Tragic Details That Have Come Out About Deadliest Catch
The Discovery Channel's bracing look at the lives and losses of Bering Sea crab men, "Deadliest Catch," has been packing a punch since it debuted in 2005. "Deadliest Catch" distinguishes itself from other reality television in that creative editing is rarely necessary to craft a compelling storyline. The set-up — cameras following fishing vessels as their crews try to extract Alaskan king crab, opilio crab, and bairdi crab from the rough waters that churn off the Aleutian Islands — is full of ready-made drama. Shipwrecks are common, as are deadly fires, gruesome accidents, and drownings. Crabbing is not for the faint of heart or the fragile — the ocean offers no safe spaces.
Unfortunately for the stars of "Deadliest Catch," the drama has not been confined to the high seas. Tragedy has followed the show's captains and crew members on-shore, landing several of them in court and even in jail cells. And some who have escaped sinking or burning ships have done so only to die in hotel rooms or in their own front yards. Others, blessed with great hauls and good health, have had to spend their hard-earned money on funeral suits. As the old saying goes: "Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning," and after numerous seasons, it seems that many involved with "Deadliest Catch" are cursed to see more than their fair share of red skies.
Deadliest Catch saw a father and sister leave too soon
Jake Anderson, the captain of the fishing boat F/V Saga and a staple of "Deadliest Catch" since 2007, has suffered two devastating losses during his tenure on the show. In February 2009, his sister, Chelsea Dawn Anderson, died of pneumonia at the age of 37. A year later, his father, Dr. Keith Anderson, vanished.
A retired high school counselor, Dr. Anderson disappeared during a trip to Snohomish County, Washington. Authorities found his cell phone in the mud near the family home and his truck stuck on a logging road. A search was launched immediately, but Anderson's father was not found until two and a half years later, when a hiker spotted his bones just a mile from his truck.
Keith Anderson, who had not spent a night away from his wife in 43 years, was reportedly distraught on the day of his disappearance over the approaching one-year anniversary of Chelsea's death. Jake Anderson had earlier expressed concerns that his father might have been the victim of foul play — citing blood on Keith's car keys and the odd way his truck was stuck as possible clues — but the family also admitted that Keith was addicted to oxycodone, which he often got from a friend he had planned to visit the day he vanished.
Jake Harris mourned, then spiralled into crime
Jake Harris (pictured left, with his brother, Josh) lost his father, Phil, the immensely popular captain of the Cornelia Marie, in January 2010. That loss came during the sixth season of the show, and Jake, who had often dealt with substance misuse issues and was even suspected of it on the clock, began to fall apart shortly thereafter. First, he was involved in a hit-and-run accident in Seattle. Then, when sharing a ride home from a Washington casino with three new "friends," he was robbed and beaten within an inch of his life.
Later, he was charged with drug possession and grand theft auto in Phoenix while joy-riding with another man's wife, and still later, in February 2019, having been stopped by park rangers for a possible DUI, he led state troopers on a dangerous chase around rural Washington in an RV. When authorities were finally able to search his vehicle, they found heroin, a stolen shotgun, and a suspended license. Police booked him for DUI, possession of a controlled substance, maintaining a vehicle for the purposes of drug distribution, and possession of a stolen firearm.
Whether Jake's behavior can be blamed on grief over his father's death or whether he's simply his own worst enemy, it seems his run-ins with the law could constitute a sad reality television show all their own.
A Deadliest Catch maverick's death
A star of the second and third seasons of the show and the captain of the Maverick, Blake Painter was found in his Clatsop County, Oregon, home on May 25, 2018, several days after he died of what appeared to be a drug overdose. Authorities were called to the house when one of Painter's friends grew concerned about him and, having driven to Painter's house to check on him, saw a body on the kitchen floor. When police entered the home, they were greeted with the terrible sorts of odors you would expect from a corpse. Near Painter's body lay drug paraphernalia, including a pipe and a metal mint tin holding either heroin or meth, as well as prescription pills.
Painter quit "Deadliest Catch" after Season 3. Prior to his death at age 38, he had been arrested in Astoria, Oregon, for DUI, heroin possession, reckless driving, and tampering with evidence. A second-generation fisherman, Painter had been an avid crabber since he was 3 years old.
The sinking of the Destination hit the Deadliest Catch captains hard
A number of vessels have been lost to disaster during the filming of "Deadliest Catch," including the Big Valley, the Galaxy, the Ocean Challenger, and the Destination. Perhaps most poignant of these is the sinking of the Destination because, according to a recent Coast Guard investigation, it was preventable. The ship's capsizing was detailed in the 105th episode of the show, titled "The Mystery of the FV Destination." The Coast Guard found that the Destination, which sank off the coast of St. George Island in February 2017, was weighed down with roughly 330,000 pounds of ice. The disaster plunged several of the show's stars, including Sig Hansen (pictured hearing the news) and Jake Anderson, into mourning.
The ship's crew was apparently under a great deal of pressure, having delayed their crabbing efforts to finish up fishing for cod. Had the Destination's captain, Jeff Hathaway, opted to stop onshore and break up some of the ice that had formed in the crab pots, its six-member crew might have been saved.
Cocaine dealing and a murder in cold blood
The crew of the vessels featured on "Deadliest Catch" have obviously gotten the most attention, but the behind-the-scenes staff on the show have likewise garnered a few headlines.
In September 2016, a 22-year-old production manager, Matthew J. Schneider, was charged with using and selling cocaine. He was caught in a large undercover sting launched by Unalaska police. Schneider, who, following the charge, fled to California, can be heard on police recordings saying that his supervisor sometimes purchased large amounts of cocaine from the Golden State to distribute at "Deadliest Catch" soirees, many of which took place in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The investigation has not, to date, roped in any other members of the show's staff.
By far the sadder case is the story of Joe McMahon, a 25-year-old producer who was shot and killed in front of his parents' house in Pasadena, California, in the early hours of July 24, 2015. Neighbors reported hearing shots being fired and a car speeding away. McMahon's body was found one driveway away from where he lived, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. And then, in a twist worthy of "Murder, She Wrote," police found Brandon Rafiepour, 24, in a car not far from McMahon's home, dead of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police believe Rafiepour, who knew McMahon, was the killer, but a motive in the shooting is yet to be disclosed.
A Deadliest Catch deckhand dies in his sleep and a captain sails off into the sunset
The "Deadliest Catch" community is no stranger to sudden death. In 2010, Captain Phil Harris succumbed to complications from a stroke captured on camera in Season 6. Then, in 2011, just a year after Harris' passing, Time Bandit deckhand Justin Tennison (left) passed away at the age of 33 in an Alaskan hotel.
The official cause of death was complications from sleep apnea, but police found evidence of possible hard partying the night before his body was discovered. According to his relative Eddie Uwekoolani, Tennison was a family man who cherished his kids and loved the wild, boom-and-bust nature of life as a Bering Sea fisherman. Uwekoolani also hinted that the pressures and fame associated with being on "Deadliest Catch" might have played a role in Tennison's demise: "I don't know if we're all getting too relaxed or enjoying the movie part," he told The Hollywood Reporter, "but ... everybody is watching their health now," he said.
Sadly, despite that caution, the death of Tony Lara (right) soon followed. Lara had taken over the Cornelia Marie skippering duties following the death of his close friend, Captain Phil Harris. In August 2015, Lara was found dead of a heart attack in Sturgis, South Dakota, where he was participating in the town's immensely popular annual biker rally.
Deadliest Catch has a case of arrested development
Bank robbing and crab fishing might seem, at first glance, to have very little in common with each other, but tell that to Joshua Tel Warner, a crew member on the fishing vessel Wizard who was arrested in Illinois in May 2010, after a routine traffic stop. Viewers recognized Warner from his work on the show and alerted authorities to his presence in the Midwest. Wanted for three armed robberies in Eugene, Oregon, Warner was extradited to his home state and sentenced to nine and a half years behind bars.
In a press conference about Warner's arrest, Eugene detective Jeff Donaca said Warner was, to some extent, a victim of his own arrogance: "I don't think you can end up on national TV, make a spectacle of yourself, and not end up getting caught for three bank robberies."
Warner isn't the only "Deadliest Catch" star to find himself on the wrong end of law. Jake Harris, son to captain Phil Harris, has, at this point, a rap sheet a mile long, and Sig Hansen, captain of the Northwestern, was arrested in May 2017 in Seattle for spitting on an Uber driver. Unlike Warner, Hansen didn't get jail time for the offense — only probation and an order to enter a treatment facility and stop using alcohol for a year. Hansen reportedly assaulted driver Waheed Lawal when Lawal informed him he could not accept cash for driving Hansen and his family home. Meanwhile, Sig Hansen's brother Edgar pleaded guilty to sexual assault in July 2018.
Suing on the high seas
"Deadliest Catch" was a break-out hit for the Discovery Channel when it debuted in April 2005. Since then, it has garnered 16 Emmys and inspired countless other rough-around-the-edges reality shows like History Channel's "Ice Road Truckers" and "Ax Men." Why then would the Discovery Channel decide to sue some of the biggest stars of one of their most popular shows? Because those stars, the Hillstrand brothers, allegedly failed to honor their contractual obligations for the filming of a "Deadliest Catch" spinoff, "Hillstranded."
In late summer 2010, the Discovery Channel sued Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand for $3 million, claiming they failed to show up for a number of photo shoots and interviews necessary to make "Hillstranded" ready for broadcast. The brothers had become famous for their hard work and antics aboard the Time Bandit, skippered by Sig Hansen. All three men quit the show in September 2010 in protest of the lawsuit.
A month later, the channel settled with the Hillstrands and Hansen, and the fishermen agreed to return for the next season. But some damage had undoubtedly been done — talk about biting the hand that feeds you.
When fireworks go wrong on Deadliest Catch
Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand of the Time Bandit just can't seem to stay out of the courtroom. In 2013, a member of their Time Bandit crew, David "Beaver" Zielinski, was injured when a firework he was holding exploded prematurely. According to Zielinski, who sued the brothers for $2.7 million, he'd been ordered by Andy Hillstrand to shoot the firework at a rival boat, the Cape Caution. The firework shattered Zielinski's hand and forearm, effectively ending his career as a commercial crabber.
In the course of the trial, which took place in the summer of 2017, Zielinski claimed that Johnathan Hillstrand told him to lie about the cause of his injuries in order to protect himself and his brother. He also alleged that a member of the Time Bandit crew threw the launcher and what was left of the firework overboard in an effort to destroy evidence, and that the Discovery Channel mysteriously lost its footage of the event. Zielinski was eventually awarded $1.4 million in damages.
Depleting supply and warming oceans has affected Deadliest Catch
The captains and crew of the vessels featured in "Deadliest Catch" have for years fought rough seas. Alongside their perils have been medical issues, substance misuse, and the loss of both their livelihood and loved ones. Their newest foe is climate change and its many bizarre side effects, one of which is the depletion of all varieties of Bering Sea crabs, which are being forced further and further from shore. The dire nature of this problem first became clear in Season 13 of the show, when producers and talent alike began to wonder if there would be any action to film — in other words, any crabs to catch. A 4-degree rise in temperature in the Bering Sea was enough to put crab populations and the fishermen's futures at risk.
In order to keep crabbers from overfishing, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has created a quota system based on an annual survey of the overall health of the crab population. As of 2017, the quota had to be cut in half, meaning "Deadliest Catch" captains like Sig Hansen could only count on half the income they were used to.
Despite the grim realities, Hansen told IndieWire he and his fellow fishermen are determined to press on. "The fleet is going to need to go further and deeper," he said. "Nobody is going to take away a fishermen's way of life. I can guarantee you that this fleet will not quit. ... But we're always fearful that this will be our last year."
Deadliest Catch has spun off into even more dangerous waters
What some viewers might not comprehend from watching the "Deadliest Catch" crews go head-to-head with death every week is that fishing for Alaskan king crab in the Bering Sea is not actually as dangerous as it gets. That dubious honor goes to Dungeness crab fishing, a less regulated, more reckless profession and the impetus behind the Discovery Channel spinoff "Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove."
"Dungeon Cove" follows four families of fishermen who work off the coast of Newport, Oregon, known to many as "the graveyard of the Pacific." And it showcases the tricky financial aspect of derby-style fishing, meaning it's basically first-come, first-served, and every man for himself. "Dungeon Cove" premiered in September 2016, and already one man has sued his captain for negligence, claiming a lack of training and safety protocol led to his losing full use of one arm. The plaintiff, Nolan Dean, testified that he got his arm caught in a hydraulic lift and was then thrown overboard. The captain in the suit is named Gary "The Ripper" Ripka, which seems like a pretty bad stroke of luck.
A haunting loss for Deadliest Catch
Reality television has done many things for the world of entertainment — some of it good, some of it bad, and most of it pretty ugly. One of the more controversial contributions of reality television to popular culture is when viewers see someone die. This scenario played out in Season 6 of "Deadliest Catch" when Captain Phil Harris, skipper of the Cornelia Marie, had a massive stroke on deck while offloading snow crabs on St. George Island, Alaska.
According to Phil's son Josh, his father wanted the cameras to keep rolling while he struggled to move and communicate. Following the stroke, he was transported to an Anchorage hospital, where he died a week later of a pulmonary embolism. The camera crews were at the hospital, too, capturing Harris' final moments and his family as they dealt with the shock. Johnathan Hillstrand, co-captain of the Time Bandit, wasn't sure he could watch the emotional episode. "We're not characters, we're real people," he told the Los Angeles Times.
Harris' death was devastating not only to his family and friends, but also to fans of the show who had grown to love the chain-smoking, tattooed fisherman's no-nonsense approach to work and life. Whether "Deadliest Catch" really regained its footing after Captain Phil's death is a matter of opinion, but what is certain is that the crabbing world lost one of its most colorful characters when Phil Harris died.
The death of Mahlon Reyes
In August 2020, there was the announcement of more sad news: Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand and regular aboard both the Seabrooke and the Cape Caution, had passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Reyes was home when he had a major heart attack — he was immediately taken to the hospital in his hometown of Whitefish, Montana. Reyes, 38, was transferred to life support, but a day later, his family made the decision to remove him from it.
Their Facebook memorial and tribute read in part: "On Sunday night our family together made the hardest choice we've ever made and that was to remove him from life support. Mahlon's body was tired and had put up an amazing fight. He was the strongest guy we knew. He was surrounded by so much love."
Reyes' "Deadliest Catch" family posted tributes, too, including condolences and photos of happy times from Nick McGlashan. Reyes' wife wrote (via PopCulture) that the support from friends and family was making an "impossible situation bearable," and that "I am in awe of the people that he touched just by his positive attitude and smile." Plans were made to spread his ashes over the Bering Sea and in the Swan Range Mountains of Montana.
The death of Nick McGlashan at age 33
In late December, tragedy once again struck the crew of "Deadliest Catch." It was reported that on December 27, 2020, Nick McGlashan died in Nashville, Tennessee, at the young age of 33. McGlashan worked on the Summer Bay fishing vessel and was a mainstay of the Discovery reality series from 2013 to 2020.
According to an autopsy report obtained by The Sun, McGlashan's official cause of death was a drug overdose. A combination of cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl was found in his system, and the coroner noted that he had a history of drug use. During the 13th season of the show, McGlashan was briefly kicked off the boat after drug and alcohol misuse. McGlashan opened up about his struggles with alcohol, heroin, and methamphetamine in an article for Chosen Magazine, stating, "My life went from Bering Sea badass to full-blown junkie very rapidly. Hidden from me was that passion I had for life." After seeking treatment at a rehabilitation facility in September 2016, McGlashan embraced sobriety and returned to life on deck, where his wit and skill buoyed the crew. According to Captain Bill Wichrowski, McGlashan was "the epitome of a true crabber."
In a statement released to Variety, a Discovery spokesperson said, "Nick came from a long line of crabbers and was known for his great depth of knowledge. He also had a sharp sense of humor even in the most difficult conditions. He will be deeply missed by all those who knew him."
Todd Kochutin's death came after sustaining massive injuries
It wasn't until more than a year after Todd Kochutin's death that Discovery UK shared more footage of the circumstances surrounding the tragic and ultimately fatal accident. The captains of "Deadliest Catch" talked about a crew member on the Patricia Lee who was in desperate need of medical attention, and it was Sig Hansen who shared the terrifying circumstances of what happened: crew member Kochutin had been hit by a sliding crab pot, which weighed in at somewhere around 800 pounds.
Kochutin later died on board the ship as a result of his injuries, and according to his obituary, he died on February 26, 2021. He was lauded for his sense of humor, his friendly and outgoing personality, and the dangerous Bering Sea was described as always being a special place to him. He was survived by both his parents, his sister, and his brother, and his death was taken hard by the crew, who described his untimely passing as the tragic loss of yet another friend.
A life-threatening injury necessitated a daring rescue
The ocean is breathtaking in beauty, but it's also incredibly unpredictable and wildly dangerous — something that the cast and crew behind "Deadliest Catch" know all too well. Still, sometimes no amount of care and caution can prevent life-threatening accidents, like the one that happened to Francis Katungin on board the Patricia Lee.
In an episode that aired on April 26, 2022, the ship was hit by a rogue wave at the moment (pictured). The blow to the ship loosened a crab pot — which typically weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 pounds — and Katungin was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was pinned between the railing and the crab pot in an accident deemed so bad that even the show's producer — the usually off-camera Todd Stanley — rushed in to help.
Katungin was moved inside, and Captain Rip Carlton quickly came to the conclusion that he had — probably, and possibly among other things — a broken hip and pelvis. Carlton radioed for help, and in the following 16 hours of traveling to meet up with the U.S. Coast Guard, the waters and the weather only got worse. Katungin was lifted onto a helicopter in the middle of an arctic storm, another reminder of just how dangerous the job can turn in a split second.
Sig Hansen has been the subject of disturbing allegations
In 2017, it was reported that Sig Hansen was being sued by his estranged daughter, Melissa Eckstrom. The charges? Eckstrom claimed that she was sexually abused by her father when she was a toddler.
Hansen and his daughter's mother, Lisa Eckstrom, divorced in 1992. At the time, the accusations had also surfaced: The judge in the case found that the abuse charges were unfounded, and Hansen was innocent. Fast forward to 2017, and Eckstrom's attorneys were bringing the case to court again, based on the fact that she hadn't been able to testify the first time. Meanwhile, Hansen made it clear what he thought of the whole thing, saying, "This is nothing more than an old-fashioned shakedown. It's a completely frivolous lawsuit full of lies that my ex-wife made up to take away my daughter, and still uses to try to extort money from me. It's blackmail."
The following year, the Washington State Court of Appeals ruled that a civil trial could move forward. No further details in the progression of a civil trial have been made public, and Hansen continues to deny the charges.
The Patricia Lee's continued curse
Captain Rip Carlton and the crew of the Patricia Lee have dealt with a string of tragedies, from the 2021 death of Todd Kochutin to a horrific accident involving Francis Katungin. But that wasn't the end of the accidents.
After Katungin was taken off the boat in the middle of an arctic storm (pictured), the Patricia Lee — obviously now a man short — was delayed in going back out onto the water. After adding another deckhand named Devon Davis, they headed back out with the captain's hopeful words (via Yahoo!): "This is our redemption trip. We're gonna try to get through a trip without anything happening. The most important thing is just safety, right? Devon, it's your first time on the boat, don't get hurt."
The redemption trip quickly turned into a nightmare when — after an accident not recorded on camera — Davis collapsed. Another crewmember radioed the captain in a panic, saying (via Yahoo!) that Davis had taken a blow to the head, knocking him unconscious and causing him to spit blood. Exactly what had happened was immediately unclear, and the episode wrapped with Carlton saying he had no idea what was going to happen.
Deadliest Catch lost another alumni in 2021
Kyle Craig appeared on "Deadliest Catch" between 2016 and 2019. He was a deckhand working with Captain Sean Dwyer on the Brenna A, and when news of his death broke, it wasn't immediately clear what had happened — even when it reached his former crewmates on an episode of "Deadliest Catch: Bloodline."
Details continue to be scarce, with his obituary (via HeraldNet) saying only that the Seattle, Washington native had "passed away suddenly on Saturday, July 17, 2021." The obituary also suggested that his career as a commercial fisherman had continued after his time on "Deadliest Catch," and it's also unclear when and why he left the show after appearing in only a handful of episodes. His obituary also called out his love for trout fishing, tailgating, and his dogs, noting that not only was he missed by his friends and family, but his crewmates from the Bering Sea as well. He left behind a wife, his parents, and a daughter.
Jerod Sechrist's repeated run-ins with the law
In 2019, news broke that "Deadliest Catch" alumni Jerod Sechrist had been arrested on drug-related charges, including possession of heroin. Originally arrested in connection with a reckless driving case, law enforcement reportedly discovered the drugs in his possession at the time of that arrest.
Sechrist was briefly a part of Captain Wild Bill's crew, until his inability to tell the difference between male and female crabs — the latter of which are illegal to catch and keep — nearly cost the captain a major fine.
That led to him only appearing in three episodes of "Deadliest Catch," and that wasn't the end of his troubles. Sechrist was arrested again in April 2020 — the third that had happened over the course of the previous six months. That one was for grand theft, charges that came in connection with the theft of more than $1,000 of goods from a Florida IKEA. Also included in the charges was a probation violation related to previous incidents.
Nick Mavar died after a heart attack
A veteran of "Deadliest Catch," Nick Mavar — born Nikola Mavar Jr. – had featured on the show from its first season in 2005 through to Season 17, some 15 years later. Fishing ran in Mavar's blood, with his Croatian father, Nickola Mavar Sr., having also fished since arriving in the U.S. in 1959. During his time on "Deadliest Catch," Mavar worked as a deckhand on the fishing boat F/V Northwestern, and was no stranger to the dangers of his profession. In one 2011 episode, with a storm raging, Mavar's nose was broken by a hook that had swung free and into his face.
Another more serious incident in late 2020 caused his departure from the show, when his appendix burst aboard the F/V Northwestern. As if that was not serious enough, a cancerous tumor was also discovered while Mavar was being treated for the burst appendix. While Mavar recovered and was successfully treated for both medical issues, he would later sue the owners of the F/V Northwestern for inadequate medical contingencies, and the whole saga was one of the biggest scandals to ever hit the Discovery Channel.
Despite these and the many other trials Mavar faced in his notoriously dangerous career of commercial sea fishing, it was on land, in a boat yard, where Mavar had a heart attack and died in June 2024. His nephew Jake Anderson spoke to Mavar's dedication to fishing, saying (via The New York Times), "He was a fisherman through and through ... and the camera was something that was just there." Mavar was 59.
Ross Jones died leaving a young family
The F/V Saga, captained by Jake Anderson since 2015, was a regular feature on "Deadliest Catch." Among its fearless crew for two of those episodes in 2020, was a young deckhand seeking to make a name for himself on the treacherous waves: Ross Jones. While the greenhorn was only a crew member on the Saga for a relatively short while — later moving onto at least two other ships as a deckhand — he reportedly left his mark as an affable character. Sadly, Jones passed away in June 2022.
Details are sparse on the cause of Jones' untimely death, with the popular Facebook fan page for "Deadliest Catch" citing respect and privacy for the family of the fisherman — his partner Chloe and young son, who had turned 2 years old shortly before Jones' death. The announcement was received with an outpouring of grief and condolences, and Captain Jake Anderson contributed with a post on Instagram alluding to Jones' sense of humor, stating, "You made me p*** my pants on many occasions."
Casey McManus was dropped from Deadliest Catch due to shocking allegations about his business partner
Of all the boats featured on Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch," the Cornelia Marie is one of the most beloved, having been the site of much sweat, blood, and toil since the earliest seasons of the show. Captained by Phil Harris from 2005 until his tragic death in 2010, the Cornelia Marie's helm was passed to his sons, Jake and Josh Harris, until Josh partnered with Casey McManus to purchase the boat. However, years later, the partnership was on course for an unexpected and shocking turn of events, which would end both McManus and Josh's tenure on "Deadliest Catch," as well as the rugged Cornelia Marie.
In September 2022, reports emerged of a sexual assault allegedly committed by Josh against a minor, which took place in 1998. Josh was a reportedly a minor himself at the time he was charged, and ultimately pleaded guilty to lesser charges of assault and immoral communication with a minor, with a sentence of nine months and a psychological evaluation.
These allegations about Josh's past caused a media firestorm, and the Discovery Channel was quick to act. Within a few weeks, it was announced that Josh had been unceremoniously dropped from "Deadliest Catch," and he was not the only one to experience the fallout: his partner, co-owner, and captain of the Cornelia Marie, McManus, was also axed — along with the boat. McManus moved on to operating tug boats and was philosophical about his exit from "Deadliest Catch," saying on X (formerly known as Twitter), "... there's no crab to catch anyways."
Jason King was convicted of felony gun and illegal drug possession
Anyone with one eye on Hunter Biden's 2024 trial ought to have come away with at least one piece of knowledge: the law frowns heavily on mixing firearms with illegal drugs. For Jason "Tennessee" King, former deckhand of the fishing vessel Cornelia Marie and one-time star of "Deadliest Catch," this lesson would be five years too late: In 2019, King was convicted of being a felon in charge of a firearm and sentenced to over four years in federal prison, which included an enhancement for possession of a controlled substance. And that substance? Fourteen pounds of marijuana.
King already had a serious rap sheet by the time his home in Counce, Tennessee, was raided in April 2017. With search and arrest warrants in hand, officers from four different branches of law enforcement, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Explosives (ATF), discovered the haul of marijuana hidden beneath King's house, as well as a loaded revolver in the kitchen. King's 2015 claim to fame on "Deadliest Catch," on which he proposed to his then-fiance, did nothing to help his case in court during sentencing; the extent of his past criminal record resulted in the maximum possible sentence.
Jake Anderson's boat was repossessed
In August 2023, the long-time star of "Deadliest Catch," Captain Jake Anderson, found himself without that most essential tool for open-sea fishermen; a boat. After 18 years of working his way to the top of his profession, and some harrowing moments on "Deadliest Catch," Anderson's future was upended with a locked chain and a repossession note hanging from his fishing vessel, the F/V Saga.
To at least partially understand why Anderson ended up in this predicament, we need to wind the clock back a couple of years. In 2021, due to declining crab populations, the red king crab season in Alaska was canceled, and the same occurred in 2022. Naturally, this placed fishermen under considerable financial strain, and the reopening of the king crab fisheries in 2023 was expected to see fewer boats as a result. Anderson has also hinted that his reliance on his business partner to handle the finances may have compounded the problem, saying in an interview with TV Insider, "Just before I was getting to go red crab fishing, I found out my partner, with all due respect with the legal things going on, we don't know what he did. I lost my boat."
Fortunately, Anderson had a helping hand from his former mentor and co-star of "Deadliest Catch," Captain Sig Hansen, who offered him a place on Hansen's boat, the F/V Northwestern. The two may have had a fraught working relationship in the past, but Anderson said that this time things would be different, explaining, "Without my boat, I'm not a threat to him anymore. I can only be an asset."
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, may be the victim of child abuse, or has been a victim of sexual assault, contact the relevant resources below:
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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
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The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).