The Hardest Parts About Filming Gold Rush Season 9 According To Parker Schnabel

If there's anyone on Discovery's "Gold Rush" who always seems to know what he's doing, it's Parker Schnabel. He's been a mainstay on the series since the very beginning. For the show's first season, he took on more of an apprentice role, helping out his grandfather, John Schnabel. Starting with Season 2, he was given control of the Big Nugget mine and led his own crew. For the past decade, he's continued being a driving force on the reality series, and where other teams struggle to come up with any gold, Schnabel always seems to get his hands on untold riches.

That doesn't mean every day out on the site is a walk in the park. Gold mining is inherently a risky business, and sometimes, Schnabel has to put up with unforeseen circumstances that hinder his ability to turn a profit. He learned that lesson the hard way during Season 9 of "Gold Rush," when two massive hurdles were placed in front of him.

2019 marked the show's ninth season, and while you would think a series would have a chance to work out all of the kinks by that point in its run, "Gold Rush" isn't like most shows. In fact, in an interview with The Guide Online Magazine, Schnabel spoke about how the season presented unique challenges he had to overcome. He stated, "The first one, of course, we had a foreman, Rick Ness, quit and went out on his own mining. Overcoming that for our business was a difficult, and we had to deal with the fallout of that, and I had to figure it all out. It created a bit of a power vacuum that caused some issues as you guys will see on the show."

However, that was only the tip of the iceberg. Schnabel went on to reveal, "The second challenge we had to deal with Tony Beets and this is an ongoing challenge we face on the show as you will know. This season he really stepped up his 'difficultness,' and it proved to be very turbulent time. So, we were getting hit from both sides with not having a foreman and then also having to deal with a very unpredictable Tony Beets." 

Ultimately, Season 9 was a fruitful one for Schnabel and his team. They went home with roughly 7,400 ounces of gold, worth nearly $8.4 million, which was a personal best at the time (via Discovery). Schnabel has proven time and time again that even in the face of adversity, he has what it takes to persevere and come out on top.