Why A Bridge Dispute With Parker Schnabel Left Fred Hurt Brandishing A Knife On Gold Rush Season 3
Discovery's "Gold Rush" focuses on a collection of gold miners looking to strike it rich in Alaska, which is one of the most difficult, grueling occupations one can imagine. On top of the incredibly long hours this job requires — more than 75 hours a week according to series staple Parker Schnabel – the series frequently reminds viewers just how unforgiving gold mining can be.
As such, it should come as no surprise that tensions can get high when working at these mines, which has led to plenty of physical and verbal altercations throughout "Gold Rush's" history. Although most of these fights end somewhat calmly, other times things get out of hand, and the crew is left with some major complications. In one instance, a fight caused the Hoffman crew to torch one of their miners' cabins, while another fight directly led to Dave Turin exiting the series for his own spinoff.
Perhaps one of the biggest fights in "Gold Rush" history ended with miner Fred Hurt brandishing a knife following his confrontation with Parker Schnabel.
Parker Schnabel disrespected his neighbors by removing their bridge without warning
The fight in question occurred during Season 3 of "Gold Rush," and it involved Parker Schnabel and neighboring miner Fred Hurt, who's a member of the so-called "Dakota Boys" alongside his son Dustin Hurt. Conflict arose when Schnabel decided to replace the bridge that crossed Porcupine Creek without consulting the Dakota Boys. By removing the bridge, Parker effectively cut the two brothers off from the rest of civilization, removing their access to supplies and fuel.
The episode "Battle of the Bridge" chronicles this entire messy ordeal as it unfolds, with both of the Dakota Boys expressing their frustration and anger at being disrespected by Parker and at the fact they could not access their supplies. Parker — with some help from his father — eventually conceded to crafting a new bridge for the Dakota boys, building a makeshift wooden structure that could hardly pass for a bridge at all.
The sloppy craftsmanship was perceived as yet another insult by Fred Hurt, who took out his knife while he was addressing the camera. Although he never used the knife to harm Parker or any crew member, the fact that the knife came out at all shows just how furious Schnabel's actions made his neighbors.