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Deadliest Catch is back. In the landmark 20th season of the Discovery Channel reality series, the captains will encounter new opportunities and fresh challenges as they head out to sea for the first red king crab season in several years. 

Not only will crews be allowed to fish once more for the coveted red king crab, but this year, they’ll also participate in the first derby-style race in decades. That means even more intense competition than usual as both veteran and rookie captains fight to bring in the biggest hauls. At the same time, they’ll face unpredictable and dangerous weather patterns as a rare super El Niño weather pattern intensifies winter storms.  

Which ‘Deadliest Catch’ captains are back for season 20? 

Sophie "Bob" Nielsen with her hands in her pockets standing in front of fishing boats in a promo shot for 'Deadliest Catch' Season 20
Sophia ‘Bob’ Nielsen of ‘Deadliest Catch’ | Discovery Channel

Which Deadliest Catch captains are heading out to sea in season 20? Episodes will follow a mix of seasoned veterans and hungry young upstarts as they embark on another fishing season. This year’s cast includes: 

  • Captain Sig Hansen of the F/V Northwestern
  • Captain Jake Anderson, who finds himself working with Hansen, his former mentor, on the F/V Northwestern after he loses the F/V Saga
  • Captain Keith Colburn of the F/V Wizard 
  • Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski of the F/V Summer Bay
  • Captain Johnathan Hillstrand of the F/V Time Bandit 
  • Captain Steve Harley Davidson of the F/V Pacific Mariner 
  • Captain Jack Bunnell of the F/V Pacific Mariner 
  • Captain Sophia “Bob” Nielsen of the F/V Seabrooke
  • Captain Rick Shelford of the F/V Aleutian Lady

Also appearing on this season of Deadliest Catch is Jacob Hutchins. In season 19, he was a deckhand on Colburn’s F/V Wizard. This year, he’s making a play for the relief captain position on the Aleutian Lady.  

What to expect from the new season of ‘Deadliest Catch’ 

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As they fight to bring in enough crab to make fishing in the dangerous and frigid waters around Alaska worth it, each Deadliest Catch captain must also deal with personal and professional obstacles. 

Anderson, who made his Deadliest Catch debut in 2007, has to swallow his pride when he accepts a position on the F/V Northwestern. His hope? To earn a captain’s seat on the boat where he was once a greenhorn. 

Colburn confronts the dangerous reality of crab fishing when he faces a life-threatening emergency while at sea and hundreds of miles from the nearest hospital. Meanwhile, Wichrowski must deal with the fallout from his season 19 cancer diagnosis. 

Other cast members have something to prove. Hillstrand has been lured out of retirement by the reopening of the red king crab season and hopes to catch his million-dollar quota. Davidson and Bunnell are risking their financial future by upgrading the Pacific Mariner in the hope that they’ll catch more quota. Finally, there’s Nielsen, who is the youngest captain in the fleet. She’s honoring her late father and testing herself by taking the helm of the 113-foot Seabrooke. 

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

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