Gold Rush's Freddy Dodge Stepped Into A Fundraising Controversy

On Discovery's "Gold Rush," a few guarantees are attached to the popular reality TV series. For one, seasons of the series have consistently given viewers a realistic look at the modern ways of gold mining, which include massive digging equipment that looks more like a construction site's setting. Secondly, as is the mark of just about any captivating reality TV show, "Gold Rush" has its share of controversy. The show has historically been involved in some type of drama, whether onscreen or offscreen. "Gold Rush" has featured fights between cast members, bears killed on digging sites, and even Fred Hurt once brandishing a knife at Parker Schnabel over a bridge dispute.

We'd think that, at this point, the only member of the show not linked to any type of trouble is Freddy Dodge. The expert gold miner has remained relatively quiet on the controversy front since making his debut in Season 1. In addition, his unique spin-off, "Gold Rush: Freddy Dodge's Mine Rescue," suggests that the miner is all about helping as he and Juan Ibarra attempt to breathe new life into struggling miners. Unfortunately, his attachment to a special prize for a Colorado-area high school seemed to drag him into a fundraising controversy.

For the ultimate "Gold Rush" fan, some actual mined gold and a lunch with Freddy Dodge probably sound like the top prizes. And that may have been the thought in including them as auction items for a Colorado school fundraiser. Poudre High School was initially planning to offer two-half ounces of gold mined by Dodge as well as lunch with him as part of the fundraiser for their school's Future Farmers of America. The gold even had a bit of a personal touch, as it was apparently mined from the area. However, the school ultimately decided against it.

Apparently, Poudre High School disagreed with a local auctioneer on how to pay for the gold and, as a result, pulled the prize days before their auction was set to take place. Such a controversial move could have severely hindered the school's fundraising efforts. But as it turns out, without Dodge's gold, the school still managed to break their previous year's fundraising efforts by netting over $50,000. What ultimately became of the gold is unknown, but at least the school reached its goal. 

So technically, Dodge wasn't directly involved in this gold fundraiser fiasco. But it is a bummer that a prize related to him nose-tailed into a mess, especially given Dodge's helpful persona on "Gold Rush: Freddy Dodge's Mine Rescue." Dodge clearly takes his task of helping others seriously, and the prize would have made a nice touch.