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‘Gold Rush’ Season 8 Spoilers: Will Parker Schnabel Leave For New Reality Show?

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 03:33 PST, Mar 10, 2017

As the Gold Rush season comes to an end, the Season 8 spoilers could be tough for fans of Parker Schnabel.

Friday’s season finale brought a measure of uncertainty for Parker’s future, with a new reality show in the works and few details spilling out about when Gold Rush might return for Season 8.

Parker’s journey will take him on the famous Klondike Gold Rush trail, according to a press release snipped by People magazine.

“Between 1896 and 1899, more than 100,000 brave souls set out on a perilous journey into the frozen North on the legendary Klondike Gold Rush trail. Most never made it to the end. Killed or scared off by bears, treacherous terrain, raging torrents and temperatures below -40 degrees, only one in three completed the journey. Now Parker Schnabel of Discovery GOLD RUSH fame, will attempt to make this same journey and document it in Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail.“

The bad news for Gold Rush fans is that the Season 8 spoilers remain unclear. The network has yet to announce details for the show’s return, leading to rumors that Parker Schnabel could possibly leave the show for his own ventures.

There have actually been rumors dating back several weeks that Parker Schnabel might not be included in Gold Rush Season 8. Viewers this season were introduced to his new girlfriend, an Australian named Ashley Yule. As Parker said in an interview with Channel Guide magazine, the two hit it off instantly.

“Ashley and I met in Australia. We hit it off pretty well so I invited her over to spend some time in North America. Neither one of us knew what to expect but we had a lot of fun — she’s super easygoing, which is what you need out at a place like that. Ashley just rolls with the punches and helps out where she’s needed. If we need her to drive trucks she’ll drive trucks. She ended up cleaning gold a lot of the summer or helping do fuel things or whatever we needed her around the place. She stayed busy and tried to stay out of my way when I’m in rage mode. Yeah, it was fun. It was a good summer. I’m really glad Ashley was there for it.”

But it was that relationship that might end up taking Parker Schnabel away from Gold Rush; at least temporarily. In a Facebook Live chat with fans, Parker hinted that he was considering taking a gold expedition to Australia and New Zealand.

“You know, I wanted to get out to the gold fields in Australia,” Parker said of his visit there (via Starcasm). “I didn’t know anybody over there, so I didn’t end up going out and looking at any ground. But, I definitely would have liked to have gone to look at some operations and stuff. I’m always interested to see what people do in other countries. Last winter I spent in New Zealand and went to a bunch of gold mines there, and that was a ton of fun — a really good experience.”

This revelation led to potential Gold Rush Season 8 spoilers that Parker Schnabel might be gone, leaving the rigors of Alaska for the chance to make a fortune down under.

It would seem unlikely that Gold Rush would move Parker Schnabel off the show permanently. His family has become a mainstay and a favorite among fans, with viewers watching as patriarch John Schnabel handed the family’s mining operation over to the teenage Parker and then sharing in the family’s pain when John later died.

There is more good news for fans of Parker Schnabel. While the Gold Rush Season 8 rumors hint that he may be off the show, there appears to be no real basis for these reports aside from the speculation from fans.

While the Gold Rush Season 8 spoilers remain unresolved, those who want to see Parker Schnabel in his new series won’t have long to wait. Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail will debut on Friday, March 31 at 9 p.m. ET on the Discovery Channel.

[Featured Image by David Becker/Getty Images]

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