The Real Reason Gold Rush's Brennan Ruault Left Parker Schnabel's Crew

Now into its 12th season, the gold-digging reality series "Gold Rush" continues to be one of Discovery's most consistently intriguing shows. If you're not familiar with the series, "Gold Rush" follows a handful of mining crews as they search the wilds of Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and beyond in search of a little gold-tinged pay dirt. Among the longest-tenured crew leaders in the "Gold Rush" landscape is fan-favorite claim boss Parker Schnabel, whose record-breaking mining outfit has become one of the most profitable in the series' history.

For the past several years, Brennan Ruault has been one of the key players on Schnabel's mining team and has done as much as anyone in helping the big boss bring in some seriously impressive gold hauls. Of course, when Season 12 of "Gold Rush" finally made its way to the airwaves in September 2021, longtime fans were left stunned at the news that Ruault had not only decided to leave Parker Schnabel's crew but had gone to work for rival Rick Ness. Here's why Brennan Ruault decided it was time to part ways with Schnabel and his crew.

Most "Gold Rush" fans would tell you that as lucrative as Brennan Ruault's tenure with Parker Schabel's crew was, the pair were well known for butting heads throughout. In Season 11, their bouts were more heated and frequent than ever. As covered by Distractify in October 2021, Ruault confirmed in a Season 12 episode that his contentious relationship with Schabel was why he left. He reportedly did so as the show ran a clip reel of the pair's more infamous blowups, stating, "I was like, well, I don't think it's going to go any farther for me."

Ruault would go on to say of his Season 11 experience with Schnabel, "Last year, it was pretty brutal, and Parker and I seemed to not see eye-to-eye anymore. It's very draining and stressful when you're angry half the time. Like, that's no way to work, you know?" As for his move to Rick Ness' crew, Ruault went into his new gig hopeful of smoother sailing. He offered in the Season 12 premiere, "This year, I just want to run some big gear, move some dirt, and, you know, go back to having a nice fun summer like it used to be, and kill it and hopefully find a s*** ton of gold."

Despite a few glaring issues, the miner's first year on Ness' crew has indeed seen less conflict. While that may not be quite as exciting for viewers, Ruault is clearly still feeling good about the move.