Gold Rush’s Parker Schnabel Says Describing His Gold Mining Career Makes Dating 'Incredibly Difficult' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Parker Schnabel.Photo:Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel

Parker Schnabel’s job poses challenges in his life on and off the mine site.

TheGold Rushstar sat down with PEOPLE as the show heads into its 15th season to discuss the impact it has had on his life. At just 30 years old, Schnabel has spent half his life as a gold miner on television, and he jokes that he still doesn’t know how to describe his job to people unfamiliar with mining.

“I try to explain it in a way that doesn’t sound likeMad Max,” he laughs. “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.”

“Then it makes dating incredibly difficult,” he adds. “They’re like, ‘What do you do?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know.’”

Tyson Lee and Parker Schnabel in ‘Gold Rush’.Discovery Channel

Schnabel went on to say that his life mainly revolves around his career, but he looks forward to having a family one day.

As someone who learned everything he knows about mining from his grandfather, Schnabel says he has no intentions of passing the legacy on to his own children unless they want to go into the same field.

Parker Schnabel.Discovery Channel

“I think it actually really bugged my dad that it was not an economically viable business that I was involved in as a teenager, but he never said anything,” he continues. “He just wanted me to be happy. That’s the best thing you can do for a kid, in my opinion.”

Now in his 30s, Schnabel says he doesn’t know exactly where he will be in the next few years, but that doesn’t scare him.

“I look forward to the next chapter of my life. I really don’t think that it’ll be something where I’m like, ‘Oh, my glory days are behind me,’” he shares. “My dad and I just started another business and he’s 69. He’s living his best life. My grandpa didn’t start gold mining until he was 65 or something. So I’m just like, man, age is absolutely just a number.”

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Gold Rushpremieres Friday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. ET on the Discovery Channel, with the full series streaming on Max.

source: people.com