Saturday 28 May 2011

Discovery Suing Deadliest Catch Captains for $3 Million

For five seasons, Discovery has followed the crab fishermen of the Bering Sea, with the network and the captains garnering high praise and rich rewards for their work. Recently, however, it appears that things have soured between the network and at least one family of crab fishermen. Captains Jonathan and Andy Hillstrand, popular members of the cast of Deadliest Catch and co-captains of the Time Bandit, are being sued by Discovery for $3 Million for failing to complete production on a spin-off project called Hillstranded.

Apparently, Hillstranded was intended to be a look at the lives and activities of the Hillstrand brothers outside of the world of crab fishing. As two of the more colorful characters on Deadliest Catch, it's likely that many fans of the show would be interested in seeing a program like Hillstranded.

In the complaint filed by Discovery, the network claims that they have already shot a large amount of footage for the show, but they require the brothers to meet with producers for the voice-over segments that help to piece the show together into a coherent program. Discovery claims that when it tried to contact the brothers, their attorney responded saying that they no longer want to be contacted by Discovery.

The attorney for the Hillstrands pointed to the large amount being sought in the suit, citing the fact that Discovery does not pay the men anywhere near such an amount for Deadliest Catch. He also noted the dangers of their job and the tragedy that had befallen the fleet this past year with the death of Captain Phil Harris.

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