Gold Rush miner Rick Ness and former fiancée Leese Arie have called it quits again — and this break up appears to be final final. The troubled couple’s potentially permanent split happened just as rumors started swirling that Rick may be returning for Gold Rush Season 14.
Rick and Leese announced their engagement in October of last year. The engagement lasted less than a month before the couple split up amid allegations that Rick cheated on Leese. Again.
Leese made the break up announcement with posts on Tiktok and Instagram. In addition to claiming that Rick cheated on her “countless times,” Leese described the relationship as “2 years of emotional, mental, and physical abuse weekly!!”
Rick shared a lengthy statement on Facebook in December, seemingly accepting all the blame for the couple’s troubles as he attempted to stop his fans from blaming Leese. Here’s an excerpt from Rick’s post:
I screwed up just about everything you could screw up, believe me, and she continued to forgive me and stand with me. From ruining plans, holidays, and even worse stepping out on her, I’ve done the unforgivable, but she has continued to forgive me.
I see alot of people trying to blame her for my problems and that makes it sting even worse because I know the truth and the truth is that I am the problem, not her. She has only tried to help me through my problems and it suck’s to see her get blamed instead. I’m an adult, what I’ve done, I’ve done, I won’t hide it all I can do is try and do better. So why don’t you lay off the innocent one and start throwing some of your misplaced accusations at my doorstep, because that’s where they belong.
A little more than one month after #GoldRush miner Rick Ness and his fiancée Leese Arie broke up amid allegations of Rick cheating, the couple publicly announced they are back together! 🤞 https://t.co/a4pQuFB0zP
— Starcasm (@starcasm) January 14, 2023
On January 1, Rick Ness announced on Facebook that he and Leese were back together. Leese posted a photo with Rick on her Instagram and responded to concerned commenters. “Even tho he definitely doesn’t deserve literally over 100th chance this is the absolute last one I am giving because I can’t be hurt anymore,” Leese wrote.
Rick and Leese posted their last photo together on February 12. “Happy early Valentines Day to everyone from this handsome beast and I!!” Leese captioned the image on Instagram. “We celebrated early last night. An amazing dinner overlooking the London Bridge followed by the most sentimental gift I have ever received.”
Rick Ness and Leese break up for good?
Shortly after the pre-Valentine’s Day post, Rick and Leese split up again. There was no clear break up announcement, but Leese shared numerous posts strongly hinting that she and Rick were done and she was single again.
The early February 12 photo of Rick and Leese was shared on a Rick Ness Facebook fan page, and the comments were apparently very derogatory towards Leese. She posted a screen cap of the Facebook page on Instagram and asked her followers to report it.
Here are some excerpts from Leese’s comments on that post in which she opens up about how the negativity has impacted her — in addition to iterating what Rick himself said about him being the reason for most of their relationship issues:
Not one knows how much of a toll this has taken me on mentally!! I don’t speak of the therapy that I’ve been receiving bcuz thats a part I like to keep personal, but there are plenty of days that I am barely hanging on. If Rick and Discovery would come out with the truth, this harassment, blaming me, and the overall crazy amount of hate would COMPLETELY stop!! But as long as Discovery is making me on “reality” and Rick is continuing his great life bcuz the blame is being directed towards someone else, they are both getting exactly what they want. As I am COMPLETELY INNOCENT on having ANYTHING to do with his poor choices that he’s made to get himself where he’s at rn. I GAVE EVERYTHING I COULD TO SAVE THAT MAN, WHILE I COMPLETELY LOST MYSELF IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING MY HARDEST TO SAVE HIM!!
#GoldRush UPDATE – Rick Ness responds to break up with fiancée Leese after she accused him of cheating on her multiple times. "I know the truth and the truth is that I am the problem, not her," Rick said in part. https://t.co/vQQI8zPLyS
— Starcasm (@starcasm) December 2, 2022
In response to a supportive comment:
Thank you so very much for always being here to support me!! And being a normal human that thinks rationally. It’s these dumb people out here that are beyond stupid and don’t think- hmmmmm, SHE up and left the show one month early, SHE up and left Wisconsin and moved across the country away from him, SHE kicked him out n broke it off, HER looks remained the same, etc.
I am this horrible drug addict, but yet I’ve raised an amazing son that lives w me, attends a very known University, is holding a 3.8 GPA, and job and going for his NP. I was married and with his father for almost 20 years.
And as far as drug use goes I do suffer from severe mental illness due to something extremely traumatic that happened in my childhood and I’ve been on medication since the age of 7. Here in Arizona they are very strict about prescribing one of my medications that I’ve been on daily since for almost 25 years, so they drug test me to be able to get my prescription. I am also the one that really suffers from SAD, exactly why I moved to this state.
And as far as his mom passing over 5 years ago, I DON’T have a mom- NEVER did.
And you’re correct about Discovery, they should definitely be [held] accountable for letting this happen. They enabled it, allllllll for ratings while not giving one sh1t about how its affecting an innocent human!! I have absolutely no respect for them. They know that I am being attacked everywhere and just don’t care.
They still owe me a check, but they can shove it up their a**!! They put it in my account in WI after I closed my bank account there, then my bank issued it back to them and they won’t send it to me until I fill out new information that they already have. They also screwed me on my contract about how much I was going to make. I have absolutely no respect for them!!
…It’s a long process, but my name will be cleared and I will receive the justice that I deserve!! God is my strength🙏
I ABSOLUTELY refuse to stop until I get justice and my name is clear!! How the public talks has Rick and I completely opposite!! I had an amazing life, happy, successful life going for me until him and his “issues” entered mine!! Countless “fans” are going to feel beyond stupid and embarrassed of their harassment towards me that I’ve been taking for over 2 years!! I literally can’t believe how dumb some of these so called fans are that they can’t even put so many obvious things together!! These ppl are soooo “Star Struck Stupid”!!!
In another response, Leese reveals that she has struggled so much she has considered taking her own life:
It was definitely one of the top 3 best decisions that I’ve ever made in my life. I was literally to the point of not even knowing who I was anymore, and contemplating on taking my own life.
Thank you for still following me ❤️ Ik that I’ll lose follows bcuz we are not together anymore, but honestly those people that choose to side with him can stay over there!! The truth will eventually allllll come out, and the people that praise the ground he walks are going to feel beyond stupid. That’s all I can say bcuz I am not saying anything else, and Karma can do her thing. Might sound harsh, but if only the world knew. Sorry, not sorry. Ty again for being supportive ❤️🙏❤️
Leese also claims that Rick cheated on her more than 200 times:
Thank you for the good luck, and you’re absolutely right that ppl make mistakes, but being cheated on over 200, yes- I said two hundred times , admitting taking someone for granted, never taking the relationship seriously, never recognizing holidays/birthdays, etc is NOT A MISTAKE!! Again, thank you for the good luck, but I don’t think it’s “luck” I need. I already did the best by leaving him forever.
Leese has revealed in subsequent Instagram posts that she purchased a new car for herself and has taken a new job in Las Vegas. She didn’t share any details about what that job is.
In one of her most recent Instagram posts, Leese poses for a full-length selfie in a bejeweled gold bikini with the song “Queens Don’t” by RaeLynn playing. Here’s Leese’s caption:
Damn straight bcuz my last relationship literally sucked the life right out of me, and I truly didn’t even know who I was anymore!! I am still on my road of healing, but while traveling this bumpy & winding path I did learn one extremely important thing- I’ll never in my life ever settle again for less then I deserve!! 💯
#GoldRush Rick Ness is engaged! Check out the photo of @GoldrushRick with his "favorite girl" and read his recent updates, including his promise to fans that "WE'LL BE BACK!" #RoadToHappyNess https://t.co/Ic2yclmhlf
— Starcasm (@starcasm) October 28, 2022
Is Rick Ness returning to Gold Rush?
Rick Ness was a no show for Gold Rush Season 13. Crew member and friend Zee paid Rick a visit on camera at his Milwaukee home, and Rick revealed that he was struggling with depression and seasonal affective disorder.
Zee asked whether or not the passing of Rick’s mother in 2018 was still having an impact. Rick admitted that he was still struggling with her death. He revealed to Zee that he owns his mother’s house and “it’s like she never left right now.” He added that he hadn’t been to the house in two years. “I haven’t been able to go up there.”
In a confessional, Rick elaborated more about his state of mind at the time that the scene was filmed:
I am doing better, but it’s, uh — there’s just a lot of things that I don’t understand still, you know, with what I’m — whatever this is I’m going through. It’s, you know, it’s tough. Zee brought up my mother passing, and you know, I don’t like talking about it because he’s not wrong. Or, you know, I have her house and, like, I haven’t been there in two years, and, you know, I probably need to go there, I think, to face it. Maybe that’ll help, maybe it won’t. Once again, that’s the frustrating thing about it, I don’t know what’s causing it. And I think that’s — I don’t know if you ever know. When I’m ready, I will be gold mining again. I just don’t know when that is.
Rick shared a few updates on his Facebook page last year, and he concluded a post on October 7, 2022 by writing: “WE’ll BE BACK.”
Speaking of his Facebook page and Rick Ness coming back to Gold Rush, he cranked up the rumor mill with a Facebook post on February 6. In the post, Rick announces that he is looking for a diesel mechanic. Here’s an excerpt from the job posting:
Must be willing to work in a remote environment and preferably, be already familiar with long hours. Job is seasonal, beginning of April until beginning of October and well if you haven’t guessed by now it is on a mine site in The Yukon Territory of Canada.
The “Gold Rush News” YouTube channel shared a video last week that addressed the Rick Ness returning rumor. The video states there has been no confirmation either way, but adds that “it’s also rumored that Rick Ness will be working under someone else’s license in the Yukon, but that the producers plan to push it off to us as if it was his own claim.”
In conclusion, fans will just have to be patient to find out for sure whether or not Rick Ness will be returning to Gold Rush. As Leese wrote: “The truth will eventually allllll come out.”
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
