Bering Sea Gold cast members risk their lives diving down into the frigid ocean floor of the Bering Sea in search of gold. But while their adventures are dangerous, they can also be financially rewarding.
But, how wealthy are the Bering Sea Gold cast members?
Below is a detailed look at the net worth of various stars of the gold mining show.
1. Shawn Pomrenke
- Estimated net worth: $3 million
- Estimated salary: $200,000 per year
Shawn Pomrenke is one of the top Bering Sea Gold cast members. Nicknamed “Mr. Gold” for his large gold finds, he is one of the wealthiest stars of the show, with online reports estimating his net worth to be around $3 million.
A significant portion of his wealth is likely derived from his TV career; he is rumored to be one of the highest-paid stars of the show, reportedly earning around $200,000 per season of Bering Sea Gold.
He has also appeared on other TV shows, including Gold Rush: The Dirt, Bering Sea Gold: Under the Ice, Bering Sea Gold: Back to the Dredge, and Bering Sea Gold: After the Dredge.
Besides TV salary, Bering Sea Gold cast members also earn income from the gold they find on a crew share basis. And, as the owner of the Northwest Gold Diggers, Pomrenke’s share of his crew’s gold finds is likely to be substantial.
2. Brad Kelly
- Estimated net worth: $2 million
- Estimated salary: $65,000 per episode
Brad Kelly, the patriarch of the Kelly clan, is another top star of Bering Sea Gold. He has an estimated net worth of $2 million.
Like all stars of Bering Sea Gold, Brad Kelly gets paid for his appearance on the show. His salary has not been publicly disclosed, but he is rumored to earn around $65,000 per episode.
Additionally, he is the co-owner of the Reaper Mining operations, which he runs with his sons, thus earning a share of the gold discovered by the crew. However, he has sometimes faced backlash from fans for giving his sons unfair shares of gold finds.
3. Kris Kelly
- Estimated net worth: $200,000
- Estimated salary: $15,000 per episode
Kris Kelly, Brad Kelly’s son, and another notable Bering Sea Gold cast member. He has an estimated net worth of around $200,000.
A portion of his wealth comes from TV appearances, having featured in 170 episodes of Bering Sea Gold, where he reportedly earns around $15,000 per episode. He has also appeared on other TV shows, including Bering Sea Gold: Under the Ice and Gold Rush: The Dirt.
In addition to his TV salary, Kris Kelly is also the co-owner of the Kelly family gold mining operation, Reaper Mining. Furthermore, he is very adept at gold mining, having discovered several finds, like a 40-ounce haul worth $80,000.
Besides gold mining, Kelly has also invested in other business ventures; he reportedly owns a pot farming business, which he runs with his family.
4. Emily Riedel
- Estimated net worth: $350,000
- Estimated salary: $10,000 – $15,000 per episode
Emily Riedel is the first female dredge owner on Bering Sea Gold; she is the captain of Eroica, her own gold mining vessel. She has an estimated net worth of $350,000.
Some of Riedel’s wealth stems from her TV appearance, having featured in 153 episodes of Bering Sea Gold.
She has also appeared on other shows like Gold Rush: The Dirt, Josh Gates Tonight, Bering Sea Gold: Under the Ice, Varney & Company, Bering Sea Gold: Back to the Dredge, and Bering Sea Gold: After the Dredge.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Riedel also runs a YouTube channel that documents her (and her crew’s) gold mining adventures. She also owns Bering Sea Paydirt, an online store that sells gold mining equipment and gold products made from her finds.
5. Andy Kelly
- Estimated net worth: $100,000
- Estimated salary: $10,000 – $15,000
Andy Kelly, Brad Kelly’s son and Kris Kelly’s brother, is another member of the Kelly clan on Bering Sea Gold. There is limited information available about his net worth and salary, but some online sources report that he is worth approximately $100,000.
Andy Kelly has appeared in 146 episodes of Bering Sea Gold so far. He has also featured in other TV shows, including Bering Sea Gold: Under the Ice and Gold Rush: Dirt.
Besides appearing on TV, he is also involved in his family’s Reaper Mining operations and pot farming business.
6. Vernon Adkison
- Estimated net worth: $2 million
- Estimated salary: $500,000 per year
Verno Adkison is another of the wealthiest cast members of Bering Sea Gold. He has an estimated net worth of $2 million.
Adkison earns a sizable income for appearing on TV. Although his salary on Bering Sea Gold is not publicly disclosed, he is rumored to be one of the highest-paid stars of the show, earning approximately $65,000 per episode.
Besides TV, he also runs a highly successful mining operation, from which most of his wealth originates. While filming for the show, Adkison has recorded several lucrative gold finds, including an 18-ounce haul worth $36 000 and a 27.6-ounce haul (in 31 hours) worth $95,000.
7. Zeke Tenhoff
- Estimated net worth: $100,000
- Estimated salary: $10,000 – $15,000
Ezekial “Zeke” Tenhoff is an American dredge captain on Bering Sea Gold. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he is worth around $100,000.
Tenhoff has featured heavily in Bering Sea Gold, with 134 episodes to date. He has also appeared in other gold mining shows, including Bering Sea Gold: Under the Ice and Bering Sea Gold: After the Dredge.
Tenhoff also runs his own mining operation, Tenhoff Mining, where he has made some decent gold finds. However, in the past, he has also faced some financial difficulties, which can explain why his estimated net worth is not as substantial.
8. Cody Moen
- Estimated net worth: $250,000
Cody Moen is a gold miner and deck hand who works on the Pomrenke family’s dredge, the Christine Rose. There is scant information on his salary and net worth, but some online sources report that he is worth around $250,000.
Moen is a regular on Bering Sea Gold, appearing in 88 episodes of the TV series. He has also featured in other shows, including Bering Sea Gold: Under the Ice, Bering Sea Gold: After the Dredge, Deadliest Catch, and Deadliest Catch: The Bait.
9. David and George Young
- Estimated net worth: $150,000 – $200,000
- Estimated salary: $10,000 – $25,000 per episode
David and George Young are brothers who mine gold in the Bering Sea. There is scant information available about their net worths, but online sources report that David is worth approximately $200,000, while George Young is worth $150,000.
A significant portion of the brothers’ wealth comes from their appearances on TV, with both of them featured in over 30 episodes of Bering Sea Gold. They also own a gold mining dredge, All About Nuggets, where the two of them lead the gold mining operations.
David Young is also a co-owner of Arctic Gold Mining LLC, a company that owns over 9,000 acres of gold mining leases and 380 patented mining claims in Nome City.
10. Chris McCully
- Estimated net worth: $1 million
Chris McCully is the youngest dredge captain on Bering Sea Gold. Despite this, he is pretty successful, with Distractify estimating his net worth to be around $1 million.
It is not clear how much McCully earns from appearing on Bering Sea Gold. However, much of his wealth stems from gold mining income; in 2024, he found a 213-ounce haul worth around $500,000.
Chris McCully also owns BG Mining, a gold mining company founded by his father, Dave McCully. The company is rumored to own thousands of offshore and inland gold mining claims.