GOLD RUSH Tony Beets throwback pics, including beardless wedding photo

Tonight is the return of cable television's highest rated reality series as Discovery's Gold Rush Season 6 kicks off with a two-hour premiere episode. In honor of the big event we thought we would pay tribute with a collection of throwback photos of the small screen's most foul-mouthed uber-bearded Dutch Viking, Tony Beets!

These wonderful retro Beets pics come courtesy of Tony's daughter (and co-star), Monica Beets. Above is Tony and his wife Minnie on their wedding day — one of the only photos in existence (that we know of) featuring Tony Beets without a beard.

Here's a photo of Tony Beets almost without a beard:

"He usually only cuts his beard once a year. To this length," Monica commented on the photo. "His beard has an epic growth rate." Yes it does! Check out this photo of young Monica (I'm guessing) with her ZZ Top pop in which Tony's fast-growing beard is somehow on fleeker than usual:

And for those wanting more Tony Beets than just a few old photos, here is a great clip put together by Discovery with five things you may not know about him:

1. TONY BEETS LOVES MILK. It's beyond me where he puts it," Minnie says of her hairy dairy fairy, "but he sometimes goes through a gallon a day." Monica chimes in with what could have easily been the number one entry on this list by revealing, "My dad was a dairy farmer, so it makes sense he drinks so much milk." Tony Beets was a dairy farmer?! That's udderly shocking!

When Tony is asked if he drinks a lot of milk he answers with his usual blunt candor: "Yeah. It's better than a lot of booze."

Click to enlarge:

2. TONY BEETS HAS THREE TATTOOS. Tony has a little heart with my name in it," Minnie says. "Then he has a gold panner, which is just awful. It's not a nice tattoo at all. And he has a little scroll with the kids' names on it, and I do like that one."

3. TONY BEETS DRIVES FAST. "When Tony's driving, you're going 90 down a dirt road with twists and turns," his son Kevin Beets says in the clip. "He's just driven them so often and so long, he knows where the turns are, where he can slide, and all that."

4. TONY BEETS' FAVORITE FOOD IS…SUGAR?! "He also likes buttermilk," Minnie says, then adds, "with sugar." Tony adds sugar to his fried eggs, and for a pick me up, Tony likes to add a splash of coffee to his morning cup of sugar.

5. TONY BEETS SECRETLY LOVES HUGS No explanation needed.

Be sure to check out Tony and the rest of the Beets (including the newest additions to their family, dredge number one and…dredge number two?!) by tuning in to the Gold Rush Season 6 premiere tonight at 9/8c on Discovery! If you don't watch, Tony Beets will BLEEEEP your BLEEEEPIN BLEEP BLEEP!

* Curious to know what Todd Hoffman without a beard looks like? Click here to find out!

Source: GOLD RUSH Tony Beets throwback pics, including beardless wedding photo