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Let the race begin. Deadliest Catch is back for a landmark 20th season. Alaska has opened the lucrative red king crab fishery for the first time, igniting the kind of derby-style race that hasn’t been seen for decades. Tough-as-nails fishermen will have just a short window to bring in a make-or-break haul of crab. But everything from personal health challenges to severe weather threatens their chances of success. 

“This is more than just fishing to make money,” says Captain Sig Hansen in a teaser (via YouTube) for the season. “It’s a race against time.” 

The F/V Time Bandit and F/V Northwestern return to ‘Deadliest Catch’ for season 20

The F/V Northwestern on the water in 'Deadliest Catch' Season 20
The F/V Northwestern of ‘Deadliest Catch’ | Discovery Channel

The newest season of Discovery Channel’s enduring reality show will feature several familiar fishing vessels. 

Keith Colburn will once again be at the helm of the F/V Wizard, while Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski is navigating the high seas in the F/V Summer Bay. Captain Johnathan Hillstrand of the F/V Time Bandit has been lured out of retirement by the reopening of the red king crab season. 

Sophia “Bob” Nielsen, the youngest captain in the fleet, is eager to prove herself aboard the 113-foot F/V Seabrooke. That vessel last appeared on the Deadliest Catch in season 16, when it was captained by Scott Campbell Jr. 

The F/V Aleutian Lady and its captain, Rick Shelford, made their Deadliest Catch debut in season 19. They’re back this season along with Jacob Hutchins, who is making a play for the relief captain spot on the boat.  

Captain Sig Hansen standing in front of his boat, the F/V Northwestern, in a promo shot for 'Deadliest Catch' Season 20
Captain Sig Hansen and the F/V Northwestern of ‘Deadliest Catch’
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One boat that fans won’t see much of this season? The F/V Saga. Captain Jake Anderson has lost the boat he’s captained for decades. 

“You’re telling me I can’t go on my boat right now,” he says to someone on the phone in the teaser. 

Fortunately, Anderson won’t be left out in the cold. Hansen, his former mentor, steps up and offers him a spot on the F/V Northwestern. 

“You can come here, if need be,” Hansen tells Anderson. 

The F/V Pacific Mariner is new to ‘Deadliest Catch’ this season 

Deadliest Catch Season 20 will also introduce a new vessel, the F/V Pacific Mariner. Captains Steve Harley Davidson and Jack Bunnell are risking their reputations and financial future to upgrade to the 126-foot boat in hopes of catching more quota and more crab.

Another new boat that might appear in season 20 is the F/V Titan Explorer. It’s not mentioned in Discovery’s press release about the new season, but a glimpse of it can be seen in the teaser. 

Deadliest Catch Season 20 premieres Tuesday, June 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel. 

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