Rick Ness, a gold miner and businessman who has worked with Discovery Channel for ten years, has been absent from some episodes of Gold Rush. In Season 13, Episode 2, fans find out what happened to Rick after one of his crew decides to visit him at his home. Rick Ness revealed to Zee that he suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and that he "crashed hard" after returning home from the last mining season and hasnt felt the willpower to get up and get back out there. Rick Ness also lost his mother, which is another factor impacting him. In a recent interview, Rick Ness revealed that he had a tough year and decided to take a year off from work, largely disappearing from Gold Rushs 13th season to spend a "lot of time" on his own and come to terms with his personal life. However, Rick Ness is back in the Gold Rush for Season 14, and he hopes to turn his luck around.