WHAT WENT WRONG with Rick Ness? | GOLD RUSH

Rick Ness was born on March 5th, 1981, in Escanaba, Michigan.

His early years were shaped by the divorce of his parents, Richard Ness and Judy Marie Bard, leading to a challenging childhood.

Alongside his twin brother Randy, the brothers faced a transient lifestyle until they settled with their mother in Rylander, Michigan, in 2003, cultivating a resilience that would define Rick’s character.

The loss of his mother to cancer in 2018 deeply affected him, marking a significant grief-stricken turning point in his life that influenced both his personal and professional endeavors, driving him with a renewed sense of purpose.

Rick’s formative years also held brighter moments; he was a standout football player at Escanaba Area High School with dreams of going pro until a severe head injury redirected his aspirations towards music.

In 2003, he joined the 357 String Band as a bassist.

The band saw modest success, touring internationally and releasing three albums, providing Rick an escape from his past troubles and a platform to showcase his talents.

His foray into gold mining began unexpectedly when he met Parker Schnabel at the Southeast Alaska State Fair, which pivoted his career path.

Rick’s background in operating heavy machinery served him well in mining, quickly endearing him to fans of the reality TV show Gold Rush.

His skills and charisma led to his promotion to foreman, where despite some early challenges, like a costly misjudgment in hiring, he learned crucial leadership lessons.

These insights were instrumental when he launched his own mining crew in the show’s ninth season, culminating in a record gold haul.

Rick’s battle with seasonal affective disorder led to a temporary hiatus from Gold Rush during its 13th season, a period of introspection and mental health recovery.

His comeback involved significant sacrifices, including selling his mother’s house to fund his mining ventures with limited resources.

Returning in season 14, Rick displayed remarkable resilience and determination.

His story from hardship to mining success inspires resilience and perseverance, offering lessons that resonate beyond the gold fields.

As Rick continues to navigate the challenges of the mining industry, his life stands as a testament to the power of resilience and adaptability in overcoming adversity.

At the height of the gold rush, Rick Ness was one of the most successful miners.

He was astounded when a rookie mechanic fixed his million-dollar excavator; a young boy managed to repair the $1 million machine.

This video delves into the details and ups and downs of Rick Ness’s mining operations.

We will explore how the seasons changed, how technology broke down, and how driven Ness was to find rare gold.

Join us as we examine Rick Ness’s relentless pursuit of wealth in the harsh desert, highlighting his successes and failures in his quest for riches.

Rick ventures into uncharted territory, believing he has found his most important goal yet.

His massive dirt-moving machine is gone, and his team is shrinking.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Rick urgently seeks a skilled mechanic.

A 20-year-old student steps up, becoming a crucial figure by demonstrating his expertise in assembling the complex multi-million dollar 750 backhoe.

The apprentice carefully attaches the bucket and boom stick, showcasing the job’s complexity.

Dealing with Duncan Creek’s varied terrain adds another layer of difficulty.

The apprentice expertly changes the tracks by loosening the bolts holding the chassis, creatively positioning the digger with the boom’s help.

The 750’s bucket is particularly impressive, being three times larger than the 480’s.

Time is critical for Rick and his team, working within less than half a week.

Their staff is down to four people with no fixed driver.

Rick’s earlier success, averaging just over 70 ounces of gold per week, starkly contrasts with their current situation.

The emerging problems reveal the team’s strength, flexibility, and determination as they continue chasing their massive gold goal.

The group acknowledges Carl’s absence, stressing his vital role in fixing machine problems.

They hope Carl recovers soon and worry about maintaining equipment without a trained tech.

Many agree that Torsten’s ability to assemble the 750 digger was a turning point, significantly improving their mining business.

At this time of year, finding a plumber is challenging for Rick, making him grateful for Torsten’s timely help.

During the weekly gold weigh, Rick discusses the impact of a smaller staff and the need for someone to fix pump issues.

Despite these challenges, the crew remains friends and toasts to the impressive gold yield managed by just four crew members, including the new Torsten.

The story highlights the crew’s flexibility, determination, and perseverance in overcoming obstacles to achieve their gold mining goals.

The team continues facing seasonal challenges, looking ahead with determination and confidence, bolstered by the successful gold weigh.

Surprisingly, none of these problems seem to phase Rick; they might even be beneficial.

Brenan struggles to find good land but takes a wild guess on where to cut.

Miraculously, the chosen area is quickly cleaned and opened, discovering potential gold in a test pan.

They named the new site the “Bacon Strip.”

During the gold rush, there is a tense moment when a rock truck’s parking brake gets caught on a pile of pay dirt.

Despite dramatic rescue music and quick cuts, the story humorously notes that no one dies.

The episode concludes with a smooth cleanup, yielding a respectable 75.92 ounces of gold.

However, things change when Rick’s team undergoes several staff changes.

Riley, the rock truck driver, returns after losing the first one.

An exaggerated story about a rock truck losing a tire shows how the crew reacted to a minor issue.

The following day takes an unexpected turn when Riley, the new driver, suddenly disappears.

The crowd watches as Rick’s girlfriend learns to drive a rock truck after jokingly offering to take over.

The announcer dubs this segment “The Perfect Blend of Boredom and Excitement.”

Just before cleanup, Rick finds another 80.47 ounces of gold, bringing his season total to 502 ounces.

Riley returns the next day with a huge scar on his face, recounting a story involving a fight, a hospital visit, and his phone being taken by the police.

Despite the chaos, Rick is glad to have Riley back.

The crew’s initial happiness fades upon discovering a major problem: a crack between the plant and the pre-wash, which lets water out and disrupts the mining operation.

Identifying the missing 2-inch steel pins, the crew makes new pins to fix the issue.

More problems arise as rocks pass through the holes in the screen deck.

They glue steel plates over the holes, but the cleanup yields only 4.64 ounces of gold, frustrating everyone due to the wash plant’s limitations.

Oddly, Rick isn’t using Monster Red, the wash plant he worked hard to fix during the offseason.

The mining team faces increasingly tough choices; Rick seems to have forgotten his winter work on Monster Red until Freddy and Juan arrive to fix the wash plant.

In 4 days, they installed the new punch plates Rick bought, despite them being slightly too thin.

Surprisingly, Freddy and Juan resolved the problem smoothly with Chris’s help, showcasing their skill and knowledge.

After a day of work, everything is fixed without major issues.

The team cleans up the campfire, finding 177.23 ounces of gold.

The next morning, Rick’s bacon strip shows no pay dirt.

Despite this, Rick bravely returns to the deep cut, believing all the gold might be under his access road.

As they dig, they quickly find two rocks and a good amount of gold, then the cut starts filling with groundwater.

Rick breaks a berm on purpose to flood the area, complicating matters by using a pump to remove water from the dry area.

Despite the challenging digging process, they find 126.80 ounces of gold after cleanup.

Good luck, Rick; your season total now stands at 687.5 ounces.

I lead to a recap that omits some interesting parts.

The story then follows Rick as he digs deeper into Rally Valley.

Something strange happens when he hits a bed of rocks, blocking progress 30 feet earlier than planned.

In the bigger picture, it might not have been as surprising as it seemed.

These rocks indicate good signs of gold.

As the story explains, Rick finds 20 to 30 gold nuggets when he pans the material, prompting him to use his smaller wash plant more extensively.

He needs to build a new road and bridge across the valley for access.