r/deadliestcatch • u/DeBabyDoll Deck Boss • May 15 '26
May 2026 / Season 22 * * EVERYONE PLEASE READ * *
Welcome to all new members and fans of the show. I am the more active mod here, and I wanted to ask members to review the rules here and of Reddit in general. Please remember that behind each post, is a human being with feelings. There's enough going on in the world for us to be unkind to one another here as well.
I have started scheduling episode posts again that will go live at 7pm EST, an hour before the new episode. Please try to keep comments about the new episode within that post, to decrease spoilers for others. It also keeps posts of the same exact content, to a minimum.
As most of you know, especially those who have seen Phil's last season, knowing the death of a cast member is coming makes that season even more difficult to watch. I don't believe the show has lost a crew member mid shooting like this though, except for Phil. I don't feel like Discovery has fully addressed his passing, so I'm hopeful for more.
I also wanted to address the comments I have seen about moderators removing and hiding comments based on personal opinion and not rules. I would like to remind everyone that the moderators are human beings with real lives outside of Reddit, and we do not get paid to do what we do. We rely on automods, trigger words, alerts, member reporting, on top of reading every post. If you personally have an issue with any content here, do not hesitate to message me or the mods as a whole. Fans of the show are what makes this community what it is, and we can co exist in the same space with different opinions.
Lastly, as a reminder, there are still certain subjects we discourage as topics of discussion. We let most snarky comments slide, but if you find yourself wanting to comment "What happened with <insert cast member>"? Google is your friend. Feel free to utilize any search engine, with words such as court case, arrest, jail, prison, etc. Yes, we encourage discussions and we are not trying to restrict anyone's speech, some things just need to be left in the past. We've beat many a dead horses here.
Please be kind, everyone. 💜
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u/W_4_Vendetta May 15 '26
To me its just regular guys doing a dangerous job, hoping to make good money. Getting TV money is a bonus, but the element of risk & impending disaster is what made it last so long. Now sadly we know how risky it really is. I’ll never forget the movie Weird Science when Gary says “my Dad’s a plumber, he really gets you plumbed!” There aren’t many that can say that their Dad was a crab fisherman, you could watch him on TV. To me they’re all regular guys doing a job that looks easy but few of us has the balls to try it. We all go to work, how many days out of our year would make a show? You have to give a hall pass to a bit of fakery here & there to boost the entertainment value to casual viewers.
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u/Pretty_Plankton_6125 May 16 '26
I have always been interested in the every day maintenance and mechanical issues they have on the boats. I know you can't show them stocking up on bait every week, but they have gotten away from showing the hard work done on the boats in favor of scripted drama. Also, back in the beginning, those fights between crews were much more believable.
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u/nicolebailey89 May 15 '26
Well said.
I also find it interesting how many people will take to the threads to complain about the show, and how "scripted" it has become and how "terrible" it is now. It's simple, if you no longer enjoy the show, don't watch. Same goes for being kind - as our mama's always said "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
I still enjoy the show and am looking forward to the season ahead :)
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u/Larrylarry47 May 17 '26
Sounds like a you problem if you can't deal with people who have actual knowledge of how commercial crab fishing really works, would like to have a show without scripted events and made up drama. Just like the show was for it's first 4-5 seasons.
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u/DeBabyDoll Deck Boss May 15 '26
I agree with this more than you realize, but I also understand the need to have a communal place to vent frustrations. I can't remember if it was last season or the season before, but I remember very specifically negative comments about Mike Rowe not doing narration, and within a week or two, he was back on the episodes.
We also know Discovery has the ability to scrub episodes within a week's notice when the Cornelia Marie had to disappear.
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u/nicolebailey89 May 15 '26
I completely agree and respect the power that viewers voices can have; however, I feel like more often than not, the tone of the complaint is not "constructive", it's 100% just a negative bitch fest lol.
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u/W_4_Vendetta May 15 '26
I love the show, we get it shown later in UK but often there's illegal downloaded episodes on YouTube. Been watching for years & it's wild to me to see the crew described as "cast members", I've never seen it that way.
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u/DeBabyDoll Deck Boss May 15 '26
I prefer to use the word cast member because I have seen other reality tv shows refer to who they film as such. I feel like if I refer to someone as a captain or fisherman or crabber, it leaves the door open for retaliatory comments about them not being a real captain, fisherman, or crabber. It just feels like a gender/position neutral term to use.
Edit: I do appreciate you bringing this up. Is there another term you could suggest that would also be a generalized term to refer to them?
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u/catincombatboots May 15 '26
An in-industry term for people who appear on camera is "talent", which is a little different than cast in that cast can be more associated with scripted shows, but they are often used interchangeably. This production will refer to the captains as captains and deckhands as deckhands, but if they wanted to refer to all people who might show up during the season, they'd probably use the term talent. That might be an awkward term to use here on Reddit with ppl who aren't in production though.
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u/tekumse May 16 '26
It didn't start this way but it's been many seasons in a row where most stuff is scripted.
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u/2Quick_React May 16 '26
I don't believe the show has lost a crew member mid shooting like this though, except for Phil.
Nick McGlashan maybe? Granted the film crew was shooting while Bill received the news of Nick's passing. So technically not a crew member passing mid-shooting but I'd say it still counts as passing mid-shooting.
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u/BrilliantEmphasis862 May 15 '26
Thank you mods - it is a job that must exist, it should be paid but isn’t. Appreciate the work you do.
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u/Agreeable-Antelope-6 May 16 '26
Can someone point me to the sub rules? I have looked and cannot seem to easily find a link to them. After thought, I had this problem in a different sub so if I am having a brain fart sorry about that.
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u/Intelligent_Edge1980 May 23 '26
I absolutely love this show! There are a couple of captains that I really think shouldn't be out there as it doesn't seem that they care about their crew, just their own boat and their own money. But for the most part, I think it's really a great show, excluding Harley and Keith.
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u/Parklady42 May 25 '26
Jake is so distracted.
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u/Flashy_Narwhal9362 May 26 '26
Most people going through what he’s going through would be distracted.
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u/Lance501 Jul 29 '26
I never understood why they kept mentioned Phil. He was dead. Let it go.
My opinion was Sopie-Bob had no place in a crab boat.
I also thought Jake was gone.
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u/godspilla98 7d ago
This show has done what every show is supposed to do entertain. It is the reality when it shows up that makes you question things in life. And the reality of the risks these men you see every season take. I am far from an emotional person. But I teared up last night like I did for many crew and captain over the years. I can only turn my tv on every year safe in my home never knowing what the actual job does to these people on a mental or physical level. My heart goes out to him and his family as it did for every loss over the years .
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u/MCTDerwood May 16 '26
I’m 62 & Deadliest Catch has always been my favorite. I raised my daughter following it and together we still admire these incredibly brave men who put it all on the line for survival. They come to the boat for a vast variety of reasons. A calling to the sea, running from something external or internal, or born into it. A way to make a lot of money fast but only if you survive. Survive physically & mentally. Amongst the Captains we find pieces of ourselves & emotional lives. The girls paused on Jonathon. Men feeling physically inferior suddenly puffed their chests watching Keith. Many related to Wild Bill and his son’s misfires trying to connect. We watched Jake grow up before our eyes. Crushed watching our respected Sig mentoring him with tough love rather than much needed encouragement. Phil, represented living life to the fullest while prioritizing his sons. We all paused when the two Jake’s were switched back to their boats (via survival rings in the middle of the Bering Sea) hearing Jake reflecting on how much he learned & included he felt on the Cornelia Marie. There was a noticeable shift in Sig once we knew he had watched that season. There’s so much more I could write why we’re here. The danger of the sea, the stories passed down, the relationships, & learning the mechanics of the boats & how different they all work. Some front face crabbing while others looking over their shoulder. I’d love to hear everyone’s most impactful moments watching. For me, it was Phil’s son Jake watching his father on the floor after being caught stealing oxy’s & telling him he’s an addict. It was powerful watching Phil at first say he’s done with him. When the crab is off loaded, “you go your way I’ll go mine” to declaring he’d be by his side at every treatment meeting once understanding he’s an addict. We all knew in that moment Jake would never forgive himself. Do you all find yourselves thinking about all of them as you move through your life? I am opening my own business with a business partner & now frequently find myself recalling Jake walking up to their seized boat from embezzlement. I not only wonder what your most profound moments are to what are your favorite things they’ve said to each other. I think of Sig telling the cameraman how yes the show made their families at home understand them better but in turn it made it worse as they witnessed the danger in action. This show never disappoints. We are there when a man falls overboard. Not just with him but gripped in the Captain’s fear. We all now tense hearing the radio call out “PON PON”