Chris McCully Bering Sea Gold: The “Spoiled Rich Kid” or a Hard-Working Miner? Reddit Weighs In

By gerrardhayley October 14, 2025 TV Personality 0 Comments

Chris McCully entered Bering Sea Gold in Season 13 (2021), where Discovery introduced him as “the youngest captain making waves on the Bering Sea”. His first major spotlight came in came in Season 13, Episode 13, when he faced Kris Kelly in a mining showdown titled “Kris Kelly and Chris McCully Fight To See Who Can Get The Most Gold.” Each diver had five hours to dredge, with the final tally decided at the sluice boxes. A hose failure nearly ended McCully’s run early, but he scrambled to repair it, got back underwater, and hauled enough gold to silence doubts that he was just another rookie. That first battle captured what would become his on‑screen identity: setbacks, quick fixes, and a determination to stand toe‑to‑toe with Nome’s veteran miners.

Chris McCully bering Sea Gold — **Chris McCully geared up in his drysuit while ice dredging in Nome, Alaska, as seen on Discovery’s *Bering Sea Gold*.**

Since then, McCully has appeared in every subsequent season, steadily becoming a familiar face in Nome’s mining fleet. By Season 16, his role expanded with more screen time, establishing him as one of the most visible—and divisive—personalities on the show. His combination of youth, confidence, and access to resources has continued to spark heated debates among viewers. Now in Season 19, which premiered on August 13, 2025, McCully is back once again, proving his staying power. Alongside Reddit’s passionate chatter, his gold hauls and persona have cemented him as both a lightning rod for criticism and a miner to watch.

Season 17 Reactions: The Chris McCully Debate Deepens

When Chris McCully returned in Season 17, fan reactions on Reddit remained sharply divided. One early viewer confessed:

“Just watched the first episode Season 17… this new guy is enough to make me quit watching. That guy is in AH mode 24/7. Is hard to listen to him talk. Mr. Tough Guy.” – u/diggerquicker on Reddit

Others echoed the sentiment but with nuance:

“He’s pretty annoying, but he knows what’s going on.” – u/Naive-Educator1731

“He’s annoying, but at least he seems competent, unlike half the others featured.” – u/jaxbravesfan

Not all the comments were negative. Some users defended his growth and determination:

“Give young McCully a break… He’s already started to temper his behavior and speech and he’ll turn out fine. And rich.” – u/DimensionFar1560

“He’s driven and wants to be successful.” – u/popo341

One long-time viewer even highlighted how Chris showed both skill and community spirit:

“He shows himself to be a hard worker… His divers seem to respect him… And his reaction to the storm and the fire that destroyed The Nugget showed his sense of community and concern for others.” – u/WaterloggedAndMoldy

Privileged Upbringing Meets Public Backlash

Many Redditors argue that Chris’s rise is rooted in privilege, pointing to his background and family’s stake in mining:

“His dad has given him majority share of the company BG Mining. BG Mining has thousands of inland claims and many off‑shore claims. He is vastly more wealthy than Shawn Pomrenke, Parker Schnabel and Tony Beets combined.” – user comment on Reddit

Others echoed the same concern, focusing on his self‑presentation:

“For me it was his condescending tone and his insistence that he was a ‘self made man’ and ‘a graduate of the school of hard knocks.’ All while he was raised with wealth, has free access to his dad’s rich mining grounds, free access to his dad’s equipment, boats, tools and employees. He did not build anything up himself.” – user comment on Reddit

And the harshest critics don’t mince words:

“Anybody that has all that he has because he got it from Daddy IMO has a tendency to shout above the crowd ‘Lookie what I got and you don’t!’” – user comment on Reddit

Not Just a Rich Kid—He’s Productive

Despite criticism, online records and Reddit alike show McCully isn’t idle. Operating under BG Mining, he’s connected to thousands of inland and offshore claims—some noting he may hold as much as a 50% stake in these through family ties.

His results back up his talk. During the Season 17 ice season, McCully reportedly pulled in 233.5 ounces of gold, valued around $420,000—placing him among the show’s top earners.

And in a later winter mining cleanout shown on the series, McCully’s crew hauled in an impressive 14.1 troy ounces (≈439 grams) of gold in a single cleanout—worth over $32,000 at the time. The narrator emphasized it was “the biggest cleanout by anyone in the fleet so far this winter,” giving McCully momentum heading into the second half of the season. This haul was highlighted in a Discovery Channel clip published on September 26, 2024, titled “Chris’ Biggest Gold Haul of the Season” on YouTube (Discovery, Bering Sea Gold).

Redditors have begrudgingly given him credit:

“Chris McCully is the most wealthy miner of both shows, Gold Rush and Bering Sea Gold. He is 50% owner of thousands of inland claims plus a lot of off‑shore claims. Only Shawn Pomrenke, Vern Adkison, and Chris McCully are claim owners.” – user comment on Reddit

“I like him too. He’s a hard worker. He’s young and brash…” – user comment on Reddit

Annoying or Ambitious? The Persona Debate

Chris’s screen persona fuels debates as much as his gold totals. For many long‑time viewers, he comes off as arrogant:

“In the early episodes, he was a self‑absorbed arrogant dick. He’s calmed down quite a bit but still won’t miss the opportunity to tell how great he is.”

Another echoed the frustration:

“I truly can’t stand that kid and I fast forward past every segment he’s on.”

Still, others defend him as authentic:

“I like him. He’s a hard worker. Have you ever tried diving for hours on end?”
“I like him. He’s another colorful character on the show. His odd way of speaking doesn’t bother me. Yes, he can be annoying sometimes, but he’d be less interesting if he wasn’t.”

Storm Quote Sparks Meme Culture

One of Chris’s most mocked TV moments came when he declared during a storm:

“This is the worst storm I have ever seen in my entire life!”

The post, shared by u/Signal-Pirate-3961 in December 2023, instantly drew sarcasm:

“He’s like 28 years old.” – u/Signal-Pirate-3961
“28 but looks 13.” – u/BuzzyBubble
“I’m still not convinced he isn’t a Frankie Muniz clone.” – u/jackslaker
“Until he takes off his hat! Dude looks like he’s in his 50’s when you see his thin hair & receding 5 head 👴” – u/JJunglist1147

Others piled on with humor:

“But where is he going to get his burgers from now??” – u/SixRavenX

And a few offered reluctant respect:

“Chris does seem like a little douche but he got a little respect from me when he was trying to find anything he could for his neighbor.” – u/IdaBidaGacy
“All things considered he seems like a pretty good-hearted kid to me.” – u/rep-old-timer

This storm‑turned‑meme moment shows how quickly McCully’s words fuel Bering Sea Gold’s meme culture while also providing context for his age, appearance, and how fans perceive him.

Quirks and Accents: Grams, Calculators, and Canadian Vibes

From his debut, Chris’s quirks became a talking point. Fans noticed he consistently weighed gold in grams rather than ounces:

“Chris’ insisting on weighing in grams and no good reason for it other than something about being ‘traditional’, whatever that means, was sooooooooo annoying.” – user comment on Reddit

That habit fueled speculation about his Canadian roots:

“Hi is Canadian.” – user comment on Reddit

And his penchant for using a calculator to convert grams to ounces—despite scales doing it automatically—sparked ongoing ribbing. A separate Reddit thread even joked about him switching units mid-season:

“Just watched the latest episode and come the gold weigh Chris weighed his gold by ounces and not grams hahaha. And no I’m not stupid I know the show was shot a while back. It’s just a funny coincidence.” – u/IdaBidaGacy on Reddit

Others added:

“The math was probably too confusing for his brainwave capacity so he had to simplify it just so he could count it like a normal person.” – u/SixRavenX
“Went from a drug dealer scale to a real scale lol.” – u/Other_Importance915
“I nicknamed him jumbo shrimp.” – u/Certain_Ad5160

A Canadian connection also came up repeatedly:

“I did hear him say ‘Eh’ in the last episode so maybe he’s Canadian. And Mike Rowe definitely said how much in ounces he got so I didn’t really care one way or the other.” – u/bceagle91

The Final Verdict: A Polarizing Figure

Looking across both Reddit discussions and mining records, Chris McCully is undeniably one of Bering Sea Gold’s most polarizing figures.

Critics: “Anybody that has all that he has because he got it from Daddy… spoiled brat.” – user comment on Reddit
Supporters: “I like that he’s a hard worker. He’s young and brash with a lot of bravado… He wants to succeed and he wants to leave a legacy of his work.” – user comment on Reddit

One long‑time viewer struck the middle ground:

“Initial impressions were negative. He was arrogant and a douchbag. He’s definitely dialed it down while more than proving himself. There is just something off about him. I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop.” – user comment on Reddit