big Gamble That May Have Long-Term Ramifications

This was an opportunity for Brennan Ruault to further prove himself, tasked with the move. Brennan hadn’t moved Big Red in five years. Mechanic Alec Kelly lent a hand with the tricky maneuvering. He noticed metal clips that held the belt together were nearly destroyed on the plant. If they didn’t perform a replacement now, it would potentially bite them long-term entering into the colder season. This meant the job couldn’t be completed for at least another day. Brennan missed his original deadline as a result, but it was for the greater good. After the belt repair the Big Red move got completed and went back to sluicing. Tyson returned from the wedding just in time for the weigh-in. Bob at the Bridge Cut came in at 142.07 ounces. Roxanne ran pay from Ken & Stuart’s and generated 134.03 ounces. Big Red delivered its first pay dirt at the Golden Mile in two weeks with 40.25 ounces. Respectable numbers under certain conditions, but not when you have a 10,000-goal to get to by season’s end. Parker knew the pace needed to pick up, and he revealed a new plant would help with that.

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

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