‘Gold Rush’ Parker Schnabel Wants Children, Shares Plans

Gold Rush star Parker Schnabel has been on reality TV since he was a teenager. The show has been on for fifteen years now. The 31-year-old opened up about his plans for marriage and children. Keep reading for all the surprising details.

20:45 16/10/2026

Gold Rush Star Opens Up About Fans’ Assumptions About Him

Gold Rush kicked off Season 16 earlier this month. Parker Schnabel vowed to redeem himself in the new season after ending Season 15 without meeting his mining goals. In a feature for PEOPLE magazine, Parker opened up about one of the biggest downsides to being on a reality TV show.

He revealed that many viewers start to believe that they know who he is, solely based on how he acts on the show. “That used to bother me quite a bit, because I did start so young, and I think that the younger you are, the more you wrap up your identity with your work,” he told the outlet.

The Gold Rush star continued, “There’s also the people who make assumptions or assume they know who I am or how I’m going to act based on watching the TV show.” He said that the people close to him know who he really is, and the rest don’t matter.

Reality TV Makes It ‘Incredibly Difficult’ To Date

The mining season can be unpredictable due to weather changes. It doesn’t leave much time to date. The Gold Rush star calls Haines, Alaska, home but spends months out of the year mining gold in Canada. Parker Schnabel admitted that his job can get in the way of romance, but not just for that reason.

He said that it was hard to explain what exactly he does for a living. “It’s hard to explain that without it sounding like some dystopian insane world. I’m in the woods and you’re living in a f—— bunker washing rocks, looking for little shiny rocks.”

Parker Schnabel Shares Children Plans & Future

Someday, Parker Schnabel does see himself settling down and having kids. But fans may not know much about it. He vowed to keep his private life to himself, something he admittedly hadn’t been good at in the past.

“Just keep my personal life out of the media and the show and from talking about it too much. I think that that’s not a very good thing that I’ve done in the past, and so I’m trying to keep my personal life private,” he shared.

The Gold Rush star previously expressed concern for the future of the mining industry. Furthermore, he knows the reality show won’t last forever. He opened up about where he sees himself in the future.

“I do hope to have a family and a life outside of TV eventually. I do have a life outside of TV, but the show will end completely I think before I have kids, I would suspect,” he said.

So, while Parker Schnabel wants kids someday, it won’t happen until Gold Rush is over.