With the ninth season premiere of Deadliest Catch upon us, fans are expected to return to watching our captains duke it out in the shores of the Bering Sea — minus one key player.
In a sneak peak video of the season premiere, the only captain missing is Elliott Neese, who’s nowhere to be found, according to Yahoo!. Will the young captain make his return? Here’s what you should know.
1. Some Co-Stars Weren’t Surprised By Elliott’s Absence
Neese’s absence on the show Deadliest Catch may come as a shocker, but his rivals say they saw it coming. Captain Sig Hansen of the Northwestern said, “In all honesty, I’m kinda not surprised Elliott isn’t here this year.” But Scott Campbell of the Seabrooke was as surprised as anyone that his formidable opponent wasn’t here: “He should be up here; he should already be ready to go.”
2. Neese Broke the Law on His Boat
Last year, Neese was struggling at sea with a low number of fish caught on his boat. The young captain was given a citation from the State Wildlife Troopers after they found an undersized blue king crab on his boat, the Ramblin’ Rose. The crab was surrendered to the state and Neese was arraigned in the Alaskan District Court last January.
3. There’s Serious Drama with His Baby Mama
Neese also struggled in his personal life — with his ex-girlfriend Valerie Gunderson. Gunderson kicked Neese out of their house after they faced many domestic problems. In February 2012, the mother of Neese’s two kids accused him of harassing her with phone calls and text messages, claiming he called her 38 times and left her 15 text messages in one hour. Gunderson was granted a temporary restraining order against Neese, who said she fears for her well-being because of Neese’s fiery temper, according to Entertainment Weekly. Valerie said in her petition that Elliott has a drinking and drug problem and has physically hurt her in the past. In a tweet, he answered a fan’s question about his relationship recently, saying that things are fine between the two.
4. But He Tweeted About His Return with a New Boat
On whether he would return to the show, Neese took to Twitter and stated that he would be back in the sea on his own terms and on his own boat, the F/V Saga. He answered a fan’s tweet on his return, saying, “@Starbuk498 nope April 16th is the premier !!! Don’t miss it that’s an order directly from da Captain !!!!”
5. He Crashed a Boat and Has $1 Million in Debt
Neese faced another disaster when his boat sailed straight into a thick sheet of ice, according to the Huffington Post. Neese clashed with the ship’s owner, refusing to move the boat out of the harbor during a huge ice storm. The captain fell asleep at sea and failed to prevent the accident; the boat’s fishing activity was suspended until further notice. Discovery promoted this season saying that Neese would be putting everything on the line to get out of his debt with only $10 to his name. Fans will see if the young captain will be able to strike gold this time around.