What You Don't Know About Gold Rush's Parker Schnabel

"Gold Rush," the Discovery Channels hit reality TV series, is back this fall for a 12th season and fans are diggin' it! Last Friday the Discovery channel announced via Twitter that the new season premieres September 24th and although he ran out of mining land in season 11, Parker Schnabel is back, and in a big way (via TVshowsace).

Discovery Go reports that Parker was operating heavy equipment and machinery by the time his "feet could reach the petals" for his family gold mining business, Big Nugget Mine. Big Nugget is a major focus of "Gold Rush," which first debuted in 2010 on the Discovery Channel and Parker, only 16 years old at the time, proved that he could keep up with if not surpass, the efforts of older and more experienced miners. 

Valiant CEO shares that Parker is so skilled and successful, his peers have deemed him the "Young Master" and we did some digging of our own to learn more about this 27-year-young gold mining entrepreneur.

Valiant CEO reports that Parker Schnabel spent most of his childhood summers mining with his grandfather, the legendary John Schnabel, and throughout those summers John watched Parker's potential, and skill, grow. At just 16 years old, Parker was given control in running his grandfathers mining company, Gold Nugget Mine. Parker decided that he would invest his college savings into the gold mining business rather than attend school, and it has paid off.

During the first season of "Gold Rush," Parker mined just about 960 grams of Gold which earned him a whopping $55,000. This win solidified Parker's decision to stick with the family business and he has been gold mining ever since. 

Distractify reports that by 2018, Parker had mined upwards of $13 million in gold, and by 2020, he had accumulated a net worth of $10 million. Valiant CEO also reports that Schanbel is worth $10 million and that he earns $25,000 per month from the "Gold Rush" series. His true net worth is not clear, as Celebrity Net Worth and Wealthy Gorilla report him at $8 million.

Parker Schnabel not only stars in the Discovery Channels hit TV reality series, "Gold Rush," he also helps produce it (via IMDb). As the series gained popularity, and Parker became a fan favorite, he went on to produce "Gold Rush: The Dirt," a talk show that highlights the behind the scenes events and activities of "Gold Rush" and interviews the cast and crew (via IMDb). The series premier of "Gold Rush: The Dirt" season 8 will be November 5 on the Discovery channel.

Parker didn't stop at "The Dirt," as he went even further in the gold mining series with "Gold Rush: Parker's Trail," a four season series that focuses on following past famous travelers in an attempt to complete the Klondike Trail. Thousands of people are said to have died on the trail during the late 19th century, as it is 600 miles of tough terrain (per Discovery Channel).

If you haven't already seen them all, you can watch all the "Gold Rush" series on Discovery Plus.

Outsider reports that, although he may look at ease on camera, Parker Schnabel says having the cameras on site is the hardest part of his already dangerous job. Schnabel shares in an interview with the Malestrom that "I think it's very hard to balance the business with everything being on camera, it's all your mistakes being in the spotlight like that."

The "Gold Rush" master miner is pretty calm and collected around the big machines, heavy equipment, and hazardous situations that accompany the job, which certainly contributes to his success, yet having the cameras there causes concern for multiple reasons. First and foremost is the safety of everyone on site. With inexperienced individuals surrounding a mining site, it can be easily distracting trying to ensure their safety as well as the safety of the crew. 

It's also uncomfortable to think of any accidents or mishaps being caught on camera, as Outsider explains, having your every move captured can be "haunting."

Parker explains to the Malestrom that he has become a lot more comfortable with the cameras through the passing seasons, stating, "It's a challenge and it continues to be one, but we're getting through it now."