‘Deadliest Catch’ Fans Defend the Show After Season 21 Premiere Is Slammed as ‘Fake’
Deadliest Catch returned for its 21st season on Friday (August 1) with plenty of chaos, clashing personalities, and dangerous situations, but some have blasted the show for “faking” its drama.
“F this fake drama,” wrote a user on the Deadliest Catch Reddit forum. “What an awful first episode. The fake arguments, the fake meetings, the oddly performative prayer moment… just an awful thing.”
They continued, “Producers have been shifting more towards the fake drama for a while but this season is just too much. I’m pretty much done with the show. Sucks. A good show ruined.”
The Season 21 premiere primarily focused on Johnathan Hillstrand and Sig Hansen as they sailed their vessels to Adak Island in a hunt for Alaskan Red King Crab. However, the mission faced an obstacle when there was an ammonia leak onboard Jake Anderson’s boat, which required the crew to flee the ship and wait for help from the other vessels.
One fan on Reddit speculated the ammonia leak was manufactured for the show, writing, “They forgot to cough despite the supposedly extreme ammonia leak.”
Another added, “These guys are celebrities now. They haven’t been fishermen for at least 10 years. The show used to be about men making a living doing a deadly job out of necessity. None of these guys need to be on that boat now. None of them are there for the job that probably includes most of the deckhands. They’re there because they’re contracted by Discovery and fame.”
While others agreed, including a commenter who said, “Many of us long-time fans feel the show has ‘jumped the shark,'” plenty of others defended the long-running Discovery Channel reality series.
“Compared to what is on TV these days it is a better show than most. If it’s so played out why don’t the complainers go and join a crew,” said one Reddit user.
“So don’t watch it and let the rest of us who have been watching for years, enjoy it,” another told the complainers.
“I still love the show.. gonna stay til the end,” added another.
Another wrote, “Give it a chance. I would miss it if it left – it’s been a part of my life for 20 years.”
Others defended the premiere, with one user saying, “I thought the prayer montage was pretty neat.”
“There have been several scenes with prayer over the years. It’s not a new thing,” added another. “These guys have a respect for their God and count on him for safety, or at least peace of mind. Let them have it.”
What did you think of the Deadliest Catch Season 21 premiere? Has the show jumped the shark? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Deadliest Catch, Fridays, 8/7c, Discovery Channel
Conversation65 Comments
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Comments are closed on this story.
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Are you kidding. The show has been fake from day one. All reality shows are scripted. I mean the crabbing is probably real but all the so called drama & dialog is fake as hell. The formula is the same every season. Check it out. They do the same drama every season.I watched 2 seasons of this drivel. I think it was like seasons 6 & 7. I just couldn't watch anymore it was such bull.
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Yeah I was also disappointed in the fake drama right from the beginning of the episode, from Mandy moving the wizard at the dock and John and sig cris crossing in front of Keith to push him out
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Have been a fan for last 20 yrs
I watched season 21 premeire about 20 mins and it was so fake
I couldn't stand it anymore. The show was great in the first 15 years. The last five years it has been steadily going down in content , production and directing. Go back to the basics!!!!
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It’s a reality show. There’s no such thing as directing a reality show, otherwise it’s simply not a reality show. Producing one yes, I’ll certainly give you that. But producing and directing are entirely different things. One is made up and the other one is trying to get content as best they can in circumstances that are true to the shows narrative. Give it another couple of episodes before you doubt it so much. It all might fall into place and make sense. If there truly was no faking the first episode then we’re in for absolutely epic season.
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If you remember the Fake Radar blips last season, that was the beginning of the end. They manufacture too much. The show needs to return to its roots and bring on the originality again.
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I have been a fan of Deadliest Catch since day 1. Us old timers remember that the fleet use to have a local priest bless the fleet every year before anyone left the docks. There was also a superstition about not leaving the docks on a Friday. I remember when Captain Phil Harris had his stroke. I cried right along with his sons.
You can think it's fake if you want. Go ahead and stop watching it. There will be another fan to take your place, so bye bye. I will be here until the end. Don't forget, thanks to Sig Hansen there is a girl at the helm now, anyway.
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Haters drove the Blessing Of the Fleet out of camera view. I always thought Discovery producers were cowards for caving in and not showing that beautiful tradition every season.
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I have watched every episode of this program. It is my favorite show. It has left me hanging til Friday!!!
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In my opinion, it was the best debut episode of any season in the last 21 years. They didn’t release it in April or May like they usually do. They’ve released it in August. I think it’s because something has happened to one of the main characters and they wanted to see how things turned out so they can make the proper narrative arc to keep us on the edge of our seats all season.
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me too! I’m thinking about streaming it before tomorrow because I can’t wait to see what happens next
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It's in no way fake these guys put their lives on the line every time they go out obviously some of you have never been crab fishing or you would know.always slays me about armchair quarterbacks why don't you try it then maybe you can talk about something you know about I love this show it's about the real thing
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Everyone know the danger that these fisherman endure. Thats not what they are talking about. The scenarios in the show are scripted, has nothing to do with the industry. Calm down, take a deep breath.
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Well said!
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When Jake broadcasts 'Pan Pan', why didn't the Coast Guard scramble a C-130 and a Jayhawk for rescue? I guess they just said "Hey you guys are on your own!!! Looks like Keith has got this". For some reason, the sea is REALLY calm when its rescue time its just hard to believe they are the middle of the ocean. Another point I noticed. When Jake was leaving the dock to go fishing, there are no pots on deck. I used to love this show but when the Northwestern and Time Bandit are "setting down" Keith and each boat is about 50 feet apart with ocean about calm as could be, its pretty clear they are in a harbor. And speaking of that, those 3 boats (Northwestern, Time Bandit, and Wizard) were engaged in a battle royal when Jake ( Mr. I'm not going to deploy an EPIRB and float in a raft) started smelling the bottle of Mr. Clean that fell over. Why didn't all 3 boats head towards Jake instead of just having a worried look on their face? If you were in the raft, it would be a good idea to fire a flare every once in a while. Everything just seems so staged which is too bad because I find the fishing aspect interesting just on its own.
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I absolutely love the show. Especially the first of this season. Best I've seen in a long while.
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I completely agree with you. The production value was epic and they seem to put all the pieces together of what true fans want to see. It’s going to be a interesting season to say the least.
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What ever your thoughts on the show , if you don't like it don't watch just like another had said already.. I for one love the show and have watched every episode..
I bet all the ones talking s**t will be watching next episode! Haha
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I think the fake comments. about the ammonia, are quite funny. You can see the vapors escaping when Jake was below deck and dogging hatches before he powers off the ship. You can clearly see where Jake wretched at one point from the ammonia exposure, the puke is in his beard but yeah - it was faked.... If you don't like it, don't watch it.
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Great comment!
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Honestly, on any reality show, you can't make everyone happy. On one hand, if it were straight fishing, no drama, people won't watch because it would be the same old drama for every boat, either finding crab or not finding crab, crew gets along, or crew has drama because they can't find the crab. Viewers complained about the blessing of the fleet viewers complained about them smoking all the time, viewers complained about how some things seemed like scripted drama. In the end, people need to realize this show is a reality show, and it has to entertain to keep the ratings up, it has to entertain to keep the sponsors, and it has to entertain to keep the viewers. Could the scripted drama be better, sure, but these people are not actors, they are fishermen, so when things are scripted, yes, it's poor acting, but really, who cares? They are still fishing. Every reality show has some scripted guidance. I agree that this year it was definitely more forced drama for the first episode, but I will still watch because even with forced drama, I am being entertained.
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Well said!! I agree 100% and I will watch every episode.🤗
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If the show is going down the tube at least bring back Josh Harris. 🤣
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Best comment on here! 😆😆🤣🤣
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I can’t remember his name, but they should totally bring back the captain who was a Tweaker on the saga before Jake had it. him and Josh would be the most shit show cocaptains ever😂😂
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So Fake, getting worse every year.
I'm done
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You really came on here just to say that? None of us care if you’re done bro 😂
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Seemed fake and contrived and Jake was awful calm for possibly facing a sinking or capsizing ship and certain death not to mention the ship wasn't even rocking or the crew for that matter when getting into the life raft I realize it was a static camera but the boat appeared to not even be moving
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Yeah, the water all of a sudden became calm and smooth as glass..
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Yeah,it seemed to me Mandy committed a crime there,no?
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It was awful. Truly awful. Fake drama and incredibly bad acting.
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Have you ever met any of the guys in person? If not, you may want to sit this one out. I've been fortunate to have met the Hillstrands, Sig, and Capt Wild Bill. They're no different in person from what you see on the show.
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Dumb and fake. Where was the Coast Guard? Not one chopper in sight or Coast Guard vessel. They would’ve been on scene for something like this, but the Coast Guard isn’t gonna play in these little games of make belief.
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The cameraman was fine, never coughed.... Super "realistic"... Lol
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I have watched since season 1.
Honestly I don't know why I keep watching. It's really gotten terrible.
Another "take" reality show.
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It’s totally fake. You should go jump on a boat for a day in the bearing sea, and prove to everyone that you could do the job no problem in 20 foot plus waves. By the way, the Bering Sea isn’t fake and nor are those waves so where are you coming from with your comment?
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All you people do is talk crap get off your butts and try to fish if you watch for drama and not the catch you got problems.
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It was once a good show. Just put it to rest already.
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If that’s how you feel just stop watching it already.
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I don't think I will stop watching and rewatching. Some of it is fake/staged. And, I think some of it is "remade". It happened but, it was not caught on camera for some reason. And, there has always been generic fillers where they are pulling an empty pot from chase boat view and then magically the table is full.
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It’s just bad editing. Maybe they don’t have enough shots of full tables or empty pots and they just put them together and you know that pot that came up empty can’t fill a table so it looks silly.
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It is super
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My opinion, the show is not fake. As a boat owner and a fishermen myself every thing they face is real.
You can’t fake calling in the coast guard, you can’t fake the fails that happen to the boat’s engine. You can’t even fake when equipment breaks. It’s a good show for me because I can relate to all the things that go wrong. This show has also helped me get out of some situations because some of the similar issues happened to me.
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stopped watching awhile back after it became boring bullshit.
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It was completely staged the ammonia leak was not possible Jake pointed to a releaf valve
This is a shut off valve it would not be possible for it to blow off
I just can’t be bothered to explain any more complete garbage
40 years at sea as engineer
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So disappointing…. Havent watched since covid hit….. every scene is fake basically! All of it….it used to be real and now it blatantly obvious that its scripted…. How did they get the fleet to agree? They should have said hell no were fisherman not actors …., so that sucks
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All those claiming this is fake watch WWF every week im sure
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did any of you catch the person hiding behind the captains chair in episode 2.... the boat was not abandoned...........
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Mandy moving Keiths boat just as he "conveniently" leaves to go into town.
Then his reaction, "oh well" no big deal.
Totally made up script.
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His name was Elliott Neese
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Definitely jumped the Shark. Even if the ammonia leak was real the entire abandoned ship crap and rescue was fake. In the past there was no need for this fake crap
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My husband and I watched season 21 and we were relieved that Jake and his crew were rescued.As for the haters and complainers out there , it takes balls for what they do to make a living.
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They were too far out for helo’s but the first thing they would have done is put out a mayday to the Coast Guard who would have launched C130 assets. They wouldn’t have waited for Keith to get there. Also what was with the weather when Keith got there? The seas were perfectly calm. These scenes were totally faked and reshot.
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Very True Lawrence. And Doc Collins I mean how fake can those ocean waves be, how fake can those who have lost their life doing one of the deadliest jobs known. I don't recall fake blips but do you recall the episodes when you hear man overboard. Doc you think they jump into those freezing waters for a show? You think that coast guard rescues are fake & the coast guard has nothing better to do but to put their lives out there to rescue these crab crews, or the stroke that Capt Keith suffered or the serious injuries crew members go through. Maybe you should stop looking for blips & watch what these guys go through to give you this reality show. Or maybe you should be watching those housewives reality shows to understand fake.
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If you don’t like this show then go watch the kodumpshins.
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I like it and it makes me feel connected to my area
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Season premier was so epic sorry Jake and his crew had to abandon ship that was scary for them and fans.
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The season debut was one of the best episodes ever. It made you feel like you were going to an old dilapidated island that looks almost like Jurassic Park from the sea. The footage of the houses that people used to live in when there was a population of tens of thousands on the island during the second world war was incredible. There’s nothing fake about that. That is a real island with real history behind it that they happen to be fishing off of. Appreciate the fact that we are seeing parts of the world that we’ve never seen before and with the conditions at sea, we’re bound to get good content.
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Years before the show stories in the paper told of these boats sinking and men dying on crab boats which is probably where the idea for the show came from. This is a very dangerous occupation and takes a special person to do it. To complln about prayer before the season, that is traditional, shrimpers have the blessing of the fleet annually, that is world wide fishermen want God on their side, because fishing in the open sea is dangerous. Life is full of drama, on these boats some is real some is scripted,if you don't like it go watch the soaps ,they are all fake,bet not many of the complainers would hire onto one of these boats where you work in 20 foot seas and below freezing temps.I know that I would not but I will watch them do it and not complain about the drama
,
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As for the prayer folks have commented on they have been doing that through the whole show every season. It is a tradition and a must for every fisherman that goes on the open water for their safety. They use to have a minster say a prayer over the radio before they left the dock before everything got so dang political. Which I hate.
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They have been manufacturing most of the drama for years.it is almost like watching WWE. Hey, wait!! That would be a good storyline. Get Steve Austin on one boat and John Cena on a different boat.
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I believe Deadliest Catch as is good now as it was the first time it aired. On a reality show you get what's available to be filmed. Just remember when Jake was abandoning ship yelled at the photographer to put his camera down and getting his life preserving gear and get off the boat. As far as the emergency being faked I believe people are way off. Nobody was fake that kind of emergency in the seas of the Bering Sea. To be in that little life rap they could have been killed at any moment.
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The Season Opener was FANTASTIC!!! Best of the series. provided a lot of family background on the captains and how their families have all known each other for generations. I now have a whole different view on some of the captains that weren't among my favorites. LOVE THIS SHOW. KEEP IT GOING!!!
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I've had friends of mine and experience that kind of emergency but they weren't so lucky they died. Hey, monia snuck up, mom, really quick. President like tuna saner fishing off of Mexico I don't know about that. You have to understand something. Will you work on the boats? And you've been doing it for 10 years. I got a mission here. You have a plan. The plan is not to panic to go quietly and everybody has a designated job. To do this way, everybody's on the boat, life rav, and the captain is the last guy off. It does kill and it won't cause an explosion. So for you, people who don't think it's real, it's real. You can't panic, especially the captain of all the people on the boat is supposed to be the most quiet calm level-headed person on the boat. I ran both to twenty five years.Everybody's looking up to you to get him out of there and be safe.So I don't know what you guys are talking about, but I believe jay cambridge very well and the crew get very well, everybody knew their job I traded
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It's called entertainment
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Yes, it is certainly entertainment but does that mean it’s fake? Is it fake on Wicked tuna when they catch a fish and bring it on board? No. So why are crab fisherman fishing and being called fake in what’s considered one of the deadliest jobs in the world in one of the deadliest seas in the world?
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