TV - Movies
Why Some
Longtime Fans
Stopped
Watching
Deadliest Catch
By ETHAN ZACK
“Deadliest Catch,” the long running Discovery Channel reality show about the crabbing industry, has been able to retain viewership for 18 seasons due to its natural ability to generate excitement. However, that's not to say the show doesn't have its naysayers; in fact, some viewers have outright quit watching it, and they all have similar reasons for doing so.
Users on the r/deadliestcatch subreddit think that the show’s drama has become increasingly manufactured. U/PaddyPat12 wrote, "I can no longer watch this show. The fake drama is unbearable." "The sad thing is that the job is inherently full of drama," noted user u/pcnauta, adding, "There is no need to add fake drama to the show. ESPECIALLY such obvious and poorly written drama."
Fans aren’t the only ones who have accused the show of faking drama, as former star Elliot Neese once claimed that a certain Season 8 plotline was completely fabricated. "When they said my boat hit the ice with a guy asleep at the wheel," Neese said in an interview, "That never happened. I got woken up at least 300 yards from the ice and slowly drove the boat through it to get to St. Paul.”
For many fans, the show peaked with the death of beloved captain Phil Harris, who suffered a stroke during Season 6 and later passed. Redditor u/jzn110 posted, "And that was all very real, very authentic drama that totally changed the dynamic of the show. Since then, they've tried way too hard to match that kind of suspense and drama."