FV Cornelia Marie on Deadliest Catch
This blog is in response to a recent article in the New York Times entitled, “A Soap Opera on the High Seas”. The article was mostly about Thom Beers, the creator of Deadliest Catch but it also attempts to explain why “Deadliest Catch” is so popular.
(referring to Thom Beers) “He turned crab fishing into one of the best soap operas ever,” W. Clark Bunting, the former president of Discovery, says.
For years I have been reading this line, that “Deadliest Catch is a soap opera for men”. I think that’s condescending. At the very least, it’s lazy journalism. “Deadliest Catch” has been on cable now for eight years so we have had a few serious journalists write about the show. Often, the premise of their articles is based around the question, “Why is a television show about crab fishing so popular?”. The final conclusion, as if they are discovering an original thought, is that it’s like a “soap opera”.
DEADLIEST CATCH IS MUCH MORE THAN A SOAP OPERA
Yes, Deadliest Catch is episodic television with reoccurring characters which deal with issues familiar to all of us. But that’s where the similarities to a soap opera end.
As Thom Beers states in the article, there has to be good storytelling first and foremost.
Instead, they made hard work conform to the expectations of a drama. “All of my stuff,” Beers told me, “is based on the three-act structure, as if I was writing a play.”
Beers, meanwhile, was trying to extract a formula from “Deadliest Catch,” settling on a few rudiments that have since become staples of his work. There had to be a ticking clock; there had to be teams in competition with one another; and there had to be a primal, omnipresent external threat.
Good conflict makes for good story and “Deadliest Catch” has plenty. There are four classic conflict types:
I believe “Deadliest Catch” also taps into the universal story of the “Hero’s Journey”.
FV Cornelia Marie leaving Dutch Harbor
THE GREENHORN STORY IS UNIVERSAL
The late Joseph Campbell authored a book entitled, “The Hero with a thousand faces”. Mr. Campbell studied myths and stories from different cultures around the world and found that there was one universal story that everybody shared. He called it the “Hero’s Journey” and laid out the steps and structure to the story.
In a nutshell, the hero leaves the ordinary world by answering a call to adventure. He meets mentors and acquires training that will help him on his journey. He crosses the “threshold” never to return to the ordinary world the same. He is tested and eventually is confronted with death or his greatest fear. Out of this moment of death comes a new life. He now looks to return home with a new treasure, but not without being severely tested once more as he has crosses back into the ordinary world. The hero returns home with the treasure, which may transform the world as the hero has been transformed. The hero has changed and is never the same. (This is an extremely abbreviated version of the different stages of the Hero’s Journey. Click here for the full version.)
Every Greenhorn carries a story in their heart and a question mark on their back… Will they make it? Will he go home broken and defeated? The merciless Bering Sea humbles the hardest soul and quiets the anger and angst of any young buck. The life they once knew is now a distant memory. Their world is now 40 feet of beat-up wooden deck, and a dictator with an ego as large as the Bering Sea.
It’s a physical and mental test. As they Bering Sea, Skipper and crew transform the Greenhorn to seasoned fisherman, we learn what drives him and what’s been holding him back.
Good storytelling is mandatory but there’s more going on here that has produced longevity with the audience. There has to be something underneath the story that resonates with the audience… and “Deadliest Catch” has this by the boatload.
HARD WORK AND THE AMERICAN DREAM
“Deadliest Catch” and the Cornelia Marie are a metaphor for the American Dream. Through fishing, a man can still work hard, play by the rules, take a risk in life and get ahead. However, this is not just an “American dream”. The show resonates with men and women across the world through this universal theme of “making your way in life through hard work”.
For the past four years, the world economy has been struggling. We are now experiencing major changes in what is valued in terms of work. The industrial age is long over. We no longer need as many folks who can provide physical ability with limited “knowledge” skills. These types of jobs certainly don’t bring high wages. The warning now is: if someone overseas can do the job cheaper then that’s where the job is going.
Freddie Maughtai of the FV Cornelia Marie
You certainly don’t find these type of “skilled or craftsmen” workers on the cover of business magazines or being interviewed by “Charlie Rose”. Who are the heroes of young men now? What does the media tell us about the definition of “success”? American boys growing up today hear about people like “Bill Gates, “Steve Jobs” or “Mark Zuckerberg”. They even made a feature film about “Zuck”. These are the definitions of successful men in today’s society.
What if you’re not a programmer… or even comfortable on a computer. Or even worse, what if your definition of torture is staring at a computer screen for eight hours a day. What if we as people aren’t meant to be sedentary with our brains tied into computer terminals.
WE LONG FOR WORK THAT IS REAL
This idea that we are all not cut out to spend hours toiling away in an cubicle is shared by many. Mathew B. Crawford wrote a book entitled, “Shop as Soulcraft”. In his book, Mr. Crawford “questions the educational imperative of turning everyone into a “knowledge worker,” based on a misguided separation of thinking from doing.”
I was so happy when I found his article entitled, “The Case for working with your hands” in the New York Times. In this piece, he mentions the “Deadliest Catch”. In Mr. Crawford, I found someone who felt like I did when it came to the idea that maybe working with your hands is not only a good alternative to “knowledge work” but may be more natural and satisfying.
The imperative of the last 20 years to round up every warm body and send it to college, then to the cubicle, was tied to a vision of the future in which we somehow take leave of material reality and glide about in a pure information economy. This has not come to pass. To begin with, such work often feels more enervating than gliding. More fundamentally, now as ever, somebody has to actually do things: fix our cars, unclog our toilets, build our houses.
When we praise people who do work that is straightforwardly useful, the praise often betrays an assumption that they had no other options. We idealize them as the salt of the earth and emphasize the sacrifice for others their work may entail. Such sacrifice does indeed occur — the hazards faced by a lineman restoring power during a storm come to mind. But what if such work answers as well to a basic human need of the one who does it? I take this to be the suggestion of Marge Piercy’s poem “To Be of Use,” which concludes with the lines “the pitcher longs for water to carry/and a person for work that is real.” Beneath our gratitude for the lineman may rest envy.
These two passages strike at the heart of why I think “Deadliest Catch” is popular. We long for work that is real because it’s more human to undertake this type of work. Through the show, an invisible class of men (and women too) see a world they long for… a world where good people can work hard and with a little guts and determination – can make something of themselves.
CAPT. PHIL – WORK HARD, PLAY HARD
The popularity of “Deadliest Catch” owes a lot to one man – our late skipper, Capt. Phil Harris. Phil embodied many of the elements I write about in this article. He worked harder than most men, and enjoyed himself along the way. Folks could identify with him – he bared all – his bravado and vulnerability.
When asked what his dream was as a child, he answered: “To try and be successful no matter what. I always had this idea that I could very easily just become a bum and homeless. (Laughing.) That idea still keeps me motivated.”
As I wrote in an earlier blog post, I still receive emails from around the world as viewers of the show find out about the loss of Capt. Phil. Often, the email starts out “I hope you don’t think I’m strange but I feel sad even though I never actually met Phil…”. I don’t think they’re strange.
If you have watched a lot of episodes of Deadliest Catch, then you’ve actually logged a lot of hours with another person who decided to let the cameras in to show the good, bad and ugly. Phil decided if he was going to do it, he was going to go all the way… so the cameras kept rolling. So, I would think it would be strange if you didn’t feel anything after watching that episode.
Phil will be remembered forever by anyone who watches season six and this story element is unique to “Deadliest Catch”.
WHEN DOES A BOY BECOME A MAN
In today’s society, when and where is the threshold that a boy crosses to become a man? Is it after puberty? The arbitrary dates of 18 or 21? When they become a father? In many societies and for thousands of years, there have been ceremonies and activities to mark these occasions. Today, this passage from boyhood to manhood goes seemingly unnoticed. When does a guy feel like a man? You can be 25 years old and still be living your life as a boy… untested and lacking confidence.
I believe that young men of today long for the feeling of being a “man”. They feel the need to test themselves to see if they “have what it takes”. Today, that often takes the form of athletic endurance competitions and sports. Perhaps, some young men even join the military to engage in the ultimate test of manhood – combat. These young men long to be Greenhorns and enter the Hero’s Journey as explained earlier.
For me, one of the definitions of being a man is the ability to support my family. If I can’t bring home enough money to feed my family and provide them with what I need then I am a failure as a man. Where this definition of being a man intersects with hard work is where “Deadliest Catch” lives.
STORIES FROM LETTERS
Letter from Valiant
Hardly a day goes by that I don’t receive a least one email from a guy looking for a job. (This despite our contact page that states that we don’t have any job openings.) The reasons vary but often include the ideas I have talked about so far. I would like to some letters I have received in the past. This first letter I just received today. Valiant has a wife and young boy and lives in Slovenia. He was born and raised on a small island in the Mediterranean Sea. He spent his adult life working as a waiter, lifeguard and construction worker.
Life here is not easy and we hardly make ends meet month by month, my family is getting hungry and I can not offer my son basic things let alone something more. Almost every night he falls asleep crying his eyes out… and it hurts me and its breaking my heart. I have done many different things in my life to be better to live better, I got a lot of experience down the way, but better life is slipping away always just by an inch.
I want to work as a greenhorn and prove myself and maybe be something more later on…I have been fishing since I was 5, I know how sea behaves, am used to the boats, to cold, wet and long hours… am hardworking and fast learner and I will do my best to satisfy and prove myself to you or anyone who would be willing to hire me!!! (If you can help Valiant, please email him at [email protected])
Out of the thousands of letters I have received, none of them ask for money. They ask only for a job… for a chance. Here is another:
Hi my name is Jim, I’m currently a roughneck in Pennsylvania (US) (1 yr) i worked on a navy ship for 4 yrs and now id like a shot on the CM i have a 2 yr old daughter and a fiance…. id like to prove myself and show i can do the job…… i know you don’t have any openings but i would like to learn from the best please contact me… at least give me a shot……..
I feel for these men. I have been there… where you’re just looking for a break. Not a hand out, just a way out. It seems no matter how hard you try, you can’t get ahead.
My name is Bobby, i live in portland,tn and i m a 15 year. pipefitter fire sprinler systems and worked wet hard and in food storage freezers at 32 below zero… and there is no work here ive worked out of town for nearly 15 years and would be honored to just work i have a ten year old son to provide for and only work i have now is repairing small engines it doesnt pay the bills please give me a chance and ill make you proud. thank you guys.
Some guys are so desperate to break into the fishing business that they are willing to work for free.
I know you guys get probably thousands of e-mails from people wanting to work, and im no different. I know im not the only one who will say i’ll work for free, but i’d work for a full year FREE… I’d like just one chance.
I feel this is where “Deadliest Catch” provides a disservice. The numbers they place on the screen for deckhand earnings do not take into consideration any expenses.
Recently, I flew back from Alaska and sat next to a fisherman returning from Dutch Harbor. He was a greenhorn and just finished working the recent King Crab opening in the Bering Sea. He had just completed six months working on a fishing boat and made essentially nothing. The few thousands that he was paid barely covered his air fare in and out of Dutch Harbor. For the record, the Cornelia Marie does not operate this way. If you work, you get paid.
Many of the letters I receive are not very elegant in their writing style. This doesn’t surprise as most of the fishermen I know don’t spend much time on the computer writing. If you wanted to reach Capt. Phil, you could have visited him or called. He didn’t do email nor did he care about Facebook, twitter and the rest of them. The only computer he used was on the boat. In this letter below, we see it clearly stated, “I want to become a man, a real man!”.
Like Jake,l have been an adict,too.and,that is why l feel close to him.will be honest to me to meet the brothers,think we got a lot in common.what is my hope? …be sure that you can save my life,and make my dreams come true.l am 37,and after all mistakes made in past,the only thing l want is to become man.a real MAN!!
Some of the letters are hard to read as many folks around the world have been dealt difficult situations. My heart goes out to all.
THE DEADLIEST CATCH STORY IS OUR STORY
I have had folks from all walks of life tell me they would like to “give it a try”. For various reasons, the story of the greenhorn calls. I believe this is why I receive so many letters from folks wanting to go out fishing on the Cornelia Marie. It’s the young man who’s ready to push himself, test his will and gut check his courage. It’s the unemployed father that finally feels like a man. He couldn’t find work in the new knowledge economy but he can work miracles with his hands. He’ll bring home the big paycheck and show his son that’s there still a place in the world for a guy like him.
For the record, everything written in this article applies to women as well… I just focused on men because they make up nearly 100% of the Bering Sea crab fishermen. Of course, women perform and enjoy hard working jobs. I have a sister that is a professional, full-time welder and my mother (Cornelia Marie Devlin) was a cannery foreman in Alaska. So, take that guys! 
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
I was just wondering if the show is coming back on Tv? miss it alot
The show will definitely be back on your cable channel. The new shows usually don’t start until mid April.
Deadliest Catch is extremely popular because of the lives and stories of the crabfishermen. We all cried when Phil passed away, cried when Jake’s sister passed away, and sat on the edge of our seats (and saw a different side of Captain Keith) when his greenhorn was having life threatening seizures. These are not made up stories and the crew has allowed us to see a very backbreaking, heartbreaking, unglamorous side of trying to make a living. There is tradition, camaraderie and a brotherhood that has, in this modern world, basically gone by the wayside. It is refreshing to see people with true grit – not “prettied up” unrelatable drama that is plastered all over the tv that is presented as “reality tv”. These people bust their rear ends and have to deal with court dates, child support and family issues, bills to pay and real life obligations on top of everything else.
I have certainly enjoyed the show for many years. The show has been a great success due to the producers. They film and record the REAL stuff. People like real. I for one have had fishing adventures and I especially liked the fishing boat with the captains wife cooking for the crew. Rocknel (sp) I believe was her name. Captain Phil was a star of the show. He layed it on the line. Sig in my opinion is the star now. I hope this coming year there is a little more excitement. I enjoyed your article, it would be nice to see more of them. It is good to get to know all of these people better. Keep up the good work !
and……….p.s. Happy Birthday Phil…………….
Loved the article as it shows humans frailty at its best. No matter what happens when you mention Deadliest Catch someone always says, I sure miss Phil, I wonder how the boys are doing.
Your article showed how this show has reached across economic times and given people the hope even if small they may be able to make ends meet for their families.
It also gives a glimpse into a life that is dangerous and yet shows with hard work and perserverance people can make it.
It is a hard life on not only the captains, the crew but families as well and that is a side of the show rarely seen. The families that stay behind and hold down the fort while their loved ones are gone for months at a time making ends meet.
Blessings to you and your family and a heavenly happy birthday to Captain Phil!
i believe the show is so popular because it is real life…it is not scripted or anything…I have watched the show from the very beginning…Today is also very special to me…Not only is it Capt. Phil’s birthday but it is also the anniversary of my mom’s passing…She died on the 19th of December 2010. I thought it was kind of special, but then that just me…Keep up the good work. Looking forward to Season 9 in the spring.
The show itself is planned out showing humans doing human things. The good, the bad and the ugly. Men that work doing this kind of work show the extremes. We are curious beings and assume that the dinner sitting before us was caught with no problems. To actually see the turmoil inflicted on these men by nature, by their actions and every day trials is far beyond what we imagine.
Who ever said this is a show for men is crazy. I love watching this show as does my 47 year old daughter. She at one time worked with a company running from Seattle to Alaska and back so that is how much she loved it. These guys need to stop being so sexist!
I miss Phil so much, he made that show most of the time and I cried like a baby when they aired him dying. So sad, just glad his boys made it there, and glad they took over the business. I know at one time they didn’t want it so glad they changed their minds.
Merry Christmas and God’s Blessings to all the sea goers for a safe journey. Thank you for our food we eat not thinking how it got to our plate other than a waitress bringing it to the table.
Ann Graham
You can only see so many pots over the rail, empty or full, only see so many offloads, storms, iceovers, fights, accidents, over a half dozen seasons, before you’ve pretty well seen it all. Before the new wears off. But people .. they’re always new. And they’re what makes the show, in a manner similar to our tendency to hang around the people we know best. Know the most about.
If the show re-started next week with all new ships and all new people, I don’t know that I’d watch it. Slip in a few new guys here & there and it’s great, since we still get to hang around our old friends every week and cringe when 40′ of whitewater hits the deck.
This was an amazing article to read. I fully enjoyed reading it. I have had a love for the Cornelia Marie since the show started. I did not know why & it hit me when Phil got sick. See, I survived What Phil had. While I was pregnant & in labor. His illness hit home way to close. I hold him & the boys in my heart dearly. This is an amazing show. I can not wait till the next season starts. I wish everyone in this industry safe journeys, love & respect. God love you all.
because it was real ,captn phil always made you feel like you were there,his love for his crew,and the sea ,his family ,it was a sad day when he passed we all felt like we lost a family member.what a wonderful man.it was always inspiring and refreshing to watch captn phil to know there are men still out there with that much love and compastion for life in general he is greatly missed.sailing the seas of heaven —rip captn phil
I really enjoyed reading your article. Phil and all the men on the Deadliest Catch are truly exceptional for they have shown us what it means to do hard work, and still be compassionate whether it is for each other, their families or us as their viewers. They didn’t sign up to be role models, but they have in their own way. I believe the motto “step up or step aside” describes many of their actions. As a woman I feel we need more men like them to feel secure and safe-yea I am a little old-fashioned, but fishing started when back when and a few things have changed, but not the concept. We do have their memories-no one tells a better story than a fisherman.
Simply because it is so believable.
I love the show.I shows hard working guys working together to get the job done.Working together.That is what life is all about.Life can be a soap opera any bodies life .Good things and bad things to all their lives.We don,t always get along with the ones we live with or work with.But when hard times come they all pull together to take care of each other.I love the show and can’t wait for it to come back.Blood ,Sweat and Tears is what it is all about.God bless all of you guys .
From the weather to fishing..Mother Nature is the director of this show. Nothing staged, nothing phony…true life and death. One of the previous replies mentioned “every time someone brings up Deadliest Catch, another always comments on Phil and wonders how the boys are doing”. So true because we care. I find myself talking to the TV as if the crew members could hear me. If you are looking for reality TV, this is it. Nothing else can compare.
This show, and the people in it, prove to the rest of us that there is something more out there that we don’t normally think about. We go about our day to day lives in our little bubbles not realizing the struggles others go through just to give us a little bit of luxury. We have a window into what hard work is, what being with a “brotherhood” is, what being away from family is, and what struggling for survival might be like. Captain Phil was that hero who basically did it all, he become the man he wanted to be albeit with his own struggles along the way. He was dedicated to his job and to his crew. And above all he was dedicated to his sons. And like any family there were the ups and downs, we were just privy to see it all and see how much he wanted to give his sons the tools and knowledge to make something of themselves and earn what they needed. I cried my eyes out as we watched what his last days were like and my heart ached for his family. But as someone who is a young adult herself and no where near close to living a lifestyle like this I’ve learned more about dedication and sticking it out through the tough spots just by watching these individuals season by season.
I love this show…. I watch it because it reminds me of my life when I was in my late teens and early twenties. I worked dragging in the eighties in the North Pacific. I was one of eight girls on the coast dragging. One of the boats I was on operated like a slave ship… and it was the best experience I ever had! I never regret those days… it taught me how to work hard and gave me the tools I needed to later become successful in life despite only having a grade 9 education.
I started watching the show early on and followed because it had me hooked line and sinker because of the amazing way the cameramen and producers etc captured real life on a real life situation.
Not one where folks are airing dirty laundry or smutty secrets, but, honest hard working folks.
We don’t just ‘watch’ we are there with the guys cheering them on, commiserating ,crying, laughing. We have become a part of what they do. I even check the weather when they go out even though we don’t see the programmes for months.
Our prayers are with them as much as our hearts.
When anyone is lost our hearts are broken for them and their families.
If we could thank anyone for the filming with Capt Phil we would, especially Phil for allowing us to be there with him and them even though we couldn’t be there in person.
His passing left a hole and yet, left a wonderful memory of a genuine guy! What you saw is what you got no frills.
We are still there for the fleet now and all the rest of them who risk their lives to put food on the table.
Thank you guys for allowing us into your lives.
Thank you to the production team for having the guts to go out and do this.
You are all appreciated and all of you remain in our hearts and prayers.
Cornelia Marie is Deadliest Catch, but she wouldn’t be the same without the rest of the fleet. She simply represents all of you, the Grand Dame.
Blessings and safe fishing.
Pam
Soap Oprah about catching Crabs ? Is this what you see ? I See Boats that have Names and reputations that cuts through Ice packs ,withstands wind and mega waves stacks and sets hundreds of crab pots in the frigged weather of the Bering sea, I see the Captains sweet it out keeping course checking depth and keeping the Crew together while fighting debt wind and waves and i see the Crew do the most deadest thing of all survive it all because one wrong step, one wrong move could cost them their own Lives ….Crabs …Huh?
The first few times watching Deadliest Catch I thought the show was just about fishing for crab. Then I became attached to the true lives of these brave and wonderful men! happy birthday Captain Phil!
i and my neibors enjoyed and gathered to discuss the show ,we hope it comes back on it was very real. as life struggles and i didn’t think of it as a soap opera i am a woman and don’t watch soaps i enjoyed fishing and this program showed the lives of a crab fisherman life the ups and downs they were not actor they were real men i live in a small community but this show was very popular hope to see new episode
GREAT PROGRAM WISH THEY WOULD RE RUN IT I KNOW THERE WOULD BE MEANY PEOPLE THAT WOULD ENJOY SEEING IT AGAIN.
There are usually reruns on your cable or Satellite company. The new episodes start in the US at least in April.
Thank you for writing this. It is an excellent look into why we watch this show. You did a really spectacular job!
Deadliest Catch is far from being a soap opera- it is about a group of men who work at one of the hardest – most deadly jobs – let me see any of you work in sub freezing temps, while an uncontrollable sea is bashing you about. You work hard for your money with a fear every day that you might not come back to tour family. Just because you invest in the men & the boats does not mean it is a soap opera!! Carry on Sig & Edgar, Jonathan & Andy, Jake & Josh!!!!
This article will help those who do not understand the love fans have for the show. Having worked for 40 years in a knowledge ( Insurance underwriting) based job, and now run a horse boarding barn, can understand not all should be in cubicles. While I liked my job I’d much rather be up early every single day feeding the horses, cleaning stalls, turning out, vetting when needed, and doing evening feedings. Granted no vacation days are allowed. But, when you are doing something you enjoy you don’t need them. “Catch” shows people who love there work, even though hard and demanding. They get pleasure from a job well done. That being tanks full of crabs. Wish more people got pleasure out of there work. The world would be a much nicer place.
Hope the show will continue for many years. And, in the process allow us to watch some of the younger fishermen progress in their careers. Examples would be Jake Anderson and Scott Hillstrand.
i love what you were after writing on this about Deadlies Catch i live in ireland and love the show i have look a lot of the shows on tv and now i miss it but can you tell me is the harris boys still have the cornelia marie and still workind it thay are good boys love the hard work the boys do
captain Phil R.I.P miss him and happy birthday phil
well to your self thank you for this and keep the good work up about your fishing men out at sea god bless you and all on Deadleis Catch
your’s robert sheehan from ireland
Deadliest Catch is so popular because it is a fairly truthful representation of life. Unlike a lot of the reality shows, this one showcases the good, the bad, and the ugly. I don’t agree with the bleeping of the swearing on camera because to me that is sugarcoating things. Besides that,. Capt. Phil was hilarious when he swore.
Whether intended or not, Phil became the heart and soul not only of the Cornelia Marie but of Deadliest Catch. This was a man whose heart beat with the rhythm of the Bering Sea waves and sacrificed his own comforts for doing what he loved the most.
The occupation of a crab fisherman is one of the hardest and deadliest jobs a man could have, but the ones who stay like Phil are the ones who do it not for money but because the job is in their blood and the very air they breathe.
Awesome article as usual! You have kept us in the loop and Teena says you have the utmost grace and knowledge, she is right!!
The reasons we love DC are multiple. We are grabbed by the storyline and can’t let go. Its hard to let go of the men who we watch and let us into thier lives as they are sick, hurt, or going through thier day to day lives 9 months out of the year. Since they have all the events they attend for us and all too. Also Phil let us see him from the beginning to the end. He was a remarkable man who changed millions of lives, I would like to say for the better. His impact on the millions of lives he touched and that are still being touched by the men who are hard working REAL MEN, One of a kind, but REAL PEOPLE. We watch the TV and we can reach out and understand the problems and situations they are facing day to day. The funeral for Phil was Unreal. The media coverage, the strength in character of the boys Josh and Jake, and the struggles they have faces since, are real problems. HUMAN problems that normal everyday people face, we are heartbroken over Jake and his struggles with Chemicals, but support him fully with open arms. They are young men going through one of the most devastating things a person can face, with a camera shoved in thier faces, Which makes it a million times harder. Matt and Jake Anderson overcame thier addictions Viewers cannot wait to see what happens each and every week to thier favorite boats and crews. Its gripping live REALITY, who could ask for anything more?? Morgan you keep is up to date on what is going on and we can never thank you enough for doing everything that you do running the CM site and all the updates and blogs. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart <3 <3
Deadliest Catch is one of three reality shows that I will watch, all three on the Discovery Channel. I’ve watched Jake Anderson go from a fresh-faced greenhorn to a trusted and weathered fisherman. I’ve watched Jake Harris struggle with his addiction , his brother and the loss of his father. Bad fishing, bad weather, bad accidents and all these men still keep on keeping on, with a sense of humor. If your looking for a men’s soap opera watch wrestling. If you want to see real men doing real work in the real world, watch Deadliest Catch. Happy Birthday Phil , we all miss you very much.
I have looked forward to every season of Deadliest Catch. I live. On the Great Lakes, and I appreciate big water. I remember being a kid and my dad navigating our 27′ skiff through some really rough seas. So, when I see these captains and crews out on the Bering Sea, I marvel at their bravery. And, they are real people…hardworking men, using their hand and their wits, to support their families. They aren’t looking for handouts or making excuses. And, they care about each other. A soap opera? Hardly! This is real life.
When Captain Phil died, it broke my heart. There was still so much he wanted to accomplish. Everyone misses him!
Growing up in a family business (rock quarry), what’s kept me hooked on this show is the family relationships. Sons following in their father’s footsteps. Brothers working together. The small family business aspect – knowing that one bad season could be the end of an era in this economy. It hurts to watch your favorite boats pull blanks. The passion of some of the fisherman – you can tell how much Sig Hansen LOVES his job. Watching the guys step up to take care of their own – just as the Northwestern and Time Bandit took in the Harris brothers.
Deadliest Catch is about a real reality television as you can get. As Capt. Phil once said, “This ain’t a hamburger stand out here, y’know? This is the real deal and people really die.”
A great article and all so true. I and my family love the show and have not missed an episode and for good measure I watch extra footage on the deadliest catch website!
The Captains and crews are the real heros. We all miss Phil, happy birthday and God bless to him and his family.
I thought your blog was awesome! I have watched Deadliest Catch from the very first episode.Deadliest Catch is the best true life program I have ever watched. I hope it stays on for many years to come These guys risk their lives every time they go out to catch crab and I think we are very lucky to be able to follow them every season. I want to thank all the captains and crews for allowing the cameras in and for letting us be a part of your lives. I worry about them every time they are out on the sea , as if they were my own family and pray they all return safely. When Captain Phil died, I cried as much as when my own father died. These guys have truly become a part of our every day life and there isn’t a day goes by that I don’t think about them and how they are doing. Watching these guys do the dangerous job they do and deal with all the hardships and all the good times is just plain awesome . Good luck to all the captains and crews on the upcoming opie season and please stay safe! Thank you Morgan, for everything you do, I really appreciate it!!!!!
Why is DC so popular? – A question that’s hard to answer, because there are too many different factors involved.
One’s for sure: People want to be entertained: They long for drama, adventures, comedy and thriller. They need to get an emotional relation to the leading characters: You’ll get someone to cheer for, but you’ll get someone you don’t like that much or some of the leading guys remind you of some friends or family members,…
…And Deadliest Catch offers all that stuff.
Drama:
You’ve already listed and mentioned the classic conflict types. I agree, a good conflict’s the basis for a good story, and if there’s none, YOU’VE TO CREATE ONE.
Adventures:
Adventurer’s tales are entertaining people for centuries: discovering unknown or less known countries/continents/worlds, fighting against the nature, overcoming difficulties,…
Comedy:
Who hasn’t had any laughs about the pranks or any of the quotes, e.g. the so famous “philisms” (crabfarts, one-legged man in a ass-kicking contest,…)
Thriller:
Crab fishing’s like gambling: You win or you lose – The pots are full of the gold of the Bering Sea or just blank.
Crab fishing’s full of dangers: One mistake could be your last one.
Emotional relation: You’ll get and keep an audience, when they feel a relation between them and the leading characters. They need some guys to love and/or some guys to hate. But who’s to love and to hate? The image of the guys is influenced by the story-tellers.
Another secret of success: It’s not a show that pretend to be real – it’s a “show” made of reality.
The guys are real. No lines, no script.
But all the footage needs to be condensed and that’s the point storytelling starts: Creating drama and storylines, influencing on the guys’ image, concealing facts and backgrounds…
Finally the people get all what they want: entertainment.
My thoughts, in random order: 1. The CM, and Capt. Phil, well in fact the show in general is successful as a show because it does represent the working man, as you have said. People out here in this nation have either made it, or are making it through less than legal means, or they are struggling, and begging for a chance to make a decent living. So yes, the show represents us all.
2. Capt Phil in some ways reminded me of myself. His bad habits of coffee and chain smoking, and yet the man managed to keep on plowing through. Most of all, people loved him because he was his own man, and was a man that made himself from the ground up. You could not help but love and respect a man like him.
3. As some others have said, you can only see so many crab pots go over the side; but the show plays out the struggle in life of all of us who have to make a living.I know my own limits well enough to know that I would not last 10 minutes as a crab fisherman, and I give them all a hats off for the job they do. Crabbers are a great bunch! As for me, I will tune into this show for at least 5 more years, maybe longer, if the show continues. Hope the boys will soon be ready to go back to the CM and pick up where Phil left off. Miss you Phil, Happy Birthday.
I have watched every season of deadliest catch. I love this show and the adventure’s the crew’s go on. The part i like most, is how every season is different even though the mission is the same. It is interesting how each crew member has to step away from their personal life and make this job their only life for the long hour’s and the extremely tough condition’s they encounter every season. I sometime’s wish i was a young man again and would get a chance to work on one of the boats. As a life long heavy equipment operator in the construction industry and some of the people i have worked with, i know i could have done it. The captain’s are all very competitive warrior’s and the way they go into battle each season make’s me want to be on a boat even more. I have always long for high risk adventure and this definitely would have been for me. I have a great respect for all of these men, even the green horn’s who don’t make it, at least they gave it a shot. It’s all about hard work and dedication, not only to your self, but to the captain and other crew member’s as well. I hope the Cornelia Marie will be back on this next season and i would like to see Josh Harris get and oppritunity to captain the ship. I think he is ready to be a leader and could do very well at it. My hat is off to all these men and the work they do. The climate and hazard’s they work through command’s our respect. Looking forward to another great season and best wishes for all.
I mentioned this on a blog, where the discussion went to the motivations of the evil child in CT. I think another part of the resonance is that what we see on Deadliest Catch is MEN. Phil’s love of his sons, the boys love of each other, Freddie’s love of the Harris clan. And Jake Anderson having to be the man of the family, Sig and Edgar going through hell with and against each other and coming home to their families. Sig being a husband and a father and a bread winner… All these strike something primal that society has tried to say doesn’t exist, but still lays in the soul of so many.
“Two and a half men?” Feh, those characters are nothing but children. Deadliest catch shows us real men. Supporting and loving their families doing what they love doing.
Simple story in my country it is normal..
Hi, I like the part of your article where you talk about the Hero’s journey and Joseph Campbell. I think you are right that when you experience something life changing there is no going back. I think that traveling to culturally different places also changes one and ones life – no going back to what you were.
I really enjoy this show because it is about real people. I live in Pittsburgh,Pa and there are still alot of real people around here. The article was a good read. I would like to see you do an article about the steel mills around here. The people working the mills are real people and Men making an honest living in a nasty dirty hard environment. You talk
about becoming a man and providing for your family that is exactly what steel workers do.
I just love this show. I think that it’s so popular because of the danger element. What a tough job in such terrible elements.
In a total virtual world that we can discover with a simple “click”, where you think there’s nothing else to be surprised , there are men they looks like coming out from a Shakespeare drama or from a Verne’s book. They are not fishing crabs, they are in deep contact with their souls and the breathe of the nature and sometimes we found them smiling on the top of a 9 meters wave while we are drinking a coffee on the couch.