One of the staples of “Gold Rush” is Rick Ness, a gold miner who previously worked with Parker Schnabel. The pair parted ways when Rick established his mining operation in the ninth season, but it hasn’t been an easy path for Rick, as he’s had to face many personal and professional challenges since then.
Following a short-lived exit from the show, Rick returned in the 14th season, but the joy of his comeback was slightly overshadowed by the shocked reactions caused by the visible changes in his appearances. “Gold Rush” fans have been quick to theorize the varied reasons behind these changes, but is there any substantial reason to believe those theories?
Keep with us to learn more about Rick Ness’ life now, the reason behind his new appearance, the future of his mining operation, and a lot more!
What Happened To Rick’s Appearance?
Rick Ness’ return to “Gold Rush” in the 14th season was one of the most eagerly anticipated by fans. Previously, he left from the 13th to sort out his personal and financial troubles, but promised to return to the mining operation, eventually carrying out his promise in the next season premiered in late 2023.
Unfortunately, Rick’s 14th and 15th season run in the show has been highly commented on, not for his mining accomplishments ,but for the alleged physical changes that he’s experienced in recent years. As fans on Reddit and his social media have commented, his face looks older, and his nasal septum looks lower compared to how his nose looked several years ago.
Rick’s appearance changes have become such a common topic of discussion that news platforms have also reported on it, though no one knows for sure what caused these changes. For their part, fans have inevitably theorized that Rick’s face has changed either because he’s got older, naturally, or because of an accident. Others have claimed it’s a result of his recent struggles with drugs.
An accident is an unlikely possibility, as such a thing would have already been known due to Rick’s fame. The aging theory is as likely as his appearance changing due to drugs, as the latter is a struggle that Rick has dealt with recently. However, nothing is for sure until Rick himself addresses these comments.
Dealing With Depression & Addiction
A lot has happened to Rick Ness in recent years. For a start, he lost his mother in 2018, which caused him to spiral down into depression and other mentally and physically damaging problems.
While Rick kept most of these struggles under wraps for several years, it came to a point when he could no longer keep going with his life as he normally did. At the beginning of “Gold Rush”’s 13th season, Rick revealed that he needed to take some time away from the mine and TV altogether, to focus on healing and making his life better. It’s also worth noting that at the time, he was struggling to keep his mining operation afloat.
Shortly before the premiere of the 14th season in late 2023, in an interview with People, according to him, due to his profession, there was ‘some stigma’ about him asking for help to alleviate his mental health. On top of that, Rick had turned to drugs to hide away from those issues.
All of that led him to take some time to figure out that something wasn’t right with him, though he eventually realized that he was deep into depression. As Rick also admitted to People, coming to terms with his vulnerability was a huge step forward in finding a way out of that dark part of his life.
Coming From The Bottom
The reasons which led Rick Ness to temporarily step away from “Gold Rush” in 2022, certainly included his depression, which was revealed by Rick to his friend and associate Brian ‘Zee’ Zaremba at the beginning of the 13th season, much to the shock of his fans.
Wow! Another season of #Goldrush is over already. In less than an hour the big finale is on AND there is a #TheDirt at the end! pic.twitter.com/ZbxMenQsbX
— Rick Ness (@GoldrushRick) March 7, 2020
According to Rick and the show, he suffered from a type of depression named Seasonal Affective Disorder. It was a hard for Rick to publicly reveal his struggles, so the revelation was a long time coming.
Later on, Rick told TV Insider that the issue originated when he tried to ignore the grief over his mother’s death for far too long, due to work and the old mindset that he shouldn’t let that get to him.
Seeking help and taking some time for himself was the right thing to do, but the financial issues that he had following a not-so-successful 12th season were still there. That’s why Rick took the tough decision to sell his mother’s house, to afford to buy the equipment and documentation he needed to return to the mining business in late 2023.
In the end, Rick had a positive 14th season, thus his return for the next one was expected, and probably the best way to get back on his feet after struggling for so long.
What Is Rick Doing These Days?
Since his return to “Gold Rush” in 2023, Rick Ness has found again how great gold mining is. As he confessed in a 2024 interview with TV Insider, the 14th season was his way of proving that the mine was the place he ‘belonged’ ,and that motivated him to return with renewed energy and higher expectations for the next one season.
Those high spirits have had positive results in Rick’s operations, as some clips from the 15th season show him happily weighing a considerable amount of gold from his operation.
So what will happen to Rick Ness from now on? Only time will tell of course, but it isn’t far-fetched to think that Rick could be finding his way out of the struggles he has faced recently.
