09x24 - Gold Rush: The Rise of Rick Ness

[bunniefuu]

Gold mining on tv
has not changed me at all.

Where's my flat white?

Narrator:
on this "gold rush"...

Whoo!
...we're digging into the life

Of america's newest mine boss.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator:
from dad's helper...

From as young age
as I can remember,

My dad put me in equipment,
sat me in a seat,

And said, "dig a hole."

Narrator:
...to college-football hot shot.

Rick: I had good success
playing football in high school,

So that led
to a short college career

Where I immediately got injured,
and that was the end of that.

Narrator:
from rock 'n' roll wannabe...

Rick: one minute,
I'm playing bass in a cool band.

Narrator:
...to parker's rookie recruit.

Next minute, I'm sitting in an
excavator seat 12 hours a day.

First job -- fail!
[ Laughs ]

I felt like an idiot.

That was a big mistake,
but how else do you learn?

Narrator:
and rick learned fast...

Fire it up, buddy.

Oh, yeah!
We're washin' rocks, baby!

Yee-haw! Right on.

Narrator: ...to become
parker's right-hand man.

Rick, you've been one hell
of a leader.

Appreciate it, buddy.

I want to thank you
for giving me the shot.

But after six long years
hauling for parker,

Rick ness has broken free.

Rick: this is my operation now.
I've got my own crew...

Boom.
...my own ground.

It's what I've been working for.

Our first million dollars
worth of gold

Is right there in that ground.

Narrator:
rick's mom shared his dream

But lost her battle with cancer
before he could get started.

I got to tell my mom, you know,
my plans for this year,

And she was really excited.

Narrator: but his dad...
What's up, dad?

...believes he's heading
for disaster.

I can see a train wreck
comin' here,

I'm telling you.

It's just gonna hit you
like a brick wall.

I mean, it could be the end
for you financially.

-Yeah.
-Done.

Yeah.

-- Captions by vitac --
www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

[ Upright bass music playing ]

Narrator:
rick was born on march 5, 1981.

Rick: so, I grew up
in escanaba, michigan.

My whole family is up there.

I just consider myself to be

A blue-collar guy
from the midwest.

I can't believe
you just danced for me.

You're a good dog.

This is my family's business.

It's a commercial
construction company.

Basically anything
from putting up buildings

To crane work to excavation
to road-building.

My dad and my uncles
are the ones that run it,

And I basically
learned from them.

I can remember my dad
was building our house,

So I would've been


He brought me out in the yard,
sat me in an excavator,

Said, you know, "use these two
levers. You can dig a hole.

Don't touch these two, 'cause
then you'll fall into the hole."

And then he just went back
to working on the house,

And I sat there
moving this big machine around.

-What's up, dad?
-Hey.

Rick has always been
a very outgoing personality,

Much more so
than his twin brother.

-Hey, rick.
-What's up, randy?

How's it goin'?

Rick: I have a twin brother.
His name's randy.

We're definitely not identical.

Randy:
rick and I are way different.

Growing up,
we were kind of the same,

And then he hit a year in high
school where he just shot up,

Like grew like a monster,

And then that's when he started

To outshine
everybody around him.

Working on the crane,
or what?

Yeah. We're rebuilding
the outriggers on it.

Rick sr.: In the beginning,
we had them work here.

We taught them basics.

Rick decided
that wasn't for him,

So he's pushed ahead
and done other things.

Rick: randy still works beside
my dad at the family business.

I could've stayed
and been a part of that,

But, you know,
it never really was for me.

I've always just wanted
to get out in the world

And prove myself
and make my mark.

-You stay here, be safe.
-Yep.

I'm gonna go
take some chances.

-Good luck out there.
-Thanks, buddy.

I've always been
all about the risks.

Narrator: rick started taking
risks on the football field.

Rick:
I ended up going to minnesota.

I was playing defensive tackle.

Basically, it was my job

To track down the quarterback
and mangle him.

Got into a big brawl
after a game.

Ended up getting clobbered
in the back of the head,

Fractured my skull
on both sides.

Couldn't put a helmet on
after that.

Rick sr.: He had opportunity
for a football scholarship.

And as a dad, I'm always worried
about my son failing.

So I'd ask him, "what
are you doing? Where you going?"

He says, "don't worry, dad,
I have a plan 'b.'"

♪ I say let the bones
be burned into the fire ♪

Narrator: with football
behind him, rick turns to music.

When he was getting into music,
I thought,

"You got to be kidding me."

Rick: we're touring
all over the united states,

And then it turned into
all over europe,

And then all of a sudden,
we're on tour

Eight, nine months a year.

And we recorded
four albums down in nashville.

Proved me wrong again.

Narrator: in 2012,
after a gig in alaska...

♪ I say
let the bones be burned ♪

Narrator:
...rick gets a voicemail
from a 17-year-old fan.

[ Beep ]
parker: hey, rick.

This is parker schnabel
up here in alaska.

"We met last year, and I think
I've got a job for you."

If you're interested,
give me a call.

It was another new opportunity

To go bigger
and do bigger things.

I wanted it.

Narrator: the teenage mine boss
wasted no time

Putting 31-year-old rick
to work.

Parker: rick's a great guy,
and I really like him.

He's here for the summer.

I'm sure we'll become
good friends.

But that's not why I'm here.

I've hired him on on the basis
that he is a good operator,

And he has a lot
of responsibility this summer.

Narrator:
rick's first task?

Drag a 6-ton section of bridge



Using an excavator.

-Good luck. [ Laughs ]
-i got it.

Today's rick's first day
on the job,

And I got to go
sit in school all day.

How am I gonna do this?

I didn't have
a ton of experience.

I mean, I had never done
any kind of --

Anything like that, you know?

With my dad, if you got to move
heavy [bleep] use a crane.

It's just like an other machine.

You just -- couple of hours,
you get used to it.

It's second nature after that.

[ Sighing ] oh, boy.

You know, a little frustrating.

It's got to be possible.

Damn it!

Looks like I'm buying parker
a new cable.

Oh, it went terribly.
I mean, I was snapping cables.

I couldn't get that thing
to move an inch.

First job -- fail.

[ Laughs ]

I don't know
if I moved it at all.

[ Chuckles ]
couple feet, maybe.

Narrator:
eight hours later,

Mine-boss parker
is back from school.

-What happened?
-Every time I'd yank on it,

It would just dig
into the ground,

So I'd have to reposition.
And then I broke a cable.

Parker: looking back
at rick's first day of work

Is quite comedic, really.

Just, like,
what is this guy doing here?

I'll hook onto it
and give her a shot.

Give her a shot.

[ Sighs ]
[bleep] me.

His jaw drops
like it was impossible.

-What?
-I couldn't get it to do that.

Is there a boost that I wasn't
using or something?

No.

He jumped in the machine
and made it look easy,

And I felt like an idiot.

Good start.

All right.
I'll see you tomorrow.

Ohh [bleep]

If you want a job done,
I guess, you know,

What do they say?


A grown man how it's done.

Didn't feel good.
I failed miserably on that day,

And I don't like being that guy.

I had to learn.
I had to learn, and I knew that.

Parker: there were several times
that first season

I wanted to get rid of him.

It's a damn good thing
he's a quick learner.

Narrator: despite a rocky start,
the bass player from wisconsin

Becomes a valuable member
of parker's crew.

How many loads
are you at?

-70.
-Really?

-Yeah.
-Nice job.

-[ Chuckles ]
-wow.

We'll need a lot of dirt,
so keep doing your thing.

You got it.

Narrator:
when parker instructs his crew
to dump low-value pay dirt,

Rick refuses to let
the gold go to waste.

Rick: it's tough for me,
because this is my first season,

But you don't need to be
a rocket scientist

To know that you're not
gonna find any gold

If you're just dumping dirt
over a cliff.

I could have easily just
sat there and do what I'm told,

But, you know, for me,

That's the whole point
of learning something,

Is that if you see something
that doesn't quite add up,

You go ask about it.

What's up, guys?

Look, um, I don't usually
question your decisions,

But we found out that
there's gold in this dirt,

And I just got to know,
why are we still tossing it?

Why aren't we running it?

Well, I mean, it's marginally
better to throw it away.

Yeah, but, I mean, you're
pretty much guaranteeing

That we won't see any gold
if we keep doing that.

I mean,
do you think your grandpa

Would throw this stuff away?

Right.
He'd be running all this.

Man:
everything would be ran.

It's worth it.

Yeah. We can start
running some of it.

Go ahead
and give it a shot.

So let's start hauling it
to the plant.

You got it.

Narrator: as winter freezes out
rick's rookie season...

Parker: guess that's it.

Narrator: ...his extra gold
proves invaluable.

Rick: frozen gold.

-Hey, guys.
-Howdy.

Here's what we've got
for the week.

We need 190, about,
to break even.



-Congratulations, man.
-Yeah, that's great.

I'm real proud of you.

-Thanks, dad.
-You put in a good effort.

For all the road blocks
that we ended up dealing with,

That's pretty good.

That was, like, the most gold
there was ever in the world.

It felt awesome.

That was the moment I knew
I was addicted to gold,

And I still haven't
kicked the habit.

It's not the same as money.
I mean, gold is money,

But, you know, money doesn't
give me gold fever.

[ Laughing ]
yeah.

Narrator: next spring...

-Ready?
-Yeah.

...rick's back for more...
[ Bus horn honks ]

Following 18-year-old parker's
risky move to the klondike.

Really from that first season
that I did in haines

With parker, I was the only guy
off of that crew

That parker took up
to the klondike.

Why the hell is the ground
still frozen?

Boom.

Parker:
having fun up there?

Narrator: rick proves
an excellent operator.

And by the end of the season,

Parker's crew has


So, we pulled over
a million dollars

Worth of gold
out of the ground this season.

-Really?
-That's amazing.

Narrator:
but when the crew heads home,

Parker wants rick
to go above and beyond.

There is one goal
we haven't hit.

We could go for 1,000.

[ Chuckles ]

-Are you in?
-I'm in.



Let's do it.

Watching everybody else leave
and go home

Was just the most
disheartening thing ever,

'Cause that's all I wanted
to do at the time, too.

That was rough.

But when you are
learning something,

You want to look like
you contribute, you know?

I felt like I still had
a lot to prove, you know,

So saying yes was a no-brainer.

Right now, we've got two trucks,
and we've got two people,

So I'm kind of hot seat
between machines today.

I mean, I could go home
right now

And put 836 ounces of gold
in front of my grandpa,

But why not wait 10 days
and put 1,000 in front of him?

Narrator:
parker and rick battle on,

Until the klondike winter
finally shuts them down.



-[ Laughs ]
-geez.

[ Laughs ]

A million dollars
on the table.

I was tired.
I didn't really want to do it,

But we did hit
over that 1,000 ounces.

You know, I knew
that was important to parker,

And I stuck it out.
I'm glad I did.

I really appreciate your time,
and thanks for staying.

-It was a pleasure.
-I'm glad I did. Yeah.

Of course.

-We kicked some a*s.
-Yep.

I didn't appreciate it then,

But that, you know,
taught me the value.

That basically --
I didn't know it,

But that was giving me
my work ethic, you know?

And I -- to this day now,

I appreciate
the hell out of it.

Narrator: up ahead...

I got to tell my mom, you know,
my plans for this year,

And she was really excited.

I just --
[ sniffles ]

I put everything I had into
getting ready for this season,

And I'm kind of
just realizing right now,

I didn't really take any time

To think about
her actually being gone.

Narrator: 3:00 a.m.
Just outside dawson city.

All right.
Let's do it, rick.

Sounds good, buddy.
Let's try to keep

The rubber side down,
get there in one piece.

The start of rick's
third season with parker,

And they're on
a nighttime mission,

Driving two rock trucks
to scribner creek.

Rick: we did it at night
because, at that point,

It was thawing out
during the day,

And the roads
were really getting nasty.

But it was still
definitely freezing overnight,

So we wanted to run
on the frost.

Narrator: as dawn breaks,

They're still 10 miles
from scribner creek.

As soon as that sun
hits the road there,

It just instantly
starts thawing,

And it just becomes
this huge mess.

Boy, this road ain't starting
to look so good, is it?

Man, I [bleep] knew these roads
were gonna get bad, dude.

This is --
this ain't good.

Oh [bleep]

Rick!

[Bleep]

What the [bleep]

Boy, you did a good number
on that one.

I hate making mistakes,
absolutely hate it.

Rick: gonna need to get
a chain or something.

We're gonna have to pull
the [bleep] thing out.

Well, we don't have
a whole lot of room,

And the problem is, I can't
[bleep] pull you on this side.

'Cause if you come this way
at all,

We'll tip the [bleep]
tractor over.

Just like my first day,
you know?

Teenage boss had to save my a*s.

You ready, rick?

Yeah.
Let's give it a whirl.

It's pulling me
into the [bleep] ditch.

[Bleep] hell!

If it starts to go over,
[bleep] k*ll the motor.

Roger that.

Thank [bleep] [bleep]

As far as I'm concerned,
you can make a mistake

If you learn from it.

Thanks, dude.
That's what I did.

Don't thank me.

You bet your a*s
I never made that mistake again.

[ Chuckles ]

Narrator:
later that season,

Parker returns
from a visit home...

Parker:
I'm [bleep] annoyed!

Narrator: ...to find
the aftermath of a wild party.

They were sh**ting g*ns
in [bleep] camp.

You gonna put that on tv?
I don't think so.

Rick: parker's not good
at hiding his emotions.

I knew it wasn't good.

What?

You gonna apologize
at least?

Yeah.

I apologized
a bunch of times.

-To me?
-No.

Sorry.

You're acting like
a [bleep] damn toddler, rick.

You are.

I know.
I admit it.

[Bleep] got out of hand
that night.

I don't know what the [bleep]
I was thinking.

I regret that because I was out
of line, and I'll agree to that.

But, you know, parker just
couldn't get over it.

I have never felt
so disrespected in my life.

Me, personally.
Never.

Okay.
I'll make it right.

Just this constant, like,
role reversal again.

It's like my dad saying
he's disappointed in me.

It was just a weird way to go
about it, you know what I mean?

And the other thing
that irritates me

Is you've got the talent

To go a long ways
with this,

And you're not using it,
you know?

I'm getting sick of this.
I'm getting sick of, you know,

Having this 20-year-old punk

[Bleep] just tearing into me,
you know?

Who wouldn't get sick of that?

But my thought process was,
"well, I don't want to quit.

I like doing this."

Narrator:
by rick's fourth season,

He's a proven gold-miner,

Essential to parker's operation.

Oh [bleep] didn't expect
to see you right now.

[ Chuckles ]
you knew I couldn't stay away.

Never been so happy
to see you, man.

-[ Chuckles ] good to be back.
-How are you doing?

-I'm good, man. I'm good.
-That's good. How's your mom?

She's good. She's good.
We left in a good spot,

And she knows
that I got to be up here, and...

-I'm ready to be up here.
-Good. Good.

Rick:
that off-season was tough.

That was the year that my mom
got diagnosed with cancer.

I didn't know
if I should stay home.

I didn't know if I should
go back to work.

I really didn't, you know?

And my mom was the one
that told me,

She's like, "you got to go back.

You're not done with this yet.
Just go."

You know, with my mom's
blessing, I went.

Parker:
we got a bunch of greenies here.

Not much mining experience.

Narrator:
with such a rookie crew,

Parker needs rick
to step up to the plate.

I need a new foreman.

[ Scoffs ]

I mean, I need somebody
in the cut

That's there every day
that can run stuff, you know?

It is a big
responsibility.

But I'm up for it.

-Good.
-Yeah.

Thanks, buddy.
Let's get it.

I don't turn down
opportunities like that.

I'm beyond proud that
he's asked me to do that.

I have stuck by him
the last four years.

I think I earned the shot,

And I'm super glad
he's giving it to me.

Narrator: rick's bold
first decision as foreman?

Choose the site for a new cut.

Was kind of looking
at this strip of ground

Left on this side
of the river.

You know, it's a pretty
narrow chunk of ground,

And it's got creeks
on both sides.

It's like the last little island
we got here, right?

-It's --
-treasure island.

Treasure island.
You never know.

I've just got a feeling
it's gonna be worth it.

I hope you're right.

The first big decision, you
know, to go to treasure island,

I mean, that was a gamble.

I mean, we put a lot
of people on it,

A lot of hours, lot of fuel.

That all adds up to a lot
of money, you know, so...

But that's gold money.

I did have a feeling that
that was gonna be good ground,

And sometimes,
that's all you got.

You got to go with it.
Go with your gut, you know?

This is what I was hoping for

Out of treasure island,
for sure. Look at it all.

All through here. Everywhere.

It's a relief for me, but it's
also a boost of confidence, man.

I think this is gonna be
a good cut.

Now we just got to run the dirt,
man, and reap the rewards.

Man:
it's show time right now.

I love it.

We're washin' rocks, baby!

We're gold-minin'.

The gold weigh at the end,
finding out

Is kind of like standing
in front of a firing squad,

You know?
First big decision as foreman.

Is it a bust, or is it a win?



Parker: good job.

Narrator:
$280,000 worth of gold.

That's just the beginning.

We're gonna go get
the rest of it.

Narrator: and the gold
just keeps on rolling in.

Thank you, rick.

Good job, man.

Narrator: up next...
Rick: over the last six seasons,

We've had our good times.

[ Chuckles ]

And we've had our bad times.

Things were going fine
when you were gone.

-Uh-huh.
-So, leave!

Parker: so, which bar
are we going to here?

Rick: uh...
Ah, it'll be a surprise.

Who is that?

-Surprise!
-Surprise!

Narrator:
in his first year as foreman,

Rick helps parker mine over
$1.1 million worth of gold...

Man:
right there. 1,039 Ounces.

-Yeah! Nice.
-Wow.

Narrator: ...in time
for his boss's 21st birthday.

Rick: at that point,
things are going good.

I started at the bottom
and worked my way through,

And now I was the foreman,

And I was very successful.

We're putting up big numbers,

And I guess it did feel like
it was gonna continue.

-Cheers.
-Cheers.

-Cheers.
-Whoo!

Yeah!
Happy birthday.

And then I get the call
about my mom.

What's up?
And I have to leave,

And I have to go make sure
that she's okay.

Parker: let me know
if you need anything.

-All right. Thanks, buddy.
-Good luck.

Thanks.

Narrator: a man down,

Parker brings in
mechanic derek antoniuk.

-Parker.
-Mitch.

-Yo.
-From now on, you listen to me.

Got to be [bleep]
kidding me.

Narrator: rick gone, derek
becomes parker's new best buddy.

[ Whistles ]

Sleepyhead.
Plant's going.

Narrator: but the rest of the
crew has no time for him.

Chris: he's got
this arrogant attitude.

Kind of rubs people
the wrong way.

[ Laughs ]

There's as very simple,
basic rule around here --

Get along or get gone.

Narrator:
in derek's firing line --

Rick's buddy,
mechanic carl rosk.

Every weld they did
is cracked.

That one's cracked.
That one's cracked.

-These are cracking.
-They're all [bleep]

Carl rosk's welding,

Pounded out
in less than 24 hours.

He can think whatever he wants.

It's not my fault
that fell off, so...

I can't wait to see the look
on his face,

'Cause I know the look already.
[ Laughter ]

Parker: all the material's
on the left side.

-And the right side's --
-how long did I --

How long did I weld
it there for?

-I know [bleep] know, carl.
-For 50 minutes on that.


The top is what I did.

-What's up?
-I'm just going home.

Rick: so, I'm spending time
with my mom.

I'm trying to make sure

That she's okay
for me to leave again,

And messages start pouring in
from everybody

About this derek guy.

Lose a good mechanic
to keep a [bleep] one.

It's real smart.

Narrator: a mechanic down,
the crew at near mutiny,

Rick returns to a broken team.

I'm not happy going in there.

I don't know what I'm gonna do
when I meet this guy.

I'm not gonna just walk in there
and hit this guy,

But, honestly
it's what I want to do.

I was proud of our team,
you know?

They started off
not knowing anything,

And we built it into something.
I mean, we were killin' it.

And then derek comes in
and just blows it up.

You know, I was furious, 'cause
nobody [bleep] with my team.

Pretty clear
what's going on here.

There's one guy
messing everything up,

And the one other guy
that matters

Doesn't seem to see it.
Parker.

Let's meet derek.
I'll introduce you.

I don't really want
to meet that guy,

-To be honest with you.
-Why?

I don't have anything
to say to him.

I've heard enough.

-From who?
-Everybody.

I got all kinds of phone calls
and [bleep] yesterday,

And I don't know how
it's gonna go with this guy.

Just tell him to stay
the [bleep] away from me.

That's not a position
that I like to hear from you.

All he's done is try to get
the plant up and going and --

And talk [bleep]

About everybody that's been here
making this what it is.

And that's bull [bleep]

Parker:
don't put me in this position.

Rick: what position?

Pitting everybody
against each other.

I'm not pitting anybody
against anybody.

I'm not gonna walk up to him
and punch him in the face.

But you won't walk up to him
and shake his hand, either,

-And that's a problem.
-Yeah.

I don't think
it's part of my job

To have to shake
somebody's hand.

I don't want the guy
to prove anything to me.

I don't want him
to earn my respect.

I just want him to leave

Before [bleep] gets ugly.

Well, I wanted to meet this guy
and slap the [bleep] out of him.

I'm not gonna lie.

This morning, he wouldn't
shake my hand for some reason.

A handshake means a lot.

And to be refused...

I mean, he might as well
just have spit in my face

Or knocked me out.

I would have rather'd that.

The way I felt about derek was
that he was basically a cancer

On what I was so proud
of building so far that year,

And that's not the kind
of people I want on my team.

If you really want
to get [bleep] done,

You want the people around you
to be all working with you.

But parker kept insisting
that I go shake this guy's hand.

Are you gonna tell me
what's going on?

With what?

You know with what.

I just don't like the guy.

Yeah. I don't think it's my job
to like everybody, is it?

-I just don't like him.
-You've never met him!

You don't get to just
not like somebody.

That is right.

You have to at least
give people a chance.

That is a job
requirement, yes.

Parker thinks that his way
of doing things is infallible.

I'd stuck with him through
some -- a lot of times there,

And I felt like he was willing
to throw me under the bus

For somebody
that he just met 10 days ago.

And that's not a good feeling.

You are making an enemy
out of me.

It's not what I intended.

That is the result.

So what do I do?
What -- what --

Look at the position
you're putting me in.

What am I supposed to do?

-I --
-the only result is that

Things were going fine
when you were gone.

-Uh-huh.
-So, leave!

I never did fully recover
from that whole incident.

There's been trust issues
from then,

And, quite honestly, it --

You know, that was the closest
I'd been to quitting.

I just swallowed my pride,
which I hate the taste of,

And I went,
and I shook his hand,

Just so I could
continue on working.

Sorry,
I called your name.

-Come on. Handshake.
-All right.

But from that point on,

I was working
for something else.

I was working towards
a different goal.

I was working on splitting off
in my own direction,

My own operation.

Narrator: rick's fifth season,
the stakes get higher.

We've got that ground
on indian river.

I'd love to try to do


I mean, if you want this, rick,
I'm putting it on you.

You've got to want to do it,
and you've got to take it on,

And it's not gonna be easy.

So, it's on you.

There was no other answer.

[Bleep] it.
Let's do it, man.

-What do you say?
-Why not?

-Let's give it a try.
-Yeah. Hell yeah.

That's it, man.
We're goin' big.

Let's get after it.

Get a steady flow of gold
going through that room, huh?

-Go big, mitch.
-Yeah.

Parker saying it's all on me --

Well, that's kind of what I've
been thinking about, you know,

What it would be like, and so
I'm pretty excited about that,

And I'm getting more excited
by the second now,

'Cause I didn't really see it
happening any time soon.

But now it's pretty much
being laid before me,

And I've got a huge opportunity.

Narrator: rick's wash plant
at indian river

Is parker's
trusty old w*r horse,

Big red.

[ Truck horn honks ]

Whoo! [ Laughs ]

Big red at indian river.
Unreal.

Fire it up.

You ready for the shaker?

Rick:
this [bleep] is happenin'.

First bit of indian river
pay dirt

Going through big red right now.

Boo-yah!

Look at this.
I got a frickin' rainbow

Coming down into the cut
down here.

That means there's lots
of gold in this cut.

I hate to say "magical moment"
[chuckles]

But for lack of a better word,
you know,

It was like,
the sun was coming down.

There was a rainbow.

It was all like everything
was coming together.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator:
but being in charge

Means rick has to make
his own decisions.

Yeah, we're having to get
pretty creative here

In order to get fresh water
over to big red.

Indian river's got
to pull its weight.

Narrator:
lack of water on rick's claim

Has always been an issue.

His solution --
shut down big red

And build a 1/4-mile-long canal

Linking it to the indian river.

Rick: I got sick
of dealing with water,

And I said, you know,
this might take a while,

But I'm [bleep] done
screwing around with this.

I'm just gonna get this done,

Get a permanent water source
over there.

Yeah. Right now, rick reckons

He can build some sort
of [bleep] panama canal.

I think there's an easier way
of getting water somewhere.

In all honesty,
when I dug that canal,

I knew it was not gonna be
a popular choice,

But you know what?

It was probably one
of the most impressive things

I'd done out there
in six or seven years.

And I felt good about it.
And it worked.

Parker decided not to like it.

That's on him.

It was getting a bit tense
between us.

There's been almost
no circumstances

Where I can remember that
parker, you know, has shown up,

Said "great job,"

But didn't leave
with a couple of parting blows

About how it maybe
could've been better.

Told me that he had a solution
that would be pretty simple,

And, uh...

...this sure as hell
ain't pretty simple.

You know, I learned
to just kind of ignore it,

But you can't ever quite
ignore that, you know?

And especially the last
few years when, in my mind,

I'm making moves to branch off,
it just --

You can only deal with that
for so long.

I mean, I'm literal
on anxiety medication

From dealing with that.

It's the [bleep] truth.

You annoyed?

Uh, a little bit
that you don't have a vest on.

[Bleep] you moved a [bleep]
ton of dirt in here.

I told you this was
what I was gonna do.

You really don't appreciate it
the minute I show up here.

I can tell that.

-You know?
-That's not true.

-It is.
-It really isn't.

Well, that's not
what your face says.

It's just 'cause I don't know
which parker I'm gonna get

When you show up.

Rick:
still to this day,

You don't know
what parker you're gonna get.

You know, you could
blow the motor up

In one of his d10 dozers,
and he'll laugh about it,

Or you could spill


And he'll lose his [bleep]

If you want to run
your own mine site,

Which is the way
you're running this show,

Doing it with my money
without collaborating with me

Doesn't work.

Rick: at that point,
I can't picture another --

I can't picture going back,

You know, and doing it again,
doing for another season.

Over the last six seasons,

I've learned a lot from parker.

And we've had our good times.



-43 Ounces.
-Holy cow.

This is just
the beginning.

Good job this season.
Holy [bleep]

[ Laughs ]

Narrator:
over the last six seasons,

Parker and rick together
have mined

A staggering 17,712 ounces
of gold,

Worth over $21 million.

[ All cheering ]

Rick, you've been
one hell of a leader.

-Yeah, rick.
-Appreciate it, buddy.

He's counted on me and I've
counted on him for a long time,

But we've reached a point where
I got to do what's best for me.

This is the crown jewel
of the place.

This is the boat
that my grandpa built.

Called it the perseverance

Because that's
what it had taken.

He was in his 70s
when he built this thing.

It's amazing.

You know, he passed
three years ago.

He was 94 years old.

It means a lot to my family,
you know?

It's a testament to hard work

And what can be
accomplished with it,

And perseverance
is what you need.

You can't give up.

And that's why I got
"perseverance"

Tattooed on my hand.

My grandpa,
I wanted to honor him

With the "perseverance" tattoo.

I finally got him to look at it,

And I see him soften
for just a little bit,

And then he said, "you didn't
have to get it on your hand,"

And walked away.
[ Laughs ]

That's a true story.

Rick: yeah, so, I'm on my way
to see my dad.

I haven't told him yet that --

About my plans for this year,
that I'm going out on my own.

He's run his own company
for as long as I've been alive,

And I don't really know
how he's gonna react to that.

-What's up, dad?
-Hey.

There he is.
How you doin'?

Good.
How you doin'?

-Hard at work here?
-Good to see you.

Yeah, you, too.

Yeah. Same old [bleep]
different day.

Yep.

So, what's new?

Just rolling through town
basically to say goodbye.

I mean, you know I'm heading
back up this year and...

A whole different ball game
this year, man.

What's making this different
than any other year?

I've got my own crew,
my own ground.

I'm going out on my own
this year, so...

-[ Chuckles ]
-that's a humongous gamble.

Yeah.

It's...
[ Sighs ]

I don't even know
what to say.

The responsibility
is all on me now, and --

For someone
just starting out a business,

It's just gonna hit you
like a brick wall.

I can see a train wreck
comin' here,

I'm telling you.

I do have, you know, some gold
to start with.

I'm not completely going
in here with nothing.

I have capital to put in,
you know, so...

-It's gonna take a ton.
-Yeah.

You're gonna be needing
to get gold

Out of the ground
instantly.

-I know.
-Is that possible?

[ Chuckles ]

So, what happens
if it fails?

Yeah, I don't know.

I mean, I got a house
to think about now.

I definitely got a lot
on the line at this point.

It could be the end for you,
I mean, financially.

-Yeah.
-Done.

I didn't know
that this opportunity

Would come up so soon.

But it's there, right?

And I just
got to take it.

I agree with you
in that regard.

It's just, in my mind,
a huge risk.

But maybe the reward
is worth it.

I think so.
I wouldn't have asked my friends

To jump in with me
if I didn't.

[ Sighs ]

I don't even know
what to say.

-I hope it works.
-Yeah.

In the past,
you've proven yourself, and...

I'm crossing my fingers
you prove yourself again.

Well, I appreciate it, dad.

And maybe if you find some time,

You can come up
and give me a hand.

[ Laughs ]
I would love to.

All right.
I'd love the free labor.

[ Both laugh ]

Narrator: along with his dad,

Rick's always looked
to his mom for support.

But just a month before
the start of his solo season,

Rick's mom, judy, lost
her battle with brain cancer.

Rick:
one of my mom's best friends

Put together
this little picture album.

That's a good one.
That's me and my brother

At my brother's wedding.

My mom was a lot of fun.

There's some old ones
in here, too, like her.

That's my mom and my dad
on prom night their senior year.

[ Laughs ]

God, she looks young.

She was 18

When she had me
and my brother, so...

You know, my ma had to go
through a lot of treatments

In the last couple years.

It all started out
when she had a seizure at work.

And then, of course,
they did a head scan.

It turned out to be
about the worst you can get,

Is a grade 4 glioblastoma.

It went downhill so fast
from there.

I mean, it was like
she was living a regular life,

And a week later, it was just

Full-time care, you know?

They gave her a year,
and she did four.

She fought pretty hard.

I spent most of this winter
with her, which was nice.

I got to tell my mom, you know,
my plans for this year,

And she was really excited.

[ Sniffles ]

Since she died, I just --

I put everything I had into
getting ready for this season.

And I'm kind of just
realizing right now,

I didn't really take any time

To think about
her actually being gone.

[ Sniffles ]

[ Sighs ]

It's hitting me now.
[ Sniffles ]

Narrator: but rick
has made a commitment...

Not just to his mom,
but to his lifelong buddies

Who've signed up to work as
his rookie crew in the klondike.

Smells like freedom!

Well, yeah. So, I mean, if it
makes you guys feel any better,

I had a talk with my dad
and told him what I'm doing

And, you know, that I'm bringing
some of my friends up with me,

And he said that I'm gonna
come back broke with no friends.

[ Laughter ]

We're [bleep] doin' it.

-Yeah!
-Yeah!

-I'm ready!
-Ready.

Narrator: rick ness is putting
everything on the line

For the next chapter
of his gold-mining career,

And he's thinking big.

Rick:
I'm moving on from parker.

As far as going head-to-head
with him, though,

It's no contest right now.

He's got infrastructure,
finances set up that I don't.

I can't compete with that
right now.

But...going down the road?

Yeah, I think I can.

I know I can.

You know, dealing
with my mom's death

And going forward from that,

I can make that a reason to
put everything I got into this.

I'm gonna use that
as [bleep] ammunition

To go off
like a [bleep] damn shotgun

And get the job done, you know?

And I'm taking my mom's dog,
ruby, with me this season

To make sure I get a million
dollars worth of gold.

Narrator:
on the next "gold rush"...

-What the [bleep]
-let me get this straight.

You want 100 ounces
like now?

Hey! Shut it down!

Deal is a deal, right?

Like a chronic disease,
I can't shake this [bleep] guy.

I'm not gonna let you guys down.
I will have a wash plant here.

-That's a big trommel.
-Holy [bleep]

It's a monster.

-I've got 100.
-190 Or nothin', man.

I need you over at the dredge
in five seconds.

Keep the buckets full,
but don't break [bleep]

What the [bleep]