Deadliest Catch Season Five Recap
Discovery Channel's Flagship Show Wraps its Most Successful Year
Deadliest Catch snagged its highest ratings ever in season five. Awareness of the show, which documents both the Alaskan King and Opilio crab fishing seasons on the treacherous arctic waters of the Bering Sea, has never been higher
Captain Phil Harris of the ship Cornelia Marie as has been on Larry King Live. The Northwestern’s Sig and Edgar Hansen have been on Jimmy Kimmel Live! And all the high profile fisherman on the show are having to deal with being recognized as full blown TV stars..
With Deadliest Catch stories now popping up on entertainment news programs it’s logical to assume the ratings could go even higher next year. But can a sixth season be more dramatic than the fifth? That’s hard to imagine, as one revisits some of the many notable things that happened this year.
Hot Tempers on the Time Bandit
The Hillstrand brothers carried on their tradition of having the goateed John in charge of the boat for King crab season and the clean shaven Andy at the helm fishing for Opies. The Time Bandit had an outstanding year filling its tanks faster than the other Deadliest Catch boats. But cracks appeared in the previously tight knit working relationship between captains and crew.
Andy and John blasted their deck hands after they slept through a crab offload resulting in a costly discrepancy in the ships and canneries cargo totals. Back at sea jobs were angrily threatened when a command from the wheelhouse was ignored by the deck crew. At the end of their fishing seasons the Hillstrands were forced to remedy a crew surplus by releasing veteran deck hand Russel Newberry.
Crew Members Down on the Wizard
Injuries were a big story on this Keith Colburn commanded vessel. The skipper, took a nasty knock to the noggin diving to inspect the hull of his ship and in another episode, a massive wave crashing over the bow hurt three crew members.
Hardest hit was Captain Keith’s brother Monte who broke five ribs. Monte would miss one trip on the Wizard but would return later against doctor’s orders. In the wake of the accident Captain Keith Colburn would fight his nerves in terrible weather and rough seas.
Upping his stress level; would be greenhorn Josh Warner who flip-flopped on whether or not he wanted to remain on the boat. Colburn would eventually bar Warner from the deck and replace him for the last trip of the year with, fired from the Time Bandit, Russell Newberry
Tragedy Comes Home to the Northwestern
Tempers would flare on this boat between deck boss Edgar Hansen and young crew member Jake Anderson. After many complaints from Hansen, Anderson would fly into an obscenity laced tirade shouted more at the on deck crab pots than at the deck boss.
After things were smoothed over between the pair Jake Anderson would get devastating news. He learned of the passing of an older sister, his self-described best friend. Desperate to get home, Anderson would take a touching end of an episode ride across the Bering Sea in a small row boat. He's seen waving back to his sympathetic shipmates as he’s towed to another crab vessel on its way back to port.
Trapped in Ice on the Cornelia Marie
Captain Phil Harris missed king crab season due to complications from a fourth season blood clot. He would triumphantly return to the wheel house to catch Opies but it would be a rough welcome back.
At his lowest point of the season, the Cornelia Marie skipper would have his boat trapped against a dock by heavy pack ice. At the same time his engines would be subject to a massive and costly repair. After five days, Captain Phil headed back to sea only to endure a painstaking search for his crab pots which had been moved by surface ice.
Crises for the Coast Guard
The Bering Sea would claim the cod fishing vessel Katmai early in season five. Episode three would document the US Coast Guard’s attempt to find survivors of the sunken vessel. Tragically only four of eleven men would be saved.
A rescue helicopter would be front and center again in the season finale. It rushed to the site of a shipwrecked cod boat. In a spot too treacherous for the chopper, the four man crew would be forced to save themselves.
With massive waves crashing in, they climbed down the back of the boat and across several large rocks to safety. It was a happy ending to a compelling batch of Deadliest Catch epsiodes well worth finding in future rebroadcasts.
Captain Johnathan Hillstrand of the Time Bandit
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The crew of the Northwestern
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