Plot Synopsis

GOLD RUSH follows crews mining gold, as they try to strike it rich while battling Mother Nature, machinery breakdowns and each other. In the first season, the father-son team of Jack and Todd Hoffman led greenhorn miners at Porcupine Creek, located in the heart of the great Alaskan wilderness where grizzly bears and moose sightings happen daily. The Hoffmans sunk $250,000 into the project but found only $20,000 worth of gold by the end of their long, hard rookie season. In their second season, the Hoffman crew moved to the Klondike region of Yukon, Canada to find a mine at Quartz Creek after 'Dakota Fred' Hurt bought the claim for their mine at Porcupine Creek. Plus, the program followed a third team at the Big Nugget mine -- also located at Porcupine Creek -- which was run by 17 year-old Parker Schnabel after his grandfather, John, handed it down to him. In the third season, the Hoffmans doubled down with two claims, as they sought to find 1,000 ounces of gold -- more than ten times what they found the previous season -- but Dave Turin insisted on leading the second mine, forcing the crew to pick sides. Plus, the Dakota Boys excavated a 90-foot crater at Porcupine Creek mine as they tried to outdo the previous year's total of 80.4 ounces of gold. Finally, Parker hired a new crew, mines new land and rebuilds his aging wash plant from the ground up, as he tries to improve on his Season 2 take of just 35 ounces of gold. In a limited series run -- alternately called a limited summer series or a new season by Discovery -- GOLD RUSH returned on Friday, August 2, 2013 at 9pm ET/PT with all three crew leaders, Todd Hoffman, Dakota Fred and Parker Schnabel, taking their operations to the jungles of South America.

GOLD RUSH returned for its fourth season on Friday, October 25, 2013 from 9-11pm ET/PT. In Season 4, which has miners breaking ground in three countries in the season opener, Todd Hoffman puts his life on the line, and asks his crew to do the same, braving malaria, poisonous snakes and quicksand to set up a mining operation in a patch of hostile jungle deep in Guyana, South America. Last year their Klondike operation delivered a million dollar season, but the jungle ground promises five times as much gold. Parker puts his college fund on the line and goes deep in debt, leasing virgin ground from Klondike legend Tony 'The Viking' Beets. Plus, The Dakota Boys and Melody return to Alaska ready to hit the big time.

Discovery debuted the fifth season of GOLD RUSH on Friday, October 17, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT with a two-hour episode. In the Season 5 premiere, "New Blood," Young Parker sets an outrageous season goal of 2,000 ounces. Tony Beets, The Viking, buys a 75-year-old gold catching dredge. And Todd Hoffman is left a broken man without a crew and with no plans to mine.

Season 6 of GOLD RUSH premiered on Friday, October 16, 2015 from 9-11pm ET/PT on Discovery, immediately following an all-day marathon (9am-8pm) of encore episodes and an all-new episode of GOLD RUSH: THE DIRT at 8pm. This season Todd Hoffman has gold-rich ground, a seasoned crew and is in position to keep his hot streak alive after brought his crew back from the brink of bankruptcy last season. Meanwhile, Parker Schnabel has his hands full. Last season, he mined an unprecedented $3 million of gold. But it came at a price as he drove his crew into the ground leaving many questioning whether they would ever work for the young mine boss again. As winter closed in at the end of last season, Tony Beets (aka The Viking) was finally about to resurrect his million dollar, 75-year-old gold mining dredge. But this year, he has to get the machine, which hasn't run in 30 years, to actually produce gold. This season it's all hands on deck as dredging for Klondike gold becomes a family affair.

The seventh season of GOLD RUSH premiered on Friday, October 14, 2016 from 9-11pm ET/PT on Discovery, immediately following a new one-hour special (8pm) and an 11-hour marathon (9am-8pm) of encore episodes. Returning from a record-breaking gold mining season is 21-year-old miner Parker Schnabel. The new season has a sad start for Parker after losing his beloved grandfather and mentor John Schnabel. Parker's leadership will be tested more than ever as he navigates the many changes in his life. This year, he makes the biggest investment in the history of his operation by ordering a customized $600,000 washplant. But will it be enough to beat out his archrival Todd Hoffman? With a new girlfriend from Australia, Ashley Yule, joining him in the Klondike, it will be a season like no other for Parker. His gold mining plan is to go lean and mean in an attempt to make his biggest profit yet. Meanwhile, Todd Hoffman takes the biggest gamble of his life, turning his back on the Klondike and moving his entire operation to Oregon. Todd is on a quest for huge nuggets at the High Bar mine, located high up in the mountains. It's a bold move -- with Todd so confident that he sets an ambitious 5,000 ounce goal -- more than 2,000 ounces than his best-ever total. But with the first Oregon clean ups way below expectations, Todd begins to wonder if he's made a massive mistake. Could this season mark the end of the Hoffman crew? Legendary Klondike miner Tony Beets (aka The Viking) is back and doubling down by investing $2 million in resurrecting a second historic gold dredge - twice as big as his first. Last year, people thought he was crazy for investing in his first ancient dredge. But Tony is hoping that once again he can accomplish the impossible. But first, he must transport the 75-year-old abandoned dredge from a remote spot 150 miles down-river. He'll need his family to step up to the plate and run the rest of his gold-mining empire. But when his first dredge sinks within days, Tony's son, Kevin, finds himself in his father's firing line. In the special, "Toughest Dirtiest Richest," Parker Schnabel goes head to head with rival Todd Hoffman to see who will be King of the Klondike; Klondike legend Tony Beets puts everything on the line. Then, in the two-hour season opener, "Miracle on the Mountain," Todd Hoffman takes a gamble and turns his back on guaranteed gold in the Klondike; Tony Beets buys a large second dredge to expand his empire; Parker Schnabel begins the new season without his grandfather.

Season 8 of GOLD RUSH premiered on Friday, October 13, 2017 from 9-11pm ET/PT on Discovery, immediately following a new one-hour special. Before the new mining season even kicks off, gold miner Todd Hoffman lays everything on the line and wagers a massive bet with 22-year-old Parker Schnabel. The ever-confident Todd believes he can pull in the most gold this season. If not, he owes Parker 100 ounces of gold worth over $100,000 dollars. This sets off a head-to-head competition for the season between these two rivals. It's a bold move for Todd, especially after last year's disaster. Todd's 5,000-ounce goal was shattered in Oregon, where he began last season, and his crew went into a meltdown. This season, Todd and his crew are in Colorado where he is joined by his father, Jack, and 18-year-old son Hunter. This year, Todd believes that he'll be the ultimate mine boss by running three plants at the same time - a challenge no gold miner has ever pulled off in the series. Meanwhile, Hunter demands a promotion and wants to run his own operation. But will he be able to handle the pressure? In the Klondike, young Parker Schnabel meets with his long-time, dedicated crew and fills them in on the wager with the Hoffmans. However, this isn't the only battle for Parker. He's going to war on two fronts - not just with Todd, but his landlord Tony Beets, aka "The Viking." Over four years, Tony has taken $2.3 million in royalties. This season, Parker has a plan to buy his freedom with a deal on new virgin ground. Parker doesn't underestimate anyone as he knows mining is as much about perseverance as it is about luck. But first Parker needs to get his ice-bound washplant Big Red up and running -- since every day not sluicing gives Todd and Tony a head start in the race for gold. Meanwhile, legendary Klondike miner Tony Beets is back and continues his on-going obsession with dredges. Last year, his plan to move and resurrect a 75-year-old dredge proved to be a big failure. But "The Viking" never gives up. This year, he and his family set the goal to move Dredge #2 and get it mining for gold. He has everything in place, but first needs to convince legendary mine boss Sheamus Christie to help him move it. But even for Sheamus, moving a 500-ton dredge is a first. The night opens at 8pm with a live kick-off show, featuring Todd, Parker and Tony. Anything can happen in this special one hour live broadcast where the mine bosses will dish stories about what really went down and discuss season highlights as they field real-time audience phone calls and Facebook questions throughout the broadcast.

The ninth season of GOLD RUSH premiered on Friday, October 12, 2018 from 9-11pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel. This year, Rick Ness has decided to step it up and become a mine boss with a claim of his own. He's seen it all -- and put in the grunt work -- after working six years under fellow miner Parker Schnabel. Rick cashes in his life savings and literally puts everything on the line. But is he ready? In the off-season, Rick spent most of his time nursing his mother until she passed away. As a result, he's far behind the others as they race into the mining season. But that isn't his only uphill battle. Rick has recruited a crew of his Wisconsin buddies, who leave behind their jobs, families and homes, to take a chance on of striking it rich. But only time will tell if his dad's prediction will come true that "he'll come home broke with no friends." The stakes don't come much higher this year for Rick. While gold miner and rival Todd Hoffman is out, things aren't any easier for 23-year-old Parker Schnabel. As the new season kicks off, Parker finds himself in a land war with legendary Klondike miner Tony Beets. Parker's initial plan was to return to Tony's ground -- the richest he's ever mined -- and deliver more than 6,000 ounces of gold worth $7.2 million dollars. But things go south when he tries to negotiate a royalty rate and must move to another claim. The plan doesn't sit well for Tony -- who could lose millions -- and he's determined to teach young Parker a lesson. It's a tough start for Parker -- especially without having Rick or his long-term girlfriend Ashley by his side. Meanwhile, legendary Klondike miner Tony Beets has a masterplan this year -- to get the two ancient dredges mining and turning around some major profit. And he's determined that nobody, especially Parker, will get in his way. Tony's also looking ahead at his kids' future and is doubling down on everything this year including dredges, barges and gold. He's also not afraid of a good challenge -- and has vowed to match Parker's lofty $72 million season goal. And if one thing is certain -- he'll run as many wash plants as it takes to ensure he beats his young rival.

On Friday, October 11, 2019 at 9pm ET/PT, Discovery Channel premiered the tenth season of GOLD RUSH. This season, miners Parker Schnabel, Tony Beets and Rick Ness are back and putting everything on the line in pursuit of the American dream. The year starts with a major crisis in the Klondike. The water permits have failed to come through. And it happens at the worst time. The price of gold is spiking, sparking a new rush of prospectors to the area. Each miner is forced to take massive gambles to strike it rich as they hunt for gold on new grounds. Last year, Rick Ness mined over a million dollars-worth of gold on a claim of his own. This season, seeing the trouble in the Klondike, he's decided to up his game and move his entire operation to the mountains above the historic mining town of Keno City in the Yukon. At the turn of the century, Keno attracted miners for its famed golden nuggets. Now Rick is on a quest to bank a pile of monster nuggets of his own. It's a treasure hunt where the stakes couldn't be any higher. If he hits the right pocket, Rick could have a multimillion-dollar payday. If he fails, it could bankrupt him. After years of hard work, 25-year-old Parker Schnabel has achieved a lifetime dream by owning his own claim. Parker shelled out a half million dollars for a perfect spot with one exception - due to the water permitting issues, he must mine every ounce of gold in just one season. The new claim is massive, measuring well over twice the size of what Parker mined last season and would normally take three years to mine. Up against the clock, Parker's dream rides on his ability to get on the gold from the start and lead his team who think he's in over his head. Meanwhile, legendary miner Tony Beets has an early jump on the new season. But Tony's luck doesn't last very long when he's forced to shut down his Indian River operation after failing to get a permit. Confronted by this crisis, Tony looks to his three kids to save the family business from financial ruin. Each of the kids, Kevin, Monica and Mike, go out to hunt for gold and new ground to mine. Family bonds are put to the ultimate test as the pressure builds to save the Beets mining empire.

Season 11 of GOLD RUSH premiered on Friday, October 23, 2020 at 8pm ET/PT on Discovery. When a global pandemic shut down the world in March 2020, markets crashed and rocked the U.S. economy. However, with economic uncertainty comes great opportunity for those who can seize upon the moment. And in the goldfields across North America, the opportunity of a lifetime awaited as gold prices spiked to record highs and the price of fuel, a miner's biggest expense, bottomed out. In this all-new season of GOLD RUSH, seasoned gold miners are joined by greenhorn miners eager to forge their own destinies and gamble like never before in pursuit of the greatest pay day of their lives. Gold miners Parker Schnabel, Tony Beets and Rick Ness take massive gambles this season as they face the worst time crunch ever as the gold fields opened two months late because of COVID-19. And joining GOLD RUSH this season is ex-special forces medic and greenhorn miner Fred Lewis who takes his destiny into his own hands as he strikes out with a band of out of work veterans in the hopes to hitting it big in the gold fields of Oregon. Parker Schnabel arrives in the Yukon one month late with massive ambitions to expand his mining business beyond the Klondike. His goal is to bank enough gold to buy new ground and he's determined not to let the COVID-19 pandemic slow him down. As soon as he can, Parker assembles his crew and doubles down - opening two enormous operations. After two seasons of missed goals, Tony Beets is ready to take advantage of the perfect mining conditions. If he can identify the last of the virgin ground on Paradise Hill, this could be a record season for him, ensuring the success of the future Beets generation. Rick Ness can't afford another season of failures. For years he has worked with mining prodigy Parker Schnabel, rising to rank of foreman. Two years ago, Rick struck off on his own. After a strong debut, he suffered a major setback last year and lost all his profits, leaving him in the position to barely break even. To make matters worse, half his crew deserted him. Rick treads a troubled track; if he doesn't turn a profit this year, his mining career is over. As millions of Americans face unemployment during COVID-19, special forces veteran and rookie miner Fred Lewis risks everything and heads to the mountains of Oregon looking for a gold mine of his own. With fellow veteran and experienced miner Kendell Madden, Fred leases a piece of ground with huge prospects. When his test run shows good gold, they assemble a band of down on their luck ex-servicemen and women eager to turn around their fortunes.

GOLD RUSH returned for its twelfth season on Friday, September 24, 2021 from 8-10pm ET/PT on Discovery. This year mining prodigy Parker Schnabel finds himself with his back against the wall. After years of growing gold totals, the 26-year-old is running out of ground - forcing him to gamble on a narrow paystreak that could be the richest he's mined. But there's a big problem... it's more than 50 feet below the surface. To get down to paydirt he'll have to spend millions. Will Parker finally stumble? Or will he notch another record breaking gold total? As he taps out his Klondike claims, he also travels deep into the Alaskan wilderness in search of his next big claim. Returning this season is King of the Klondike himself, Tony Beets. Tony has spent four decades building a family gold mining empire. This year, he's putting it all on the line to cash in on his life's work with the goal of mining 9,000 ounces - worth upwards of $16 million at today's prices. For most of Tony's career, he's been buying up gold-rich ground in the Yukon. This season, Tony has big plans to re-open his Indian River operation and has spent more than $5 million in new gear to mine it and the Paradise Hill claims 24/7. There is just one big problem. There is no water license on the Indian river. Will all the pieces come together in time before the new season? And will Tony and his family be able keep up with the grueling work to mine that much gold? Also returning this season is Rick Ness, who starts the year on a hot paystreak and ahead of schedule. Rick is coming in swinging by doubling down and going for 2,000 ounces of gold, the most he's ever mined. But Rick starts the season off as a captain without a crew. Two of his key teammates don't return, leaving him to supersize his operation's horsepower to make up for the lack of manpower. Rick breaks out a massive half million-dollar dozer -- one of the biggest you can buy -- as well a massive new excavator. Will the comeback kid finally end up on top? Meanwhile, special forces veteran Fred Lewis is also back. After striking out in Oregon last season, Fred is driving into the Yukon with the dream to make it as a gold miner and provide a windfall for his all-veteran crew. He cannot fail again. Upon arriving in the Yukon, Fred reaches out to the only person he knows -- Parker Schnabel. Will Fred be able to muscle in on some ground in the Klondike?

Season 13 of GOLD RUSH premiered on Friday, September 30, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT on Discovery. As new miners flood the gold fields, the harsh reality of soaring fuel prices, supply chain issues and the price of gold being down plague mining operations. There's no room for error as competition increases for the best land with the most gold and the Old Guard of gold miners are forced to adapt and prove they still have what it takes. But can they? In a race between the Greenhorns and the Old Guard, who will come out on top? All Gold miners are pushed to their limits. Only the smartest will prevail during these troubling times and hit a big pay day, while others fold and are sent packing. 27-year-old Parker Schnabel, now in his ninth season in the Klondike. is out to continue his rise to the top. He confronts the challenges head on, as he tries to mine more gold in the Klondike than ever before while chasing his dream of expanding his operation from the Klondike to Alaska. Klondike Kingpin, Tony Beets faces all new challenges this season. Against stacked odds, he puts it all on the line including his children's inheritance to mine the White Channel, the oldest gold deposit in the Klondike. Will this risky strategy deliver enough gold to make the costs worthwhile? Now in his third year and out to prove he can strike it rich, former Green Beret Fred Lewis puts his house on the line and heads north to his remote claim on California Creek. But when he finds it blanketed in snow and covered in 30 feet of ice, all his plans are thrown up in the air. Young Guns Brandon and Brady Clayton join the "Gold Rush" line up. Their family is in debt and their hand-to-mouth operation needs every grain of gold they can find to allow them to mine the Golden Acres they've discovered, where the gold is twice as rich as the rest of the Klondike.

GOLD RUSH returned for its 14th season on Friday, September 29, 2023 from 8-10pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel. After 10 years working in the Klondike, 28-year-old mining prodigy Parker Schnabel is at a crossroads. He must decide whether to play it safe and scale back his operation or risk it all on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire historically gold-rich virgin ground. It's a massive gamble that could bankrupt him or deliver hundreds of millions in profit and cement his place as one of the most powerful miners in the region. After dropping off the radar for nearly two years and giving up mining, Rick Ness is on a mission to turn his life around, make millions and achieve his version of the American Dream. But with no crew and very little money, Rick faces an uphill battle on his road to redemption, along with questions about what happened during his lost year. Tony Beets, the 66-year-old "King of the Klondike," wants to surpass his best-ever 5,300-ounce gold haul, worth a whopping $9 million. This year, he hopes to up the ante with a 6,000-ounce goal. Everything is looking up when he gets access to his coveted claims on the Indian River. But when one of his kids decides not to come back, it threatens to derail everything and puts pressure on the rest of the family to step up. In gold mining, there is no better reward than hitting paydirt and potentially making millions overnight. With it come the challenges of mechanical failure or risk of sinking your life savings into barren ground. Despite previous successes, these miners must continue to put in the hard work to stay at the top and fulfill the ultimate American Dream.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 15th season of GOLD RUSH premiered on Friday, November 8, 2024 at 8pm ET/PT on Discovery Channel. This season, the miners will face unforeseen changes and immense challenges before they can cash in on all-time high gold prices. One miner will falter, threatening to destroy everything that they worked for. Twenty-nine-year-old mining prodigy Parker Schnabel has hauled in over 63,000 ounces of gold in his career, worth more than $98 million. As one of the most powerful landowners in the Klondike, his new claim at Dominion Creek holds a massive $200 million worth of gold, which must be mined before his license expires in six years. In a race against time, Parker is chasing a record-breaking 10,000-ounce, $25 million dollar season. In deep debt and under immense pressure, Parker is one bad decision away from sinking his whole operation and derailing his masterplan for a gold bonanza. After a season of redemption, Rick Ness has finally assembled a crew to fulfill his dreams of becoming a landowner. As he continues to battle his personal demons, a bombshell from his landlord throws him into a tailspin, jeopardizing his entire future and everything he's worked hard to build. The Beets family will face considerable changes this season. While Tony Beets targets a 5,000-ounce season, his eldest son, Kevin strikes out on his own for the first time. When Tony leans on his other two kids and nephew, a power struggle ensues that threatens to reshape the family dynasty.