‘Deadliest Catch’ Fans Beg Sig Hansen to Make Big Changes After Medical Emergency

Deadliest Catch viewers want Sig Hansen to hang up his skipper’s cap after the 59-year-old fisherman suffered a scary medical emergency on Friday’s (October 21) double-episode Season 21 finale.

In Friday’s finale, Hansen was rushed to the hospital after he was found collapsed aboard his Northwestern fishing vessel. Hansen, who has previously suffered two heart attacks, met with a doctor, where he explained he’d been up for a day and a half and drinking around 15-20 cups of coffee. He also admitted he was still smoking.

The doctor encouraged Hansen to quit smoking and cut back on caffeine, and suggested it might be time for the 59-year-old fisherman to consider retirement. “You’re not doing yourself any favors being on the boat,” the doctor told him.

Many fans agreed with the doctor’s assessment and took to social media to share their thoughts. “After watching the last episode I thought the same as what his doctor said. Time to slow down, wrap it up and enjoy the grandkids,” wrote one Reddit user.

“Easy for me to say from my couch but he is choosing fishing over his family,” added another. “I get it … it must be very hard to hang up your skippers hat… smoking, 20 cups of coffee???? In a shift, doubt he does much cardio, probably eats like s***, and has a high stress/long hours job+ heart damage… PLUS arrhythmia… doesn’t take much to see he has a great chance of death at sea in his future.”

“It is a rough life. People who work hard blue collar jobs play hard too. Stress on top of it, that is why Phil died,” said another, referring to former Deadliest Catch star Phil Harris, who suffered a stroke during the sixth season. He later died in hospital from an intracranial hemorrhage.

Another wrote, “I feel sorry for Sig’s wife. She’s like a cop’s spouse, watching him go fishing, not knowing if he’ll come home. I know there’s a certain element of that anyway due to the danger of the job, but with the heart trouble, he could drop before he gets on the boat. His attitude with the factor made it sound as though he doesn’t plan to quit smoking again.”

“He is a workaholic, he isnt gonna step down voluntarily,” said one fan.

“It’s just not tenable for Sig to be doing these long stretches. he either needs let someone co-captain so he gets 8 hours every 24 hour period or reduce the hours they set and pick up so someone does watch and he sleeps,” another added.

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Another disagreed that Hansen needs to retire, stating, “A guy like him is going to die doing what he loves. Honestly there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Not sure the guys on the boat, his wife, and his daughter would agree, but that does seem to be what he’s decided,” responded another fan.

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Hansen has had a history of medical emergencies, including suffering a heart attack while filming Deadliest Catch in March 2016. He previously told Yahoo he was in “denial” about what was happening and wanted to continue fishing, but tests proved he had a “full-blown heart attack.”

He suffered another “slight heart attack” the following spring, which he said was triggered by an allergic reaction to an antibiotic he was taking for a sinus infection. Hansen told TV Insider at the time that he quit smoking after the incident. “I was embarrassed and ashamed of myself, and that’s when I threw [the cigarettes] away,” he revealed.

Hansen shares two adopted daughters, Mandy and Nina, with his second wife, June Hansen, with whom he has been for over 20 years. He also shares a daughter, Melissa Eckstrom, with his first wife, Lisa Eckstrom. Melissa previously accused Hansen of sexually abusing her when she was a child; he denied the claims, and no criminal charges were ever brought against him.

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