Whatever Happened To Gold Rush's Gene Cheeseman?

Reality television has captivated audiences for years. Viewers get enamored by the drama, the stakes, and the fact that it's all happening to someone else. And, in 2010, Discovery's "Gold Rush" showed its audience that reality TV comes in unexpected forms. The series follows a crew of miners in Alaska as they work in some of the harshest conditions in order to find enough gold to secure a big payday.

Over the years, familiar faces on the show have come and gone, usually with an explanation given at some point during the series. Miner Gene Cheeseman was a staple on the show for a number of years and worked as a foreman beginning in Season 4. He started out working on Parker Schnabel's crew before the pair had a falling out and Cheeseman began working with Tony Beets' team instead. However, in 2018, fans were left without an explanation when Cheeseman was suddenly nowhere to be seen on the show. Furthermore, he appears to have left all social media platforms as well. This abrupt disappearance led to audiences theorizing answers they weren't getting from Discovery surrounding the departure of Gene Cheeseman.

In 2017, Gene Cheeseman disappeared from "Gold Rush" and he later vanished off all social media platforms completely, leaving some fans without answers as to where he could have gone and why Discovery didn't say anything on the matter. The hiatus no doubt sparked many questions from die-hard "Gold Rush" fans and the radio silence almost certainly only brought on more speculation. However, fans of the show got at least some clarity when Cheeseman returned to the series in 2020. In Season Season 10, Episode 12, Cheeseman was called on for help by a struggling Rick Ness, and the former series star swooped in to assist. Though, after a handful of episodes, he once again departed and hasn't been seen on the series since.

Fans of Cheeseman will have to live in mystery for now, it seems, as he has yet to give an actual reason for why he left the show and stepped away from social media. It's entirely possible that he's still working as a miner, just in a more private capacity. Either way, fans on social media have expressed their happiness that Cheeseman returned to "Gold Rush" after his first absence, and they no doubt hope to one day see him on the series again.