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Gold Rush star Parker Schnabel has been part of the Discovery Channel show since he was a teenager, becoming one of the most successful young miners on TV.
In a November 2024 interview with People magazine, he shared that his unusual career has made his personal life, especially dating, more difficult.
Describing the nature of his work,
“I try to explain it in a way that doesn't sound like Mad Max. It's hard to explain that without it sounding like some dystopian insane world. I’m in the woods and you're living in a f***ing bunker washing rocks, looking for little shiny rocks,” he said.
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This, he added, often makes conversations with potential partners awkward.
“Then it makes dating incredibly difficult,” he admitted. “They're like, ‘What do you do?’ I'm like, ‘I don't know.’”
Schnabel is focused on mining and television, but he also shared hopes of one day stepping away from cameras to start a family.
“I do hope to have a family”: Parker looks beyond Gold Rush
Though Schnabel remains committed to his work, he admitted that he does not see himself mining on TV forever.
“I do hope to have a family and a life outside of TV eventually. I do have a life outside of TV, but the show will end completely I think before I have kids, I would suspect,” he shared.
Gold Rush star Parker Schnabel shared how important freedom of choice was in his own upbringing. He explained that his father ran a construction company but never pressured him to follow in his footsteps or join what might typically be considered the family business.
Parker added that his grandfather operated what was essentially a hobby gold mine, which produced around a hundred ounces of gold in most years and remained a money-losing venture for two decades. Reflecting on that environment,
“He just wanted me to be happy. That’s the best thing you can do for a kid, in my opinion,” Schnabel added.
For now, Schnabel continues to mine and film for the franchise, but he acknowledged that he’s not afraid of what comes next. Parker shared that he’s looking ahead with optimism, noting that he and his father had recently started a new business together, even though his dad is 69. For him, this reinforced the idea that age is truly just a number.
“No real room for error”: Parker reflects on the pressures of Gold Rush season 15
Looking back on Gold Rush season 15, Parker Schnabel described it as one of the toughest seasons he’s worked through. In his interview with People, he explained that the team faced a very tight timeline, leaving “no real room for error.”
“So this season we have no real room for error. Since we bought Dominion, we had this huge upfront purchase, and now there's a lot of pressure to execute that well,” he shared.
Schnabel shared that many people assume gold mining is all about the final haul, but there’s far more involved behind the scenes. From securing viable ground to managing labour and equipment, each step can impact the overall success.
“You’ve got your ups and downs, but I've never had a day I didn't want to go to work,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Schnabel approached the season with the same focus he’s had since the beginning of his mining journey.
Gold Rush season 15 episodes are available to stream on Discovery+.
