“Deadliest Catch: Season 1 – 10” (2005-2013)

Television/Reality

One hundred and forty-six episodes

Created by: Thom Beers

Narrated by: Mike Rowe

Captain Phil Harries: “Now you know why lions eat their young!”

Released recently on DVD are the first ten seasons of the reality television series “Deadliest Catch: Season 1 – 10” (2005-2013), which follows the lives of crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing seasons. The Aleutian Islands port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska is the base of operations for the fishing fleet, a cold hard place to live and work which the show explores sometimes with repetitiveness. If you have heard of this series it is probably because of a few reasons those including the longevity of the series and its ability to survive in a very crowded marketplace as well as the fact that if you watch television then you have at least heard of this show, much like “Dancing with the stars”, “Survivor” or even American Idol”. Of course that does not mean it is good although that term is very loaded.

In terms of a reality television show this is action produced extremely well and it is obvious from the outset that there are some life threatening situations going on in many of the scenes, of course this does not make a good show on its own, as after a while viewers will recognise that even life threatening situations cannot sustain a season of a show let alone an episode. So what the producers have done is frame the seasons around workers and families which works well for a time but ultimately this is a series of repetition and so operates on a formula that works as the eighteen seasons attest to.

Everything that happens at sea is compounded by the claustrophobia of the men’s situations. These are small boats, 100 feet or so (most of which is tanks for the catch), with a small crew – the skipper, five deckhands, an engineer. If one person isn’t getting on with another, there is no escape. Relationships become poisonous, and priorities become twisted. Those who don’t pull their weight – including virtually all the first-timers, or greenhorns – are first teased, then bullied mercilessly. The contempt of the crabbers for those who aren’t fit to pull a pot is painful, but there is no escape from it – once you’re on the boat, you’re there till it returns to port, no matter how agonising it might be for you.

Episodes

Series One

Greenhorns: Fifteen hundred fishermen have converged on Dutch Harbor, Alaska, for the beginning of the Alaskan King Crab season. Each man is here to stake his claim on the 14,267,000 pounds of crab and the chance to earn a year’s wages in just one week.

Long Sleepless Nights: After a long night of baiting and setting crab pots, the fishermen anxiously await the captain’s call to begin fishing. The first pot pulled of the season sets the mood. The early losers agonize over strategy hoping to make up for a lost catch.

Lady Luck: It’s hour 42 of the season and every captain feels the pressure. The Alaskan Department of Fish and Game announces an early closure to the season. Each boat has 24 hours to pull the pots they have in the water out – and every one of the final pots count.

Beat the Clock: With half a day left in the Alaskan king crab season, the crews race against the clock to get as much crab as possible. As the race to unload begins, minutes can mean the difference between unloading immediately or waiting in the harbor for days.

Dead of Winter: It is the dead of winter in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, where the days are a mere 6 hours long. The forecast for crab fishing is cold and dangerous. But opelio crab season is just about to begin and 171 boats begin the long journey to find them.

Man Overboard: The 2005 Opelio crab season didn’t start but stumbled! The Big Valley sunk and its crew are still missing. “Good Samaritan” boats help search for survivors in the frigid Bering Sea. Soon though, it’s 170 boats left fishing, and then tragedy strikes again.

High Hopes: It’s been a little over 12 hours since the Opelio crab season opened and the Bering Sea has already claimed 6 lives. Despite these losses, the rest of the fleet begins to pull the pots and hopes are high. For the first time this season, the seas are calm.

Good Fishing: It’s crab season on the Bering Sea. Unseasonably warm weather and calm seas have contributed to record catches for the fleet. Capt. Sig Hansen and crew landed on the crab early and cranked through their gear filling two of the boat’s three holds.

The Clock’s Ticking: The Opelio crab season is open and the hunt for crab is intensifying. Rumors of a possible closure prompt the men to push even harder. After many blank pots, Capt. Jim Stone of the Retriever decides to give up on the Northern fishing grounds.

The Final Run: With the deaths of the Big Valley crew, this Opelio crab season has been a rough one. As the last hours of the season tick down, a new race begins- the race back to port. Captains strategize and compete for the best spot in line to off-load.

Series Two

Heading Out to Sea: October in Dutch Harbor means only one thing: king crab season. Bering Sea weather reports warn of some of the roughest seas the fleet has seen in years. A massive storm system is moving in. The captains must decide whether to shove off or batten down.

Batten Down the Hatches: In the pre-dawn hours of October 17, the king crab fishing fleet are enjoying rare, calm weather on the Bering Sea. Though the weather is cooperating momentarily, there is word of an impending storm and the decision must be made to run or to fish.

On the Crab: One of the worst storms in years is raging on the crab grounds, but the crab fishing fleet must continue its hunt for the deadliest catch: Alaskan King Crab. In spite of a torrential downpour and a blinding snowstorm, the crews push on.

The Finish Line: After a profitable offload on Akutan Island, Captain Sig Hansen and the Northwestern crew are back on the trail of the Alaskan King Crab. Meanwhile, the crew of the Maverick witness a change in command as their Captain stands down.

Friends and Rivals: The Aleutian Ballad is knocked on its side by a vicious wave, stripping the ship of power and leaving the crew scrambling in the dark. Meanwhile, the exhausted crews of the Time Bandit, the Maverick, and the Rollo endure rough weather.

A New Hunt Begins: January in Dutch Harbor, Alaska finds the fishermen returning to their boats for the Opilio Crab fishing season. As crews return, they’ll prep their boats, the bait, and the supplies and hope that this season will be even more productive than the last.

Smoke on the Water: The arctic storm continues as the Time Bandit pushes on with a limited amount of bait and the Rollo and the Maverick drop their pots quickly to avoid rolling. With the frustrated Cornelia Marie stuck in port, the Northwestern sticks with successful Cod.

Man vs. Ice: Bad crab and long days fray nerves and cause fights on the Maverick and Rollo. The trailblazing Time Bandit presses north into the arctic onslaught and Sig Hansen wakes from a short nap to find the Northwestern lost after Edgar sits on wheel watch.

On the Edge: The Time Bandit finds their ice pack as the Rollo fishes through gnarly weather. The crew of the Maverick must work through a shipwide flu epidemic while the Cornelia Marie has trouble finding their Opilio crab. Sig moves on from the Cod to Opilio Crab.

Pribilof Stare: Freezing weather and severe icing claim its first victim on the Cornelia Marie when deckhand Dave Gilbert takes a spill. Also, as the Time Bandit navigates the northern ice pack, the crews on the Maverick attempt to jury-rig a shattered stiff arm.

Race Against the Ice: Rollo and Maverick race back to the crab grounds after a heavy offload on St. Paul Island. The Rollo’s Captain Eric is cross with his crew after miscalculation results in forty thousand more pounds of crab than scheduled.

Cashing In: Facing the end of the season, the fleet is scrambling to the deep and pushing the fishing into overdrive. But when the job is over, a new challenge awaits-getting back to port in one piece.

Series Three

A Tragic Beginning: Welcome back to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The largest fishing port in the United States is buzzing with life as 81 fishing vessels, including the Northwestern, the Cornelia Marie, and the Time Bandit, return to start the 2006 Red King Crab season.

The Unforgiving Sea: After a fishing boat sinks, the fleet works with the Coast Guard to find survivors. Equipment failures plague the Northwestern & Cornelia Marie, and the Time Bandit & Maverick start fishing only to have one boat come up empty while the other fills pots.

Pain and Paybacks: After a deadly start, the Bering Sea is still claiming victims. Working in high seas, Deckhand Lenny Lakanoff of the Wizard suffers a crippling injury, leaving Captain Keith scrambling to shore. On the Northwestern, Deckhand Matt fears possible jail time.

Cheating Death: Halfway through the season the grind is on. On all the boats the men are working 40 hours without sleep. Equipment failures, fatigue and bad weather are making fishing even more dangerous, and the men of the high seas must deal with repairs and rescues.

Bering Sea Salvation: The end of the king crab season is drawing near. Captain Johnathan and crew start dropping gear. The Time Bandit is back in contention, Captain Sig hauls in huge pots of keepers and onboard the Wizard, the crew is struggling to make their final offload.

The Last Lap: The grinding 2006 Red King Crab fishing marathon comes to a close — Sig Hansen and the Northwestern crew finish a 30-hour grind and steam for port while Phil Harris of the Cornelia Mariem aka “the comeback kid” returns to Dutch injury free.

New Beginnings: January 2007 on the Bering Sea, Opilio Crab season starts.

Caught in the Storm: Only days into the Opilio season, a major storm system has arrived on the fishing grounds. High seas cause Captain Andy of the Time Bandit to call his men off deck, moments before a rogue wave hits the starboard side.

Crossing the Line: Busted buoys, broken pots, and a blown engine have put the Northwestern more than a week behind schedule. Captain Sig hopes Lady Luck will smile upon him as he drops all of his gear far north of the rest of the fleet.

Trials of the Greenhorns: Greenhorns are put to the test as the Bering Sea’s harsh winter weather deteriorates. Guy, the Wizard horn has only worked three days and is already faltering; but the Northwestern and Cornelia Marie greenhorns step up to prove their worth.

Ice and Open Water: The promise of a great catch outweighs the dangerous risks faced by the Opilio Crab fishing vessels.

A Frozen Finish: Finale for the greenhorns — some have succeeded in their quests to become Bering Sea crab fishermen, others won’t be coming back. The 2007 Opilio crab tally’s in and a winner is declared.

Series Four

Get ‘Em Back Safe!: The Red King Crab 2007 season begins on the Bering Sea.

Striking Out: The crews are off to stake their claims on coveted grounds, but the sea is not going to give up its bounty without a fight. The Time Bandit pulls a prank. After only 48 hours, one Wizard greenhorn is already starting to fall apart.

A Numbers Game: A mechanical breakdown presses Northwestern’s Edgar to make a dangerous repair. Meanwhile questionable counting makes Sig lose his temper. Hard work separates the greenhorns on Wizard. On Cornelia Marie, Phil’s health is failing and impacts the crew.

Unsafe and Unsound: Greenhorns, skippers, and family fishing dynasties begin to crack. On Northwestern, Sig and Edgar have a “last man standing” contest to see who can fish the longest without sleep. Time Bandit’s Captn Johnathan has a brush with death.

No Mercy: Tempers flare onboard Wizard and Northwestern. Time Bandit has a dangerous electrical short. On Cornelia Marie, Phil’s health deteriorates. Early Dawn runs headlong into high seas when its greenhorn falls asleep at the wheel.

Racing the Clock: With a few weeks left in king crab season, the fate of every deckhand’s paycheck sits squarely on his captain’s shoulders. Time Bandit’s Capt Johnathan has had good fishing but a string of bad luck for crew and boat. The North American returns to duty.

Seeking the Catch: As the King Crab season ticks down, mass amounts of stinging jellyfish in unfilled pots add insult to injury. The Cornelia Marie faces losing their captain for good. Crew mistakes onboard Northwestern could be costly.

No Season for Old Men: As the king crab season comes to an end, a totally exhausted crew fills the Northwestern’s crab tanks to the brim. Cornelia Marie has a blackout. North American does a “Hail Mary”. Wizard and Time Bandit race for the “String of the Week” prize.

Storm Season: January 2008 on the Bering Sea, Opilio Crab season starts.

Blow Up: A routine Coast Guard rescue becomes a battle against nature. Cornelia Marie heads to land for repairs. Fatigue is causing mistakes on Northwestern. On the Wizard, Greenhorn Moi locks horns with Capt. Keith. Time Bandit heads for better grounds.

Big Weather, Big Trouble: On Time Bandit, Capt. Johnathan joins the deck crew and promptly has an accident while showing off his skills. The Northwestern crew is irritating Capt. Sig. Lenny from Wizard barely escapes a huge wave. The North American greenhorn is hazed.

Mortal Men: The captains and crews share their take on family, traditions, and a passion for fishing. They admit to rivalries and jealousies between blood brothers and to the love and respect that keeps them working side by side.

Fresh Blood: Capt. Phil heads for the hospital, so Murray struggles to take over the helm of the Cornelia Marie. The Northwestern strains its crane to the breaking point and destabilizes the ship. Wizard springs a serious leak. Greenhorn Moi gets the ax.

Changing Tides: Greenhorn and veteran deckhands share their first crabbing experience, crewing under crazy captains, and their best pranks from the King Crab and Opilio Crab seasons.

Catch as Catch Can: Arctic ice pack descends as the fleet makes its final push. Northwestern’s Capt. Sig and Wizard’s Capt. Keith battle freezing spray. Cornelia Marie’s crew suffers from “Bering Sea dementia” while Time Bandit’s crew is at its breaking point.

The Final Hour: The captain’s race to catch the last of their remaining quotas, battling ice and equipment issues. Time Bandit’s Scottie makes a near fatal mistake working the hydraulic system. An ominous message comes across the radio as the men head for home ports.

Legends: Revisit the legendary moments from season four of Deadliest Catch and hear some new tales from the captains, their Gloucester comrades, author Spike Walker, and one of Catch’s legendary cameramen.

Emergency: The captains and crew recall some incredibly close calls and examine some of the missteps and mishaps that can lead to a life-threatening emergency. A Catch cameraman stationed with the Coast Guard shares his amazing rescue footage.

Series Five

Everything on the Line: The King Crab 2008 season begins on the Bering Sea.

Red Skies in the Morning: It’s week 2 of the season, and boats are hunting down the elusive King crab. A vicious storm kicks up and a Mayday goes out. The Skippers are glued to their radios — waiting to hear the fate of 11 brother fishermen in distress…

Stay Focused or Die: The fleet is still dialling into the crab, and already a typhoon has taken its toll. A boat has sunk – and bone-chilling accounts of the fate of its men relay around the fleet.

Put Up or Shut Up: It’s week four of King Crab Season. Seven souls have perished, but the fishermen soldier on, in the hunt for crab. Grueling hours and vicious hazing test the Greenhorns — and some start to crack.

Long Haul, Short Fuses: Crab pots still come up empty and the skippers are out of ideas. Low bait and long grinds take our crews to dark places — the smallest infractions from a Greenhorn or fellow Deckhand cause tempers and even violence to flare.

Deadline: A new deadline is set: an upcoming drop in the price of king crab has the skippers rushing to finish their season. But crew battles and a fierce arctic storm block the way.

Down to the Wire: The King Crab Season is down to the wire and skippers are desperate to top off their quotas. It’s looking bleak as crews pick through bone-yards of fished out grounds. Some boats dig deep for an end of season sprint, –other boats just scrape by.

Payback Time: It’s the start of the 2009 Opilio Crab Season. Anything the Bering Sea held back during King Season is now being paid out in spades. The skippers have their eye on the oncoming ice pack — but it’s a lethal, 40-foot rogue wave that’s on the hunt. And the Opilio season opens yet another judgment day for Skipper Phil Harris…will doctors allow him to reunite with his boat and his sons? On the Time Bandit the men target the Greenhorn of the Northwestern for some sweet revenge. And on the Wizard, it’s the boat itself that becomes a target — of an angry Bering Sea.

No Second Chances: The fleet arrives on the Opi Grounds and boats struggle with ice, big seas, and bad information to hunt down the crab. A skipper regrets sending his men out in savage weather to save the boat — but there are no second chances on the Bering Sea.

Sea of Misery: It’s week three of the Opilio Crab Season. Long hours and miserable conditions already have the crabbers turning on each other. Boat-crushing ice stands between one skipper and the safety of harbor.

Lockout: After weeks battling freezing spray, forty foot waves, and sub-zero temperatures, skippers have begun plugging their boats with Opilio crab. As they lrace to St. Paul harbor for offload, the 250,000 square mile arctic ice pack stands in their way.

A Slap in the Face or Kick in the Butt: Halfway through the season, each skipper faces his own personal form of hell. Frozen crab, frozen gear, and a frozen harbor chill the hearts of the most callous of fishermen. On the Northwestern, Sig battles a fierce cigarette addiction-and a fierce storm.

Ends of the Earth: When the fleet gets word of great fishing by the ice pack, the chase is on to the ends of the earth! Hellacious hours and missing pots-a journey to the far north will push these men over the edge.

Bitter Tears: Weeks into the Opilio Season, the fleet is bone tired and desperate for home. As delirium sets in, deadly, rib-crunching mistakes are made. But for one fisherman, a tragedy on land spells gut-wrenching, heartbreak at sea.

Day of Reckoning: For two decades the Alaskan crab fleet has been haunted by the legendary “Black Sunday” storm. Now history repeats itself when multiple maydays go out during a massive arctic storm. Most Coast Guard assets are deployed to save a boat from going ashore.

Shipwrecked: It’s the final 24 hours of the 2009 Opilio crab season. A savage arctic storm causes multiple vessels to send out maydays. The Coast Guard is in a race against the clock to save four men before their boat is pounded into splinters against jagged rocks.

Series Six

Slow Burn: As the fleet prepares for king crab season conflicts surface in a meeting between the ship captains. Two of the captains hatch a creative scheme to help their kids grow up. The fleet heads to sea and sets their traps in eerily calm seas. Then, the Guardian comes to the rescue of a sinking cod boat.

Breaking ‘Em In: The fleet pulls up their first king crab string of the season and after some suspense most of the boats show good numbers. But the greenhorns are already feeling the strain and there be storms a-brewing; not just in the weather but in the families.

Sea Tested: The storms roll in but the fisherman take them in stride except when it comes to mundane things like cooking. A bigger problem is bait shortages making tempers rise. After three weeks at sea the captains trade their kids back.

Bering Sea Swim Club: The captain’s boys spend some harrowing minutes alone in the wide open ocean transferring back to their home boats. Then its back to work to close out the king crab season but there are troubles. One boat takes on water. One has dead crab and too many crewmen. Another has a crewman with a bad attitude and a nagging skeleton in the closet.

Arctic Quest: The boats unload and head back out to top off their quotas but the fishing is poor. Captain Sig takes the Northwestern on a risky excursion to the northwest for blue king crab. The high seas are fighting everyone.

False Pass: Two storms converge in the the last week of king crab season. Time bandit, heading home, struggles to navigate a narrow channel, False Pass, in heavy seas. The Northwestern continues its pursuit of blue king crab while the Wizard switches to the lucrative baridi crab.

When Hell Freezes Over: Getting set for opilio crab season the Time Bandit’s crew has some fun with their new greenhorn. The Wizard is a little tougher on theirs. The Cornelia Marie starts the season in dry dock. The rest face ice.

We’re Not n Kansas Anymore…: The ice storm prevented the fleet from reaching their planned fishing grounds so thy have no idea what to expect as they pull in their first sting of opilio crab pots. What they find is ice, heavy seas, seasickness, injury and the wrong kind of crab.

Glory Days: After a poor start to the opilio crab season the captains head to their favorite fishing grounds. As crew members can’t or won’t pull their weight the rest of the crew gets down on them. Then the Coast Guard comes to the rescue of a crewman with heart trouble.

The Darkened Seas: After last night’s failed rescue a second Coast Guard team arrives to rescue the fisherman who suffered a heart attack. The fleet finds crab. Loaded, the Northwestern attempts a dangerous and tense night passage into St. Paul to unload. Serious family matters come to the surface on the Cornelia Marie.

Blown Off Course: On the Cornelia Marie Captain Phil comes to grip with his son Jakes’s drug addiction. Phil and a couple other skippers contemplate retirement and who can take charge of their legacy. Captain Sig has to deliver some hard news to a deck hand. The fleet returns to unload and is reminded that bad things happen in port too.

Empty Throne: Captain Phil is sent to Anchorage for medical treatment leaving no one certified to run the boat. The Hilstrands pick a new captain. A greenhorn gets called on his attitude. News of Captain Phil’s condition circulates to the boats at sea.

Cain and Abel: Captain Phil’s boys go to Anchorage and are briefed on his condition. But they turn against each other as they struggle to deal with the situation. Jake, deckhand on the North-western, is feeling the tension of his missing father. Three others are injured and Edger is thinking he needs some time off but Captain Sig is irritated he hasn’t trained a replacement. The Wizard navigates an ice flow. The Kodiak finally finds a happy hunting ground but looses loads of crab to poorly set traps. The time Bandit battles hyper-cold.

Redemption Day: In eerily calms seas Captain Andy juggles crew assignments with adverse results and the crew boarders on insubordinate. The Northwestern continues to grind it out with mediocre numbers. Edgar, who’s just about had enough of crabbing, starts training his replacements. Captain Phil begins recovering faster than expected. After off-loading Captain Bill cleans out troublesome crew members. Then the fleet is battered by heavy seas in a massive storm.

Valhalla: Battling 30-foot seas Captain Sig calls a halt and heads for port. The Kodiak tests two new deckhands in sub-zero temperatures. The Wizard finds great fishing grounds but the captain is worried about ice and a sluggish crew. The Cornelia Marie remains in port mourning the lost of her skipper.

Captain Phil Harris Remembered: One hour celebrating the life of the great captain Phil Harris. Everyone from the Harris boys to the captains and crews of all the boats in the Bering sea tell there stories they had with Captain Harris.

Endless: Tension runs high on the North-western. Edgar Hansen is fed up with the 22 year marathon of pain, and confronts older brother Sig. Josh Harris returns to the Cornelia Marie and the Opilio Season ends with a harrowing mayday.

Season Seven

New Blood: The 2010 King crab season begins with an infusion of fresh blood into the crab fleet. Challenging the veteran skippers are 36-year-old Scott Campbell Jr. who helms the Seabrooke, and 28-year-old first-time captain, Elliot Neese, on the Ramblin’ Rose.

Proving Grounds: Across the Bering Sea crab fleet, bad fishing causes high tensions and low morale as empty pots whittle away profits and nerves among the men.

Old Age and Treachery: Jake Harris gets a sink-or-swim lesson on driving the Cornelia Marie as danger strikes the Wizard when a crewmember gets caught in the line.

Breaking Point: A serious injury forces a crewmember to his bunk after the crane breaks on the Kodiak, while the Seabrooke’s greenhorn has a mental breakdown. The crew of the Cornelia Marie must put aside their differences to seek cover from a massive Bering Sea storm.

A Wing and a Prayer: Two crewmembers nearly come to blows on the Northwestern while a deckhand on the Wizard falls asleep at the wheel and sends the boat steaming blindly toward a fleet of nearby vessels.

Exit Wounds: In the midst of a rough King Crab season, a mutiny transpires on the Cornelia Marie while mental and physical breakdowns plague the crew of the Kodiak. A rogue wave threatens the Time Bandit and a Wizard deckhand summons the wrath of captain Keith.

Thick as Thieves: The police are called in after a confrontation on the Cornelia Marie while a debilitating injury to a Kodiak deckhand ends his career for good. An injury onboard the Ramblin’ Rose causes the rookie skipper to have a change of heart.

Graduation Day: The King Crab Season closes with a fierce arctic storm, a spectacular prank on the Northwestern by the crew of the Time Bandit and the departure of one of the fleet’s most revered fishermen.

Sea Change: Massive change strikes every returning boat as Opilio Season begins. Edgar finally says goodbye to the Northwestern, a new captain boards the Cornelia Marie and the entire fleet is shut down by one of the largest arctic storms in history.

Frontier Medicine: As the fleet battles an epic arctic hurricane, focus shifts from strategy to survival. Ice and injuries have the captains considering desperate measures. With the fishing in question, only one thing remains certain: there will be blood.

Birds, Bones and Blood: As another winter storm rips through the crab grounds, the Ramblin’ Rose makes an all-or-nothing gamble, the Time Bandit courts danger at the dock and a crewman on the Northwestern suffers a bloody, nose-breaking blow.

It’s Not All Mai Tais and Yahtzee: A loose pot turns into a half-ton wrecking ball on the Kodiak, while a crewman on the Seabrooke is nearly crushed by ice. On the Cornelia Marie, the new skipper courts mutiny with a move to untested fishing grounds.

Pirate School: A captain and deckhand clash on the Cornelia Marie over a crippling lack of bait, while skipper Elliott Neese attempts to fix a possible season-ending breakdown and the Time Bandit’s soft-spoken greenhorn goes to the Hillstrands’ Â’Pirate School.’

The Island: The treacherous waters off St. Paul Island make offloading crab in this barren outpost a terrifying necessity for several boats. A harbor surge snaps lines on the Wizard while another greenhorn walks off the Seabrooke in a cloud of shame.

I Smell a Nightmare: As Opilio season winds down, two exhausted crewmen on the Time Bandit nearly come to blows. The skippers of the Seabrooke and Cornelia Marie both suffer debilitating injuries and the captain of the Wizard erupts and physically assaults an unlikely victim.

Mohawks & Madness, Goodness & Gladness: The Bering Sea fleet finishes the season with big pots and big paydays. The Seabrooke captain fights an agonizing illness and the Northwestern takes revenge on the Time Bandit. The Cornelia Marie comes home from what could be its final season of fishing.

Series Eight

The Gamble: Early October 2011 and the Blue & Red King Crab season starts on the Bering Sea.

Turf War: With the fleet split, a tale of two fisheries emerges. On the Blue grounds, a captains’ bet has the boats jockeying for position. On the Red grounds, a returning veteran quickly proves his worth, while another boat copes with a fallen deckhand.

Weak Links: As the fleet grinds through injuries and mental mistakes, the Bering Sea exposes soft spots and weak links in each crew. While the skippers wonder which deckhands have the right stuff, the Time Bandit says goodbye to a crewmate who never made it back.

The Hook: Across the Bering Sea crab fleet, bad fishing causes high tensions and low morale as empty pots whittle away profits and nerves among the men.

Alien Abduction: Past the halfway point of the King Crab season, man and machine alike show signs of wear under the brutal hand of the Bering Sea. While repairs can be made to the equipment, the fishermen must dig deep to soldier on in a place where nature rules.

Vital Signs: As king crab season nears the finish line, the crew of The Wizard faces a life or death situation as a deckhand collapses and struggles to hold on. Catching crab suddenly becomes secondary to a fight for survival on the harsh Bering Sea.

I Don’t Wanna Die: Midway through the winter crab season and the Bering sea is taking its toll on the boats and the men. The northern most boats are in a race to save their gear as the polar icepack descends onto the fishing grounds.

The Aftermath: In the aftermath of an arctic hurricane, the fleet struggles to reach the finish line of a brutal king crab season. Poor fishing and quarreling crews make this final push a painful one for every man on the Bering Sea.

Nowhere to Go But Down: It’s winter in Dutch Harbor and the fleet prepares to hunt Opilio crab. The season looks promising with the quota up and the price high, but tensions rise before the lines are thrown as one deckhand quits, two brothers fight and one goes overboard.

Rise and Fall: With unrelenting northerly winds bearing down on the fleet, every skipper steels himself for battle with the descending polar ice pack. And as temperatures drop on the grounds, tempers on deck flare up.

No Exit: Across the fleet, captains battle the descending polar ice pack to save their pots, and it’s a losing war. The Northwestern and Wizard struggle to escape St. Paul harbor, while the rest of the fleet scrambles to keep their opilio season alive.

Collision Course: The Captains explore their own legacies as they swap stories of the legends of the Bering Sea. Elliot squares off with his boat’s owner. Jake and Josh Harris compare what they learned as deckhands on the Time Bandit and the Northwestern.

Landlocked: Life at home is more complicated than life at sea. This explosive episode deals with Jake Anderson’s murdered father, Jake Harris’ addiction, and Elliot’s disintegrating home life.

Fearless Leaders: The captains discuss their strategies for dealing with the red crab quota and the brutal ice. Elliot and Junior settle their wager. Keith comes face to face with his most disgruntled Greenhorn yet.

Release the Beast: There is an unwritten code of ethics in the Bering Sea. Junior and Elliot settle the score about their long-simmering feud. Josh Harris looks back at far he’s come in a year.

The Bitter, Bloody End: In this special two-hour close to a merciless opilio season, a veteran deckhand pays for a mistake in flesh. Then in the final hours some men rise and some men fall, but not everyone will make it home.

Series Nine

Mutiny on the Bering Sea: It’s October in Dutch Harbor Alaska, and after a devastating 2011 opilio season, every ship in the fleet is looking to make a comeback in the 2012 king crab season.

Dagger in the Back: It’s cloak and dagger time on the Bering Sea as Keith and Junior form a covert alliance. The Northwestern crew knocks out their rocky string but then faces a surprise challenge. Elliot finally debuts his new boat on the dangerous blue crab grounds.

Blood in the Morning: On the blue crab grounds, brutal competition leads to more deceit amongst the captains. Serious injuries plague the fleet, and Junior’s betrayal of his alliance with Keith comes back to haunt him with potentially lethal consequences.

The Crooke & the Tangler: On the crowded blue crab grounds, a high seas showdown between the Saga and Seabrooke takes an unexpected turn. On the Northwestern, Captain Sig must make a tough decision about his brother’s future, while the Time Bandit has a close call in False Pass.

Judgement Day: Five weeks into the king crab season change is in the air and on the Bering Sea. Big moves are made on some boats while it’s the same old story on others. Still, the hunt for the elusive blue crab is on everyone’s radar.

A Fist to the Face: On the Northwestern, Jake’s dark secret sets off a fistfight that throws Edgar’s new captaincy into jeopardy.Tempers flare on the Saga and Seabrooke when Elliott grows wise to Junior’s devious ways.

Goodbye Jake: As King Crab season comes to an end life-changing decisions must be made. The captains of the fleet pull up their last pots while young Jake Anderson struggles with his decision to leave the Northwestern and Josh Harris plots to buy his father’s old boat.

Kicking Off with a Bang: Chaos kicks off the 2013 Opilio Season when an accident on the Time Bandit has them racing for the shore. Jake Anderson gets a not-so-warm-welcome on his new boat, the Kiska Sea. As these gladiators of the Bering Sea lace up for their biggest money season.

The Storm of the Season: A Category 4 storm has landed on the fleet two weeks into the Oplio Crab Season. As the first pots come aboard some captains are dialed into the crab, while others are off their scent, but they’re all struggling to stay afloat.

Sleeping with the Enemy: Survival is the name of the game as the fleet battles their way through a ferocious arctic storm. Junior takes a huge risk in order to get back in the game; two greenhorns struggle to fit in with their crews; and Elliott’s problems on land continue.

We’re Not Gonna Take It: The fleet’s weathered the storm, but the crab are still off the bite. Desperate to make their offload dates, captains mercilessly grind their crews, but some deckhands sick of being bullied when they’re not making any cash aren’t gonna take it.

Listing Lovers: The crews and battered boats are feeling the brunt of one of the hardest Opilio seasons on record. While some crewmembers battle potentially catastrophic breakdowns to stay out on the grounds and keep fishing, others throw in the towel and call it quits.

So You Wanna Be a Boat Owner…: Midway through the crab season and the northernmost boats are in a race to save their gear as the polar ice pack descends onto the fishing grounds.

Ship of Iron, Men of Steel: With only three weeks left in the Opilio Season, the fleet prepares to make the final push to wrap up their seasons. Captains battle weather, equipment, and their own men in a sprint to the finish, but nothing comes easy.

Man Overboard: After enduring months of mechanical breakdowns, sleepless grinds, and infighting, the fleet is starting to crack. When deckhands on the Wizard are unable to lasso a floating walrus carcass, Freddy Maugatai takes matters into his own hands.

The Final Battle: The younger generation is put to the test as the fleet races to finish a gruelling opilio season. As defiance on the Wizard turns brother against brother, an accident brings one crabber’s career to a gruesome end.

Series Ten

Careful What You Wish For: A government shutdown shortens the season and starts off a chain reaction that forces the fleet to fish harder and faster to make the market deadline. One boat goes up in flames and many are left to wonder if this is really the life they wished for.

Family Affair: Two weeks into the King Crab season the fleet is already behind after a government shut down and now a massive arctic storm. A harrowing Coast Guard airlift must abort with 100-knot winds whipping over the grounds.

Darwin’s Law: A storm shut down the fleet, now an even more severe weather system hits them again. While captains do their best to stay their course, greenhorn problems, mechanical malfunctions and bad fishing conspire to shake their resolve.

Against the Law: The King fleet grows desperate as it hurtles towards the finish line and the Wizard’s fishing strategy lands them on the wrong side of the law.

On the Rocks: As crews prepare to head to the Bairdi grounds, a mayday call from a sinking ship prompts a dramatic at-sea rescue. On the Cape Caution, Bill’s greenhorn is looking for a way out, while Edgar on the Northwestern takes a big risk at his first time as captain.

Falling Down: With one captain in the hospital and another on a bender, fishing has come to a halt on two boats. Out at sea an alleged felon is trapped, a boat goes dark, and on the Time Bandit…well Captain Johnathan Hillstrand just wants to be young again.

Lost at Sea: One captain faces what might spell the end of a storied career while another struggles to check into rehab. Problems on land pale in comparison to those on the Bering Sea where the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard lose one of their own.

Cornelia Marie Blue: Opilio season kicks off with the return of the fabled Cornelia Marie. After a 3-year struggle Josh Harris bought back the boat that helped make his old man a legend. 18-year-old Mandy Hansen arrives to convince her father Sig to take her fishing.

Skipper Harris in Training: Blood is spilled on the Cape Caution, when a brutal storm rips across the Bering Sea. Rookie boat owner Josh Harris swallows his pride. Captain Sig fights to keep the Northwestern from going up in flames and Captain Keith battles boat-sinking ice.

Fisherman’s Daughter: In Dutch, Sig welcomes their newest greenhorn: his daughter. After four generations of Hansen fishermen, the next in line is a woman. In high seas, a major hydraulic leak on the Time Bandit primes the engine room to blow.

Blonde Ambition: While the rest of the fleet have their doubts about a woman’s place on a crab boat, the Northwestern crew must train their new recruit; Sig’s 18-year-old daughter, Mandy Hansen.

Women Drivers: As the wintery Opilio season roars on, Sig puts Mandy at the helm in boat-crushing seas. Josh Harris struggles quash a rebellion. Elliott’s new girlfriend arrives (much to his crew’s chagrin). Zack Larson feels Wild Bill’s wrath.

Greatest Game Ever Fished: It’s Super Bowl Sunday on the Bering Sea. The Cornelia Marie battles 20-foot breakers in St. Paul, a blown prop on the Time Bandit causes a rift that pull the Hillstrands apart and Wild Bill takes his deck boss to task.

Breaking Mandy: As Sig orders a classic Northwestern grind, Mandy learns what it’s really like to be a greenhorn. With major repairs on the Time Bandit, Captain Andy is faced with a tough decision.

Sabotage: With the end in sight, crews struggle to keep it together. A saboteur seeks an early end for the Cape Caution. Cornelia Marie Captains Josh Harris and Casey McManus fight to control their crew. On the Time Bandit a long lost Hillstrand returns.

You’ll Know My Name Is the Lord…: An arctic hurricane strikes the fleet. The Cornelia Marie faces sinking. Blood is shed on the Time Bandit. The North-western needs repair in 30 foot seas. The Wizard has a near perfect season.