orca99usa This review contains reported analysis of some of the story lines in Deadliest Catch that may not be as they have been presented to be.I have been a big fan of this show from the beginning. Even with the relative sameness of the fishing part of the series, the personal situations and the adversity the crews face with mechanical problems, injuries, fatigue, the weather and the sea keeps it entertaining. More bothersome is the license that Discovery has apparently started to take with this supposedly most realistic of their reality shows. While some things cannot be staged, I have read reports that the network has begun manipulating story lines for entertainment purposes (or perhaps they always have, and we are just now finding out about it).A couple of examples: DC reported that Captain Elliot Neese was fired from the Ramblin' Rose after last season and that he bought his own boat, the Saga. There are just two problems with this: The head of the company that owns the Ramblin' Rose describes Elliot as "a fine young man" and a "very capable" captain (just the opposite of how he is portrayed on the show). It has also come out that not only was Ellot not fired from the Ramblin' Rose, the company who owns the RR is also the registered owner of the Saga - not Elliot. He was given the Saga to run because it is considered to be a better boat than the RR. So much for the "new boat owner".In an episode earlier this season it was reported that Elliot told his crew not to knock ice off the Saga as it began listing to one side. As the story goes, the crew ignored his instructions and deiced the boat anyway. First of all, if there is enough ice on a boat to make it list, no captain is going to order his crew not to take an action that might prevent it from capsizing. Second, it also came to light that the footage that supposedly shows Elliot's crew defying his orders was shot during a previous episode and it was spliced in to fit the fabricated story.There have also been rumors that some of the conflicts aboard the boats are orchestrated for television, and that some of the dialog in the wheelhouses with the captains, instead of being spontaneous and real, is in fact scripted and may be shot in more than one take. Given all of this, I also have to wonder about the portrayal of the personal drama of Elliot Neese of the Saga and his multiple girlfriends, and of Scott "Junior" Campbell of the Seabrooke as a double-crossing liar who enters into alliances with other captains and then betrays their trust.Discovery used to be a network I could count on for scientifically solid, entertaining television. They are rapidly becoming the television equivalent of the trash tabloids you see at the grocery store checkout line (maybe their next series will tell us that space aliens really did visit the President at the White House). They are neck deep in dubious reality shows. They have developed all variety of "monster" shows with various groups chasing creatures that probably don't exist, and now they feel the need to lie about what is going on aboard the crab boats. I guess that the Bering Sea just isn't exciting enough anymore.

zeeboman24 When this show began it was fairly interesting: we got to see what crab boat fisherman had to go through during the crab-catching season. Soon after, however, it lost focus on the fishing and focused almost entirely on the drama in the lives of the fisherman. Episodes became nothing more than 'the captain doesn't like the new greenhorn' (this one happens way too often), 'someone is injured or sick', 'a fisherman gets word of some problem at home and is frustrated that he is stuck on a boat', repeat. I don't know how people can find the newest seasons watchable, as every episode seems to be essentially the same as those before and after it. This show should be moved to a different channel and renamed to "Crab Boat Drama", or, even better, it would have made a perfect one-time segment on Dirtiest Jobs. Shouldn't the Discovery Channel have learned their lesson after American Choppers?

bruce_files_3 This series is an honor to all those hard working men and women everywhere around the world, in or out of the sea, that have to push themselves to the limit to make it every single day.Crab-fishing works as a fine "wagon" to carry all the agony, effort, mental and physical exhaustion some (the most) of the people around the world face to make their living. The two-three weeks of fishing period at a time sums in a decent way the farmers' (for example) whole season before and during the harvest. And that is why its an interesting and enjoyable as tragic too, show to watch. Its compact, always about something new (besides the fact that is about crab fishing!), keeping a good pace, and keeps the viewer on the edge since everything changes as the parameters of the fishing do.I am sure, those captains, are making many hard working men/women proud, since they are letting the rest of the world see what it takes for some people to bring bread (and crab!) on the table. Very inspiring indeed! Thank you Captains....and in case you are reading this, "Good Luck" !!!!PS: Don't miss the great documentary "4 Elements". Search it in here for more details.

H_Spengler I never really watched this series and paid any attention to it until about a month ago when Discovery debated their "Planet Earth" series, and this was on afterwords. This is the kind of show that sucks you in so far you don't even realize you've been tensely waiting to see what happens next, and the great part is, you least expect it. A highly addicting show as you see the struggles, hours and long shift these brave men throw forward in order to meet their quota of crab. (They're braver than I am, I hate the cold.)You also get to know the crew and the different personalities. As serious and dangerous as a job as this is it's nice to see the lightened mood, and the subtle pranks played on each other, and the pots of other boats. This beats the heck out of tired reality shows with rich has been celebrities wining about everything and anything (never watched them anyhow). If you want to see real people, and exciting situations, I highly suggest this show! 10/10. Discovery channel makes more of a fan out of me each year, first "Mythbusters", "Dirty Jobs" and the occasional mini series event (ie: "Planet Earth") The Medical Mystery programs are also fascinating.