What is “Deadliest Catch”?

“Deadliest Catch” is a Discovery Channel production that premiered in April 2005, and shows viewers the perils faced by crab fisherman working in the Bering Sea during the snow crab and Alaskan king crab fishing seasons which take place in January and October every year. The gripping reality series is filmed in Alaska’s Aleutian Island and airs worldwide, with the 18^th season premiering in April 2022.

As is the case with almost all Discovery offerings, human relationships and the rapport between cast members play an important role in the show’s success. Often faced with unfavorable weather conditions including high waves and gale-force winds, it’s little surprise that viewers feel sympathy for the camera crews and fishermen as they battle a stressful and often life-endangering work environment.

The comings-and-goings on the boats are the focus of each episode, with the fleet’s captains getting plenty of screentime, although the rookie crew members – known as “greenhorns” – are considered by some to be the show’s unsung heroes. Some of the fleet members are related, such as the Hansen and Colburn brothers, which adds an extra dimension to their friendly rivalries and occasional spats.

Alaskan crab fishing is known to be one of the most dangerous jobs there is, so there are always US Coast Guard (USCG) rescue squads on standby. The rescue squads have saved the day plenty of times, especially during the losses of F/V Ocean Challenger, F/V Big Valley and F/V Katmai, which occurred between 2005 and 2008, and can often be seen helping out crew members in tricky situations caused by the Bering Sea’s harsh conditions.

Although there’s no on-camera host on “Deadliest Catch”, there are narrators – Mike Rowe for North America and Bill Petrie for UK – who explain and connect each storyline, while a mock-up radar screen showing the position of each ship takes viewers from one boat to another. Originally, Mike was intended to be the on-camera host, and had appeared in many episodes of season one. When he was forced to choose between being an on-camera host for “Dirty Jobs” or “Deadliest Catch”, the narrator picked the former, and most of the taped footage he shot for the first season was turned into a “Behind the Scenes” episode.

From season three onwards, Mike also began hosting “After the Catch”, a post-season miniseries that takes place entirely behind the scenes, and in which the captains have a roundtable discussion, and look back on their best and worst moments of the season.

Blurring or pixelization is often used to keep the show – which is rated TV-14 in the US – age-appropriate. Bloody injuries, finger gestures, and profanities are commonplace due to the stressful nature of the cast member’s jobs.

Fishing Vessels and Crew Members

The Wizard and Northwestern crews are the stars of “Deadliest Catch” and have appeared in pretty much every season since 2005, while other fishing vessels have come and gone over the years.

Keith Colburn, captain of the F/V Wizard, is something of a celebrity in the crab fishing industry, with hundreds of thousands of fans across his social media platforms. The mustached Californian, who is famous for his no-nonsense attitude, works alongside his brother Monte, Tyler and Todd Gateman, his first mate Gary Soper, and a few deckhands.

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Born in March 1963, Keith has been married to his wife Florence – with whom he shares two children – for decades. His fishing adventure began in late 1985, when he and his best friend Kurt Frankenberg caught a flight to Kodiak, Alaska, with just $50 and a tent between them. Allured by the moneymaking potential, and determined to try something new, Keith started out at the bottom, and joined the crew of F/V Alaska Trader as a greenhorn with no experience.

Soon falling in love with the lifestyle, Keith joined the Wizard as a full share deckhand just three years later. Between 1990 and 1992, he earned his USCG 1600-ton Mates license and 1600 ton inspected Masters, transitioning from deckhand to pilot. Mentored by John Jorgensen, who came from a long line of pioneer commercial fishermen, Keith learned to trust his instincts instead of following the crowd – which has often paid off enormously.

In 2002, the Wizard found itself all alone out at sea after venturing 200 miles further North than the rest of the boats. A risky decision that could’ve ended in tragedy ended up being a record-breaking year, as Keith and his crew caught 540,000lbs of snow crab compared to the average catch of 130,000 lbs. Two years later, the captain repeated his strategy – and caught a total of 400,000lbs of crab compared to the second-best catch of 250,000lbs and the average catch of 125,000 lbs.

Although the energetic Californian shows no signs of slowing down, and has lent his expertise to dozens of “Deadliest Catch” spin-offs such as documentaries and TV movies, Keith is also an aspiring public speaker, who is looking to expand his brand. Cooking is just another of his passions that he’s been able to make money from, as the captain launched his own line of sauces and dry rubs in 2015.

The roaring success of Keith’s “Captain Keith’s Catch” line surprised many people. However, long before becoming a celebrity crab fisherman, Keith began working in French restaurants at the tender age of 14, gradually climbing up the ranks from saucier to sous-chef to executive chef. Unsurprisingly, crab and seafood in general are the staples of Keith’s signature dishes.

Now moving on to the F/V Northwestern, which captained by Sig Hansen. His brother Norman helps keep things running smoothly as the engineer and deckhand, while Sig’s daughter Mandy is the captain-in-training, primed to take over her father’s position when the timing’s right. Mandy’s husband Clark is the boat’s greenhorn, making things a real family affair – which is fitting, keeping in mind that Sig and Norman are descended from a long line of Norwegian fishermen.

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Their grandfather and great-grandfather were opilio crab fishing pioneers who became enormously popular within the industry, after helping crab boats earn money all year round, and not just for a few months a year. Enthralled by the family business, Sig began working on his father Sverre’s boat when 14 years old, and perfected his skills after graduating from high school. Spending roughly 10 months a year in Alaska and on the Bering Sea, Sig became a relief skipper shortly after his 22^nd birthday. His tasks consisted of relieving the Northwestern’s other captains, and doing short-haul stints on the fleet’s other boats.

The Northwestern, which Sig has been running full-time since he was 24 years old, has been hailed for its safety record, with a much lower serious injury rate than average, and no deaths at sea to date. In 2005 and 2006, the fishing vessel caught the highest poundage of king crab and opilio crab respectively, and won the final derby seasons in “Deadliest Catch”.

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Much like Keith, Sig has spent years laying the foundations for a comfortable retirement. In 2010, he co-wrote his first book “North By Northwestern: A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters”, which became a Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestseller. Months later, he would appear on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, when he spoke of his desire to be a contestant in the following season of the hit reality show “Dancing with the Stars”.

It’s rumored that the Seattle native negotiated a much higher salary to return to “Deadliest Catch” for season seven, as he announced his departure from the program in September 2010, but backtracked just a month later. Although his transition from fisherman to A-lister didn’t quite work out, Sig also competed in season 14 of “The Celebrity Apprentice”, and did voiceover work on “Cars 2”.

Deaths

The cast of “Deadliest Catch” has been plagued by several deaths since 2005, with one of the saddest being Captain Phil Harris in 2010 at the age of 53, due to a massive stroke. Tony Lara, the former captain of F/V Cornelia Marie, would die just five years later at the age of 50, after suffering a massive heart attack while asleep.

Blake Painter and Justin Tennison, who were aged 38 and 33 at the times of their deaths, both passed away under what some fans call mysterious circumstances. Blake, who had a brief stint on “Deadliest Catch” in 2006 as the Maverick’s captain, was found dead at home – no official cause of death was given, despite rumors of an accidental overdose. Meanwhile, Justin died in a hotel room in Alaska mere days after returning from sea; the cause of death was later announced as complications from sleep apnea.

Nick McGlashan, who starred on the hit reality series "Deadliest Catch," has died in Nashville, the Davidson County Medical Examiner confirms. He was 33. https://t.co/LQZoyoe3TR

— CNN (@CNN) December 28, 2020

Tragedy struck once again with the death of Nick McGlashan in December 2020. Two days after Christmas, the Tennessee native – who had two children – was found dead of a drug overdose at just 33 years of age. One of the first persons to receive the bad news was his close friend and captain Bill Wichrowski.

Although Sig and other cast members offered their support and condolences, Bill took Nick’s death the hardest. In a heartbreaking tribute episode, which was attended by the deck boss’s family and every current cast member, Bill threw Nick’s hook into the ocean, and fired off expired flare guns in his friend’s memory. He also said over the radio: “We’re gonna say goodbye to Nick McGlashan, but he’ll always be with us… I love you guys [the other cast members] for coming in for this. I’m really blown away. Thank you.”

Nick had been open regarding his past addictions to alcohol, meth, and heroin, and had checked into rehab in 2017, causing him to miss out on the show’s 13^th season.

Commercial Fishing

As mentioned, commercial fishing is one of America’s most perilous jobs. With a 141.7 per 100,000 fatality rate according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupation was 75% more dangerous than being a flight engineer, logger, or pilot. With that said, Alaskan king crab fishing is a whole different story due to the Bering Sea’s weather conditions, which is what makes the show even more interesting.

The pilot episode of “Deadliest Catch” claimed that the injury rate for crew members on most boats is nearly 100%, and the death rate averages almost one fisherman per week during the main crab seasons. Ice formations and frigid gales aside, crab fishermen must wrangle complicated and heavy machinery on the boat’s deck, which is constantly moving. As of 2005, 80% of the deaths in the Alaskan king crab fishing industry had been caused by drowning or hypothermia – there were reportedly over 300 fatalities per 100,000.

The derby vs. quota fishing systems has also been a topic of controversy. Until 2006, crews of king crab fishermen would compete during a small time window. With the implementation of the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) system, owners of crab boats were given quotas to fill at a more leisurely pace.

Although the IFQ system claims to be safer, and was expected to increase crabs’ market value, many crews were put out of work, as the owners of small boats failed to meet operating expenses with their assigned quotas. After the first crab fishing season under the IFQ system, just 89 boats remained, with over 160 being left unemployed.

“Deadliest Catch” is clearly not for the faint-hearted, but some viewers have also criticized the on-screen bullying of greenhorn fishermen by veteran deckhands. In earlier seasons, a fisherman berated his captain and was fired almost instantly, which is somewhat understandable. However, a more memorable incident that took place on the fishing vessel Wizard, saw a greenhorn sailor punch a more senior fisherman who had subjected him to constant bullying and harassment. Outraged fans of the show took to social media to express their disappointment at the decision, with others claiming that the greenhorn took things too far by resorting to physical violence.

Such is the stress of the industry in which these fishermen work!

Who is Frank Fritz?

Born in October 1963 in Davenport, Iowa USA, Frank Fritz is a TV star and antiques collector and restorer, who rose to fame thanks to his decade of work on History’s “American Pickers”. Born to Bill Fritz and Susan Zirbes, it’s unclear where Frank’s childhood love for collecting postage stamps, rocks, and other small items came from.

There are few available details regarding Frank’s home life and early years, but it’s reported that Bill had an affair, and left the household when the future TV star was an infant. Susan remarried in the same year and worked for a local construction company, whereas her second spouse Richard was a tire salesman. Susan passed in 2003, and was survived by Frank and her daughter.

After studying at Bettendorf High School and Sudlow Intermediate School, Frank decided to forgo a college degree and delve straight into the workforce. During his teenage years, the Iowan was an employee at Coast to Coast Hardware and Quad-City Automatic Sprinkler, eventually saving up enough money to purchase his first Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Although Frank bounced from job to job, his love for collecting memorabilia never went away. While working as a fire inspector in the Des Moines and Cedar Falls area, he bought an item for just $15 and sold it for $450, which is when he realized that he could turn his hobby into a full-time career. Shortly afterwards, the antiques collector opened his own Illinois-based shop named Frank’s Finds.

Joining forces with his high school pal Mike Wolfe, the dynamic duo earned their own show, which premiered in January 2010, and soon became unstoppable.

“American Pickers”

Jointly produced by Cineflix Media and A&E Television Networks, “American Pickers” has become something of a phenomenon, after hundreds of episodes and more than 23 seasons. The show’s premiere episode in January 2010 was viewed in over 3.1 million homes, and was History’s best debut since 2007 – a particular episode aired in September 2010 had 5.3 million viewers.

The recipe to the show’s success lies in Mike and Frank’s camaraderie, as they travel the states buying or “picking” items, either for clients, their personal collections, or for resale purposes. Danielle Colby, the show’s female protagonist, runs Mike’s business from its home base in Iowa and its second location in Nashville and is responsible for finding leads, or possibly valuable items for the men to purchase.

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Although at first Mike and Frank travelled in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, they soon switched to a more comfortable Ford Transit. Apart from following Danielle’s leads, the friends also freestyle, and make stops in the most unlikely places, often finding valuable treasures. They also visit some places more than once.

Of course, Mike and Frank can’t do it alone, and seek help from hoarders, collectors – both serious and amateur – and people with vast collections of inherited items that they don’t know what to do with. Mike’s favorite items are air-cooled Volkswagens, penny-farthings, antique motorcycles, and old bicycles, whereas Frank favors oil cans, peanut-related items, old Hondas, and antique toys.

Some of Mike and Frank’s rarest purchases include a 15-gallon gasoline pump, an incredible Piaggio Ape which could be the only one of its kind in the US, and valuable vintage film posters. In one of many memorable episodes, the Pickers purchased an elephant head from a taxidermy hoarder for a cool $9,500, while fans of the “Star Wars” franchise went crazy with their findings of several Yoda prototypes. This is why viewers love “American Pickers”: there’s something for all tastes.

It was announced in July 2021 that Frank would be leaving the show, which led to an internet frenzy and much speculation. His last appearance on “American Pickers” was in March 2020; as filming was paused due to the coronavirus pandemic, fans had been looking forward to seeing Frank and Mike together again, and rumors began circulating that there had been a rift in their seemingly unbreakable friendship.

All parties involved – sans Mike – preferred not to give statements until July 2022, when Frank was hospitalized after suffering a stroke. Mike penned his estranged friend a touching Instagram post in which he announced the news, asked for thoughts and prayers, and said: “I have been very private in the past year in regards to Frank’s life and the journey he’s been on. There has been lots of opinions in regards to mine and Frank’s friendship and the show, but now is not the time to set the record straight.”

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It’s thought that the stroke was linked to Frank’s struggles with alcohol, as the TV star checked into rehab in 2020 to seek help for his addiction. As a decades-long sufferer of Crohn’s Disease, Frank’s alcoholism possibly exacerbated his condition, although he previously claimed to have stopped drinking due to alcohol-related deaths in his family.

In March 2020, and after suffering months of pain, Frank underwent back surgery which consisted of 185 stitches and rods in his spine. The collector claimed that his back pains came from picking up heavy items, and remarked that he was the only person in the show who lifted things, which many netizens interpreted as a shady comment towards Mike.

Previously, Frank also complained that Mike didn’t get in touch with him after his grueling spinal surgery. It’s unclear why they drifted apart, but after cutting out the booze, Frank dropped 65 pounds, and enjoyed the benefits of his new lifestyle until the stroke. As the TV star doesn’t use social media, fans have had their work cut out searching for updates on his health, but he is said to be recovering and in much better health.

Mike Wolfe

Born in 1964 in Joliet, Illinois, Mike Wolfe’s endearing personality and love for his job have helped make him a popular TV personality, despite his less than perfect personal life. He was brought up by a single mother and has two siblings, one of them named Robbie, but where exactly did Mike’s love for collecting come from?

Well, after moving to Bettendorf in his childhood, Mike was relentlessly bullied by his classmates, and began walking through back alleys and backyards on the way to and from school to avoid them. In a 2019 interview, Mike described the alleys as a “safe place” and said, “And so the garbage became my toys, and they became part of my imagination, and part of who I was.”

At the tender age of six, Mike found a discarded bike in a pile of trash and sold it two days later for five dollars. The rest, as they say, was history, as the future TV personality would become an expert in bartering, even trading a pair of stereo speakers for a motorbike. In fact, his passion for motorcycles helped him land a short-lived job as a bicycle messenger. Later on, he began working in a warehouse, building bicycles.

However, Mike was living from paycheck to paycheck at this point, as he blew all his money on bikes. When a local shop became available on the market, Mike sold all his possessions to purchase it, and earned $150 on his first day of business. Thanks to hard work and perseverance, the Illinois native sold 500 bikes in just a year, and was soon able to open a second location in East Davenport.

During the late 1980s and early ‘90s, Mike also competed in the Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa five times. The grueling six-day ride saw all participants complete 67 miles a day, or 468 miles in total. Mike’s cycling prowess saw him win the 1998 Iowa State Time Trial Championships, and everything pointed to him becoming a national success story… until disaster struck.

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When Mike’s Eldridge shop burned down due to a fire in the apartment above, the TV host lost everything. It would take Mike three years to receive any insurance money, and after crunching numbers, he realized that he would never recover financially, despite the success of his second location. Luckily, eBay began gaining popularity around the same time, and Mike realized that he could salvage the situation by changing career paths, and selling the things he picked.

After having a closing-down sale, buying a cargo van, and setting up a website, Antique Archeology was born. Although selling bikes was Mike’s lifelong dream, he realized that he needed to adapt to his new circumstances, which he did perfectly. For five years, Mike made a living by driving from city to city, talking to collectors, and looking through their collections for any possible purchases. He also recorded his time on the road, and was often told by his friends that his life would make for a good TV show – thus birthing the idea for “American Pickers”.

Another five years later, and having pitched his idea to dozens of networks, Mike finally got lucky with Mary Donohue, a History Channel executive who liked the idea enough to greenlight a show. From then on, Mike, Frank and Danielle became household names, but amazingly, Mike also found the time to pursue a new hobby: songwriting. Proving himself a guy of many talents, Mike made the most of his 2011 meeting with the legendary producer Brian Ahern, and wrote three songs for a compilation project, “Music to Pick By”.

Production meeting turned therapy session @americanpickers pic.twitter.com/pj1HARZlbQ

— Mike Wolfe (@AmericanPicker) June 25, 2018

The TV host is also nothing short of altruistic: shortly after his daughter Charlie was born in 2012 with a cleft lip and palate, Mike realized that with his platform, he could help parents who didn’t have enough money to pay for their children’s corrective surgery. Children born with cleft lips and palates often have lifelong psychological, eating and speech problems, unless their conditions are treated early on – and although Charlie was lucky enough to undergo surgery at a young age, Mike knew that that wasn’t enough.

After teaming up with the global outreach organization Operation Smile, it’s believed that Mike has indirectly helped thousands of children with his sponsorship and public visibility. The charity’s profile has since grown beyond recognition, with other well-known figures joining the bandwagon.

Danielle Colby

The dashing burlesque dancer and antique shop office manager Danielle Colby, was born in Davenport in December 1975. With her striking blue eyes, warm personality, and various entrepreneurial talents, many fans were shocked to learn that she was brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness, but broke up from her husband and the father of her children when he couldn’t accept the fame and occasional notoriety that came with her TV career.

Danielle and Mike’s friendship spans decades, as the pair had been friends for ten years before the TV host began developing the concept for “American Pickers” – so it’s understandable that when the History Channel bought the show, Mike asked Danielle to work in the office of his antique shop, and she happily accepted.

Some of Danielle’s other pursuits include being the owner of a female roller derby team for three years, owning a retro clothing company named 4 Miles 2 Memphis, and founding a professional burlesque troupe named Burlesque Le Moustache, which was soon followed by a Chicago-based burlesque academy.

Danielle is certainly a master of reinventing herself: despite injuries forcing her to drop the roller derby team and the failure of her clothing shop, the TV personality is always looking for her next business venture. For now, burlesque dancing is her main passion when not busy filming for “American Pickers”. Danielle performs under the name Dannie Diesel and has sold out dozens, if not hundreds of shows to date.

A fateful burlesque performance starring the dancer Satan’s Angel and comedian Margaret Cho sparked Danielle’s interest; she created her burlesque troupe after moving from Chicago to Iowa’s Quad Cities area, and would tour western Illinois and eastern Iowa. Her partner, Jeremy Scheuch, is more than supportive of anything that Danielle wants to do, and often shows her off on his Instagram profile. The couple have many interests in common such as tattoos, cooking, travelling, and animals. While Danielle shares two children with her ex-husband, it’s unclear if Jeremy has any.