What Happened To Freddy Maugatai From Deadliest Catch?
Airing on the Discovery Channel since 2005, "Deadliest Catch" is appropriately titled considering how much danger the fishermen of the Bering Sea face. The fishing crews must brave extreme cold and harsh weather on open water during the crab fishing seasons, with individuals often getting rescued from unforgiving conditions by the Coast Guard. In short, being a crab fisher in Alaska requires real stamina and character.
Fisherman Freddy Maugatai, who joined the series in 2008, quickly became a fan favorite because of his charisma and strong, hot-tempered personality. This meant that sometimes he would pull some wild stunts on the show, like diving into the extremely cold Alaskan ocean to nab some walrus tusks. Originally he worked on the fishing vessel the Cornelia Marie, only to later join the crew of the Wizard as a deckhand.
However, he's been in a number of controversies since joining the show, even getting fired from his ship in 2011. Here's what Maugatai has been up to since appearing on "Deadliest Catch."
Freddy was most recently on Season 17 of Deadliest Catch
Freddy Maguatai actually still appears semi-regularly on the Discovery reality series. He did get fired from the Wizard by Captain Monte after defying his orders and choosing to drink at a bar on land rather than join in on fishing. He'd eventually rejoin the Wizard, and later become part of the crew on the Time Bandit, helmed by Captain Jonathan Hillstrand, rather than leaving the show – and crab fishing — for good.
Maugautai also got into legal trouble in 2012 when he got into a fight with a couple in a bar bathroom, which escalated to him putting a man in a headlock (via The Hollywood Reporter). This didn't impact his role on "Deadliest Catch," which maybe isn't terribly surprising given the volatile, high-pressure nature of the job. A 2013 episode of the show even saw Maugautai and a rookie fisherman nearly exchange fisticuffs before Captain Colburn stopped them. As of 2022, the veteran deckhand was last seen on the show in 2021's Season 17. He didn't return for Season 18, but his involvement may have been complicated anyway because of the main Bristol Bay king crab fishery being closed for the 2021-22 season (via National Fisherman), a situation that has devastated these crews.