Deadliest Catch Fans Are Fed Up With This Cringe-Inducing Drama

The shelf life of the average reality TV series has been spotty at best since the often cringe-inducing, yet surprisingly watchable format first stormed the airwaves (via Insider). Still, there are a few salty old shows out there that continue to ensnare viewers in their supposed real-life dramas even well into their small screen runs. And of those old-timers, few are quite as salty as Discovery Channel's Alaskan crabbing drama "Deadliest Catch."

That series, of course, follows the daily ups, downs, and near-death experiences of various captains and crews as they attempt to conquer the unforgiving environs of the Bering Sea in the hopes of bringing home a killer haul of king crabs. As diehard fans know, the long-running series made its Discovery Channel debut way back in 2005. Nearly two decades later, viewers continue to tune in and devour the series' unique mix of high-stakes personal drama and white-knuckle action.

Of course, after 18 seasons on the air, certain segments on the series may not always land with the same impact it used to for more seasoned fans. And there's one particular storyline from a recent season of the show that really seems to bother longtime fans of the show.

Some frustrated viewers of "Deadliest Catch" are so over the saga of the Saga that they've taken to Reddit to air their frustrations with it. The specific storyline that soured some viewers is the multi-episode arc that finds Jake Anderson apparently putting the pink slip of his vessel up for collateral in a major gamble to switch from crabbing to Cod fishing. As for why this particular narrative is rubbing fans the wrong way, many viewers seem to think it's because it's one of the more clearly manufactured storylines on the show. That includes u/Pongfarang, who opened a conversation on the r/DeadliestCatch subreddit by asking, "Are we done with the ridiculous pink slip drama on the Saga?" before outright labeling the plot-line cringeworthy.

This user was hardly alone in bemoaning it either, with several other "Deadliest Catch" faithful chiming in with opinions. Redditor u/CultofHappy was among them, noting that they couldn't contain their dismayed amusement at such an absurd twist: "I let out an audible 'oh please! A page from fast and furious!' Got my wife to laugh. What a stupid storyline. So stupid." Hilariously, u/ricky_lafleur responded in kind with a salty quip of their own, stating Jake is, "Living his life one-quarter nautical mile at a time."

In the end, u/bceagle91 was every bit as brutal in their estimation of the pink slip drama, writing, "This whole arc was nonsense from the beginning." They went on to point out that the series, on the whole, is suffering from similar narrative problems, writing, "We reached the point on this show where fabricated drama rules the day." They even ventured to call the Saga's pink slip arc a pseudo-shark-jumping moment. Needless to say, many in "Deadliest Catch" fandom are likely pretty happy this storyline has more or less concluded.