Freddy Dodge & Juan Ibarra Gold-Saving Mission in Season 2

Gold Rush: Mine Rescue is a Discovery Channel reality series where two of the most respected names in the mining world—veteran prospector Freddy Dodge and master mechanic Juan Ibarra—set out to rescue struggling gold miners across North America. With Freddy’s sharp eye for gold recovery and Juan’s unmatched ability to repair and reengineer anything on a claim, this duo doesn’t just fix broken equipment—they restore broken dreams.

Season 2 turned up the stakes. From high-altitude Alaskan claims to deep-woods operations in Oregon and Montana, Freddy and Juan were met with busted wash plants, jammed feeders, worn-down crews, and families hanging on by a thread. What followed were heartfelt transformations powered by practical fixes and deep compassion. With every stop, they brought more than tools—they brought hope, experience, and a blueprint for turning chaos into clean gold.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of their most inspiring rescues and the game-changing upgrades that defined Season 2.

Tyler Beers’ Struggling 1-Acre Mine in Sumpter, Oregon

Freddy Dodge and Juan Ibarra ventured 900 feet above the historic town of Sumpter, Oregon, to assist 38-year-old Tyler Beers, who had been trying to turn his 1-acre mine into a profitable venture. A full-time concrete finisher, Tyler mined during the late spring, but unpredictable snowmelt made the mining season extremely short. With only a limited water supply and an outdated 1929 trommel, Tyler had only managed to extract under 12 ounces of gold in the previous year—barely enough to pay for diesel and equipment rental.

Freddy and Juan conducted a full inspection of the site and quickly diagnosed several critical issues: the spray bars were incorrectly angled, preventing proper washing of the material; the trommel was sending up to 20% of pay dirt off the sluice without adequate processing; and the clean and dirty water were mixing, contaminating recovery efforts. Tyler’s father Kevin, who had introduced him to the mine years ago, was still involved and hopeful for its success.

To improve the operation, Freddy and Juan re-angled the spray bars by 45°, added a secondary sluice mat for better fine gold capture, and explored the historic bedrock, discovering areas likely untouched by 19th-century miners. They determined the site was last mined around the 1860s, based on a 140-year-old tree found growing in the center cut. This breakthrough, along with mechanical adjustments, paid off: Tyler’s test run yielded 0.77 ounces of gold in just four hours—a staggering 600% improvement. Projected over a full season, Tyler could now extract over $65,000 worth of gold, enough to pay back investors and support his family.

Freddy and Juan immediately identified that his wash plant’s centrifugal bowl was ejecting gold and his vibrating feeder wasn’t pulling its weight. By adding a counterweight for more effective vibration and ensuring a full feed belt, they tripled his material throughput. Blisters from manually hammering stuck feed became a thing of the past. Tyler’s wife, Stephanie, also overcame her nervousness and learned to operate the excavator—transforming the family’s productivity. Their first test yielded 0.21 oz of gold, up from 0.06 oz—a 250% gain.

Veteran Miner Mike’s Operation in Nevada

In Nevada, Freddy and Juan paid a visit to Mike, a long-time miner running a highly customized plant built from repurposed machinery—including an old asphalt dryer and oil barrels. While Mike’s system was efficient at capturing large nuggets, Freddy discovered it was severely underperforming when it came to fine gold. A tailings pan revealed nine pieces of gold, indicating significant loss due to clogged riffles and an outdated sluice design.

To combat this, Juan built a custom 22-inch-wide fine gold sluice box with a tapered entry, designed to widen out and catch more gold. He added structural ribs to prevent warping during operation and reinforced the entire sluice setup for durability. A new spray bar system was also installed to maximize washing efficiency. After replacing the older chute and optimizing the water flow, Mike’s second 4-hour run brought in 2.2 ounces of gold—a 37% improvement. Projected over 100 days, Mike’s operation could now yield over 440 ounces, equating to more than $750,000. The improvements were enough to secure the future of his mine and support the three families that relied on its income.

The True Mine: One-Man Operation by Terry Lynn

Terry Lynn was running a solo mining effort at his claim, known as the True Mine. Having spent nearly all his savings to launch the operation, Terry faced several major challenges. His pay dirt was too wet due to poor storage under the grizzly bars, the hopper feeder continuously jammed, and his centrifugal bowl—a system designed to extract fine gold—was barely effective. In a 3-hour test run, Terry managed only 0.06 ounces of gold, worth roughly $100.

Freddy and Juan stepped in with a comprehensive plan. They:

• Created windrows to dry the pay dirt using sun and wind.
• Installed two industrial-grade vibrators—one horizontal, one vertical—on the hopper to ensure consistent material flow.
• Eliminated the inefficient centrifugal bowl and redirected all fine material into a newly designed sluice box optimized for micro gold.
• Encouraged and trained Terry’s wife, Stephanie, to run the excavator, effectively turning the solo venture into a two-person operation.

The results were dramatic. The revamped process increased uptime, eliminated mercury use, and drastically improved recovery. In the second test, they retrieved 0.71 ounces of clean gold in four hours—a 15% boost in weight and significantly higher purity. If the improvements held, Terry could run 80 yards of pay per day, earn up to $1,200 daily, and finally achieve his season goal of 40 ounces. More importantly, he gained confidence and partnership support from his wife, transforming the venture into a family-driven operation with a viable future.

The Weights’ Montana Gamble

Bryce and Heidi Weight had sunk their life savings—over $250,000—into a placer mine in Montana’s historic Finn District. Their 40-acre site, inherited from gold rush-era claims, held promise but was delivering only 3.5 ounces of gold per year. Their all-in-one $40,000 wash plant, purchased online and modified by Bryce, was losing coarse gold due to uneven flow and poorly spaced hydraulic riffles. Freddy and Juan added a custom-built vibrating motor to the hopper, installed a rubber seal to stop spillage, and replaced the top section of riffles for better capture of nuggets. After 4 hours of operation, they recovered 0.62 oz—triple their previous rate. Notably, 0.27 oz came from a single nugget, underscoring how critical equipment tuning was to success.

The Adams Family Homestead Dream

In the remote Lewis Mountains of British Columbia, the Adams family—spanning three generations—sought to build a homestead funded by mining. With just 12 weeks in the season, they needed 15 oz per week to reach their 100 oz target. Their problems included overloaded sluice boxes, uneven distribution, and mechanical failures from gas-powered motors. Freddy and Juan realigned their conveyor, added a motorized brush to prevent riffle clogging, installed new riffles, and taught them to run even feed across the sluices. Their second test produced 1.93 oz in 4 hours, up from 1.14 oz previously. This projected to over $40,000 a week and reignited the family’s hope of self-sufficiency.

Deets Brothers Rebuild and Reconnect

Rich and Kevin Deets came to gold mining late in life after reconnecting as estranged brothers. Their operation in the Northern Cascades had poor gold recovery, with their first test showing just 0.06 oz in 40 minutes. Freddy and Juan redesigned their sluice box, widened the water distribution, and repaired a critical drive chain. They also prospected a better pay zone to support viable production. The second test yielded 0.24 oz in 80 minutes—a 400% increase. More importantly, it restored not just their hopes, but their relationship, as they committed to working together for the first time in decades.

The Parody Brothers’ Remote Challenge

Located deep in Yukon wilderness, the Parody brothers faced equipment failures, limited supplies, and weak yields. Freddy and Juan used salvaged materials to redesign their sluice box with staggered riffle spacing, installed a new spray bar to ensure even washing, and scouted better ground using drone footage and historical ditch lines. Their prospecting revealed gold-rich glacial deposits. A test run following the upgrades showed significant visible gold and improved flow, finally putting them on a sustainable path forward after years of inconsistency.

Chad and Terry’s Last Shot in Oregon

Chad Marallo, a solo miner living in a tent, had endured over a decade of wash plant breakdowns and personal tragedy. His best friend Terry, a retired HVAC businessman, offered to invest—if the mine proved viable. Freddy and Juan diagnosed low water pressure from poor plumbing (with four 90-degree bends), swapped out a grain screen not meant for rocks, and reworked the plant’s clay-heavy flow system. The result: a jump from 0.86 oz to 1.68 oz in a 4-hour test run, valued at over $1,200. The upgrades allowed Chad to process double the material with cleaner results. Moved by the transformation, Terry agreed to fund the mine, setting Chad on a path to stability