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:
1. Man vs. Man
2. Man vs. Himself
3. Man vs. Society
4. Man vs. Nature
I believe “Deadliest Catch” also taps into the universal story of the “Hero’s Journey”.
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.)
I believe this story is why the “greenhorn” stories on the “Deadliest Catch” are so popular. It fits the “Hero’s Journey”.
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.
You certainly don’t find these type of “skilled or craftsmen” workers on the cover of business magazines or being interview 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”.
Gone, but not forgotten.
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
Hardly a day went by that I didn’t receive a least one email from a guy looking for a job. (This despite our contact page that clearly and bluntly stated 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 share 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 vali.susak@gmail.com)
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.
Everything written in this article references men but much of it applies to women as well… I just focused on men because they make up nearly 100% of the Bering Sea crab fishermen and the show. 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.
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Where is that photo of the octopus? I miss it, and you.
How is it I completely forget that “Deadliest Catch” reference until that frightening moment when I do remember it.
How cool to learn the name and it’s founder! Let’s not lose touch, my friend, and thank you for responding so eloquently to my picture and post!
Thanks again for the photos and story.
Well written as always Morgan. Happy Birthday Captain Phil and Merry Christmas Morgan to you and your family. Thank you for keeping all the fans in your life.
Merry Christmas to you and Danny as well!
I think Deadliest Catch is the best show to ever touch the TV screen. Real people with feelings living their real lives. These words are not a script, it’s the real thing. You people are the best. Thank you for sharing your lives with us. You have very dangerous jobs . It would take a very special person to fill your shoes. Captain Phil, no one could fill your shoes. Jake and Josh were taught by the best. Happy Birthday. Looking forward to other seasons. May God keep you and your families safe and happy. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from PEI Canada
Again, Morgan another great blog you have written. I do agree with you on what you have written here. Since I have watched Deadliest Catch from the beginning, I have learned the fishermen or women have a tough life on the sea and off the sea. They leave their families for over 3 months or more. That takes a toll on a family. But one thing I have learn from watching the show and I learned from Phil, is that take do not that any b/s from anyone and love your family and work hard, no one owes us anything in life, we have to make it for ourselves.
Hi Morgan,
Thank you for this article, it touched a cord or two with me.
I though I was a bit strange too, grieving for a guy I’ve never met, only watched on TV. But it’s that realism that keeps me coming back. Reality, more accurately. No other show allows the raw honesty to show through like DC. And I too, am one of those who values and enjoys manual labour. I’d be one of those writing for a Greenhorn job if I wasn’t 5 foot nuthin’ and 110 pounds soaking wet. (Although if you ever want a maid/cook for the CM lemme know!)
Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the above and all of your updates on the CM and DC happenings in general.
Devoted fan,
Sara
If Ya don’t like it, then don’t watch it!
You call it a soap, I call it reality ‘
Just my opinion”
Take it up with America and see whom is still standing after the dust settles!
Morgan, I know you hit it on the head (all of them, that is), as this is such a varied subject, in that the appeal of the show is so very personal.
I find it interesting as well, coming from a fishing life (at 8, our family purchased a salmon troller, where I spent my summers, and then when I was 19, I married a commercial fisherman), how many people idolize, and pursue an interest. Owning our own boat, we have been able to afford a few DC fans the opportunity. So far, none of them have been able to to devote themselves to life aboard a crab boat. Still, it is as if this world is the last great frontier, and in many ways it must be. Freedom and danger, great rewards and risk all play within the most beautiful stage in the world, the ocean and its environs.
I love sharing this world with people, and it is why I am so glad that the show IS so popular. It’s fun to see associates and friends on the show, but it’s also interesting to see how each boat does things a little differently, and how the personalities are portrayed to create a storyline.
Thanks for this fun article and your astute observations.
Merry Christmas!
Liz
Thanks for the comment Liz. Your probably get asked about fishing a lot too. I’ve been asked the question about “why is the show popular” so often that it felt good to put down some of my thoughts on paper (web:) Of course, there are more reasons and maybe I’ll write about that some day as well. Merry Christmas!
Dear Morgan, thank you for the info and the updates on your boat. I understand the time off that the Harris brothers needed, but I was so bummed that this season’s show opening changed and the Harris brothers faces weren’t pictured there…nor the others The Cornelia Marie made the Deadliest Catch popular AND has made the Discovery Channel more successful!! Please keep us up-to-date. A lot of us are still huge fans!!! Thanks again!
MB
I am from Canada in the city of Edmonton which is the oil capital and capital city of Alberta, we believe in the same work ethic as the men of Deadliest Catch, work hard, play hard. Men that are tough but can show emotion and are down to earth that’s what the Canadians I know love and women love that about their men too! When someone as vibrant, funny and an all around great guy like Phil goes to early and you watch the show it’s tough and times you figure wow what a void in that group of men! I love the show but it would not be the same without the guys that are in it, to me it’s the #1 show!
Morgan, you’ve eloquently put into words what alot of us have been thinking. The show is far from being “a soap opera”, especially one for men since just as money women love the show. I’ve watched it from day one, and my kids all kinda shook their heads at Mom watching a crabbing show!! But I “got it” from the start. I got what it was about. And along came Phil and reeled me in all the way. He was so real, so “one of us”. He was passionate. He was funny. He was a grizzled man who loved what he was doing and only loved his boys more. Watching him mentor Josh and Jake was precious. The arguments, the fussing…the LOVE. Although I too never had the pleasure of meeting Phil in real life, I felt like I lost a dear friend when he died. I couldn’t see through my sobbing and tears when he passed away. And again when the boats went out to bury his ashes. I was heartbroken. It was the one time I wished it wasn’t a reality show and they could bring Phil back next season as a twin brother. I still faithfully watch the show and always will, but I still miss Phil, and always will. Thanks Morgan for keeping his memory alive.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the show Tracey. The show really hit some folks hard during that episode and understandably so.
Am just writting you to let you know I am a big fan of the program Deadliest Catch. I grew up in the fishing industry with my father as a scallop fisherman on little wooden boats going out to Georges Banks in all kinds of weather, and as a result died doing the one thing he knew …… fishing and hard work. I tip my hat to the men who do these jobs everyday and couldn’t imagine doing anything else………….Look forward to the new season…….
Very well written and heartfelt Morgan. When I first heard of Phil stroke on St. Paul Island my first thought was “thank heavens he was in port at the time,” not realizing he actually fought thru the early stages (warning signs) of the stroke to get his family (the crew) back safe. When he passed, all I could think of “omg the boys,” then I remembered your mom, not only was she Phil’s business partner with the ship but she had known the boys since they were little and she would be there to help them and Mary in anyway possible, I felt relieved.
Just after our loss (as Phil was many things to many people whether you were a fan or a friend) there were a lot of stories coming out, Jake with his troubles both addiction and legal and I couldn’t help but be really angry, not at Jake, but at the media, here was a brilliant young man who just lost his father, had to grieve in the public eye, dealing with his own demons, and media outlets like TMZ were trying to single him out, he didn’t deserve that disrespect and neither did Phil’s memory and the entire Cornelia Marie family.
I truly miss seeing the Cornelia Marie on Deadliest Catch. I know there are alot of people out there that thought the ship would be inherited by Josh and Jake and don’t understand why the ship is gone from the series and why the boys didn’t inherit the boat. I really wish when all this came down that during the After the Catch episodes they had you on to explain what is happening with the ship and why the boys aren’t on the ship anymore, it just seemed when the story died with Phil so did the ship. I am very happy that your mom has been so cautious with the future of the Cornelia Marie and her continued guidance with Josh and Jake she is such an amazing lady and one day I hope to make to the Commercial Fisherman’s Festival so I can meet her and thank her in person.
Phil to me, was my idea of a pirate captain, his blue eyes could see right thru you into your soul. I have been very happily married for almost 27 years now and my husband and I use to have a private joke, that the only time my vows would be thought about twice would be if I met Phil, well it was in fun because my hubby is amazing and Phil actually was just under two months older than Cecil, my husband. Phil was so good on camera, even in the face of tough seas or interacting with his crew and kids, Phil was Phil, I guess the day he left us the man upstairs needed some good crab because he took the very best.
When I think of the Deadliest Catch, I think of tough brave men who risk their lives to put food on our tables and theirs, who are willing to pay the ultimate price for their families, Deadliest Catch is NO soap opera, yes there is drama but we are talking about the high seas, and the high seas come with a price, sometimes that price is a life or lives, we need to remember and respect the men and women who ensure we have crab when we want, and thank them for all they do.
If I had one wish it would be for the strokes that took Phil from us never happened that he was still here, still making Deadliest Catch, still making us laugh, still being the dream of every red blooded woman and most of all still here for his kids and family, about to hold his sons close to his heart, being here for his daughter’s wedding and being an active part of his grandchildren’s lives when they do come.
Cathy, thank you so much for writing about how Capt. Phil and the show has affected you. It’s nice that you want to thank my mother – though she’s very private so you’ll have to meet Josh and Jake instead 🙂
<3
I must say, I really enjoyed the read. It was sooo true, as people we need that feeling of accomplishment, to climb that mountain that you weren’t sure you could climb.. So often we are denied that. Growing up in Alaska I have known nothing else but hard work, you do this to live, and hope you get a break at some point. How ironic that upon being layed off, it drove me crazy not to be getting up, going to my job (medical) to cast, xray,wound care just to name a few. Looking for work wasn’t the same. I needed to be physically and mentally challenged. I missed that feeling of productivity. I would get a good chuckle from the power going out and friends of mine who were also in the medical field were twittling their thumbs because everything in their offices were run on computers (EMR), however not my office. Paper charts all the way. We spend sooo much timing learning to keep up on the newest thing, that when a natural diaster does happen we truly are no better off with that knowledge. So maybe the idea should be to survive, period. To regain the independence and ability to do it on your own,and be able to have pride and self worth again. Just
a thought. Thanks again for a great read! 🙂 And yes,woman can do anything they want just as a man can do, also a side note Alaska will either make or break you! 😉
Yes, I agree – we need to be both physically and mentally challenged AND to see progress and feel productive.
I love Deadliest Catch, Yes i adored Capt Phi. the Time Bandit. I mans soap opera NOT a good show with the issues of reality of happy moments, dis-pare and fights for sobriety and juggaling home family and work on a dangerous ship.
Respect for these men cannot be measured they are the absolute best and show us a human side of struggling and the fear of loss every season.
Can you say that about stupid Atlanta house wife’s bitch’n and acting like little baby’s with not tact or thought for anybody but their over indulgence in being spoiled bitches….
To all the men on Deadliest Catch, you are the real deal and I love watching you:)
I love The Deadliest , because it`s a very interesting show. You get to learn how all these fisher men make their living. and bring the king crab to market, also you learn just how hard it is to be a fisherman, the dangers and injures they get. I wish it would come back on miss it very much, and really miss Captain Phil and his boys.. I ask God To Bless all the fishermen and their Families, to be safe and happy. Thankyou for letting me vent my mind.
Thanks for the kinds words. The show will be back on in April.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. And I completely agree that each person has different strengths; some are well suited for an office job, others for physical work. It’s too bad that different, yet equally important skill sets, are not recognized equally with pay, benefits, etc. As you pointed out, many people now “outsource” repair work for their houses and vehicles, so obviously those who repair are needed! As for “Deadliest Catch,” I watch it for all the reasons you mentioned – the true-to-life stories of the workers and captains, the excitement and disappointment that is the hallmark of fishing, watching the greenhorns mature and grow…this is a REAL reality show. And I miss Captain Phil Harris and his wonderful smile and laugh every time I watch, may he rest in peace. As is said, “As long as those are gone live in our memories and hearts, they are never really gone, for they have left a part of themselves behind.”
I love your quote at the end, thanks for sharing it.
Deadliest Catch is my all time favorite tv show. I love the photography, the challenge of living on these deadliest of seas. The honesty of the seamen, The thill of the fear of the ocean that I can live vicariously from my easy chair. And who could resist the pureness of Phil’s take on life? The vast variety of human interaction on each ship? The full crab trap- and the empty? It is all good! Keep filming- and make sure we have plenty of options to watch each drama1
Morgan, that is a great article for sure! I woke up this morning thinking about Phil, and knowing that he watches over all his loved ones all the time. I just know he is enjoying the fact that now, finally, he has ALL the answers! 🙂 He is missed!
When I found out about the show, after I’d already known so many commercial fishermen/women, I started watching Deadliest Catch to learn more about what ya’ll did while I sat safely at home and just watched the ocean from the North Oregon Coast. Then I began to understand that the production was about much much more than that. I know that many people have been inspired to try to live up to their potential, to challenge themselves, to understand what true brotherhood really means. I’m always surprised when I hear someone say “Oh, you mean that show about crab fishing?” because the things that always stick in my mind have nothing at all to do with fishing, and everything to do with being human!
Thanks for expressing your thoughts so eloquently! I would love it if some major media outlet took notice of your words, and looked more closely at the unique TV genre that IS Deadliest Catch!!
Blessings and Happy Christmas to you & yours!!
What you write is very true, but I watch the show because I might see people I grew up with and I can tell people that I’ve met Cornelia Marie.
Good reason. Same as mine 🙂
I always asked myself why I could sit and watch the same show week after week and still enjoy it. Waves, ice, crabs, etc. Maybe I wish I could have been strong enough to tough out a life like Phil’s 🙂
Great write up Morgan, being in the Bering Sea fishing business, I have heard reactions across the board, on the show……I have found most have strong opinions, both ways. How do I subscribe to your blog ( techno challenged here) Merry Christmas!
I am 61yrs.young,Native American,Widowed,my kids r all grown&goneAm a proud grandma also.Wanna say2u,❤U men on Deadliest Catch,hope this show never gets cancelled.i think the most strict Skipper is Keith,of the Wizard,&the cutest hunks r Mike Fourtner?did I spell his last name correctly?&Josh Harris.But I heard on the one of the finales Mike was leaving
Hi Morgan,
I am writing to you from S.A.’ in Australia, I just wanted to reply to your blog by saying…..”it couldn’t have been said any better” , for we here in the land “Down Under” love the Deadliest Catch & since the beginning to now NOT ONE episode could be categorized as “melo-dramatic”, obviously this comes from trashy story-tellers in the media. What i can really relate to was your reference to people who like to work with their hands as opposed to those that sit at a desk. This is my first visit to your website but it wont be my last, you are truly an inspiration as you write with such eloquence. I cannot finish without asking you if the Harris boys need any help ? Australia is still truly a very lucky country, the people are known for their generous’nature in helping those in need & i am sure? that everyone is already aware that those 2 boys have a huge fan base.
I am a Registered Nurse (academically trained) but am currently caring full-time for my son who is the 2nd recipient of some ground-breaking medical treatment. I have spent 12 years grieving for my child bcoz all they could offer him was maintenance therapy to maintain his airway. A few weeks ago i received news that follow-up tests have shown immediate improvement. Our lives feel changed overnight for the first time i wake up knowing my son is healing not merely surviving! Its shows like the DC and especially season 6 that have helped me through a despair that words cannot express. So thankyou for sharing this with us & i would like to send the boys a donation if you could direct me as to how i can do this……:-) from Australia (where we can go to the beach with an eski & rake the sand for blue crab, tell that to the hardened crab fisherman (although i think Andy Hillstrand has been here already and knows what wild fishing spots we are lucky to enjoy. Keep up the gr8 work you do Morgan bcoz you are a delight to read. With much respect, The Brown Family
There is so much that can be said about DC that it would take a book just to describe the fulfilment that I get from watching it. I hope it goes on forever, I also think many people can draw so much from it, to help in the boring world we have created for most of us, who dream of a world full of reality, that DC evokes.
Love the show and miss Phil Harris heaps.
Robert Motzel, Darwin, Australia
Coming from a fishing family myself and having lost my father, my partner my cousin , my uncle and many friends at sea (Cape May, NJ. clammers) I love watching deadliest catch and can relate to the stories of hardships , personality differences, hard work and the joy of making it back to port with a full trip and family waiting at the dock and home! The show brings me closer to understanding the love of the sea that fishermen have..although my heartbeat goes up considerably when I see them fishing in the storms and ice! Great job guys! I look forward to each season!
Imiss seen the Deadlest Catch wish you would bring it back, and maybe with the Cornail Marie can join too, Jake said he bring her back fulling he`s Dad wish.
You should know that your narrator, Mike Rowe, runs a foundation to give scholarships to trade schools. Maybe these men who write you looking for jobs are able to learn a new one while interning or apprenticing or whatever. It’s worth a shot. I think perhaps they’re blinded by the sums the deckhands are shown to pull in at the end of each season. Perhaps they would be better off, in most cases, relearning a trade, and sticking closer to home. We’ve all seen too many greenhorns unable to work days straight without sleep or much to eat. Very few are cut out for crab fishing, I’d say, but they could learn to be plumbers or tool and die makers and stay closer to their families. I really like Phil, warts and all. I hope the boys make it.
This was a well written piece. I can relate, my old man, Fred Hankins, runs the F/V Exodus (my brother works for him, I did for awhile, then joined the military). It’s very sad that hard manual labor/trade jobs are becoming so scarce. You hit the nail on the head, with the reason why men are feeling a need to prove their worth in this day and age. Every time someone hears my dad has a boat, and they ask for a job, I can see the hope, the longing for adventure, to go out and claim a bounty to bring home for their families, and it kills me when I tell them that my dad doesn’t have room. I would love to see them be successful. Hopefully, they find a place in the world that they can do that. But as long as we keep shipping our blue collar jobs out of the country, the downtrend will continue.
What a great show.I think that it is the best show on TV and the people are so real.
I hope this season that they all make their quotas.
We all miss capt. Phil and even tho the corneila Marie won’t be on they will succeed.
Good Luck to all the fishermen and thanks for having such a great Narrator in Mike Rowe.
Truth is, it is a lifestyle many viewers with they could do. They live vicariously thru watching the show.
I put 20 years offshore on the East Coast. Almost as cold, just as dangerous, long lining off George’s Banks and Beyond.
Worst day of an offshore Fisherman’s life is the day he realizes he has to hang up the fowl weather gear and get off the boats.
In my case, by the time I was 37, I had a fake hip, left hand riddled with arthritis so bad it would curl up like a claw and not move, and was / am 1/2 blinded in one eye due to an injury.
Miss it every single day.
I watch the show because it bris me back to the good old days.
I can “feel” the water when a sea comes over the side and drenches the crew.
This is real life stuff ….. May be a little holly wooded up, but it is real stuff.
Personality clashes and egos ……. Right on.
Green horn abuse, a little much.
Real life danger ……… Right on. Back in my day they were just coming out with survival suites and eperbs.
I had a few friends go to AK and go crabbing …… Most are dead.
They lost boats at an alarming rate back in the 70’s and early 80’s.
I really miss Phil. Can you tell me what has happened with Jake? I had a son that was on drugs, so I know how hard it can be. But he promised his dad that he would get help. I hope that he did. Also, I’m like to know WHY the Cornelis Marie isn’t on the Deadliest catch anymore? I love the show, but that has had a lot of impact on me as to them not including it. I’m not the faithful weekly watcher now as I was. Can the episodes be bought on dvd’s? Thank you for your help.
Inspiring. I especially related to the part about working with one’s hands and skilled laborers. While I dabble in graphics for a living, I also like to work with my hands building things. As Captain Phil made birdhouses, I make scale models from wood and also dabble in woodworking. I always feel more accomplished when I finish a project in those areas than I do when I design a new logo or hit a newspaper deadline for a printer. Seems more fulfilling to me when I actually “make something” with my hands. Craftsmen and skilled labor are a dying breed and should be encouraged. Without them, society as we know it would grind to a halt.
I was so devastated when Phil died, I cried alot. You were right about how Phil was not hiding his real self, I know that’s part of what drew me to him. I also really liked the bird houses he built. He is missed by many that didn’t even know him personally, besides the show. Kudos to Johnathan for being there for his friend and their sons. Integrity. I’ll never be tired of the show-ever! Thanks so much.
Stephanie Stipp