Pulling up a Pot
Meet some of the craziest people in the world. They aren’t extreme stuntmen, but they are risking it all for money and bragging rights. They work at one of the most dangerous and deadly jobs in the world…the catching of crab off the coast of Alaska. As the final derby fishing seasons wind down, it is one of the last rushes for one of the biggest cash cows in the world.
Deadliest Catch—Season 1 aired on Discovery and really started a new trend in “reality” TV. This opened up the gates for all sorts of show about everyday people and workers at unusual jobs. This was one of the first and one of the best.
Monsters of the Deep
What’s fun about the Deadliest Catch, is that it begins to let you know the fishermen that are catching the crab. The bosses and the workers and the new guys all get their chance at screen time. It isn’t about the people jumping the cars or eating squid to win a million dollars, they are just guys trying to achieve the dream of striking it rich quick…but despite the possibility of dying, it is only a temporary fix. You can make $10,000 in three days, but that doesn’t set you for life…just until the next season.
The danger is real, in this season, a number of men are killed in the sinking of a ship, and another worker is washed overboard. I kind of wonder how the boats are picked for the show, and is due to chance that the crews aren’t on these doomed ships or are the safety levels on the ships selected much higher?
Out to Sea!
The one problem I have with the show is the narrator Mike Rowe. I realize that the show attempts to make everything dramatic, but they try way too hard. The events in the show are dramatic enough that fake drama doesn’t have to be made up on every turn. “Joe went for a sandwich, but was the meat still good? Will he survive if it isn’t?” At points in the season, it is stuff like that and it feels like it is being magnified for no reason.
Deadliest Catch is a fun series and this season shows the end of something…the derby style fishing. It will be interesting to see how the change affects the fishermen who make their life on this lifestyle.
Deadliest Catch—Season 1 Complete Episode Guide:
“Greenhorns”
1.1 Greenhorns Airdate: 04/12/05
The crab season kicks off and the boats are headed out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska for the Alaskan king crab. With new crew members (greenhorns) there are new dangers, Bradford Davis finds himself trying to prove himself with The Northwestern and its captain Sig Hansen. The Fierce Allegiance finds a new crew member in Eric Abarhamson who trained Navy SEALS but is the oldest greenhorn in the group. As the ship heads out the crews tells about the dangers found on the water. Kevin Davis finds himself reliving the experience of going overboard. As the season starts, the race for the big profit is on. The Lucky Lady suffers a set-back while The Sea Star deals with an older crew.
“Long, Sleepless Nights”
1.2 Long Sleepless Nights Airdate: 04/19/05
The first king crabs are hauled in for the season. A problem with The Western Viking’s hold forces them to stop hauling in pots. Bradford finds himself dealing with his greenhorn status, and Julian Hiner finds that being the owner’s son doesn’t help him on The Saga as the ship begins pulling in crabs. The features of survival suits are shown, and how quickly a person will die without one. The Western Viking finally is able to start pulling pots and discovers that their fishing area has no crabs. As the night goes on, strategies change and temper begin to flare.
“Lady Luck”
1.3 Lady Luck Airdate: 04/26/05
The Lucky Lady hopes to score big despite its three man crew. Kevin Davis returns after his disastrous first year as a greenhorn and near death experience, but suffers another setback when he hurts his ankle on his deck. Which crabs can be legally kept are revealed by the crew. The Western Viking deals with mechanical problems, low pulls, and the younger crew resenting the older crew. The Fierce Alliance tries to fish new areas and Eric Abarhamson continues to struggle with being a greenhorn. Kevin tries to work the crane when he is unable to work because of his ankle. The greenhorn Bradford Davis continues to impress his crew, but an early end to the season risks the crew’s livelihood.
“Beat the Clock”
1.4 Beat the Clock Airdate: 05/03/05
The season quickly races to the end as the crews try to bring in their pots and get back with their crab. The Western Viking finds that their string of bad luck continues as the crab are totaled. Eric decides he is finished with the crab business while Bradford gets respect from the crew for his work.
“Dead of Winter”
1.5 Dead of Winter Airdate: 05/10/05
It is the winter fishing season for winter crab (C. opilio), and the crews are debating their strategy by teaming with other boats to get their share of the quota. Donna Quashnick prepares shopping for the crew of The Maverick. Sig returns and The Northwestern learns that their bait is no good. The crews launch from Dutch Harbor and head to the winter fishing grounds. Stories of the dangers of sinking are told as a storm bears down on the crews. Rescue crews prepare for danger and how safety equipment to locate ships works. The Lady Alaska finds he’s having problems getting the boat going. When a boat called The Big Valley runs into trouble, the other boats search for them.
“Man Overboard”
1.6 Man Overboard Airdate: 05/17/05
The search is on for any survivors of The Big Valley sinking, but things don’t look good. The Northwestern faces danger in removing the tarp protecting their pots and faces delays. How the cooks prepare meals for the crew is explained. Sig finds that The Retriever is also fishing his area. The danger of working on top of the pots is explained, and what happens to a body who goes into the water. A word of a man overboard on The Sultan brings more threats of death. As the pots begin to be pulled, the crabs start coming in.
“High Hopes”
1.7 High Hopes Airdate: 05/24/05
The Northwestern brings in pots and find they are off to a bad start. The other ships begin to pull pots to mixed results. The Lady Alaska finds crab but discovers that most are too small to be brought in. The Billikin deals with a greenhorn named Andy and low crab pulls. The Maverick finds a great pull and Captain Jeff of The Billikin gets a chance to work on the deck with his crew.
“Good Fishing”
1.8 Good Fishing Airdate: 05/31/05
The pots are coming in full for The Northwestern and begins to run out of room on the ship. The Billikin finds it struggling to capture quality crap while The Maverick finds himself having success. When the crews learn that the numbers are coming in high, they realize that the season is going to end quickly. The Retriever tries to catch up to The Northwestern but finds his pots aren’t catching anything. When The Retriever starts catching crab, a power outage could be a problem for the crew. The sinking of The Galaxy during an electrical fire is retold. The Maverick makes it to St. Paul’s but finds that they are struggling to get the crab offloaded. The Northwestern hits a slump.
“The Clock’s Ticking”
1.9 The Clock’s Ticking Airdate: 06/07/05
The boats await the close of season and rush for a final push. The crew of The Northwestern finds themselves racking up the crabs. The Retriever and The Billikin try to find if they can help fix their low pull. Donna Quashnick on The Maverick talks about working on a crab boat as a woman among the crew. When the close is announced, the boats try to determine their last moves and while the final derby style fishing season will end with a policy change. The story of the sinking of the Master Carl is told.
“The Final Run”
1.10 The Final Run Airdate: 06/14/05
The final pots are pulled in and the ships plan for the rush back to port. With an extremely high load, The Northwestern is forced to make a deckside pin for the extra crab. The crew of The Billikin risk keeping their pots down as long as possible in the hopes of getting more crab. The Retriever deals with a complete breakdown that could sink the ship. The tragedy of The St. Patrick is told by the survivors. The crab boats must get their crabs to the processing plant before the big catches die.
