As is conventional for the genre, Discovery reality show “Gold Rush” is just as much about interpersonal drama as it is the gold mining operations around which it revolves. Accordingly, many viewers tune in not just for insight into the mining business, but to watch the colorful personalities featured week after week.
Parker Schnabel is one of those personalities. At the series’ outset, Schnabel is a teenager, shadowing his experienced grandfather’s mining operation. Then, as “Gold Rush” progresses, viewers witness Schnabel grow into a leadership role himself, learning valuable lessons on the job as he goes.
Recently, fans have become worried about Schnabel, describing his demeanor as noticeably distant, perhaps indicative of stress. This is, of course, the culmination of becoming accustomed to Schnabel’s presence on the series for more than a decade, a situation in which a particular breed of fondness can grow between a reality show’s viewers and one of its subjects.
However, while Schnabel’s work life and daily struggles are oftentimes at the heart of a typical “Gold Rush” episode, arguably the most pause-worthy Parker Schnabel moment from throughout the “Gold Rush” franchise in its entirety is one in which Schnabel shares what sounds like a shocking financial insight into the gold mining business.
Parker Schnabel claims he pays employees $140,000 for six months of work
In Season 8, Episode 1 of “Gold Rush” aftershow “Gold Rush: The Dirt,” Parker Schnabel casually tells host Christo Doyle that he pays his employees “140 grand” for six months of mining work. After the episode aired, one user started a thread on the official “Gold Rush” subreddit titled “Where do I submit a resume? — Parker says he pays around $140k for 6 months of work…” with a screencap of Schnabel’s claim.
That said, as some fellow Reddit users pointed out in ensuing comments, that figure isn’t so straightforward. For example, one of the thread’s top comments, by user tmac_79, claims that “it might be more accurate to say 18 months of work compressed into 6 months.”
Meanwhile, user moon-worshiper explained that the amount is in Canadian dollars, equivalent to somewhere in the ballpark of 109 thousand USD. Ultimately, that’s equivalent to pay of around 63 USD an hour, which is considerably less than the $28 an hour Schnabel once revealed he pays new employees. Schnabel also mentioned, however, that bonuses factor significantly into his employees’ salaries, complicating this comparison even further.
So, while “140 Grand” may be a potentially faulty estimate shared off the top of his head rather than any sort of hard data, the fact Schnabel offhandedly promises such significant riches for his workers makes this the most pause-worthy Parker Schnabel moment in “Gold Rush” history, consequently sparking considerable discussion in the wake of its airing.