The First Episode - Season Five!
Wow, no waiting this year for the big drama… what a great first episode! Phil came in strong, looking good, feeling good, and then WHAM, got sidelined by a last-minute call from his doctor telling him that another trip out to sea might kill him. This is the first king-crab season he’s missed in THIRTY-THREE years and you can tell he’s just devastated about it. You’ve got to feel for him, but I also hope he takes this as an opportunity to start taking better care of himself - starting with those cigarettes!
Speaking of tobacco, captain Keith of the Wizard faced down his own little health scare in this episode, with a biopsy for what might have ended up being mouth cancer, but was actually (thankfully) just some sort of sore or irritation. That’s good news there, but the bad news is that he’s essentially broke, put $400,000 into repairs on the ship, and is losing crab pots due to some sort of metal snag on the boat. What’s worse, he went into the water to check on the snag and got smashed in the head by the hull of the boat when it heaved in the water. Youch! My Tivo unfortunately switched channels right after that so I’ll have to wait for a repeat episode to catch the final 1-2 minutes - if anyone can fill me in though, please do!
Not much going on yet on the Northwestern, though Sig was unlucky enough to pull the short straw and had to bite the head off the traditional herring. Man that looks gross. 
The only boat that’s got nothing but good news this episode was the Time Bandit, with the Hillstrand brothers landing DIRECTLY on the crab right from the start - first pot, 96 crab! Looks like they might be in for a good season, and may very well win the captain’s bet - which, at $1000 per boat, could end up being a heck of a nice post-season bonus!
All said, a GREAT first episode for Deadliest Catch Season Five! Way to go, Discovery Channel! Keep ‘em coming!!
April 15th, 2009 at 3:07 am
Keith was pretty disoriented when they lifted him on the boat in a life sling. His head was bleeding and he was mumbling,literally.He couldn’t talk right then they cut away.
April 15th, 2009 at 4:16 am
I wish someone would put up a torrent so the rest of the world can watch it…
April 15th, 2009 at 8:55 am
I loved this first episode. Sad what happened to both captain keith and phil. Im so PISSED that Phil couldnt go. omg.
April 15th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Yeah, I was bummed too about Phil! I hope they stay with him through the season!
Was it just me, or did anybody else get a ‘darker’ feeling about this season? Sure, as the poster points out, there’s plenty of drama, but what’s really struck me is the way all of the captains are looking, with the exception of maybe Andy. They ALL look a lot rougher this year, especially compared to the first few seasons. Also I couldn’t help but think about the fact that many of our favorite captains are considering retirement! Understandable, to be sure, but I hope things turn around for both the industry and the guys’ health!
Admittedly, it’s a bit selfish of me, but, I really would like to see the show continue to run for a good long time!
April 15th, 2009 at 11:26 am
What about the promo showing some ominous event in October …. Coast guard flying out ….. A body floating in a survival suit I am freaked a little
April 15th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Did anyone think the opening sequence was just weird (the first minute or so before the show opening)?
By what I saw it implies that maybe the Wizard went down. What ya think?
April 15th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
KC they sure did imply that didn’t they. Might just be build up drama for future episodes but those were HUGE waves/swells looking out of the his window.
April 15th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
What time was this on? The add on the internet was for 9pm on Discovery. I turned the TV on to watch it at that time and was disappointed to see that Destroyed in Seconds was on. I am so disappointed I missed it!!
April 15th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Don’t you think that if the Wizard had gone down way last October we would have heard about it by now?
April 15th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I am so tired of the producers of this show. The camera work and implication that the Wizard goes down is irresponsible. It’s not the Wizard that goes down, its a cod processor that’s not even part of the crab fleet.
The scene in which Keith is calling home to his wife was unnecessary as well. I’m sorry, but there are just some things that should be off camera.
I watch this show because I like the crews and am fascinated by what they deal with in their jobs. Their jobs are exciting and dramatic enough without all the hype and teasers. Thank God for my DVR so I can skip through the bull and the commercials.
April 15th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
I’m pretty sure they are talking about the fish processing boat Katmai, which went down in Oct. 2008. The Northwestern’s site mentions it.
http://www.fvnorthwestern.com/2008/10/22/the-coast-guard-says-a-fish-processing-boat-with-11-crew-members-on-board-is-missing/
April 15th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
I am a fan of show. I must say I was very dissapointed that the show did not focus a segment on the recessionary affects on the crab fishing. Mentioning debt over repairs is not what I am talkin about. Restraunts have been killed during recession. Crab prices have tanked along with other high item foods and goods. Therefore this would have to affect the crab shipping industry. Notice no mention of greenhorns or showing of workers wanting jobs on ships. I’d assume alot of people in line. The crews were mostly veterans. Seems me producers just chose to ignore the worst recession in at least 27 years. I would have found this very interesting how crews have coped with the economic times today and in past. I also like crews but this show is starting to get old. They are laying people off at my job and others have been going thru tough times. It’s hard get interested in these fisherman’s problems with what’s going on in real world. Just my 2 cents.
April 15th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
It was the Katmai. If you browse through the Northwestern’s site linked above, there’s a video clip showing Kodiak Coast Guard leaving for the scene. Mike Rowe specifically says “If the Katmai’s gone down….”
April 15th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Don’t know what town Tim H lives in but our little town is also hard hit here in Michigan, and when we go by the restraunts you can hardly get a seat without waiting awhile. Especially the Red Lobster! As for Phil I sure hope that he quits smoking them darn Cigs. I really love this program and had to watch the reruns until they started back up much to the chagrin of my wife. Hope it keeps going.
April 15th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
To me it almost looked like in the beginning sequence that the Wizard went to help the sinking ship and they showed Keith kneeling over a body in a survival suit laying on the floor of the ship the guy looked like Scott Hilstrad?
April 15th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
I really do think that the producers are starting to stage some of the footage. What are the chances that Phil coincidentally received a call from his doctor just before they left the dock? Some of the teasers make you think that something happened that really didn’t. Just as Barb says “if the Wizard had gone down, we would have heard about it by now.”
April 15th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
This show will end in season 7by which time all the Captains will have smoked themselves to death.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
I love this show because of the high drama. Each week I wonder what will happen, I can’t WAIT for the show to start.
To suddenly read here in the comments section: “The camera work and implication that the Wizard goes down is irresponsible. It’s not the Wizard that goes down, its a cod processor” really annoyed me. I don’t wish a sunken ship on anyone, but the drama was built up nicely and now for me it’s gone.
No, I didn’t know if the Wizard went down or not, I wouldn’t have “heard about it”.
I suppose if I really wanted to; I could google everything and everybody’s names, research their seasons, consult a psychic and stalk their trashcans looking for any indication of their fortunes.
Or I could just watch the freaking show.
I like tv shows that are dramatic and keep me wondering. Would I want to watch if they said “a cod processor goes down”. Not so much. I don’t fault them for building up some drama, that is why we watch. Or at least I do.
I like this blog but I’m going to stick to reading the posts, and skip reading the comments section.
April 16th, 2009 at 1:13 am
That was terrible that Discovery did not put the 1st episode of the season on in Canada (Pacific Coast) after advertising it. They put Destroyed in Seconds on instead. Booooo
April 16th, 2009 at 4:01 am
If a boat goes down there are public records of it, so if you dug enough you could find out.
April 16th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
I love this show. I think the start was very ominous can’t wait till next week, to DC fan people do torrent this show I live in Australia and was able to download it the next day so big thanks to those who upload for others who have to wait another 6 months before shown in our country Cheers
April 16th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
After building Jake up as the future of the Northwestern I was disappointed that he is apparently not involved in this season. At least he was not shown in the first episode.
I also won’t read the comments form now on if there are spoilers.
-Bish
April 16th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Was glad to see the Hillstrands do so well right off the bat.
********SPOILER ALERT********
********SPOILER ALERT********
I met them not long ago, and they say that this season is going to be the most exciting yet — for reasons both good and bad. (Mainly the spoiler is that they survived the season — if they hadn’t, I couldn’t have talked to them. But then, if they hadn’t, we all would have heard about it anyway …) Anyway, some of what’s coming is supposed to be brutal.
April 16th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Something as big as one of the star ships going down on a reality series would have been big news.
No spoilers here, people. You would not have been able to escape it. It would have been on CNN,
Entertainment Tonight, TMZ, the Enquirer and dozens of other places. The rest of the series is still a
total mystery but anyone with a modicum of common sense would not have gotten into a tizzy thinking
that one of the main 4 ships would have been lost way last Oct. and we would not have heard about it
*everywhere* by now.
April 16th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Barb, thanks for implying I don’t have “a modicum of common sense”. (sarcastic eyeroll)
I too was thrown by the spoilers in these comments. I’m not in some kind of relationship with fishermen everywhere; I simply found a show that looked interesting, and now a lot of the suspense has been lost due to thoughtless people who can’t put the word “SPOILER” in their message. And honestly, spoilers shouldn’t be present here.
WHY? Because when you think about it; this is a blog for fans of the show. It isn’t a behind the scenes, total access, inside information portal. Would you expect to read who won Survivor on a Survivor fan blog? NO. Because that is the point of watching the SHOW! Do you you want me to tell you who dies on “Heroes” or what happens on 24? Lost? American Idol?
I’m un-subscribing to this blog. If Barb thinks I knew which ship is the “star ship”, and thinks I’d have heard about it on channels I don’t even WATCH, well then, I really can’t afford to find out what ELSE she thinks I MUST be aware of, and can therefore speak about freely. Next thing I’ll be reading “everyone KNOWS that deckhand died, it was all over the news”. NEWS I DIDN’T PAY ATTENTION TOO? Just because YOU know something, doesn’t mean everyone is as omnipotent as you are. Sheesh.
April 17th, 2009 at 5:37 am
This show is be coming a soap opera. I know this stuff for a fact is getting staged. There making a mockery of the fleet. Enough is enough, this show is a joke.
April 19th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
I get sick of seeing the same old crews. They need to profile different boats every season. Have any of you read the article in Heartland magazine about Alaskan crab fishing. Most of the people interviewed claimed that all of the crap you see on deadliest catch is overplayed, except for the long working hours. I still say that the show was better in its first two seasons, along with the original documentary of America’s Deadliest Season. I agree with shannm34, this show is becoming a soap opera. Apparantly, Phil is not as sick as he is letting on, because he is still puffing those ciggarettes like they are going out of style.
April 22nd, 2009 at 1:17 am
I am new to this. I just started watching last season, but it didn’t take long for me to get hooked. I’ll bet Captain Keith’s wife would kick his ass if she knew what he did. These wives have to be some tought broads to do what they do. They say goodbye to their men nevering knowing if they will see them again. That has to be tought.
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:46 am
Duh. If old Captain Phil had such a close #@&*%^g brush with death how can he keep on chain smoking and coughing his raspy ass off? First time I saw him years ago I figured his demise would be a part of the series.
Hey Phil, I smoked from the time I was 13 until I was 55. People asked did I quit smoking all at once. I reply, #^%& yes! I quit on the way to the emergency room followed by a quadruple by-pass!! Was on oxygen at home for 3 months, followed by only shortness of breath walking to the john.
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE!!! Now just a dead man walking…couldn’t even climb to the bridge on a boat.
Hot chick said to me, Why don’t you carry me upstairs and %#@
my brains out? I said, Make up your mind, I can’t do both!!
But Phil, that was when I was 45!!
Frankly, for all their bravado, about 57% of these guys will be lucky if they make 55. They will be done fishing and broke long before that.
Sorry Phil, and all of you #%*@s deckhands, but keep up the chain smoking and you will never get to take your grandsons down to the shore and…be telling tall tales while fishing for whales with a lady that you both enjoy. Good Luck.
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:04 am
From Central Canada, the last shot was of Phil being pulled out and his head being hurt…..then not only did my PVR stop recording, but the show was over completely. I have no idea what ship went down…was that actually shown?
I agree that it would seem as though some of what we saw was staged, but I’ve come to expect that. I wish the show focused more heavily on the industry, the technology (or seemingly lack of) and the economics of fishing but to keep us all coming back week to week there has to be a human element and let’s face it–we all respect these people a great deal. I feel bad when I see their dramas exposed but if Phil didn’t want his conversation with his wife to be shared, I’m sure he could have kept it private. That doesn’t make him egotistical–and it doesn’t degrade the show. It simply exposes further detail about the human factor of this business. (MHO)
Anyhoo…hope to find out more next week. Nice to see the guys back
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:07 am
OOOPS, in my previous post I mentioned Phil being pulled out..I meant Keith. Sorry.
April 27th, 2009 at 2:39 am
I was also annoyed that the writer spoke about it only being a codfish processor.But my reasons for being annoyed are different.
Just because it wasn’t one of the boats that you are familiar with and cheer for doesn’t make it any less of a tragedy for the ones that were on the codfish boat.Mentally,physically and most likely financially.
I am sure that the Wizard’s crew were thankful that they weren’t put in the position,just as I am sure that they know that there is no such thing as “just a cod processor”.They are all in the same boat,so to speak.
R
May 2nd, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Well, I know here in Seattle, anytime anything happens in the fishing fleet, we hear about it on our daily news. Mainly, because, it totally affects people here, but also, I believe that the WA Coast Guard goes up to Alaska if there is a major catastrophe. I know last year (2007, i believe) when one of the processors went down, which had a crew of like 50 i think, the WA Coast Guard went up, not to help in the rescue (they could never get there fast enough), but to cover the spots left open, in case something else happened that needed the Coast Guard.
And, I do agree with Barb, if one of the main boats had gone down, it would have been on the news. This show is becoming more and more popular. I mean, come on, Sig has been on every late night show. If something as big as the Wizard going down would have happened, I would think that any news program would have mentioned it, same as when any celebrity (past or present) dies, it makes the news.
May 4th, 2009 at 3:42 am
has anyone ever considered a thought on ships safety by running a “safety line” behind such vessels
a safety line that per se is a 200 ft long with a light beacon on it and a bouy to ensure it stays on surface
some of you may frown or giggle over such thought but
if a man overboard knew such a safety line was in play he could have a shot at saving his life knowing once overboard he has a line to swim for with a light beacon to guide towards
dragging a surface line wouldn’t impair no operations nor cost much in name of giving valued crew members a shot at saving their lives incase
May 13th, 2009 at 2:03 am
keith is a piece of shit - uneducated cheap drunken grumpy old man
he is not worth filming - get him off the show
uses green horns every trip to save money for himself
no one wants to see or hear him
i feel sorry for his team of real workers
July 5th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
I am probaly the only man ever really saved by spiderman. I cant quit laughing Jonathan. You guys are fucking funny. keep up the good work.
July 13th, 2009 at 1:46 am
keep up the good work phil and crew! U guys are awesome! Love the show. Watch it every tuesday.
July 30th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Like it or not, the personal dramas are what keep the viewers coming back. Please allow me to be the first to predict that we will see a Real World: Alaskan Crab Fishing within the next 2 years.
November 28th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Good day to you…I’d like to know some info of the Deadliest Catch episodes…Is it Season five? or will it be season 6 ? It is one show that I don’t ever miss…Is it possible to give me info of when the newest season (not sure if it is season 5—or will it be season 6) and when will the first episode be or has it begun yet for season ? I’m not sure if there is a season 6—Can someone write to me asap to let me know when the (new) Deadliest Catch will be on or has it already started? Thank you very much…
D.L.Fontaine
December 25th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you deadliest catch captians and associates of the boats. I am a proud fan of your work and the things you do. I am a 14 year old boy who lives in nassau and i would like you captian Sig to take me under your wing for I have found your work to be the most thrilling and exciting. Your tactics and methods have really left me in awe. To be apart of your crew has always been one of my dreams because i have always felt asthough i belonged on the sea.I hope you get this message signed with hope. your fan JP