I should be a crab fisherman.

Mike Rowe is sexah!

I love (emphasis on love) Deadliest Catch on A&E. It is probably one of the only reality shows that I think may have a hint of reality to it. (Not to mention Mike Rowe a la Dirty Jobs is the narrator, and I think he’s dreamy.) Last night, they aired a special after the regular show about the greenhorns of DC. In case you aren’t familiar with the term, a greenhorn is basically a newbie. For this example, it is the crab fisherman hired for the very first time on a fishing boat.

These greenhorns are put through things worse than boot camp or prison, in my opinion. The crab fishing season is in the fall (king crab) and winter (opie season), so as you can imagine in the Bering Sea in Alaska, it’s flippin’ cold. They work up to 48 hours with as little as 4 hours of sleep. They lift 80 pounds of bait up to 110 times a day. Now that’s what I call a work out!

It is true that misery loves company; since the greenhorns aren’t veteran fisherman yet, they don’t get the full pay that the veterans do. All of them get paid based on the amount of crab they pull in, however the greenhorns get paid less than the veterans. On average, the greenhorns make $22/hour after lifting 80 pounds over 100 times a day.

I have seen one woman on deck during the many seasons of DC that have aired. Supposedly it is bad luck to have a woman on deck, but also I doubt there are many women out there that could handle the upper body strength requirement for the job.

It is a great show! It makes you feel like a lazy bum for the lack of exercise compared to them. A great motivator! ;)



A greenhorn who didn't make it.