TV: Discovery Channel: Deadliest Catch

Discovery Channel's #1 rated series "Deadliest Catch" returns for season 4 in April

Deadliest Catch FAQ's:
Superstitions at Sea
Behind the Scenes
Alaskan Crab Fishing

Video Clips
Preview 1
Preview 2

Emmy^® Nominated Series Offers Glimpse into Lives of Men Who Have One of the Deadliest Jobs in the World

The fleet of crab-fishing boats – and their unforgettable captains and crews – that captivated more than three million viewers each week on Discovery Channel‘s Emmy^®-nominated series DEADLIESTCATCH returns on Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 9 PM (ET/PT) for a fourth season of life-or-death adventures on the high seas. Viewers can get ready for the new season by watching the two-hour BEST OF SEASON THREE recap special on Tuesday, April 8 at 9 PM (ET/PT).

DEADLIEST CATCH, broadcast in high definition this season for the first time, follows the now legendary captains and crews of five crab-fishing vessels on the Bering Sea doing one of the deadliest – and most lucrative – jobs in the world. The brave men endure subzero arctic weather, 60-mph winds and turbulent seas with waves the size of four-story buildings, all on three to four hours of sleep each night – if they‘re lucky.

To add to the weather nightmare, a thousand gallons of water crashes onto the deck every 30 seconds, freezing as it hits the boat. To prevent the boat from becoming too top-heavy and capsizing at sea, deckhands are continuously forced to stop fishing and spend hours clearing the ice with sledgehammers.

This year, injuries dominate the crab-fishing season. Two men get hurt by a loose picking hook – one of the most dangerous things that can happen on deck. A deckhand‘s season œ and livelihood

– are threatened doing something he‘s done a thousand times before. And a fisherman is forced to end his fishing season early after a situation quickly turns life-threatening.

Returning to DEADLIEST CATCH this year are the men of the Northwestern, led by Captain Sig Hansen; Captain Phil Harris and his crew of the Cornelia Marie, including sons Jake and Josh; Captain Johnathan Hillstrand (king crab season) and Captain Andy Hillstrand (opilio crab season) of the Time Bandit; and Captain Keith Colburn of the Wizard, with a crew that includes two greenhorns. New to DEADLIEST CATCH this year are the men of the North American, led by Sten Skaar, and deckhand-turned-skipper Rick Fehst of the Early Dawn.

This year, fans can enjoy DEADLIEST CATCH both on and off the television screen.

DIGITAL MEDIA

In addition to exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and online chats, the fansite (discovery.com/deadliestcatch) provides the ultimate fan community with the new DEADLIEST CATCH WIKI. Viewers can congregate for weekly challenges and win DEADLIEST CATCH prizes. Fans can share their favorite moments and captain quotes with other fans, and vie for Deadliest Catch Superfan status by creating their own profile pages and contributing regularly to the communityplace.

Fans can also watch an original, behind-the-scenes podcast series —Inside the Catch,“ which gives viewers the real Dutch Harbor, Alaska experience (discovery.com/deadliestpodcast).

Visit the people and places that keep the largest fishing port operating. Get the stories behind the new season from the film crews that bring the series to life.

And stay connected to the boat captains and fishermen long after the crab-fishing season is over with exclusive interviews and a view of their lives off the crab boat.

Also this year, original content was filmed for Discovery's mobile website (discoverymobile.com), Discovery Channel's streaming mobile channel on Sprint, Alltel, and MobiTV, as well as Verizon's V-Cast. This content includes "Deadliest Catch: The Real Dutch,“ a behind-the-scenes look at the fishing port of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, made famous by the DEADLIEST CATCH series. Additional custom content available for download includes "Quick Catch," a series of five 10-minute shorts edited from the full series which sum up all of the major events from seasons one through three. All of the custom content will also be featured on Video on Demand.

BOOK, GAME AND GEAR

Tales of heroics, wrecks, rescues and antics are captured in an all-new book DEADLIEST CATCH: DESPERATE HOURS, available April 8 at discoverystore.com and retailers nationwide. This unique collection of epic tales will have readers setting sail for adventures on the frigid Bering Sea.

Also available this spring at discoverystore.com and retailers nationwide is DEADLIEST CATCH ALASKAN STORM, a crab-fishing adventure launching on the Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC. The game – inspired by Sig, Edgar and Norman Hansen who are featured on the series DEADLIEST CATCH – is an immersive experience that puts players at the helm of a crab fishing vessel. Gamers must choose and lead their fatigued, hungry and hardworking crew in the strategic search for crab while also battling Mother Nature.

In addition to being available now at discoverystore.com, the DEADLIEST CATCH season three box set will also be available at retailers nationwide beginning April 8. And DEADLIEST CATCH fan gear – including t-shirts, bags and mugs – is available now at cafepress.com/deadliestcatch.

MARKETING The captains featured on DEADLIEST CATCH will be larger than life as part of this year's multi-media marketing campaign. In addition to bus shelter ads throughout New York, the fishermen will tower above the Big Apple with wallscapes in locations such as 42nd & 8th (visible from the top of the Empire State Building) and Houston & Lafayette Streets. The men will also be featured prominently on the West Side Highway billboard at 123rd.

DEADLIEST CATCH is produced for Discovery Channel by Original Productions. Thom Beers and Jeff Conroy are executive producers, Matt Renner is series producer and Lisa Tanzer is supervising producer. For Discovery Channel, Paul Gasek and Tracy Rudolph are executive producers.

Behind the Scenes: DEADLIEST CATCH by the Numbers

5,000: The pounds of equipment the production team ships from Los Angeles to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to film DEADLIEST CATCH.

63: The number of cameras the film crew left Dutch Harbor with this season.  Only a third of those make it back to land in working order.  The others fall victim to the saltwater and frigid temperatures and accidents on deck.

8,000: The hours of footage that are shot over the course of king and opilio crab seasons, filling 5,000 videotapes.  This footage is painstakingly edited down to 16 one-hour episodes.

18: The number of cameramen used to film the fourth season of DEADLIEST CATCH.

11: The number of cameramen, of those 18, who returned from last year to shoot the new season. 

36: The average number of days a cameraman will spend at sea over the course of one complete season of DEADLIEST CATCH.

32: The record number of consecutive days a DEADLIEST CATCH cameraman spent at sea (a cameraman on the F/V Northwestern in the 2006 Cod/Opilio Season)

60: The number of seconds under which each cameraman must be able to put on his survival suit before he is allowed to go out to sea.

26: The number of seconds veteran cameraman Don Bland got into his suit during training.

4: The number of minutes someone can survive in the Bering Sea without a survival suit.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications is the world‘s number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Company (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

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TV Entertainment Magazine

Deadliest Catch - Seasons 1, 2, & 3 11-DVD Set A special Amazon exclusive bundle, all three Deadliest Catch Seasons at a very special price! Deadliest Catch Season 1: Join Captain Rick Mezich and the crew of The Fierce Allegiance as they work the frigid waters between Russia and Alaska during the brutal '99 snow crab season, a season that took the lives of seven good men. Crab fishing in the middle of winter off the coast of Alaska is extremely dangerous. Now the hair-raising reality adventure comes to DVD in this thrilling 5-DVD set containing all 10 episodes: "Greenhorns," "Long Sleepless Nights," "Lady Luck," "Beat the Clock," "Dead of Winter," "Man Overboard," "High Hopes," "Good Fishing," "The Clock's Ticking," and "The Final Run." Deadliest Catch Season 2: Howling winds fierce enough to knock people off their feet, tossing waves, frigid temperatures. Swinging 700-pound crab pots for hours. Guaranteed injuries. Crews continue to forge into the frigid Bering Sea to compete against not only Mother Nature, but also against each other as they struggle in an increasingly regulated and cut-throat world to maintain a family tradition that has lasted for generations. This set contains 12 episodes of extreme adventure on the high seas! Deadliest Catch Season 3: Captain Sig Hansen of the Northwestern returns to match his skills against his old rival, Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie, and a new challenger, rookie captain Blake Painter of the Maverick. With rough waters and fierce weather, the captains and their crews will be pushed to their limits of mental and physical endurance in their search for the elusive red king crab and opilio crab. Experience the extraordinary daring, skill and endurance required for this time-honored trade in these 11 episodes, and enjoy bonus behind-the-scenes footage capturing the difficulty of day-to-day filming on the rugged seas! • Number of discs: 11 • Studio: Discovery Channel • DVD Release Date: April 8, 2008 • Run Time: 1450 minutes

DiscoveryChannelStore.com Only $99.95 for Deadliest Catch Seasons 1 - 3 + FREE Pilot Episode DVD + FREE Shipping! Limited time. Deadliest Catch: The Pilot Episode DVD Forty-foot waves, freezing temperatures and a nearly 100-percent injury rate. Crab fishing off the Alaskan coast on the icy Bering Sea is one of the world's most dangerous jobs. But it's also one of the most lucrative, offering tens of thousands of dollars for a few days' work. Follow one group of ambitious men as they battle harsh conditions and intense competition in the frenzied search for an undersea jackpot. The Deadliest Job in the WorldJoin Captain Rick Mezich and the crew of The Fierce Allegiance as they work the frigid waters between Russia and Alaska during the brutal '99 snow crab season – a season that took the lives of seven good men.Crab fishing in the middle of winter off the coast of Alaska is extremely dangerous. On average, one man will die every week, sent to a watery grave by rogue waves and sinking ships. Why do they do it? Perhaps because crab fishing is thought to be one of the last great gold rushes in the world. In a good year, an experienced deck hand working the short, eight-week season can bring home almost $50,000. But this isn't easy money. Crushed fingers, crippled hands, cracked ribs and broken feet are common in this working environment where the injury rate stands at almost one hundred percent.Presented in full screen format. The Discovery Channel Store reaches beyond the television screen to bring the wonder and mystery of our world to you. We've scoured the globe to provide your customers access to the most informative, interactive and engaging products available. Explore your world and entertain your brain Discovery style! The Discovery Channel Store products reflect the spirit and values of each channel in our network family: • Discovery Channel - State-of-the-art telescopes, weather tools and cutting-edge electronics. • TLC - Fun clothing, toys, books and more from its popular series • Travel Channel - Unique accessories, cameras and outdoor items. • Discovery Kids - Engaging and inspiring toys for kids of all ages. • Discovery Health - High-quality fitness and relaxation products Plus, the programming from all of our networks is available on DVD and VHS!