Gold Rush Gets Mercilessly Trolled for Lame Attempts at High-Stakes Drama
The producers of Gold Rush are always keen to play on the high-stakes drama of the industry. But not all fans of the show believe that it's quite as financially perilous as the show would have us believe.
Several of the mostly family-run mining businesses have backstories that include sacrificing personal wealth or ditching a previous career to pursue the dream of making their fortune by mining gold.
But fans aren't buying the idea that every family on the show really is facing its "last chance" every series.
Indeed, when Todd Hoffman returned to the show in 2022, and it was billed as a high-stakes game for him, many viewers took to social media to troll the show and Hoffman.
This venting of frustration was largely fuelled by the fact that those who had been fans of the show for a number of years had already seen him make big bucks through mining.
Now, not every company earns big money for their mining exploits. If they did, the whole premise of this being one of the hardest ways to make money on the planet would be a little unbelievable.
But it's widely acknowledged that participants do receive a fairly hefty paycheck for appearing on the show – a fact that has fans questioning whether there is any valid reason for them (and the show) to be constantly banging on about how it's make or break for them.
Some fans have questioned whether the producers just expect them to forget what they have seen in previous seasons and just go with the "final chance" scenario as a given.
And it's not like the showrunners go to great lengths to hide how much the miners get paid for being part of the show.
While the actual amount varies for each participant, it's generally acknowledged that cast members are paid between $10,000 and $25,000 per episode.
And with more than 20 episodes in each season of the show, that means there's big money to be made regardless of how successful any of them are when it comes to mining gold.
With that said, Rick Ness ($25,000 per episode) is said to boast a personal fortune of $3 million. Granted, he had made some from his music career too. But he has also amassed a serious amount of wealth through his mining activities.
But hey, the show claims all its participants are on the brink of financial ruin, and the fans know that's not true. So, there ain't no way you're gonna stop them trolling.