Captain Wild Bill on ‘Deadliest Catch’

Getty Captain 'Wild' Bill Wichrowski

Captain “Wild” Bill Wichrowski tries to motivate a greenhorn on the latest episode of Deadliest Catch. This is in line with Bill’s recent attitude change, as he said that he’s trying to be “mild” rather than “wild” when it comes to dealing with crew members. Learn more about Bill and his altered outlook below.

“I’m getting a little softer and milder,” he told Pop Culture. “I’m becoming more spiritual and turning the other cheek a little bit more. “It’s in my best interest to do the most for these guys that I can. If you have a crew of five and you lose one, you lost 20 percent of your crew, so we can’t really run these guys into the ground and make them want to quit and go home.”

Captain Wild Bill Tries to Motivate a Younger Crew Mate on ‘Deadliest Catch’

Bill said that he wants to motivate younger crew members who consider leaving, rather than fire them outright. “It’s harder to find excellent guys,” he explained. “They used to be lined up 12 deep when we were making the crazy rock star money, but now it’s almost easier to mold the ones you have and obviously, there’s, throughout the fleet, there’s addiction problems.”

Bill has backed up his claim, bringing deck boss Nick McGlashan back after his struggles with opioid addiction. “I’m always the watchdog, keeping an eye on them, and I can see it from here to the other side of the island when anybody messes up,” he said. “My one guy, Nick, was down pretty hard for a long time, and everybody pretty much gave up on him. He had helped me get where I am today, and I put a lot into him and I tend to get a lot out of him, and I hope that he keeps his head straight.”

Captain Wild Bill Is Recovering from a Recent Hip Surgery

Bill is coming off a recovery of his own, as he recently underwent a hip surgery. “I’m a lot more active, and it’s gonna be fun ’cause I’ll probably spend a little more time on deck this year — be out with the guys and maybe let [Nick] drive and put a little time at the helm,” he said. “I lost a little bit of mobility, but no more pain… So basically, the operation was a success. I feel 100 percent better.”

He went on to reveal that he misunderstood his doctor’s orders after the surgery. “I misunderstood the doctor — probably a little inebriated — but I thought he said the more you do, the quicker it will heal,” he admitted. “So the next day, I got on crutches, I went out to my truck and went and had dinner with friends. I got to the doctor and I said, ‘Hey, what’s up? Can’t move.’ He was like, ‘You’ve been doing your stretching?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I went to dinner, went to lunch.’ He’s like, ‘No, no, no! If you would fall, you’d be laid up for years.'”