Discovery Sues 3 Captains

10/01/10

Deadliest Catch, which airs on the Discovery Channel, might not have another season, despite the fact that it's one of the biggest draws for the educational channel. Turns out, the network is suing three of the show's boat captains for walking out before finishing their contracts. Two brothers, Jonathan and Andy Hillstrand, say they are unable to continue with filming of a spin-off show, Hillstranded. Another captain, Sig Hansen, has also quit the show in a show of support for his two buddies, ''I want people to know the captains stand together and me and my brothers support them 100 percent''.

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Discovery filed a lawsuit for $3 million against the three boat captains, who have been accused of not showing up for scheduled appearances. The lawyers who have been retained to represent the pair say his clients fear they'll have to fire their crews and sell their boats if the network pushes the lawsuit. He then says his clients believe they are being extorted for failing to show up for filming.

These latest walk outs come on the heels of the unexpected and tragic death of a fourth boat captain, Phil Harris, who passed away in February from a heart attack. He was 53 and had been the captain of the Cornelia Marie for several years. He was one of the most popular captains on the series.

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Unfortunately, this has been a tough year for the favorite television series. Earlier this year, another crew member was arrested and charged with several felony drug charges. Discovery distanced itself from the boat hand and said it did not employ Matthew Schneider at any time. The employee was secretly taped bragging about how easy it was to deliver large amounts of cocaine to Alaska, especially since he'd gained some degree of fame through Deadliest Catch.

Filming for season seven of Deadliest Catch was slated to begin in October; however, it appears this might be delayed until the lawsuit is rectified and a decision is made on the spin off that was named after the two brothers. Many close to the show say they're currently scouting for ''new stars'' for the Deadliest Catch.