For native Alaskan gold miners, everyday work consists of digging up their royalties, but for the stars of Discovery’s “Gold Rush,” their side gig pays separately.
Ten years ago, the TV show became a sensational hit — depicting the lives of Alaskan gold miners — like Parker Schnabel, Tony Beets and Rick Ness — on the job.
Schnabel told “Varney & Co.” on Thursday that the uncertainty of mining has helped boost the show’s popularity.
“You never know what you’re going to find.”
“Sometimes you have an amazing week, sometimes you have an absolutely terrible week, and there’s not too many businesses like that,” he said.
Schnabel said he’s made more money in the mining business than he has with the show, and Beets echoed the sentiment.
“The money’s in the ground. That’s why we’re out there digging it up.”
“Depends on how many people you have and how much ground you dig, but 10-out-of-10, you’ll make more money mining today than you do with TV,” Beets said.
But even with all these profits being made from mining, the “Gold Rush” stars reportedly don’t spend their hard-earned cash outside the office.
“I pour it all back into the mine site,” Schnabel said. “I don’t even own a house.”
