Deadliest Catch Archives - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

‘Deadliest Catch’ Deckhand Nick Mavar Dead at 59

Megan Elliott — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 00:50:50 +0000

Nick Mavar Jr. of Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch has died at age 59.

Mavar experienced a medical emergency on June 13 at a boatyard in Naknek, Alaska, Deadline reported. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead of natural causes.

Nick Mavar left ‘Deadliest Catch’ in 2021

Mavar appeared in 98 episodes of Deadliest Catch between 2005 and 2021. He worked as a deckhand with Captain Sig Hansen on the F/V Northwestern. Mavar left the show after his appendix ruptured during filming. Doctors eventually discovered he had a cancerous tumor.

In 2022, Mavar sued Hansen and the other owners of the Northwestern for $1 million, claiming that there was not an “adequate plan in place” for medical care on the boat during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The delay in competent and adequate examination, testing, and diagnosis caused Mavar’s appendix to rupture resulting in horrendous and chronic infections, surgeries, and cancer treatment that would not have occurred had the appendix been removed prior to rupture,” according to Mavar’s lawsuit (via KTOO).

Hansen’s attorneys pointed the finger at Deadliest Catch’s production company, Original Productions Inc., saying the company was responsible for the COVID-19 protocols during filming.

After leaving Deadliest Catch, Mavar reportedly worked as the captain of a salmon boat.

Mavar’s death is the latest ‘Deadliest Catch’ tragedy

Mavar’s death is just the latest tragedy to strike the Deadliest Catch family. Over the years, several current and former cast members have died.

In 2021, deckhand Todd Kochutin was killed in an accident involving a crab pot on the F/V Patricia Lee.

“I mean, this is a cold hard reminder of what can happen,” Captain Bill Wichrowski said when he learned of Kochutin’s death (via YouTube). “I don’t know how many more of these we can take, man. It seems like every quarter we’re losing somebody.”

Captain Phil Harris appeared on six seasons of the fishing-focused reality series before he suffered a stroke in 2010. His death and the effect it had on his two sons, Josh Harris and Jake Harris, was documented on the show.

In 2020, F/V Summer Bay deck boss Nick McGlashan died of an apparent drug overdose. Earlier that year, Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand on the F/V Seabrooke and F/V Cape Caution, died of a heart attack caused by an overdose of cocaine.

Other Deadliest Catch cast member deaths include Justin Tennison in 2011 and Blake Painter in 2018.

Deadliest Catch Season 20 is currently airing on Discovery Channel.

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‘Deadliest Catch’: What Happened to the F/V Saga?

Megan Elliott — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 00:49:07 +0000

Deadliest Catch is back, but one familiar boat is missing. In the season 20 premiere, Captain Jake Anderson received some devastating news about the F/V Saga that jeopardized his chances at a successful crab fishing season.

The F/V Saga has been repossessed

Crab fishing is a high-risk endeavor at the best of times. But with the Red King Crab fishery open for the first time in years, Anderson was hopeful that he could make some good money this season. However, a successful haul can’t happen if he doesn’t have a boat.

“A couple weeks ago, I got a call from my partner saying that the Saga is possibly running out of money. King Crab’s open, and that was going to get us out of the hole, easily,” Anderson explained in the premiere, which aired June 11 on Discovery Channel. “But I had no idea that things were this bad.”

Anderson, the co-owner of the Saga, has sunk nearly everything he has into the 107-foot vessel, which he’s captained since 2015. But as he headed to the dock, he got wind that something was not right. One of his deckhands informed him that there was a repossession note on the boat, to Anderson’s horror and disbelief.

“I have all my personal money, my kid’s college fund all wrapped up in that. Now there’s a chain on f*cking door,” he said.

The ‘Deadliest Catch’ star felt ‘like such a fool’

Jake Anderson of ‘Deadliest Catch’ on the F/V Titan Explorer | Discovery Channel

With the start of the fishing season just days away, a frantic Anderson desperately tried to figure out what was going on. But his partner Lenny was MIA.

“There’s a repossession note on the boat and I don’t understand why,” he said

Anderson opened up about his situation to his former mentor Captain Sig Hansen of the F/V Northwestern. He learned that there were liens on the boat and the bank now owned the Saga.

“I just feel like such a fool,” he said.

Anderson admitted that he didn’t keep a close eye on the money side of the Saga’s business.

“He didn’t mess with the boat, and I didn’t mess with the finances,” Anderson told Hansen.

That may have been a critical error. In an interview with TV Insider, Anderson said he was still in the dark about exactly what happened with the Saga, and that the legal issues were still being sorted out.

“Just before I was getting to go red crab fishing, I found out my partner, with all due respect with the legal things going on, we don’t know what he did. I lost my boat,” he explained.

For now, the Saga’s time on Deadliest Catch appears to have come to an end. But Anderson isn’t going anywhere. In the premiere, Hansen threw him a lifeline and offered him a spot on the Northwestern. And later it the season, it looks like Anderson might return to the captain’s chair on the F/V Titan Explore. A promotional photo for the new season shows him on the deck of that ship, which also appears briefly in the season 20 teaser.

Deadliest Catch airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel. Episodes also stream on Max.

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Jake Anderson On Intense Season of ‘Deadliest Catch’: ‘There Is Desperation Out There’

Megan Elliott — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 11:55:00 +0000

The stakes are higher than ever on the new season of Deadliest Catch. In the landmark 20th season of the Discovery Channel reality series (which premiered June 11), the Red King Crab fishery has finally reopened. That ignites the first derby-style race in decades.

With a limited, highly competitive timeframe to bring in their haul, both veteran and rookie captains are drawn into cutthroat rivalries that will push everyone to their limit, according to Discovery’s synopsis of the new season. Economic pressures play a role as well, as fishermen lay it all on the line in an attempt to stay afloat for another season. The result? A palpable sense of desperation, Captain Jake Anderson recently said.

Jake Anderson is off to a rough start in ‘Deadliest Catch’ Season 20

Anderson starts off Deadliest Catch Season 20 in a rough spot. Shortly before the start of the season, the longtime cast member lost his boat, the F/V Saga.

“Just before I was getting to go red crab fishing, I found out my partner, with all due respect with the legal things going on, we don’t know what he did. I lost my boat,” Anderson told TV Insider.

In an attempt to salvage the season, Anderson signed on with his former mentor Captain Sig Hansen on the F/V Northwestern. But the dynamic wasn’t the same as it was when Anderson was a young greenhorn struggling with addiction and the loss of his father.

“What people are going to see that I don’t think they’re used to seeing is someone who is confident around somebody I’ve been codependent around … I’ve been so codependent on him, losing my dad. Then getting sober right before right before losing my dad and becoming an adult,” he said. “Then looking up to Sig, it was easy for me to be codependent on him. Now you’ll see a more confident person, yet very humble.”

‘Deadliest Catch’ star says ‘there is no honor among thieves’

‘Deadliest Catch’ | Discovery Channel

The derby-style approach to the latest fishing season also changes the dynamic in the new season of Deadliest Catch. The Red King Crab season was canceled in both 2021 and 2022 due to declining crab populations. The fishery closures were a blow to fishermen, some of whom were struggling to hang on in a difficult industry, noted a report from Alaska Public Media. Once boats get back out on the water, the competition is fierce, according to Anderson.

“It is an honorable profession, but yet there is no honor among thieves,” he said. “If something happens to someone, we all come together. There is honor and camaraderie there. Once we start fishing, especially when King Crab has been closed and people are losing their businesses. You’re going to see people do things out of desperation.”

“And you’re not supposed to make decisions out of desperation, but there is desperation out there,” Anderson went on to say. There hadn’t been money out there for a couple of years. Then when you have all these millions of dollars on the ground and just have to get it, people do what people do. We turn into thieves and then it turns into Deadliest Catch.”

Deadliest Catch airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel. Episodes also stream on Max.

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‘Deadliest Catch’ Season 20: How to Watch

Megan Elliott — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 15:25:00 +0000

Deadliest Catch is back! The landmark 20th season of the fishing-focused reality series premieres June 11. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the new episodes.

‘Deadliest Catch’ Season 20 premieres June 11

Deadliest Catch Season 20 premieres Tuesday, June 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel. The milestone season will kick off with a special two-hour episode.

In videos shared on Facebook, longtime cast members reflect on the show’s impact, both on themselves and the world of TV.

“I grew up watching Deadliest Catch. I was nine years old when it came out. Seeing it on TV inspired me. It’s what I wanted to be,” says Captain Jake Anderson.

“Being part of Deadliest Catch is being part of a legacy. It spawned a whole new generation of television. There was no reality TV before,” says Captain Keith Colburn.

How to stream the new season of ‘Deadliest Catch’

The F/V Aleutian Lady on ‘Deadliest Catch’ | Discovery Channel

In addition to airing on Discovery Channel, Deadliest Catch Season 20 episodes will also be available to stream on Max beginning June 11. Max subscribers can also stream all previous seasons of the show.

In addition to Deadliest Catch, Max is home to shows such as Naked and Afraid, Alaskan Bush People, Hoffman Family Gold, and Gold Rush. Max plans start at $9.99 per month.

‘Deadliest Catch’ Season 20 cast

Captain Sig Hansen and the F/V Northwestern of ‘Deadliest Catch’ | Discovery Channel

Who will be taking to the high seas in Deadliest Catch’s 20th season? The cast includes a mix of long-time vets and newer captains.

Captain Jake Anderson, who loses the F/V Saga, which forces him to return to his mentor Captain Sig Hansen on the F/V Northwestern.
Captain Keith Colburn on the F/V Wizard
Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski of the F/V Summer Bay
Captain Johnathan Hillstrand of the F/V Time Bandit
Captains Steve Harley Davidson and Jack Bunnell of the F/V Pacific Mariner
Captain Sophia “Bob” Nielsen, of the F/V Seabrooke
Jacob Hutchins, who makes a play for the relief captain spot on Captain Rick Shelford’s F/V Aleutian Lady.

Fishing the Bering Sea is never easy, as Deadliest Catch viewers know. But this season, the captains will face special challenges. Alaska’s Red King Crab fishery has finally reopened, igniting the first derby-style race in years. The intense, highly competitive timeframe forces the captains into serious rivalries that will push everyone to their limit. Extreme weather conditions only amplify the tensions.

“El Niño was really rough this last fall,” Hansen said in an interview with People. “We had a man overboard, and for me, that never happened. But it happened this time.”

“Derby [race] is not easy,” he added. “Derby is very dangerous. You don’t stop, and so every minute counts.”

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‘Deadliest Catch’: Which Boats Appear in Season 20?

Megan Elliott — Sun, 09 Jun 2024 21:34:00 +0000

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 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 and the F/V Northwestern of ‘Deadliest Catch’

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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‘Deadliest Catch’: Wild Bill Opens Up About Cancer Diagnosis

Megan Elliott — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 19:42:00 +0000

Deadliest Catch star Wild Bill Wichrowski is opening up about his experience with prostate cancer, in the hopes that sharing his journey will help others in a similar situation.

Season 19 of the Discovery Channel reality series ended with Wichrowski learning that he’d been diagnosed with cancer. The show’s 20th season, which premieres June 11, will follow the crab fisherman as he undergoes treatment for the disease.

The ‘Deadliest Catch’ star got bad news from his doctor

In a clip from the upcoming season (via X), a subdued Wichrowski listens as he gets a sobering update from this doctor.

“You do have prostate cancer,” the doctor says. “And it needs to be treated aggressively.”

Getting such news would be a blow to anyone. But Wichrowski was determined to meet this latest challenge head-on.

“When I heard it, one of the things I thought was, you know, I’m not going to stop. I’m going to keep going until I actually can’t,” he says.

Prostate cancer is the second-most-common cancer in men after skin cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Thirteen out of every 100 people with a prostate will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives, with the risk of diagnosis increasing as people age. Prostate cancer kills roughly 34,000 people per year. Fortunately, the disease is highly treatable if it is caught early, which is why doctors recommend regular screenings for people over the age of 55 who are at average risk. High-risk individuals may need to start screening earlier.

Will Bill Wichrowski refused to ‘crawl into a shell’ after cancer diagnosis

After learning he had prostate cancer, Wichrowski realized he had a choice when it came to dealing with his health. Ignoring the problem wasn’t the solution, he decided.

“How many people get diagnosed with this and they just shut down?” he says. “They crawl into a shell. And it just makes it worse.”

Doctors warned him that the cancer could be debilitating. He wasn’t having it.

“They’re saying you’re going to have all these symptoms that are going to stop you,” he says. “And I said, there’s no way.”

Why Wichrowski opened up about his cancer experience

Wichrowski hoped that sharing his cancer story might help other people.

“The fact that I allowed the news to be broadcast, I heard from a million people, ‘Oh, I hope you’re all right,’ he says. “I was hoping that the fact that I kept going, it would show people that if you have this, you can keep working. You can keep your life moving. I wasn’t going to stop unless I had to.”

Fortunately for Wichrowski, his treatment seems to be going well.

“My PSA number, which is how they determine the level, is near zero,” he recently told TribLive. “[The doctors] are really excited.”

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

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‘Deadliest Catch’ Season 20: Which Captains Will Return?

Megan Elliott — Sun, 12 May 2024 15:19:00 +0000

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?

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’

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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‘Deadliest Catch’ Season 20 Is Coming to Discovery Channel — Get All the Details

Megan Elliott — Mon, 06 May 2024 20:00:27 +0000

Discovery Channel is returning to the high seas. Deadliest Catch Season 20 premieres in June, and the stakes are higher than ever.

‘Deadliest Catch’ returns in June 2024

Deadliest Catch Season 20 returns to Discovery on Tuesday, June 11. The 2-hour season premiere airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

The milestone season will document the continuing evolution of the crab fishing industry in Alaska, which has faced serious challenges in recent years because of declining crab populations. For the first time in two years, the red king crab fishery is open. That kicks off the first derby-style race in decades. Forced to work in a tight timeframe, both rookie and veteran captains are thrust into bitter rivalries that will push everyone to their limits. At the same time, a changing weather pattern produces dangerous winter storms that put everyone at sea at risk.

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

“It’s gonna be dog eat dog,” says Captian Keith Colburn.

Even after nearly two decades on the air, Deadliest Catch continues to find new stories to tell about one of the riskiest professions in America.

“Deadliest Catch is the gold standard for unscripted series, paving the way for an entire genre of television that highlights everyday working heroes,” said Howard Lee, President of Discovery Networks. “Audiences have grown with our captains and their families, respecting their unwavering determination, and experiencing the struggles and successes with them. This season is a celebration of their epic stories and the first page of their next chapter.”

‘Deadliest Catch’ Season 20 cast

Jacob Hutchins of ‘Deadliest Catch’ | Discovery Channel

This season of Deadliest Catch will feature a mix of seasoned veterans who have spent years on the water and younger captains who are hoping to stake out their corner of a tough industry.

The season 20 cast includes Captain Jake Anderson, who teams up again with Hansen on the F/V Northwestern. That’s the same vessel he began his career on as a greenhorn 18 years ago.

Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski is back at the helm of the F/V Summer Bay, despite learning that he had prostate cancer at the end of last season. He’s not the only one dealing with health challenges. This season, longtime cast member Colburn faces a life-threatening emergency at sea 750 miles from the nearest hospital. Meanwhile, the reopening of the red king crab season has lured Captain Johnathan Hillstrand out of retirement.

Captains Steve Harley Davidson and Jack Bunnell of the F/V Pacific Mariner risk their reputations and financial future in the hopes of catching more quota and more crab. Sophia “Bob” Nielsen – the fleet’s youngest captain – honors her late dad Gary by taking the helm of the 113-foot F/V Seabrooke, Finally, Jacob Hutchins, who joined Deadliest Catch last season, is hungry to secure his future as a skipper and makes a play for the relief captain spot on Captain Rick Shelford’s F/V Aleutian Lady.

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‘Deadliest Catch’ Cast Member Arrested in Florida

Megan Elliott — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 00:46:48 +0000

A man who appeared on Discovery Channel’s popular fishing reality series Deadliest Catch has been arrested in Florida.

Erik James Brown of ‘Deadliest Catch’ arrested

Erik James Brown was arrested March 9 on Stock Island in the Florida Keys, Local 10 News reported. He is facing two counts of probation violation, according to arrest records from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. An arraignment is scheduled for April 1.

This is not the first time the 40-year-old Brown has been in trouble with the law. In 2020, he was arrested twice for domestic battery against his 20-year-old girlfriend, the Key West Citizen reported. In 2018, he was charged after police discovered him growing 25 marijuana plants on a houseboat, per the News-Press. Brown has an extensive arrest record going back to 2003, according to the newspaper, including charges for drug possession, DUI, weapons possession, carjacking, and various traffic offenses.

Brown was part of the crew on the F/V Summer Bay

‘Deadliest Catch’ | Discovery via YouTube

Brown first appeared on Deadliest Catch in 2019, according to IMDb. He was most recently seen in season 19, when he worked as a was a deckhand on Captain “Wild” Bill Wichrowski’s F/V Summer Bay. In that season, which aired in 2023, he broke his hand while at a bar. The incident nearly took him out of commission as a crabber, but he returned to work despite the injury.

In December 2023, Brown shared a video on Instagram of himself and other crew members “loading up the Summer Bay.” In other social media posts, he hinted that he would appear in future episodes of Deadliest Catch.

“Crabbing with Captain Wild Bill again this year…..season 20 Deadliest Catch,” he wrote in an October 2023 Instagram update.

Discovery Channel has yet to make an announcement about the status of Deadliest Catch Season 20.

A number of other ‘Deadliest Catch’ cast members have been arrested

Brown is far from the only Deadliest Catch cast member who has wound up in handcuffs. Over the years, a number of people who have appeared on the show have been arrested.

In 2017, longtime Deadliest Catch captain Sig Hansen was arrested after he spit on an Uber driver. Jacob Harris, who left the show in 2012, was sentenced to 18 months in prison on drug and DUI charges in 2019. Former cast member Jerod Sechrist was arrested in 2019 after he allegedly shoplifted over $1,000 worth of items from an Ikea in Florida, People reported. He’d previously been arrested for possessing heroin. In 2009, Joshua Tel Warner was arrested after committing a series of bank robberies. His appearances on Deadliest Catch helped lead to his arrest.

Wichrowski has spoken about the challenge of finding reliable crew members to work on crab boats.

“It’s harder to find excellent guys,” he told PopCulture in 2019. “They used to be lined up 12 deep when we were making the crazy rock star money, but now it’s almost easier to mold the ones you have and obviously, there’s, throughout the fleet, there’s addiction problems.”

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‘Deadliest Catch’: Will There Be a Season 20?

Megan Elliott — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 22:16:00 +0000

For nearly two decades, Discovery Channel’s reality series Deadliest Catch has offered TV viewers an inside look at the rough-and-tumble world of commercial fishing. The show, which follows fishermen as they hunt the Bering Sea for crab and other seafood, last aired new episodes in September 2023. Now, fans are wondering if and when it might return with new episodes. Here’s what we know so far about Deadliest Catch Season 20.

Is ‘Deadliest Catch’ Season 20 coming to Discovery Channel?

‘Deadliest Catch’ | Discovery Channel

The bad news is that Discovery Channel has not yet announced if Deadliest Catch will return for season 20. However, there are some clues that new episodes are in the works.

In October 2023, about one month after the Deadliest Catch Season 19 finale, Captain Rick Shelford took to social media to tease the show’s next season.

“Season 20 of Deadliest Catch here we come!!! Get ready for an EPIC season to come!!!” wrote the F/V Aleutian Lady captain on Instagram.

Deadliest Catch producer Todd Stanley has also shared some behind-the-scenes updates on the show on his YouTube channel, including clips of the crew shooting scenes for season 20. In one, the F/V Wizard can be seen in the distance, seemingly confirming the return of that vessel and Captain Keith Colburn to the show.

While there’s no confirmed premiere date for Deadliest Catch Season 20, new seasons of the show typically premiere between late March and mid-April.

[UPDATE: Get all the latest details on Deadliest Catch Season 20]

Alaska cancels snow crab season again

In recent seasons of Deadliest Catch, viewers have seen the effect dramatic changes in seafood populations in the Bering Sea have had on commercial fishermen. Ahead of season 19, Alaska put a halt to fishing both snow crab and red king crab due to steep population declines. (The red king crab harvest was also canceled for the 2021-22 fishing season.)

In October 2023, the state announced that the snow crab season would also be canceled for 2023-24. But in a bit of good news for fishermen, Alaska reopened the red king harvest after two years of closures, the AP reported.

The closures of the fisheries have been a major financial strain for fishermen. They also created challenges for Deadliest Catch. In season 19, the show shifted to focus on fishing for golden king crab, bairdi, and cod.

For people who make a living in fishing and associated industries, times are tough, former Deadliest Catch cast member Casey McManus told Seattle’s KING 5 News in October 2023.

“You’re always gonna see highs and lows as a commercial fisherman,” McManus said. “Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, feast or famine. But lately, the highs are a lot lower and the lows are even lower than that. Turns out rock bottom has a basement.”

How to watch old episodes of ‘Deadliest Catch’

As fans wait for news about the return of Deadliest Catch, they can keep themselves busy by revisiting past seasons of the reality series. Most episodes are available to stream on both discovery+ and Max. Seasons 3 and 4 are also streaming on Hulu. Past seasons are also available for purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.

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