So one of the granddaddies of blue collar reality shows is about to start again, like it does every April. It's the usual crew, the Northwester, Wizard, and Time Bandit, plus the Seabrooke and Elliot Neese on his own boat, the Saga.

I just watched a special where the cast talked about season 8, which was hellacious. They didn't finish Oppies until June. Normally they finish in March.

The most depressing note was Jake Harris. If anyone saw him at the end of S8 at Jake Anderson's wedding, you know he was a mess. He had a half dozen open, red sores on his face, a classic sign of meth. Josh said he saw him for the first time in a while and that Jake didn't know what day it was. And this is his brother talking. That kid is gonna end up dead. Damn shame.

There's going to be another financial crisis because of that bank that gave Elliot a loan to buy a boat.

I can't believe any bank loan officer would approve that loan if they had watched the last couple of seasons. The dude is not just a questionable crab fisherman, he's also a psycho. Not really the qualities you'd think a bank would be looking for.

One of the parts that stood out to me was right before Elliot christened his boat he actually thanked his crew. Don't think he did that once last year.

He's still a dick though and I hope he has another poor season.

Yeah, but he's a TV personality as well as a crab fisherman. His TV money is guaranteed (I'd surmise) so only the crabbing revenue is at risk. Makes him less risky.

This is only an assumption but if an owner trusted him with a boat last year, he must have decent experience. He's still an ass but a greenhorn doesn't get to captain a ship. It's not like the Bering Sea Gold bunch who are mostly all idiots just trying to make it rich with no real experience.

Scott Meisterheim wants to know where you live.

You mean he's out of jail?

I saw an interview with Zeke. He said Nome is his home now. I really don't know how. That city looks like a dead end for dead enders. At least Emily has ambition to get out of there. And she cleans up pretty nice, too.

And I wonder if Elliot's GF lied in their case. We didn't see what happened on air but she wouldn't be the first ex to lie in an acrimonious split.

yeah, ask the orange county choppers guys about that..

I'd be curious how much each boat gets from discovery for the season.

BTW anyone see the episode called 'Legacy of the Time Bandit?' Man, the Hilstrand father sounded like a major asshole to drive his sons to that level of anger.

It's the bizarro season. Elliott is happy and catching crab.

Junior and Keith teamed up which I didn't think would ever happen because Junior is a "legend" and Keith is an asshole. And then the world righted itself with those final minutes of the episode.

pretty sure all those guys are cheats and liars when it comes down to making money, as junior showed.

So far Junior and Keith have a nice system going. Be curious where that leads.

But Kerby man... almost killed your own damn kid. There's just no excuse for that, none.

The camera shots of the 4/23 episode were fantastic, including pots coming off the ocean floor. And the new graphics are really nice. Original is sinking some money into this show and it shows.

lol, HAD a nice system, they didn't make it 24 hours before one of them started screwing the other one.

Keith Colburn, bluesman.

He was actually kinda good.

So how long before Junior and Elliot backstab each other?

And does anyone want to guess how this whole stink between Edgar and Sig will turn out?

I thought keith wasn't bad either..

I'd guess 8 minutes

Since it looks like they are finishing early, Edgar will finally get the boat for blue crab.

Well damn, Jake Anderson went nuts. That poor kid is melting down badly. he seemed way overwrought over a job offer. Something deeper is at work here. I thought he had gotten past the death of his sister and father but damn...

Those scenes with Freddie on the Wizard were alternately incredible and hilarious. That scene training him to change diapers with the teddy bear, complete with realism, was the funniest thing I've ever seen on this show.

yeah, seemed like something more. That's going to be an awkward call to sig: "yeah sig, can't find any crab, and I just had to fire jake. so how are things at home?"

Fuck I knew this would happen.

For years, while Discovery had its own message boards, we would lambaste the Time Bandit for being reckless and juvenile on deck with guns and fireworks. Well now we saw it. One crew member nearly blew his arm off lighting off fireworks to celebrate a Seahawks game (that they ended up losing).

Not only did they shatter his hand, but his radius and ulna were broken and literally overlapping. They had to pull his arm straight while the guy was unsedated and howling in pain. They had to medivac him from Dutch Harbor to Seattle for surgery to put his hand and arm back together.

I swear, those Hillstrands need a hard slap in the head.

Is this show available online at all? Don't have cable anymore.

So much for that. Yikes.

And there goes another Wizard greenhorn. I'm actually amazed Freddie held his cool and didn't mess him up.

Damn, poor Jake is being treated like shit.

BTW has anyone noticed this season how Mike Fourtner on the Time Bandit has done quite a bit of educating of the audience? He's been the one who explains what and why on deck, like why crab are no good. Nice to see amid the soap opera.

Damn, poor Elliot. That's just rough. And I still have no respect for the Wizard and the bullying of that greenhorn.

But that ad for Shark Week is fucking hilarious.

I have watched DC from its onset and many a crab fisherman has come and gone, also a few captains. One more so than others has made DC very entertaining in his own way. Not to say that DC is not entertaining, it is very much so however, Elliot gives the show a whole different angle and aspect. Not sure how anyone can work for this idiot. He actually needs to take interactive management classes on how to deal with employees. If Elliot would worry more about fishing than women, his crew would be more productive and safer.

Between Elliot and Keith, I'm not real sure which one would be the worse to work for. Keith is very unique in the way he handles situations on his ship. With the incident involving a cameraman a year ago and the greenhorn this year, I am not sure if Keith is doing this for ratings or he is just a hot head that will, one day, get the same in return.

I have a question concerning the incident after the 55 foot wave hit the Saga.......will OSHA be looking into things since no one knows where the life suits are and no safety meeting has been conducted. And how about allowing the ship, Saga, to build with ice and the total disregard for this, even after the crew suggested clearing the ice. I sure look forward to an answer concerning this.

Keep up the good work Discovery Channel. Love the show.