How Much Of Deadliest Catch Is Scripted?

There aren't many jobs more dangerous than commercial fishing, especially when it comes to crabbing. One of the reasons why crabbing is so treacherous is because of the location. The coast of Alaska, where many of these fishers go, is considered one of the most dangerous spots to fish in the whole world. "Deadliest Catch" focuses on this incredibly risky job, and the Discovery series doesn't hesitate to show many of the perils that crews face regularly. These moments make for a show full of excitement and drama that draws in many fans.

"Deadliest Catch" is labeled as a documentary, and for this reason, you might expect the show to be relatively unscripted. Granted, that's mostly true, but that doesn't mean there are no adjustments to what you're seeing on TV. Crabbing is a dangerous profession, but even then, there are plenty of moments when nothing happens, which would bore fans to watch unedited. However, there's more editing on "Deadliest Catch" than just removing the dull scenes, and these cuts and revisions may make it a little less realistic than people might expect.

"Deadliest Catch" is considered reality TV, but it's also a documentary. Because of this, Discovery is vocal in their denials that they use any re-enactment footage, and the network claims it tries to stick to as close to reality as it can. However, this may not be accurate. While it's still unclear if "Deadliest Catch" actually re-enacts any scenes or not, there are definitely times where situations are made to be much more dramatic than they were in reality. 

For example, certain things are omitted in the show to make moments seem much more perilous, such as glossing over over how long the crews of "Deadliest Catch" are actually at sea, so it appears that the crews on "Deadliest Catch" are out on their own for longer periods of time.

In the early 2010s, crabbing was a sort of free-for-all, with boats aiming to catch as many crabs as possible, unload, and go back in a certain window. Now, boats have a certain quota to meet, and they will stay out on the water until they meet that quota. Of course, as the boat fills up, they have to return to shore occasionally to unload. Depending on the size of the vessel, how lucky they are with their catch, and the weather, boats may return to shore every few days to every few weeks. 

Trying to film during bad weather conditions in the middle of the ocean isn't easy. In the cold weather, the cameras can freeze or cut out, and to fix it in such a storm means that the crew risks falling overboard and getting lost at sea. The crew can't just pause the storm to fix the camera, and so a few situations end up not getting recorded.

When it's not possible to catch these moments, the filming team will instead look at having the boat crew re-describe the scene, mixed in with some usable footage. While Discovery claimed to The Hollywood Reporter that they don't do re-enactments very often, they do rely on pick-up shots. These are fairly common, even in documentaries, and include things like interviews and re-recording an entrance when the camera wasn't working.

One of the captains on the series, Sig Hansen, also mentioned during an interview with The Fishing Website that they cut out a lot of the calmer, better days to make crabbing seem much more dramatic and dangerous than it already is. "I do think they want to show the dramatic side," he explained. "They shoot thousands of hours of footage, and I can understand that they are trying to put a storyboard together and make it fit. Everything that they film is accurate, but you will see a lot more foul weather as opposed to the calm days; I suppose that's what sells, but the bad weather is a reality."

In addition to some changes and pickup shots to make the sound and video quality acceptable for viewers, there may be moments intentionally shown out of order to create more dramatic stories. One of the biggest examples from the show was in Season 4, when the ship The Wizard suffered from a leak due to a big wave. Or did it?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, they were two separate problems that occurred days apart. The leak actually happened first, but when the episodes were released, Discovery made it seem like the wave that happened a few days after was the cause of the leak. 

When questioned by The Hollywood Reporter, John Ford, the Discovery president and general manager, said that there was actually a wave that caused the leak, it just wasn't the one shown on TV. "The thing we didn't have on camera was the actual wave that struck the Wizard. That was shot at a separate time on the same journey and was an insert edit from the show. We did that for story continuity because we didn't have a boat-to-boat shot."

There are times when scenes and timelines are adjusted to make for a more dramatic story, but most of the crew on the show aren't set to say certain things. Certainly, some take liberties to be a little more dramatic or create a sort of persona, but a lot of the focus is on real moments during the crabbing season.

Even without scripting or planning, crabbing is plenty dramatic and dangerous. Dealing with heavy crab pots is a huge threat to anyone on the ship, as they lead to some of the most painful injuries on "Deadliest Catch." Camera crews don't have the chance to follow the team around and record what they're saying all the time, and the crabbing crew is busy making sure they are safe and the crabs are caught. There's not many moments where the crew has the ability to say practiced lines or remember what stage directions someone is meant to be following like you would see in many scripted shows. 

In a Facebook post, Mandy Hansen, Sig Hansen's daughter, had a bit to say about the show and how real it is. "People ask if 'Deadliest Catch' is fake...yo you really think we're in Hollywood in front of a green screen? There's a job to be done it just happens to be filmed."

However, that doesn't mean there aren't times where certain situations aren't tweaked to better fit a certain narrative. While Discovery claims to mostly leave the crews alone, some of the captains on the show don't agree. Linda Greenlaw, who appeared in Season 19 of "Deadliest Catch," had a bit to say about the behind-the-scenes during an interview with Spectrum News. "Filming of 'Deadliest Catch' was more scripted than 'Swords: Life on the Line.' Hey, 19 seasons in, the show has to be more than catching crabs or not! The popularity of the show speaks for itself." Having been a part of "Swords: Life on the Line" for two seasons as well as "Deadliest Catch," she has first-hand experience with both shows. 

However, it's not just scripting that's making the show appear more dramatic every season. Mother Nature does seem to be on Discovery's side when it comes to making the show more exciting. Climate change takes a huge toll on "Deadliest Catch," as it makes it much harder to fish, and creates more chaotic weather patterns.