Deadliest Catch Season 9 is now out on DVD. Deadliest Catch caused quite a stir when it first aired on The Discovery Channel back in 2005.  Initially I was sceptical, a show that follows crab boats, not just a one hour special but a whole season?  Didn’t really sound that interesting, not being a huge fan of actual fishing myself which probably stems from when I was 6 and got fish hook stuck in my hand. I’d like to think that experience made me empathise with what the fish feels like when it gets on a hook and that’s why I have never fished again. But in reality I was 6, had a fish hook in my hand and it really hurt; I was done with fishing then.

So I watched the first episode of Deadliest Catch not expecting great things but to my surprise it was really interesting (let’s get the pun out of the way – I was hooked). Deadliest Catch offers a glimpse into a world where most of us didn’t even know about and will never experience. The premise itself is simple, put cameramen on boats that go out on the dangerous Bering Sea and film the crab boat crews hauling in crab. Sounds easy and a bit boring, but it’s not about the fishing it’s about the personalities and the element of real life danger.

The Deadliest Catch TV show remains popular as it’s not the ‘reality’ TV shows we are used to.  The crews are not on TV to win a prize or become a C-Grade celebrity, this is just their job.  Granted it’s a job that involves gigantic waves, ice that can sink a boat and the real risk of death, but these are just hard working guys doing their job.  This is real TV not reality TV.

After watching a bit of Deadliest Catch we all become couch experts on crab fishing, we suddenly think we know what the right amount of bait is for a crab pot, who’s not experienced enough to throw the hook and which greenhorn we think won’t last the season. But that’s part of the charm of the show, it draws you in and makes you feel a part of the crews’ story. You say things like ‘that will be the last string of the season’ implying that; a) I know what I’m talking about, b) I would normally use this phrase in real life, and c) I could be a crab fisherman if I wanted.   Now I know that I wouldn’t even last 5 minutes on a crab boat even if it was still moored at the dock.  But from the safety of the couch you can imagine what being a part of the experience would be like.

So while I’m not going to take up fishing again anytime soon I will be more than happy watching Deadliest Catch on DVD from the safety of my lounge room, where the chance of getting a fish hook in the hand is practically zero.

This New To DVD release is now available at DVDLand.