The competition between Tony Beets and Parker Schnabel is heating up for Season 17 of Gold Rush. These two miner heavyweights have just started their operations, but the pressure is on to deliver 13,000 ounces.
Tony enlisted the help of his brother Nick to serve as foreman at Indian River. Delays at the Midas Cut have only frustrated the “King of the Klondike,” especially with Parker already pulling in strong gold numbers at Dominion Creek. Meanwhile, Greg Gibson, a shrewd businessman who recently joined the Discovery Channel show, has high expectations right out of the gate. After pumping massive money and resources into Trail Hill, he brought in veteran Buzz Legault to deliver results.
Here is how things shook out for these three operations this week.
The Beets Family Struggles with Mud and Delays at Indian River
Tony grew impatient that his team failed to sluice early like last year. He was anxious to get gold out of the ground, hoping for a $65 million payday. The crew has been working feverishly to open up the 60 acres of the Midas Cut, removing muck to expose the ground for thawing. Nick saw Tony’s strategy as a gamble, to which Tony responded, “If you don’t gamble, you don’t win.” The crew has already stripped 20 acres, aiming to add another 20 by the end of the week.
Tony’s 18-year-old grandson, Eagan, joined the family business as a hoe operator, engaging in flirty banter with fellow crew member Karissa Williams. However, the fun turned serious when a track blew on his equipment, prompting Nick to lay down the law for Eagan to stay focused. Meanwhile, Meghan Roberts managed the dump site safety and truck traffic, where muddy grounds caused major issues—even getting a dozer stuck until Tony rode in with his own dozer to free it. After panning the area to test the grounds, Tony and Nick gained the confidence to press forward. Now, they just need to get sluicing.
Parker Schnabel Takes Early Lead Despite Wash Plant Troubles
Parker one-upped Tony in Round 1 of the Klondike clash. Four years into his seven-year plan at Dominion Creek, the Golden Goose wash plant had already generated 145 ounces this season. Parker set an aggressive goal to launch a wash plant each week over four weeks, aiming to score off leftover pay gravel from last year.
Tyson Lee hauled the Big Red wash plant to sluice gravel at the Golden Mile Cut, but ran into trouble when a broken spray bar and insufficient water flow forced a temporary shutdown. After replacing a valve, Big Red was back in motion. Meanwhile, at Ken & Stuart’s Quagmire Cut, Mitch Blaschke faced severe water delays while trying to strip 30 acres. The team discovered a massive layer of ice blocking the drainage ditch, prompting them to pump water to a new holding pond 450 feet away.
Despite the setback, Team Parker held their second-week gold weigh-in: the Golden Goose brought in 163.60 ounces ($818,000 value), while Big Red’s first haul added 47.80 ounces. This brought their total to 356.90 ounces, leaving Parker optimistic as Bob prepares to join the wash plant lineup next.
Greg Gibson and Buzz Legault Build a New Empire at Trail Hill
Having made big money in hard rock mining, Greg Gibson hopes to replicate his success in placer mining, which relies on water to separate minerals. Viewing the 60-acre claim off Bonanza Creek as the foundation of a new empire, Greg gave veteran Buzz Legault one week to set up their new wash plant, named the Hot Box, for initial testing.
To assist, Greg brought in trusted crew members Neil Gauthier and Tyler Culhane. With $3 million invested in the claim and another $500,000 spent on the wash plant, failure was not an option. Buzz successfully navigated the high-stakes operation of offloading the wash plant, hauling it up the hill, and assembling the hopper, tailing conveyor, and sluice runs.
Ultimately, Buzz passed his first big test, proving that the new operation is ready for the grueling grind ahead. Greg was thrilled with the progress and asked Buzz if he was ready for 18-hour shifts, to which Buzz replied he would work 20 hours if he could.
With Greg’s new empire successfully setting up its foundation, Parker pulling ahead in gold tallies, and Tony pushing through costly delays, Season 17 is shaping up to be one of the most intense Klondike showdowns yet.
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