Why Deadliest Catch's Danny Chiu Feels Like A Ghost Of The Bering Sea

"Deadliest Catch" Season 11, Episode 9, introduces viewers to a member of Captain Jonathan Hillstrand's now-retired F/V Time Bandit crew named Danny Chiu. However, just about as soon as he shows up on the hit Discovery reality series, he makes his final appearance, departing from the Time Bandit in the very next episode. In fact, that episode is titled "Lunatic Fringe," seemingly in reference to his behavior.

Throughout his brief "Deadliest Catch" tenure, Chiu is visibly eccentric. In Episode 9, notably, he pulls out and starts talking to a stuffed Cookie Monster, all while sorting crab on the ship's deck. "We got a wacko on here," Hillstrand says after witnessing this behavior. Then things go south for Chiu when, in the following episode, Hillstrand calls him in to speak with him privately. He starts complaining about one of his fellow crew members before Hillstrand suggests that it's Chiu, rather, who's the problem. Chiu responds by defecting from his work duties and effectively trying to sabotage the ship.

Near the end of Episode 10, Hillstrand understandably fires Chiu, paying for a plane to take him back home after docking at a harbor in the middle of the crabbing season. In line with his prior behavior, Chiu puts on a superhero mask and cape just before he leaves the boat for good. Insight into Chiu's life after this moment is scant, making him something of a ghostly presence looming over "Deadliest Catch" and the Bering Sea.

While working with Danny Chiu was doubtlessly unpleasant for the F/V Time Bandit crew members who had to deal with his big outburst, Chiu at least accomplished his implicit goal of making an impact on viewers. For instance, one graphic on the official "Deadliest Catch" Facebook page that lists each boat's total haul is captioned, "Even with Chiukie Monster on board, the Time Bandit came out on top!"

Meanwhile, on Reddit, one user dedicated a thread to Chiu's antics. "Was watching season 11, what an absolute maniac this guy was ..." they wrote in its opening post. "He essentially seized control of that boat." The thread's top comment, by u/sittinonlean, then proposes that he was likely trying to capitalize on his 15 minutes of fame, hence his offbeat behavior.

Chiu dropped off social media almost completely after his second and final "Deadliest Catch" episode aired in June of 2015. On Instagram, he continued to post from San Diego, California, through November of 2018 before going dark on that platform too, leaving his life in the present day a mystery.