The Gold Rush Cast Member You Likely Didn't Know Was On American Ninja Warrior

One might not think "Gold Rush" and "American Ninja Warrior" have much in common, but both involve training and the ultimate pursuit of some grander goal. On "Gold Rush," it is the feeling of finding and extracting the valuable element with the symbol 'Au,' while contestants on "American Ninja Warrior" have to tackle an intimidating obstacle course that pushes those that attempt it to their absolute limits. In that sense, perhaps there is some overlap between the two popular shows.

"Gold Rush" features several different teams of gold miners with varying backgrounds and has spawned several different spin-off shows that tend to hone on one specific team or member. Parker Schnabel has been on "Gold Rush" from the very beginning, and even though he is much younger than members of other teams, he comes from a long line of miners. Freddy Dodge is a seasoned prospector and miner whose spin-off show involves him aiding struggling gold operations. But fans may not have known that a member of the "Gold Rush" cast also appeared on "American Ninja Warrior."

It should come to no surprise that for fans most intimate with knowledge of "Gold Rush," that the cast member who appeared on "American Ninja Warrior" is none other than Fred Lewis. Lewis he spent 14 years as a Green Beret, and has served in Afghanistan and Iraq (via Discovery). Considering his history and his current chosen profession of gold mining, Lewis has stayed in physical shape, and tried out twice for "American Ninja Warrior" around 2018 (via Monsters and Critics).

Speaking with the Tri-City Herald, Lewis said of his "American Ninja Warrior" experience, "This is more stressful than anything I have done in combat. It's the hardest thing I have ever done in my life." This kind of observation from Lewis makes sense with how utterly grueling the "American Ninja Warrior" course can be. Judging by his comments, it seems that combat zones are less daunting than a salmon ladder, or swinging above a pool full of water, or even the section known as "vertical limit," which is a one centimeter ledge that stresses the arms and fingers and must be completed (via Ninja Warrior Info). Gold mining might seem like a walk in the park when compared to active-duty military service or pushing one's body to its breaking point on "American Ninja Warrior."