Gold Rush fans appear to be concerned and confused as to where long-standing cast member and miner Rick Ness is in 2022. They want to know what happened to Rick Ness on Gold Rush this season but he’s confirmed that he will “be back.”
Rick also urged his fans not to “worry,” and he’s recently posted some good news on his Facebook page as he got engaged to his girlfriend. He and Leese Marie shared their engagement photo on Facebook in October.
Rick, along with Parker Schnabel, Tony Beets, and co are all familiar faces on the show. It’s no wonder that fans have noticed Rick’s absence during season 13. So, let’s find out more about what happened to him.
Season 3 saw Rick join Gold Rush
Rick Ness is multi-talented. Before venturing into the gold mining world, he was a football player and he later learned to play the upright bass.
Per his Discovery bio: “He formed a band called the .357 Stringband, released 3 albums, and toured the world.”
Rick joined Gold Rush in season 3 which aired in 2012. He was hired by Parker and then went on to have his own mining crew.
Rick’s mother passed away
In 2018, Rick experienced the loss of his mother passing away from cancer.
She was 55 years old and he said that she passed away peacefully at her home.
In March 2019, he took to Facebook on the one-year anniversary of his mother’s death, writing:
“On the 1 year anniversary of my mother’s death, my best friends all banded together, cooked me an amazing meal and without saying anything at all, reminded me that I have so much support and so much love in this life. I held my tears back until now but I am so blessed. I’m ok Mom, don’t worry about me.”
In January 2020, Rick also lost his grandmother. He wrote on Facebook that she was almost 95 years old: “…For my entire life she always referred to me and my twin brother as “The two best boys in town”…”
He explains his absence from Gold Rush
When it comes to what happened to Rick Ness from Gold Rush this season, there are multiple things that have led to his absence from the show.
The Discovery star took to Facebook to share some of the things he’s been going through.
He wrote on Facebook on October 8:
“This year has been a tough one for me. I want to start off by admitting that, as someone who had never dealt with mental health issues, I was uneducated about it and often even viewed it as over-exaggerated.”
“After the death of my mother, I put that whole experience in a little box and shoved it way, way down so that I could deal with it at a time when I was better prepared and had more time. I learned that there is never a better time, and it will come screaming back at you when you least expect it if you try and ignore it. That coupled with the stress of every day life is very real.
“Admitting that was very hard for me, but I am now working on how to understand and cope with my mental health and I encourage anyone who is struggling to do the same. Please know, you are not alone. Thank you all for checking in and don’t worry. WE’ll BE BACK.”
In a clip from Gold Rush in 2022, Rick said that he’s been told he suffered from SAD (Season Affective Disorder) and depression. But he added: “It’s tough for me to accept because I didn’t grow up like that.”
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In the US, contact Cancer Care at 800‑813‑HOPE (4673) or visit this link, [email protected]. You can also call the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-234 or visit their website (Find Support Programs and Services in Your Area)
In the UK you can call Breast Cancer Now free on 0808 800 6000 or visit Cancer Research UK (Resources and support | Breast cancer | Cancer Research UK), or Macmillan Cancer Support (Breast cancer).
If you are affected by any issues raised in the article or would like someone to speak to, please call the Samaritans for free on 116 123. You can also email them at [email protected] or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch in the UK. In the US, please visit Samaritans USA for more information
