The Worst Gold Rush: Parker's Trail Episode According To IMDb
Fans of Discovery's "Gold Rush" were in for a treat when the channel announced the spinoff, "Gold Rush: Parker's Trail." The spinoff stars Parker Schnabel, a fan-favorite who's been in the original series since it premiered in 2010 when he was only 16 years old. At first, Parker only appears in a few episodes, but over the seasons he steps more into the limelight, as his grandfather, John Schnabel, retires from the family's gold mining business, giving it to Parker. Now, Parker is one of the most successful miners to come from "Gold Rush," and as a result, he earned his own show on Discovery.
"Parker's Trail" sees Parker and his own crew of miners venture around the world. In Season 1, Parker and three friends pay tribute to mining pioneers like his grandfather by hiking the mountainous Klondike Trail, the real site of an 1896 gold rush (via History). Then in Season 2, Parker gets back to mining when he travels to Guyana, South America in search of gold. In Season 3, Parker and his mining crew journey to Papua New Guinea, while Season 4 sees the crew head down under in Australia.
All in all, "Parker's Trail" seems to be generally well-liked among "Gold Rush" fans. The show's average rating on IMDb is 6.8 out 10 stars, just slightly less than its mothership series, which boasts a rating of 7.3 stars. However, not every episode was received equally, and this is the least-liked episode on IMDb.
The worst episode of Parker's Trail is a series recap
Out of the 31 episodes of "Gold Rush: Parker's Trail" out so far, there's one particular episode that wasn't as well-received as the rest. The Season 3, Episode 10 episode titled "Expedition Gold" is the lowest-rated episode on IMDb, with a rating of 6.7 out of 10 stars. In comparison, most of the other episodes are rated 7 stars or above.
"Expedition Gold" serves as more of a series retrospective rather than an actual episode. In fact, the entire episode is made of clips from the previous three seasons. In particular, the clips reveal the most dangerous moments from Parker's journey around the world in search of gold. He battles against the blistering cold in the Klondike, as well as insects, reptiles, and apex predators in South America and New Guinea.
Since the episode is basically a recap of past moments from the series, it's not too much of a surprised that it's rated the lowest. But as a highlight reel of the best, most exciting moments, there's also reason to think that fans would appreciate the episode's structure. Despite that, it is the lowest-rated on IMDb, and the worst episode of "Gold Rush" based on IMDb ratings is also a clip compilation episode.