Gold Rush Season 16 kicks off with Parker Schnabel’s bold move and Tony Beets' team's near disaster

Gold Rush season 16 debuted on November 7, 2025, with Parker Schnabel, Tony Beets, and Rick Ness returning to Yukon.

The miners’ teams made a comeback, determined to close the season in the black amid record-high gold prices. 

Titled Records Will be Broken, the official synopsis of the episode reads:

“Parker launches a cutthroat plan for a 10,000-ounce season – and he poaches a rival’s crew member; Tony cashes in early with a bog score; Rick scrambles to find new ground.”

The episode saw Parker deal with various challenges, including equipment and staffing, and Tony’s crew escape a potentially life-threatening disaster after a truck accident. 

Elsewhere, Rick Ness tackled permit issues, prompting him to consider moving sites. After much consideration and some advice from Tony and Parker, he decided to pursue mining at Lightning Creek. 

Gold Rush season 16 episode 1: Parker Schnabel poaches a new crew member

The two-hour premiere of Gold Rush opened with Tony and Parker discussing their plans for the season.

While Parker said that he aimed to collect 10,000 ounces, Tony seemed more focused on carrying on the momentum from the previous season.

That said, the duo wished each other well and hoped they could put the “war” behind them.

Parker returned to the show, hoping to see better results than he did in the previous season. Consequently, he allotted four wash plants for the task. 

During a conversation with his two foremen, Mitch Blaschke and Tyson Lee, he issued a straight warning about what was in store for them.

“It’s going to be a stressful year for you two,” he said.

Mitch was tasked with finishing the job at Sulphur Creek within the ten weeks Parker owned the water license for it. 

Meanwhile, Tyson was challenged with overseeing Dominion Creek. If things went to plan, Parker and his team could bring in $35 million. 

However, the jobs were easier said than done, as the crew began facing crisis after crisis. At Dominion, Tyson had to deal with the water that had flooded the space over the winter. 

Moreover, the feed chain system on the prewash conveyor had also broken down. 

Elsewhere, Mitch struggled to work alone at Sulphur. However, he was surprised when Parker brought Brennan Ruault, whom he had poached from Kevin Beets’ crew.

“Christmas came early,” Mitch remarked.

Brennan had previously locked horns with Parker over certain disagreements. Five years later, he reappeared on Parker’s team after delivering the news of his exit to Kevin and his partner, Faith. 

However, that was not the end of Mitch’s problems. He later had a disagreement with Parker over the work plan.

Ultimately, Parker’s decision was executed, and by the end of the day, his crew had accumulated 125.80 ounces of gold, worth over $440,000.

Tony Beets’ crew faces a dangerous situation

Tony and his crew had begun sluicing two weeks into the season. Tony hoped to secure 6,500 ounces of gold, worth over $22 million this season. 

Meanwhile, his son Mike was put in charge of running Paradise Hill, and Monica was tasked with overseeing the cleaning of the gold room. 

Mike was also given a deadline to hit pay dirt by the end of the week. Consequently, he brought six new trucks, one of which was involved in an accident. 

It flipped over with the driver, Graham, still inside it. It could turn into a life-threatening situation as it hung over a 200-foot drop.

Eventually, the crew joined hands and broke the window so Graham could evacuate the vehicle. Meanwhile, an excavator prevented the truck from falling off the cliff. 

Ultimately, Tony decided not to fire the crew member. That said, they hit pay at Paradise Hill, which meant they could get sluicing.

Elsewhere, Kevin started with a goal of mining 2,000 ounces of gold. But at the same time, he faced a new hurdle with Brennan’s departure.

Regardless, he decided to rely more on his other team members. Nonetheless, the first week of pay brought 57.04 ounces of gold, worth $200,000. 

What happened at Rick Ness’ Duncan Creek?

Despite having a gold-rich Creek, Rick could not start work since he had not yet obtained his water license.

Consequently, he contemplated exploring other pieces of land. That said, he visited Lightning Creek, whose claim was owned by his old landlord, Troy Taylor. He was the same landlord who sold Rick the Duncan Creek claim. 

Troy sympathized with Rick’s situation and offered to let him use Lightning Creek. However, Rick worried the space was not worth the money. 

Later in the episode, when Rick reunited with Parker and Tony, they advised him to reconsider the offer. Based on their insight, Rick changed his mind and decided to give Lightning Creek a try. 

Stay tuned for more updates.