Posted on July 14, 2010 - by Morgan Howard

Deadliest Catch’s Farewell to Capt. Phil

Discovery Channel and Original Productions handled the passing of our Capt. Phil Harris with compassion and respect. The show never wavered too far from their established format, look and feel. I’ve read some great articles on how the Deadliest Catch surpasses all other reality shows. You can read one here and here.

But, more importantly how does Phil’s family feel about how the show’s been edited this season?  Josh gave this answer when asked by Entertainment Weekly:

I think they have done a wonderful job, I’m actually kind of shocked.  /  The old man wanted to go out big. The only different way he had in mind was to be 70 years old, popping about 50 Viagras and having a 21-year-old Vegas hooker. That was the original way he wanted to go. But I think this way will suffice for him.

And how did Josh feel about watching the scene where his dad says he loves him?

That f—ed me up a little bit. It’s a process, I’m working through it. He was pissed. He thought he was a failure and that he f—ed up. That irritated me so much. He’s such a good guy, and he had such a big heart. To be in the last moments of your life and think you are a failure, just broke my heart. It absolutely crushed me because he wasn’t a failure at all. He produced two good kids and did the best job he could with the cards he was dealt. We weren’t born rich. Everything we’ve got, we earned. It’s not like Discovery has handed us a house full of money. I think I got $1,000 and a fruit basket that I have never seen. They say they sent it!

Here is the schedule for the rest of the season (via Deadliest Reports)

DEADLIEST CATCH: Episode 15 – Tuesday, July 20 at 9PM ET/PT
The news of Phil’S death reaches the rest of the fleet. Captains Keith, Johnathan, Andy and Sig all struggle to come to terms with their friend and colleague’s passing.

CAPTAIN PHIL HARRIS REMEMBERED – Tuesday, July 20 at 10PM ET/PT
A special one-hour look back at the life of Captain Phil Harris, skipper of Cornelia Marie. The special includes interviews with fellow captains and deckhands, memorable “Phil moments” from the past six seasons of DEADLIEST CATCH, never-before-seen footage from behind the scenes and fan remembrances recorded at CatchCon 2010 and Phil’s public memorial service in Seattle.

DEADLIEST CATCH: Episode 16 – Tuesday, July 27 at 9PM ET/PT
On the finale of the sixth season of DEADLIEST CATCH, the fleet is still absorbing the news about Phil. But the stormy waters of the Bering Sea never take a break, and the Captains and the crew must soldier on in the race to make their quotas, as the Opilio season comes to an end.

BEHIND THE SCENES–Sunday July 25th at 10pm ET/PT
A Deadliest Catch cameraman faces every grueling hour with his subjects. In this behind the scenes special, one cameraman battles life-threatening seasickness, while another is forced to produce the story of his life.