The willful captains ofDeadliest Catchhave sailed back toDiscovery Channelfor season 18.
They’re tougher to fish since they live deeper in the ocean.
“I wasn’t actually thinking that it would work,” Harris admits.
Co-captains Casey McManus and Josh Harris in ‘Deadliest Catch’.Discovery Channel
Read on for more.
What has the filming experience been like this season with these obstacles?
It’s been tough to keep a boat afloat.
‘Deadliest Catch’ season 18.Discovery Channel
We have to pay people ten times what we usually pay just to get people up there.
A lot of our friends went bankrupt during this time.
They just couldn’t keep up with all of these different hurdles.
‘Deadliest Catch’ season 18.Discovery Channel
It’s been really bleak.
A lot of guys aren’t going to make it past this year.
Were there any other obstacles that weren’t captured on camera?
Just out of the gate, golden king crabs are a nightmare.
I mean, that’s a nightmare itself.
Gold king crabs are a complicated thing to do, but we didn’t have a choice.
… We’re just trying to stay afloat and keep the boat moving.
What are the differences between fishing for red vs. golden king crabs?
So it was an absolute nightmare.
This crab is just so deep into the ocean.
One pot is equivalent to about seven pots.
It is deep down there and you catch a lot of weird things.
You’re going miles deep into the ocean.
It’s really creepy.
What can you tease about that dynamic for the rest of the season?
My older brother is awesome.
He got really smart, he got out of the industry, he has his own company.
He’s a great guy.
We ended up needing a hand.
It’s really hard to find good help in this day and age.
Somehow I bamboozled him into [helping].
My older brother has always been my hero.
Tell me more about filming that moment.
It’s like, we’re right in the middle of something.
You’ve got the line stuck on the wheel, we’re in crappy weather.
It was a cockamamy idea but it worked.
The film guys were like, “Hey could you do this again for us real quick?”
and it’s like, “No!
This is a one time deal, man!”
We’re just trying to get our stuff back.
I don’t know if it’s going to work.
And they’re like, “Is there any way we could just slow this down?”
and it’s like, “No, we can’t slow this down.”
It’s going to hurt.
We just have to keep going.
I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s no slowing down.
There’s no pause button.
And the idea worked, so.
I’ve seen crazier things happen.
But you know, things worked out.
Nobody got their arms ripped out.
It worked out pretty good.
Your late father Phil was a legendary captain and mainstay of the series.
I know that to be true.
My dad likes his haircut the way it was.
I’ll never have one.
Also,the crab farts [theory]: they’re not real.
It’s a joke.
Crabs do not fart.
It’s a lie, for everybody out there.
My dad was making a joke.
He was such a rad dude.
The crew loved him so much.
They worked for him, the same guys, for 15 years.
It’s hard to keep a crew for 15 years.
There are a lot of days out there when the guys want to give up.
It’s a nightmare trying to keep everyone’s mind in the game.
My dad was always good with keeping everyone’s mind in the game.
Did you always know that you wanted to carry on this family enterprise?
Was there anything else you wanted to do?
I didn’t think that I wanted to carry this on.
It’s a lot of responsibility.
I was pretty lost.
After I lost the old man, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.
I kind of resented going into the wheelhouse.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue this on because it was pretty sad.
I lost my dad, my brother’s now gone, and I lost my grandpa.
It was one thing after another.
He took me under his wing, him and [his brother] Andy.
What I would do if I didn’t do this, I have no clue.
But I’m pretty good at fishing.
We’ve got a Hawaii gig going and we’ve got this gig going.
We’ll do this as long as we can.
If we can’t do crab fishing anymore, I guess we’d be fishing in Hawaii full time.
What can you tease about the rest of season 18?
What are you most excited for viewers to see?
I’m excited to see what people think about my older brother.
That guy is a goofball.
That’s pretty cool.
He’s a really cool guy….
He worked his tail off.
Deadliest Catchis not your average reality show, but it has such a devoted following.
Why do you think the show resonates?
In my opinion, it’s for real people with real problems.
It’s not a scripted show.
A lot of people can relate to that.
Every year it’s something new.
This world is a crazy world we live in right now.
Some days it feels like it’s a nightmare, but we’re all going through it together.
They get to watch the problems we have at home and problems we have at our business.
They get to watch us grow up.
S—, my whole adult life I’ve been on TV.
They’ve watched me grow up.
I’m getting gray hairs in my beard, trying to make decisions like a real adult.
It’s something else.
I talked to a kid yesterday.
He was like, “Man, I’ve been watching you since I was seven years old.”
Man, it made me feel old.Now I’m starting to talk like my dad.
Like, oh God.
I’m turning into my dad.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
New episodes ofDeadliest Catchair Tuesdays on Discovery at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
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