How Gold Rush star Kevin Beets built his flourishing career in the Yukon

On the Discovery Channel series Gold Rush, Kevin Beets has emerged as one of the central figures in the Beets family mining operation.

Through years of experience and a steady rise in responsibility, he has built a respected career within the Yukon mining industry.

His income stems from two major sources: his full-time role in the family’s placer mining business and his appearances on Gold Rush, where his skills and leadership are consistently on display.

Kevin Beets’ path on Gold Rush

Mining has been part of Kevin’s life from an early age. He showed up on Gold Rush young, picking things up from his dad, a seasoned prospector running the family crew.

As the show continued filming across multiple seasons, Kevin grew into a foreman role, taking charge of wash plants, supervising improvements, and stepping in wherever his mechanical background could solve a pressing problem.

On Gold Rush, the Beets family mines in two primary locations: Paradise Hill and the Indian River claims in the Yukon.

To keep gold moving, everything depends on the strength of the equipment. Kevin has long been responsible for keeping that machinery running smoothly — a role that demands skill in welding, fabrication, hydraulics, and mechanical repairs.

These responsibilities often determine whether a season succeeds or stalls.

Besides fixing machines, Kevin runs heavy machinery used in placer mining - like dozers, rock haulers, diggers, front-end loaders, or rotating screens.

The land in the Yukon requires sharp focus - also a steady hand, along with gut feeling - for anyone running gear there.

Kevin’s calm presence in high-pressure situations has become a defining trait on Gold Rush, marking him as someone who knows how to extract gold from the ground efficiently and safely.

Building a future through hands-on experience

Kevin’s financial journey cannot be separated from his practical one. Mining seasons are short, lasting only as long as the weather allows.

During those months, Kevin’s workdays run long: maintaining flow to the wash plants, stripping overburden, checking for pay layers, and battling constant mechanical wear.

The work continues even when cameras are not present, because preparing for a season — from rebuilding machines to transporting equipment — is itself a major endeavor.

As the Beets family expanded its operations, Kevin deepened his involvement in planning and logistics.

Decisions such as where to open the next cut, how much dirt to push, or which equipment to deploy first are crucial to the gold they recover.

Those choices reveal an evolution that Gold Rush viewers have seen slowly unfold: Kevin moving from student to leader.

Because mining carries both high risk and high cost, equipment downtime and mistakes can be measured in lost gold. Kevin’s value to the operation is in eliminating those delays.

His fabrication skills often turn what would be multi-day setbacks into quick fixes performed on-site.

Whether welding structural supports or replacing hydraulic lines, he reduces outside contracting costs and enables faster production.

The show has highlighted moments where he keeps crews focused under pressure. Running a wash plant demands consistency: too little water, and gold stays trapped in the gravel; too much, and valuable gold washes out of the sluice entirely.

Kevin monitors these balances with a practiced eye. His understanding of pay layers and ground conditions helps ensure that the family recovers every ounce possible.

A role that continues to grow

The core of Kevin Beets’ success rests on practical knowledge: the kind learned from years of frozen ground, rushing water, broken steel, and Yukon dust.

While Gold Rush gives viewers a front-row seat to discovery, much of the difficult work happens unseen — planning drainage, maintaining pumps, and anticipating the land’s next challenge. Without that effort, gold remains buried.

Kevin continues to appear on Gold Rush as the Beets family takes on new cuts and ever-larger mining goals.

Each season adds to his résumé: new ground stripped, new wash plants run, and new obstacles overcome. Those milestones shape both his career and the income that supports it.

Through ongoing experience and long-standing commitment to the family business, Kevin has carved out a respected profession in the Yukon.

As long as there is ground to mine and the Beets crew remains part of Gold Rush, his role — and his future — stay firmly rooted in the pursuit of gold.

Stay tuned for more updates.