Gold Rush Season 14 has been a struggle for a couple of veteran miners. Tony Beets and Parker Schnabel have shelled out big bucks for equipment and claims but don’t have a lot to show for it.

Meanwhile, Rick Ness is getting to the gold. However, he has some other issues that are taking him down.

What is the latest episode entitled “Up In Smoke” about?

What Is Gold Rush Season 14, Episode 5 ‘Up In Smoke’ About?

Gold Rush Season 14 is rapidly approaching the halfway mark. Episode 5 is entitled “Up In Smoke.” What is happening this week? According to Rotten Tomatoes, this episode sounds like more problems for the three gold miners.

Floodwaters halt Tony’s race to get Indian River gold. Rick’s comeback stalls when a water pump goes up in smoke. Parker pressures the crew to open the Unforgiven cut to keep them afloat.

This episode of Gold Rush shows a lot of struggle for the two big miners. What happens if there are floodwaters? Mud. Instead of using their limited time and energy to dig into pay and sluicing, the team is stuck.

A normal winch is not going to pull that big equipment out. How will the Beets team solve this problem?

What about Rick Ness? First, his limited funds mean that he is going to have older, more used equipment. Now, he is dealing with his whole production shutting down due to worn-out parts and breakdowns. Will he get his 1,000-ounce goal?

Lastly, Parker Schnabel is struggling big time. He is trying to mine different cuts for fast profits. He keeps talking about bankruptcy. When all of your money is tied up in that big purchase, he has to produce big numbers and fast.

But is he forgetting what his grandfather John Schnabel taught him in the process? Or is this just bad luck?

Season 14 Gold Totals Abysmal So Far

Gold Rush fans hoped that this season there would be three solid mining teams and that there would be plenty of big weekly gold weigh-ins. However, that has not been the case.

Parker Schnabel has managed a mere 9 ounces, thanks to Chris Doumitt. That is $18,000, hardly enough to compensate for Parker’s big $15 million investment at the beginning of the season.

Rick Ness is already rolling. He has weighed in 65.21 ounces in the first four weeks. That is worth $130,000.

Lastly, Tony Beets and his family have not had a single gold weigh-in this week. Minnie has not been able to balance the books with some gold money coming in.

Fans of the Discovery show are still waiting for Parker and Tony to start to weigh in some big nuggets. Do you think that the two gold mining superstars will get close to their 5,000 and 6,000-ounce goals?

The premiere of Gold Rush Season 14, Episode 5, “Up In Smoke,” is on Friday, October 27, on Discovery.