Gold Rush's Rick Ness Doesn't Mind The Comeback Kid Nickname

Rick Ness has had many ups and downs throughout his time on "Gold Rush." He was originally introduced in Season 2 as the right-hand man of Parker Schnabel. However, he left Schnabel's crew toward the end of Season 8, and starting with Season 9, he spearheaded his own mining crew. 

Things didn't exactly go swimmingly upon his first excursion setting out on his own. While he did decent in Season 9, Season 10 proved more disastrous. While his former partner did exceedingly well for himself, Ness was unable to find any pockets filled with gold despite purchasing the plot of land he had for half a million dollars. By the end of the season, he had barely broken even, which allowed him to continue into the next year, where he found greater success. 

As a result of his ability to bounce back from near-disaster, Ness earned himself the nickname "The Comeback Kid." It was an appropriate moniker, even if it basically functions as a reminder of how he almost lost everything. Fortunately, Ness doesn't mind the nickname and has gone on to embrace it.

Rick Ness continues to appear on "Gold Rush," as well as some of its spinoffs, always finding a decent level of success with every dig. Nothing has ever been as frightful as that Season 10 dig, and Ness has learned quite a lot about mining since that time. In an interview with Hollywood Soapbox, the topic of his infamous nickname came up, and Ness didn't seem to mind it at all. 

He explained, "I don't mind that at all, honestly. I would rather be that [than] the loser, I guess. I did have a bad season where it was damn close, where it could have gone either way. I almost lost everything, and if I had, then I wouldn't have the chance to be the comeback kid. So I just eeked it out and kind of broke even and had an opportunity to come back, and I feel like I came back in a big way." In fact, Ness goes on to explain how the nickname fits him perfectly because he believes he does his best work when his back is up against the wall. 

Ultimately, being able to pull off a comeback is an impressive feat, so Ness certainly has no reason to resent his nickname. It proves that he's been to the edge of the abyss and came out with a victory, which is more than a lot of people in his field can say.