Well, we’re a few episodes in now… what’s your verdict? Is Season 4 the best so far of Deadliest Catch, is it ok but not spectacular, or has the show “jumped the shark”? Make your opinion heard using the poll below!
I’ve got my own opinions on this one but I’m going to hold back until a future post so as not to skew the poll results.
One of our readers posted a comment to our forums recently, suggesting that some (or all) of the fishermen featured on Deadliest Catch seem to be hamming it up for the cameras and inventing dramas/scenarios that they know will make for good television. The truck prank, for example - would the Hillstrand brothers have gone through all that trouble if they didn’t have an international television audience watching them? Sure, we know these fishermen work hard and play hard - they always have - but I guess its a fair question… has the Deadliest Catch phenomenon changed the way these fishermen do their jobs when they’re on camera?
I’d love to hear your comments, and be sure to vote your opinion on the poll below!
Wow! The wait was certainly worth it. Highlights from last night’s shows:
1. Jake buying a 26 inch FLAT SCREEN TELEVISION, on his dad’s credit card, without his permission!
Seriously, what was Jake thinking? Capt. Phil - predictably - threw a sh*t fit when he saw his son Jake putting together a custom-built mount for his flat-screen tv, right at the end of his bunk no less. This when there was legitimate, serious work to be done. Now that takes some cojones. (Phil himself dusted off an old classic by repeating his aphorism from a previous season: “Now you know why lions eat their young.”)
2. The FIVE-HOUR hunt for a cup-a-noodles on the Wizard!
Ok, we all know that fishermen are notoriously superstitious… everyone’s got their own little thing they’ve got to do before the season starts to ensure a safe and productive hunt. The Hansen brothers have to bite the head off a fish, other boats have to listen to the annual Dutch Harbor radio blessing. But the Wizard - apparently - can’t run things until they’ve got a Cup-a-Noodles steaming hot and ready to eat for the captain! All work ceased on-board the Wizard while everyone looked in earnest for the damned thing… the search lasted for at least 5 hours but to no avail. We’ll see if this has any appreciable influence on their results this year.
3. The Bering Sea prank of the century!
Its only the second episode but already they’re pulling out the big pranks… and I mean BIG! The Hillstrand brothers from the Time Bandit decided to pull a big one on Capt. Phil of the Cornelia Marie. They loaded up the chassis of an old, yellow pick-up truck and stored it on their deck until they got out into the middle of the sea. (Actually it sort of backfired on them as they had to constantly move the damned thing just to get any work done on-deck). Anyway, once Phil had laid down his first string of pots the Time Bandit moseyed on over and hauled in one of them… they cut the pot off the string and attached the truck chassis, then sank it. The poor crew of the Cornelia Marie almost died trying to reel-in the damned thing (I really thought their tackle system was going to break!) but everyone had a good long laugh when they saw what it was. Phil gave it an “A+” as far as pranks go, and I certainly can’t think of a bigger or better prank than that! The Hillstrand brothers said the next one would have to be an airplane to beat it… but I don’t see that happening.
Tonight’s the night - at 9pm EST on the Discovery Channel, Deadliest Catch will be airing the first episode of the 4th season! Its titled “Get ‘em Back Safe!” and the short episode description is:
It’s the beginning of a new king crab season and everyones looking to cash in. Some boats are slow to start but eventually get to catching some king crab.
For anyone who wants to chat away with fellow fans during the show, be sure to point your browser to our forum dedicated to this episode:
If you’ve not yet caught up on Seasons 1, 2 and 3 be sure to grab yourself the DVD sets from Amazon - they’re only between $16-$22 for an entire season, so its dirt cheap - not to mention crystal clear and without commercials. What more could you ask for?
Take a quick look around the Deadliest Catch Shop and stock up before Season 4 airs on April 15th!
It’s official - Season 4 of Deadliest Catch will premiere on Tuesday, April 15th at 9pm. It will be a two-fer - with two back-to-back episodes running from 9pm through 11pm. Seems like forever since the last season ended, but now we’re so, so close to the new episodes - I can’t wait!
Well, Season 4 of Deadliest Catch is now just about three months away… what is it you’d like to see this season?
Personally, I thought Season 3 was the best yet. It really seems like the production team, film crew, etc. found their “sea legs”, so to speak, after the second season closed. There were some amazing shots in the third season from perspectives I’d never seen before, and I hope to see more of this in season four. The crew is constantly pushing the envelope in terms of film-making, getting new camera rigs and equipment installed on the boats, etc. so I’m really looking forward to seeing what surprises they’ve got in store for us this year!
I’d also like to see more shots of the families (though I understand many probably want to stay anonymous). But it seems to me like this would really help to personalize the fishermen even more. If we could be introduced to their wives, girlfriends (boyfriends? nah, probably not!), kids, etc. and get a feel for how they stay in touch while on board, what the families do at home while everyone else is out to sea, etc. I’d love to see a bit more of that.
But that’s me. What would YOU like to see in season four?
Here are some Deadliest Catch video clips from YouTube to keep all us fans busy while we’re waiting for Season Four to beign (tentatively scheduled for April 2008). Enjoy!