Deadliest Catch Fans Share Their Most Brutal Opinions On Keith
During the 18 seasons "Deadliest Catch" has been on Discovery Channel, viewers have seen the best and the worst of the many captains portrayed on the show. Fans often rate who they would like to have most or least as a captain based on how unpredictable or explosive their tempers are. "I'd work for Sig [Hansen]," Redditor u/Rebel_Yell12 said in one such thread. "Often has very nice-sized paycheck, reliable boat, steady crew, and even his temper is pretty predictable." Other captains, such as Bill Wichrowski, get mixed reviews, with u/mb9981 placing him second on their list of captains, but u/Linc0lnL0g responding, "Wild Bill is probably one of the worst crabbing captains. He's a big drama queen and is extremely unprofessional."
Even the captains that seem to get the highest ratings by viewers for their easy-going or laidback demeanors still face criticism over their handling of events on board their ship. "Bringing a rifle on board and using fireworks is kind of nuts. And we all know what happened to that poor deckhand with the fireworks," said u/bceagle91, referencing the incident in which deckhand David Zielinski was handling a firework that Captain Andy Hillstrand had told him to launch that went off in his hand (via Seattle PI).
While all the captains have faced their share of vitriol, "Deadliest Catch" fans and viewers seem to have more to say about Keith Colburn's handling of his boat and crew than any of the others.
Fans think Keith can be a real jerk
When u/majorhawkicedagger decided to ask on Reddit "Why the Keith hate?" he probably didn't realize how many people would respond. The first comment by u/nonbonumest that "He tends to explode and has laid hands on guys on the show before" set the tone for the rest of the thread, as viewers discussed Keith Colburn since his first appearance on "Deadliest Catch" in Season 3 as the captain of The Wizard. Fans feel that — more than the other captains — Keith has trouble controlling his anger.
In one incident that Discovery caught on camera, Keith began screaming at Discovery cameraman Brad Carper, pushing him down a hallway and into a wall. "Unfortunately he just comes across as a real a**hole to everyone." one Redditor commented. In an interview with Boating Magazine, Keith was asked if the verbal outbursts and physical alteration were real, and Keith admitted that it was. "Things are super high-stress, so you're already on the edge. Add fatigue and danger, and yelling becomes common." He went on to try to excuse it, saying that a lot of the problem is also the noise on the boat. "You have to yell to be heard over all the noise. You sound like a jerk, but you're just trying to communicate."
While many viewers respect Keith because they think he's a good fisherman, his outbursts and actions against others have made him one of the least favorite "Deadliest Catch" captains.