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. 

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?

UPDATE:  Seems just over 3 out 4 respondents  want the Rollo back on Season 4… so how about it, Original Productions?  Give Nyhammer a chance! 

So what do you think - should Original Productions bring back the Rollo in Season 4 of Deadliest Catch?  Seems from the comments being made here that Eric Nyhammer and his crew are pretty sorely missed… now’s your chance to register your opinion one way or the other - take the poll!
 

For me, the Rollo was a great alternative to some of the more salty-dog ships like Northwestern and Cornelia Marie. Eric was cut from a different cloth than Phil, Sig, Rick and the others. He seemed a bit more refined, a bit more at-ease, with a more casual management style… sort of like the “cool boss” to have. His crew was always good for a laugh, whether they were putting on inflatable sumo wrestling suits or knocking around pinatas on the deck of the frozen ship. It was a nice change-up to see the Rollo, and I genuinely missed them in season three.

If you really want to make your voice heard, follow Eric Nyhammer’s advice and write a letter to the production team. Original Productions can be reached at:

Original Productions
308 W. Verdugo Ave
Burbank, CA 91502
tel.818.295.6966

A couple of folks have sent in questions or posted comments asking if and when Season Four of Deadliest Catch will be airing on the Discovery Channel.  At first I heard rumors about an October 2007 return with new episodes, but now it sounds like it may be March of April 2008, according to the Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/06/18/2007-06-18_inner_tube.html

Either way, it sounds like Discovery’s made the right choice and has ordered another action-packed season from Original Productions.  If this last season is anything to go by, these guys still have lots of new tricks up their sleeve.  The deep-sea submersible camera, which apparently didn’t work out very well in season 3 because of inclement weather, may make another appearance, providing some dramatic shots of the ocean floor and crab in their natural habitat.  Or the producers and camera crew may figure out some great new way to film a shot… they already use chaser boats, gimbled-cameras on helicopters… heck, they even strap themselves onto hydraulic cranes and lay suspended 30 feet out from the boat just to get a good shot of the deck.  (My personal favorite was the CrabberCam - where they attached a small camera to a skateboard helmet and had one of the deckhands wear it while he worked… you really got a feel for the fisherman’s-eye-view of things.)

Anyway, the important thing is YES, Virginia… there will be a Season Four!  The big questions now are, which boats and captains will be featured?  Phil and Sig are shoo-ins, and it looks like the Time Bandit Brothers will probably stick around.  The Maverick will probably stay in, just so we can see Blake in his transition from deckhand to greenhorn-captain to full-fledged captain.  But what about the others?   I’m not crazy about the Farwest Leader, though I do have a soft-spot in my heart for Ragnhild… the boat I really miss though is the Rollo.  Eric was always good for a snarky comment or a subtle witticism, and his crew was constantly pulling pranks for the camera.  Maybe the production guys thought they were trying too hard to make “good television”?  Who knows.  But of all the captains I always liked Eric, just as much as Sig or Phil, if only because he seemed like he was cut from a different cloth… a little cleaner and more refined, younger and with a more laid back management style.  He provided a nice contrast with the other salty-dog captains. 

After this season, I can’t imagine it getting better, but I know it can.

What I’d like to see on Season 4:

• The Rollo. What happened to those guys? I thought Eric and his crew were great.
• The new boats (The Wizard and Farwest Leader) back for another season. Both captains had solid crews that brought some competition to the other boats in the fleet.
• More Episodes. I know, I might be greedy, but it seems like if Lexus can advertise on the radar, etc. We can have more episodes and more filming. However, I’m not going to volunteer to film extra hours.
• Behind the Scenes Episodes or Never before seen footage. I know there has to be some interesting stuff going on behind the camera or when the camera is supposed to be off. I’d also like to see who’s the brave people behind filming this great show.

What would you like to see or not see in the next Season?

Let us know.