In the latest episode of Gold Rush, Kevin Beets, the eldest son of mining veteran Tony Beets, faces significant challenges at Scribner Creek.
Despite being nine weeks into the season, Kevin has yet to mine any gold, primarily due to equipment failures and delays.
Kevin is aiming to establish his independence within the Beets family dynasty with his mining operation.
Despite his talent in mining, his faulty equipment has led to tension with his father, Tony.
Viewers have praised Kevin for his attempt to make his own way in the mining business, but his operation is inherently tied to his family.
His D10 dozer has been out of commission for a month after a transmission failure, forcing his foreman, Brennan Ruault, to rely on smaller machinery to break through frozen pay dirt, which has been a slow and frustrating process.
Tony Beets loans Kevin the D11 dozer
Recognizing the dire situation with Kevin’s mining operation, Tony and his wife, Minnie, visit his site.
Understanding that Kevin owes them a 10 percent royalty from the leased land and is behind on payments, Tony offers a solution. He loans Kevin his $4 million D11 dozer to expedite progress and arranges for the repair of Kevin’s D10.
This support significantly boosts morale and accelerates operations at Scribner Creek. Kevin seemed grateful and thanked his parents for the offer.
Tony joked about spiking the equipment so that the 10 percent becomes 15, but Minnie shut him down, adding that she won’t do that to her children.
Tony Beets continues to rake in serious gold in his operations
Meanwhile, at Indian River, Tony Beets is ahead of schedule. His younger son, Mike, has initiated operations at Paradise Hill, running the Trommel, while his nephew, also named Cousin Mike, manages to sluice with the Shaker Deck and Sluice-A-Lot wash plants.
Tony aims to collect 369 ounces of gold this week to reach the halfway mark of his 2,500-ounce season goal.
However, challenges arise when newcomer Jacob Moore encounters issues with the Shaker Deck’s conveyor belt. The hydraulic pump responsible for lifting grizzly bars, which prevent large rocks from entering the wash plant, fails, causing a shutdown.
In a bid to keep operations running, Mike improvises by manually lifting the grizzly and using an excavator to feed pay dirt directly—a decision that backfires when the conveyor belt tears, leading to further delays.
At Paradise Hill, Mike faces his own set of problems as water and gold-rich pay dirt spill out of the prewash due to a detached rubber mat caused by a broken bolt. The crew swiftly repairs the issue, allowing operations to resume.
During the gold weigh-in, the Beets family sees mixed results. The Shaker Deck, having operated for only half a day, produces 20.15 ounces worth over $50,000. The Trommel at Paradise Hill yields a more substantial 233.90 ounces valued at $580,000, and Sluice-A-Lot at Indian River contributes 203.20 ounces worth $500,000.
This brings their season total to 2,588 ounces, surpassing the halfway point of their goal in just ten weeks.
Gold Rush Season 15 airs Fridays at 8/7c on Discovery Channel.