Deadliest Catch is one of Discovery Channel's most addictive offerings, following the never-ending
drama of those in the crab fishing industry. However, Alaska's icy waters are notorious for
taking lives. Here are the true stories of cast members the show has lost.
Captain Phil Harris commanded respect and ran a tight ship aboard the Cornelia Marie.
The 53-year-old was also the father of Josh and Jake Harris. Now, for those of you who
don't follow Deadliest Catch, the fisherfolk are a superstitious lot, and Phil was no exception.
E! quoted him as saying,
"I don't leave on a Friday, ever, because the last two times I did
I blew up the main engine. So I just don't do it."
However, the skipper was unloading his last crab catch on a Friday when engineer
Steve Ward found him on the floor after suffering a stroke. On January 29, 2010,
Phil was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery and was put in a medically induced coma.
Against all odds, Captain Harris came out of his coma and spent a
few final days with his friends and family.
His son Josh said,
"We had nine days total that we were there to enjoy a few moments with him.
We had our closest people there and it was awesome."
Phil died on February 9, 2010, after making his peace with his loved ones.
Only five years after Phil Harris' death, the Cornelia Marie lost another skipper.
Tony Lara was 50 years old when he died of a heart attack while he was in South
Dakota for a motorcycle rally, according to E!.
Captain Keith Colburn was quoted in People as saying,
"He was a really good guy all around, and he had wonderful character."
Keith also relayed a story about how selfless Tony was when he broke his
arm in the early 2000s and put his own health aside for the sake of the crew.
Keith stated,
"It would have taken me five days to get him into town, and he wouldn't let me take him.
He went down into the engine room and fabricated his own brace
so he was able to get through. He basically saved the season for us."
"Tony's a team player, and he's proven to us that he's a (bleep) rockstar."
Justin Tennison was just 33 years old when he was found dead in a hotel room in Homer,
Alaska. He was a deckhand on the Time Bandit ship and was the father of two children,
according to ABC News. A crew member stopped by the hotel to check in on
Justin and that's when hotel staff found his non-responsive body in bed. Police had
to ask for an autopsy to determine the cause of death — complications arising from sleep apnea.
At the time, the captain and crew of Time Bandit posted a tribute to Justin, saying,
"Justin was tough as a bull and was an all-around good hand. [...] We will miss
him terribly and wish his family all the best during this most difficult time."
Captain Blake Painter starred in two seasons of Deadliest Catch before leaving the show.
The last time he appeared on the show was in 2007 before hauling in his final crab trawling nets.
As time went on, it looks like the captain of the Maverick seemed to have developed a habit.
According to The Astorian, in January 2018, he was arrested and charged for the possession of heroin,
driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving, and tampering with evidence.
Just months later in May, Painter was found dead in his kitchen in Oregon. After concerned friends
called and asked police to check in him, police discovered him in his home, and they also found
prescription painkillers, tinfoil, a pipe, and a metal container with either heroin or meth.
Mahlon Reyes, a deckhand on two Deadliest Catch boats, was rushed to hospital in July 2020 after
he suffered a massive heart attack, and he never recovered. In January 2021, the public
learned that Mahlon's apparent heart attack was caused by an accidental cocaine overdose.
After the news initially broke, there was an outpouring of support. Heather Sullivan, Mahlon's
wife, told USA Today in an email that memories made the, quote, "impossible situation bearable."
She wrote,
"We laugh and remember all the funny stories and have
been surrounded by an amazing group of our best friends and family."
Deck boss Nick McGlashan, a fan favorite, was open about his struggle with addiction.
In Season 13, producers kicked him off Cape Caution and ordered him to go to rehab,
according to his Deadliest Catch bio page.
In 2017, he shared his struggle to stay sober in Chosen Magazine.
He wrote,
"I was at war with my addiction and it was winning. To say I was lost would be
an understatement. I was broken and soulless. [...] The greatest thing about my recovery is
that I can change someone's life just by talking about my addiction and recovery."
Sadly, around three years later, McGlashan died of a drug overdose. According to The Sun,
after he was found at a Holiday Inn in Reddick, Florida in December 2020, his autopsy showed that
he had a lethal combination of meth, cocaine, and fentanyl in his system. Nick was just 33,
had two children, and was a seventh-generation fisherman.
Deadliest Catch is a popular reality show because it reveals the undisputed power of
the sea. And when entire boats sink, many fishermen's lives are lost. So,
when the Ocean Challenger capsized in three-story waves in 2006,
some nail-biting scenes followed as the Coast Guard scrambled to save lives, according to The
Seattle Times. There were four "Virginia Boys" on board and only Kevin Ferrell, 28, survived.
Similar scenes played out when Destination sank into the Bering Sea in 2017. This time, however,
there were no survivors. Saga captain Jake Anderson was hit particularly hard because Captain
Jeff Hathaway, the captain of the Destination, was the first person to offer him the job as a captain
because he saw such potential in him. Jake told Pop Culture,
"The funny thing is that everyone calls me a screamer,
but my hero was 'Hollering Jeff Hathaway,' who was the captain of the Destination."
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health,
please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).