TelevisionThe Coolest Thing Gold Rush Star Parker Schnabel Has Dug Up That Wasn’t GoldParker Schnabel smilingDimitrios Kambouris/Getty By Mike Bedard/Updated: Feb. 9, 2022 2:17 pm EST
Parker Schnabel of “Gold Rush” is no stranger to getting down and dirty in the hunt for riches. He got his start on the show’s first season as a teenager working on the family mine. Starting on the show’s second season, Schnabel took the reins of the family mines, and since that time, he’s consistently been one of the most successful gold miners featured on the series. Whereas other mining heads often struggle, Schnabel has the Midas touch, bringing in thousands of ounces of gold per season, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars for the team to take home.
After a decade of appearing on “Gold Rush,” Schnabel has set aside a nice little fortune for himself to the tune of roughly $10 million. And judging from the success of the Discovery series, Schnabel isn’t slowing down any time soon. But gold isn’t the only thing the miner’s finding out in the fields, as he revealed he’d found some other unusual objects during his excursions.
Parker Schnabel has found mammoth tusksParker Schnabel talking to Todd HoffmanDiscovery/YouTube
It’s safe to say there’s a lot of stuff buried underneath the earth. Among all the digging and excavating, the miners featured on “Gold Rush” have likely found all kinds of weird things in their travels. In an interview with The Malestrom, Schnabel talkedaout what’s arguably the most valuable thing he uncovered that wasn’t gold. He revealed, “We’ve found some mammoth tusks, which was really cool. They’re preserved because they’re ivory and they were buried in the permafrost, so the weather doesn’t really get to them. Some of those came out in beautiful shape.”
Suffice to say, mammoth tusks would certainly be worth a pretty penny, maybe not as much as gold, but there are people out there willing to buy virtually anything. However, Schnabel goes on to reveal what he did with the finds: “I usually keep them. You’re allowed to sell them, you just need a couple of permits to export them out of the territory, but I think they’re so cool I had to keep them.”
So if you ever find yourself in Parker Schnabel’s house, don’t be surprised if there are some massive mammoth tusks there waiting for you.
RecommendedNext UpTelevisionGold Rush Cast Ranked From Least To Most SuccessfulParker SchnabelDiscovery/YouTube By Will Fancher/Jan. 3, 2022 12:27 pm EST
Discovery’s “Gold Rush” isn’t quite a competition series like “The Amazing Race,” nor is it quite a lifestyle series like “Chrisley Knows Best.” It’s something in between, where the men and women of the modern day gold mining industry strive for every last ounce that they can glean from the paydirt of the American and Canadian west. The audience is with them every step of the way, from the last thaw of spring to the first freeze of autumn, on site with and occasionally in the homes of the show’s main cast. Said cast includes rookie dreamer Todd Hoffman, ornery pro Tony Beets, young wunderkind Parker Schnabel, and many others over the show’s 12 (and counting) seasons, spinoffs, and specials. At the end of each season, each mining crew’s gold yield is tallied. Other than friendly wagers between the miners, the show doesn’t crown a winner; the miner with the highest yield doesn’t get anything special beyond the worth of the gold itself, or are in any advantageous position for the next season. In the end, they are all on the same footing, starting from nothing every spring, hoping to turn a few specks of bright rock into a fortune.
Here is a ranking of the most successful cast members on “Gold Rush.” The ranking takes into consideration the miners’ total gold yield, their time on the show, as well as less tangible factors such as their contributions to the mining teams they worked with, and to the show itself.ersevere but thrive in the mountains and on camera.
