Last night I watched my favorite show “The Deadliest Catch” as the crews were in the final seventy-two hours of King Crab season. And something stunned and appalled me. After years of viewing the tight bonds between the men, I found last night’s depiction of the Early Dawn’s crew betrayal of
Captain Rick Fehst absolutely incredible.
Led by the boat owner’s son, Shane Davis, the crew called the boat owner behind the captain’s back to sell the Early Dawn’s crab quota to another boat and end the King Crab season for Fehst.
Perhaps it’s because I experienced a betrayal of my own over a year ago that still hasn’t healed. Perhaps it’s because I get tired of the phrase “It’s not personal. It’s just business.” I only know last night I lost complete respect for the members of the crew. In the middle of the Bering Sea, they all made phone calls to sabotage the captain. Granted, Rick wasn’t finding the crab. He cost the crew time and money, but in the end, the men showed themselves to be shitty fishermen. My husband is an ex-dragger and an ex-captain. The idea that his crew could have gone to a boat owner about the captain and effectively end that captain’s career on that vessel is just incredible.
In my experience, those who “betray” another don’t see their actions as wrong. In my own case, a close friend believes her words and behavior were absolutely correct. In fact, she still considers me a friend, though I’m not sure why. Probably, none of the men of the Early Dawn see that the steps they took to end their grind of a King Crab season weren’t correct and right. Justification for this kind of shit seems to be the first place back stabbing people like to go. I also have no respect for the boat owner who allowed these assholes to do this. If you put a guy in the captain’s seat, don’t undermine him by listening to that shit while they’re on the ocean. When they get back to shore? Sure. Then ask the captain to pack his shit and move on. In my opinion, this was a nasty, shitty little moment in crab fishing.
I did notice my own strong reaction to the whole thing. I am well aware that it stems from my own experiences over a year ago. To have those who are your comrades, your friends, your co-workers, say things behind your back-whether true or not–and never say it to your face is awful.
Frankly, I don’t want to see this boat in Opilio season or next season. I’m going to make sure I say so on the fan sites. Who wants to watch that kind of crap on “The Deadliest Catch”? If I want to see snippy little bitches saying nasty things about someone I’ll watch “The Kardasians” or some other awful show. Save this show for the real men.
To the crew of the Early Dawn–Pat Quinn, Brian Mezich, Shane Davis, Mike Fish and Chris Jaeger–thanks for turning my favorite reality show into another episode of “Flavor of Love”. I’m taking a shot to get the nasty taste you guys left in my mouth.
15 Comments
May 28, 2008 at 6:28 am
All I can say is … ouch. Having friends turn on you is the worst and when they work for you as well … it stings all the more.
With such a serious post, it may not be the time to mention that I gave your blog an award. If you pop over to my blog you’ll see all the “rules” most of which I broke. You’re welcome to play along if you’d like … or not.
May 28, 2008 at 8:46 am
Yikes, we watched but I was multi-tasking so I really didn’t pay attention. That sucks because the great thing about this show is the “natural” drama rather than anything manmade.
May 28, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Well I for one don’t believe everyone on the boat called. I believe the owners’ son called to get back at Rick for calling his dad when he fell asleep at the wheel. And I believe the owner told Rick that his entire crew called, to avoid exposing his son as the rat. Isn’t that how it happens? If Shane comes back for the opilio season I believe I would target him for sure. He might find himself is some very cold water. Sorry, I had to vent too. Whether it was one or all, it was very wrong, very, very wrong. But what do you expect for a spoiled rotten little brat? Thanks.
May 28, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Vent all you want Tina. I was REALLY pissed off. I hardly ever visit the DC forums. Today, I went by and made my opinion known.
No “Early Dawn” next season.
May 28, 2008 at 9:08 pm
uhm…my kid loves Deadliest Catch, so that’s what he was talking about.
May 28, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Jen, you should be proud of me, I actually watched DC this season – I missed one episode when I was on vacation but they showed it later so I’ve seen everything so far. It really helps it somes on before The Alaska Experiment (which Goldfish loves). Anyways, that was a crappy little piece of drama on the Early Dawn last night. What a bunch of little whiny bitches – but I have to say Discovery did well by showing the bad with the good . . .
May 29, 2008 at 4:19 am
See Jodi? My obsession with DC finally served a purpose. LOL.
Ah Steve! It’s funny, but I wonder if this is common on boats. I mean, from what the Redneck says, boat owners aren’t usually laying down the law like that while the boat is on the ocean.
I’m so glad you’re back, Steve. I miss ya’.
May 29, 2008 at 9:14 am
I couldn’t have said it better myself, Jen. I was watching all of that b.s. with my jaw on the floor. How dare they disrespect their captain like that? Their job is to take orders and shut up. Did they really think the skipper wanted to be out there, away from his family, grinding on blank pots? I doubt it. It was disrespectful and cruel. What did the crew expect? Haven’t they ever heard the phrase, “that’s why it’s called fishing and not CATCHING!” I wish Discovery never wasted their time with that crew and took airtime away from more deserving crews like the Cornelia Marie who has not appeared very much these last few episodes!!
May 29, 2008 at 9:17 am
Exactly Lothian. I agree completely. I’ve gotten on the forums and blogs and said so. No more Early Dawn.
May 30, 2008 at 11:10 am
Wow. Those ‘men’ need to check their shorts and see if their danglies fell off somewhere! They are acting like back biting chicks from a modeling reality show. Geesh! Grow ‘em back, boys!
May 30, 2008 at 12:49 pm
That’s what I thought Toni Sue.
June 10, 2008 at 9:59 am
I watch the Deadliest Catch because I crab fished for years and was a captain. I know all of the boats and all of the captains. With all of them what you see on the show is what you’d get off the show. They’re all good guys.
The show where the owners son of the Early Dawn called his dad to complain about the captain had been discussed amongst the crew and all of the deck crew were part of it. I’ve been in seasons, on the deck and in the wheelhouse, where no matter what, you just can’t get into a groove and get on the crab. It sucks. But you never, ever do what these guys did to the captain. Spineless little whiney-ass cry babies. Then the show shows them laughing and whopping it up about what they did in the galley.
I don’t know any of those crew members and haven’t met Brian Mezich, but I know his worthless dad Rick very well so it doesn’t surprise me at all that it all took place.
When he was young and worked the deck, Rick Mezich was the laziest most worthless piece of shit deckhand there was. He got his ownership in the boat through his family and took over the boat when his father died. When he was captain he was the biggest coke head there was and ALWAYS found ways to cheat his crew members out of their shares (pay).
Nobody likes or respects that guy so it doesn’t surprise me that his son Brian would be just like his father was and made the call he did. As they say, the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.
If the Discovery Channel knew what Rick Mezich was like and the cheat he was they’d not have the boat on the show.
June 10, 2008 at 12:24 pm
I noticed I got the son’s name wrong too. Brian, not Shane.
Thanks for the insight too. Here in Eureka, a similar family owns a fleet of boats and the son is a piece of shit too. Now he owns the boats and it’s not surprising to hear some of the petty shit he pulls. Having said that, I will say that guy doesn’t dick with his captains on the ocean.
Maybe with the way fishing is now, it’s easy to drop kick an experienced captain to the curb. It never used to be.
June 10, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Crab fishing in the 70’s and 80’s was brutal. It was who got there first, could fish the toughest weather the longest — sometimes 40 straight hours with no stopping until the season ended and you totaled how much you caught.
Now all boats have individual quotas assigned to them and they can fish at more of an even pace — much safer.
But the Early Dawn and Rick Mezich, he’s a liar, cheat and big time jerk.
April 29, 2009 at 12:11 am
[...] was pretty awful by my standards. There was the Matt/Jake kerfuffle on The Northwestern. Then, the pissy little bitch that tattle taled to his Daddy about how the mean captain was making him work on The Early Dawn. The Deadliest Catch was [...]