Gold Rush Confirms Return Of Fan Favorite Miner In Season 14 Announcement Trailer

The Discovery debut of "Gold Rush" Season 14 is right around the corner, and fans are eager to find out what kinds of drama, struggles, and scores this set of episodes will feature. Sadly, the season's announcement trailer doesn't have a lot to offer in this regard. It instead puts the focus on series staples Parker Schnabel and Tony Beets, who walk through a dig site wearing snazzy suits before taking their coats off, rolling up their sleeves, and getting to work. The cologne commercial-like atmosphere stands in stark contrast to the dirty, stressful nature of their work on "Gold Rush," but the presentation isn't what has fans buzzing.

After the "Gold Rush" logo appears, another set of dress shoes walks onto the site. As the camera closes in on this individual's face, it's revealed to be none other than Rick Ness, who has become a standout on the program since his debut during Season 9. The experienced miner puts one of his signature hats on and looks in the direction of his fellow "Gold Rush" stars before the screen cuts to black. Thus, it's fair to say that Ness is indeed back in action this season in some form after not doing any mining during Season 13.

While this is some exciting news for "Gold Rush" fans, the most dedicated among them likely aren't too surprised that Ness is back in the saddle.

Since his introduction on the program, Rick Ness has become one of the faces of "Gold Rush." Therefore, given his prominence, the fact that he doesn't feature heavily in Season 13 is a bit jarring, to say the least. However, he gives a pretty good reason for why he elected to take a season off. He shares early in Season 13 that he has seasonal affective disorder — also known as seasonal depression — so instead of doing some mining on the program, he chooses to take a step back and focus on his mental health. 

With that, Ness' Season 14 status came into question, but evidently, his mental health improved significantly, allowing him to get back to what he does best. Come May, Ness made a Facebook post regarding open job positions in his mining operation, giving fans hope that his comeback was imminent. "There's a big mystery going on about whether or not I am mining this year. I'd love to confirm or deny this, but I don't want to spoil the surprise," he wrote, hinting that he may pop up during Season 14 after all. We now know that his return was in the cards all along.

The Rick Ness-featuring "Gold Rush" Season 14 will premiere on September 29.