Time was of the essence on Deadliest Catch after Captain Keith Colburn suffered a medical emergency aboard the F/V Wizard at sea and away from any medical help. What unfolded during the October 1 episode was one of the most intense and shocking installments in the 20 years of the series.
It all started with an argument between Colburn and his brother Monte. Colburn collapsed in the wheelhouse and was unresponsive. The captain ended up sitting on a bench, mentioning his left side was numb and he couldn’t feel his arm.
He begins to tear up, worried about what was happening. He didn’t want to go out like this. There was the fear he either had a possible stroke or heart attack. Colburn tried to play off a bit that he wasn’t as worse off as he was looking. Monte “Mouse” received some direction from medical professionals over the vessel’s communication. The more symptoms he feels, the more dire the situation gets with the race to get to the Saint Paul Harbor and transported safely to a medical facility becoming ever so vital. That proved easier said than done for Monte as he navigated some dangerous conditions on the water including rough swells.
Captains Sig Hansen and Jake Anderson were concerned for their friend and colleague. What was playing out was an eerily similar scene from 14 years ago when Captain Phil Harris suffered a stroke at sea. He was airlifted from St. Paul Island, Alaska, and died 11 days later.
Thankfully, Monte was able to get the vessel to land. Although the number of hours it took to get him to this point concerned fans watching. An ambulance met the boat where Colburn was stretchered into an ambulance. This then began the medevac trip to get him some help. Despite worrying about his brother, Monte now had a difficult decision to finish the season and head up the Wizard solo.
It was a truly scary scene that impacted viewers one way or another. The realness of the situation caught some who questioned having cameras still rolling with everything happening. One related to what was going on, feeling Colburn had suffered a stroke and that the episode showed how important it was to know the signs. There were also those critical of how Monte worked through the situation.
The October 8 episode will reveal what happened next. Given active social media posts, it appears Colburn stabilized and recovered.
