Deadliest Catch Season 22 Premieres with Tribute to Fallen Deckhand

The Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch returns for its 22nd season on Friday, May 8, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, with the premiere episode featuring a tribute to rookie deckhand Todd Meadows, who died in a tragic accident during production in the Bering Sea.

Meadows, 25, fell overboard from the fishing vessel Aleutian Lady on February 25, approximately 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. The incident occurred just after 5 p.m. local time, and the crew recovered his body unresponsive about 10 minutes later. Efforts to resuscitate him failed, and the vessel transported his remains to Dutch Harbor. According to a death certificate, Meadows died from drowning with probable hypothermia and submersion in cold water. The Alaska Department of Health ruled the death an accident. He had joined the Aleutian Lady as a deckhand in May 2025, during filming for the season's second half, and was survived by his wife and two children.

Although cameras were rolling on the vessel at the time, Discovery confirmed that footage of the incident will not air, a decision made out of respect for Meadows' family and loved ones. The network plans to honor his memory through the premiere tribute, which will...