Former Gold Rush Executive Producer Christo Doyle Chose His Absolute Mining Dream Team
Over its 12-season run, Discovery's "Gold Rush" has seen a lot of miners come and go from its auspicious environs. After several shifts of fate which separated partners and closed companies, the show currently focuses on four different mining companies — respectively owned by Parker Schnabel, Tony Beets, Fred Lewis, and the Clayton Brothers. Each miner has a team of workers they rely on to sift up the highest amount of cash from the dust, dirt, and rushing water on their land — and these folks' popularity with audiences have resulted in eight different spin-offs featuring different team members embarking upon new business opportunities and panning for precious metals and gold in entirely new locales.
Christo Doyle produced "Gold Rush" from the advent of its second season all the way through its seventh. He also puts in work on "Gold Rush: The Dirt," its pre- and then after-show program, as its co-producer and host. According to his Twitter, as of press time, he just wrapped work on the latter show's ninth season. Understandably, he knows his way around a mine. When asked to put his dream mining team together, he's definitely got some strong opinions about who he'd hire to work for him.
Freddy Dodge is Christo Doyle's top pick
According to a 2014 interview with Christo Doyle published in Channel Guide Magazine, his seven-member team would be well rounded, each having a specialty — and include himself as the mine boss. " I don't want anyone else calling the shots but me," he said — then admitting that most of the miners he works with on the show don't think he could hack it as a mine boss. But Doyle insisted that he has the chops needed to get his nails dirty and run a mine. "I've done blue-collar work before, while I'm stuck in an office right now part of me would like to be doing what they're doing."
Doyle's first pick would be Freddy Dodge, who possesses the expertise he wants on his team. "There's nothing he doesn't know about gold. Have to have the gold guru Freddy Dodge." His next choice would be Dave Turin, who knows all there is to know about efficiently moving dirt. He would also select Andy Spinks for his dedication to the craft, Gene Cheeseman as his secret weapon selection, Mitch Blaschke as his mechanic, and Tony Beets for his no-nonsense ways, as Doyle says "I just get right to the point, I don't have time for games."
Whether fans agree or disagree with Doyle's picks, it's hard to ignore one fact: his choices would make for a pretty entertaining set-up.