The Gold Rush Fight That Actually Ended In Apologies And A Change Of Attitude

Since joining the cast of "Gold Rush" back in 2019, Fred Lewis and his crew have earned a reputation as one of the least popular groups in series history. Fans online are not shy in expressing their hatred of Lewis and his cohorts, criticizing them frequently for their habitually poor gold turnout and frequent mistakes.

Recently, the crew itself faced some heavy backlash online for their treatment of their neighbors and fellow miners Brandon and Brady Clayton, lending them what appeared to be a piece of broken equipment and later laughing at the brothers' mining struggles behind their backs. More often than not, though, the online vitriol directed at Lewis is primarily targeted at his poor leadership skills. Many fans simply believe his style of management has led to poor production and sloppy work from his crew. That said, there has been one memorable incident in which Lewis' leadership actually helped settle a pretty vicious argument between two of his workers, bringing about not only apologies, but a true change of attitude.

During a particularly tense episode in Season 11, foreman Kendall Madden and crew member Johnny Stanz got into a massive argument concerning Stanz's frequent mistakes on the site. Specifically, the argument arose while Stanz was trying to fix two different pieces of equipment at the same time: a broken hose and a hole in the dam's filter.

Madden blew up at Stanz, accusing him of making frequent mistakes and forcing the rest of the crew to clean up after him. Madden even went as far as to say that his lack of experience is why Stanz has been relegated to the role of "waterboy." Things got uglier when Stanz shot back and told Madden, "Fix the hose you f****** idiot," leading Madden to shout at him about how useless he's been on the mine. Eventually, Fred Lewis himself brought the crew together to work through their grievances, and explained to Madden that his condescending demeanor was not appreciated by the newer workers, including Stanz.

Madden agreed to be less hot-headed when people make mistakes in the future, and the entire ordeal ended on a surprisingly positive note, with both men deciding to work toward a more productive work environment as time went on. Although Fred Lewis receives plenty of criticism for his style of management, this incident shows that he's more than capable of easing the tensions among his crew.