Gold mining is alive and well in the 21st century with plenty of people still managing to carve out fortunes for themselves. Discovery Channel has made it easy to see the intense amount of work that goes into digging into the earth to find precious metals on their hit show Gold Rush. While not everything you see on the series is accurate, such as the series actively trying to get in trouble with local Alaskan government officials for the sake of drama, one thing remains true throughout: Gold is an incredibly valuable commodity.
The series follows several different mining operations every season with a breakdown of how much gold each crew manages to find by the end. In some seasons, the crews have managed to locate several hundred ounces of gold, which can amount to millions of dollars. Naturally, all that money gets divided among the crew members, but it’s safe to say the people in charge, namely Parker Schnabel, Tony Beets, and Todd Hoffman, manage to set aside nice little paychecks for themselves.
It all begs the question: Who’s the richest person on Gold Rush?
According to sources, Tony Beets is the richest miner on Gold Rush
The richest cast member on Gold Rush appears to be Tony Beets by a pretty significant margin. He’s been on the series since season 2, and as of 2020, he’s amassed a net worth of roughly $15 million (via Celebrity Net Worth). Before he got his start in the mining industry, he had a job in Holland milking cows. Later in life, he relocated to Canada to pursue other opportunities, and in 1984, he started mining in Dawson City within the Yukon Territory. He’s stayed in the industry all that time earning decades of experience before Gold Rush became a show in 2010.
He’s seen great success in recent years. In 2018 alone, his mining operation managed to dig up over 3,600 ounces of gold in Eureka Creek by the end of season 8. The estimated value for that volume of gold is roughly $4.39 million.
Parker Schabel is the second wealthiest cast member with a net worth around $10 million
While Tony Beets earns the title of “richest member of the Gold Rush cast,” the other people on the show aren’t hurting too bad. Parker Schnabel may be significantly younger than the other crew leaders, but he’s already amassed a sizable fortune for himself. As of 2020, his net worth is estimated to be in the realm of $10 million (via Distractify). Schnabel got in the mining industry at the young age of 16, taking over his grandfather’s operation. He’s been mining ever since, and based on interviews, he takes pretty much everything he earns and invests it in the company.
Coming in third in terms of overall wealth is Todd Hoffman, who has an estimated net worth of $7 million (via Celebrity Net Worth), with Rick Ness and Dave Turin clocking in at $3 million and $2 million, respectively. Of course, when it comes to the gold mining industry, fortunes can change at a moment’s notice. Make sure to tune in when Gold Rush season 11 debuts on Discovery Channel on October 23rd, 2020 to see how much money your favorite miners manage to earn this year.
Hitting it rich at the mines requires commitment and sacrifice
With so much wealth accrued over the years, you might expect the richest stars of Gold Rush to be living lavish lifestyles akin to Hollywood celebrities … or at least mid-tier international drug lords. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Tony Beets is a family man focused not only on caring for his clan, but on cultivating the next generation of successful miners. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he’s reportedly famous for taking in local teenagers and attempting to teach them the trade. Mining is as much a way of life as it is a job, and many aren’t cut out for the long hours and difficult conditions, but those that do make it are welcomed into the Beets family.
As noted above, Schnabel has foregone all the luxuries that you might expect to come with his two-comma bank account. He doesn’t invest in flashy cars or big, expensive houses. Most of what he makes gets reinvested into his inherited mining operation. “I have a big expensive sand box instead,” he told Maxim. Apparently the workaholism was a major factor in the dissolution of his relationship with Ashley Youle, whom viewers will no doubt remember from her appearances by her boyfriend’s side on the show.