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‘Gold Rush’ star cousin Mike rescues Tony Beets from disaster

'Gold Rush' star cousin Mike handles euqipments like a pro

'Gold Rush' star Michael Beets aka Cousin Mike, the second youngest member, is the most talented of Tony Beets' crew. He is a heavy equipment specialist and repairs any machine like a pro. He oversees a large team of truck operators and drives a dozer. Mike is also in charge of moving anything that needs to be shifted into the mine. He has faced several challenges, including the conveyor smashing into the hopper feeder and broken steel plates that divert water before it can wash gold from the dirt.

However, he overcame the hurdles and had operations up and running in just a few hours. Mike has been with Beets' crew for years, consistently saving both operations and blunders. He’s the reason Beets didn’t have to wait as long after a machine failure, unlike other gold miners. Mike is quick to take action and decisions which has contributed to Beets' mining target for years.

In the recent episode, Mike recognized the trouble by just the noise of the D10 dozer and stopped the operations just before it could lead to the disaster. He found out that a large rock had smashed the impact plate and he replaced it in just two hours leaving Tony highly impressed. Mike was the only reason Tony managed to mine 146.10 ounces, worth more than $365,000, despite machine failure.

Is 'Gold Rush' star Cousin Mike married?

'Gold Rush' star cousin Mike is not married but is in a long-term relationship with Ruby Mahoney. The Discovery show viewers have already been introduced to Ruby, as she has made an appearance on multiple episodes. She also works for Tony Beets.

Ruby often shares romance and work updates on her social media. She recently shared a selfie with Mike and wrote, "We don’t leave camp often during work season- but when we do, it’s for something really awesome! Like Metallica!!!"

'Gold Rush' star Tony Beets' son faces failure

While 'Gold Rush' star Tony Beets and his crew are thriving in Indiana River, his son, Kevin Beets has been struggling to mine. Kevin wanted to start his mining operation without his father and had drained all his life savings. He asked Tony for a loan of land and equipment, hoping to pay him back by the end of the week.

Unfortunately, the machine repeatedly broke down with issues like broken bolts and oil leaks, bringing operations to a halt for a week. However, Kevin faced another disappointment when his father rejected him from providing any other aid. After the machine failure, Kevin went to Tony asking for a spare dozer. However, his father responded, "There is no more freebies. We all got to learn to be our own boss."

'Gold Rush' Season 15 airs on Fridays at 8 pm ET on Discovery Channel. Stream the adventurous episode the next day on Discovery Plus.