{"id":13641,"date":"2026-10-12T08:02:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T08:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/?p=13641"},"modified":"2026-10-12T08:47:44","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T08:47:44","slug":"deadliest-catch-crew-came-agonizingly-close-to-saving-todd-meadows-after-he-fell-overboard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/?p=13641","title":{"rendered":"Deadliest Catch crew came agonizingly close to saving Todd Meadows after he fell overboard"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Deadliest Catch\u2019<\/em>s Season Finale Documents the Chilling Seconds After Todd Meadows Fell Overboard to His Death<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Todd<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n
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  • The season finale of Deadliest Catch<\/em> aired Friday, Sept. 25, on Discovery Channel<\/li>\n
  • Todd Meadows\u2019 death is addressed in the episode<\/li>\n
  • The 25-year-old deckhand fell overboard and died at sea on Feb. 25, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Deadliest Catch<\/em> addressed Todd Meadows\u2019 death in the reality show\u2019s season 22 finale.<\/p>\n

    The Discovery Channel series covered the before and after of the late deckhand\u2019s death at age 25 during its Friday, Sept. 25 episode, months after Meadows fell overboard while working aboard the Aleutian Lady<\/em> on Feb. 25.<\/p>\n

    The episode approaches the tragedy through the experience of Capt. Rick Shelford and the rest of the boat\u2019s crew but does not show Meadows\u2019 fall.<\/p>\n

    The episode begins with a warning that \u201cmaterial may be disturbing to some viewers.\u201d Next, the camera floats in the water, as waves splash to make one feel like they were wading in the ocean.<\/p>\n

    Then, Meadows appears in a confessional-style interview while preparing food on Feb. 25. \u201cIt\u2019s been a rough season, from what I\u2019ve heard it\u2019s been one of the rougher seasons for the boat,\u201d he tells the camera. When asked by a producer if \u201che has the opportunity to go home\u201d would he return to the boat later? Meadows answered he would. \u201cAbsolutely,\u201d he said, \u201cIt\u2019s been one of my dreams and goals to make it up here. That\u2019s why I\u2019m up here to make it and to try to support my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

    After telling the producer his kids are ages \u201c1, 2, and 4\u201d and explaining it\u2019s a \u201dheart-wrencher\u201d that his younger two don\u2019t know why he\u2019s gone for long stretches, he\u2019s next seen FaceTiming his family. He tells his son they can go salmon fishing when he returns. \u201cI hope you\u2019re being safe,\u201d his daughter tells him. \u201cIf you\u2019re not being safe you better be safe.\u201d He replies, \u201cOh I\u2019m being safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

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    \"Todd<\/div>\n<\/div>
    Todd Meadows on \u2018Deadliest Catch\u2019 season 22 finale.<\/span>Discovery<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    In the next scene, Captain Rick is manning the boat when he hears screams from the deck crew. When he asks \u201cEverybody OK?\u201d they reply, \u201cNo\u201d and tell him there\u2019s a man overboard. He begins turning the boat around and instructing them to get the \u201cring\u201d and crane ready. \u201cI got my eye on him,\u201d he tells the crew.\u201d<\/p>\n

    As the crew try to pull him up, Rick looks out his window and says, \u201che is out.\u201d He instructs the others to get him out of the water to start CPR. They get Meadows back on the boat and start CPR. The camera stays in his control center and doesn\u2019t show what\u2019s happening on the deck. \u201cCome on, man, come on, someone go get the AUD right now,\u201d Rick could be heard saying off camera.<\/p>\n

    The camera pans to the water as text appears: \u201cOn February 25th, 2026, deckhand Todd Meadows went overboard. After six minutes and twenty-six seconds in the water, he was recovered unresponsive.\u201d<\/p>\n

    It cuts back to Rick\u2019s control room as he returns and instructs the crew to \u201ckeep pumping.\u201d He calls the Coast Guard and as he awaits instructions, he breaks down crying and a producer tells him, \u201cHe\u2019s gone, Rick.\u201d A doctor joins the call and Rick tells him they did CPR over 20 minutes. After answering specific questions, the doctor says there\u2019s nothing else they can do to bring him back.<\/p>\n

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    \"Deadliest<\/div>\n<\/div>
    Todd Meadows on \u2018Deadliest Catch\u2019.<\/span>captain_rick_shelford\/Instagram<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Eight hours later at 1:00 a.m. local time, Rick says reality is sinking in and that troopers are on their way to Meadows\u2019 mother\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

    Deckhand Glen \u201cSteven\u201d Porter was emotional in an on-camera interview. He said he would like to \u201cput out there\u201d that Meadows would \u201cget in trouble\u201d to make sure he got a FaceTime call in with his kids. \u201cYou know where his priorities were and that f—- kills my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Deck boss Nicolas \u201cNico\u201d Huerta tells producers that right before Meadows fell, he was getting the crab out, like he was supposed to, when the pot went over. \u201cDon\u2019t know how,\u201d he said. Captain Rick tells the cameras the State Troopers and Coast Guard will meet the boat when they get to the dock and start an investigation. \u201cThey\u2019re gonna take care of Todd\u2019s remains and get him home to his family,\u201d he said, fighting back tears.<\/p>\n

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    \"Todd<\/div>\n<\/div>
    Todd Meadows on \u2018Deadliest Catch\u2019 season 22 finale.<\/span>Discovery<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    They get back to land and open the boat up to authorities. Cameras pick back up 10 weeks later as the show\u2019s captains gather a memorial for fallen fisherman and Rick says a moving prayer.<\/p>\n

    In the final moments of the episode, it cuts back to Meadows being interviewed preparing food in the kitchen from earlier in the show. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of risk being up here but I came up here to make money to try to support my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhat do you wanna say to your kids?\u201d the producer asks him. \u201cWork towards your dreams and goals, don\u2019t let anything slow you down. If you put your mind to it, you can do anything. Just want my kids to know I want them to work hard and be successful in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The emotional episode comes one week after viewers saw Meadows return to the Aleutian Lady<\/em> following a medical leave.<\/p>\n

    During the Sept. 18 episode, Meadows was medically cleared to rejoin the crew after suffering a concussion when he took a blow to the head while working aboard the vessel. The injury occurred toward the end of January, about one month before his death.<\/p>\n

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    \"Deadliest<\/div>\n<\/div>
    \u2018Deadliest Catch\u2019 star Todd Meadows.<\/span>Captain Rick Shelford\/Instagram<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Meadows was sent home for a couple of weeks to recover before ultimately returning to the boat. Shelford addressed the deckhand\u2019s absence during the episode as his crew grappled with a series of setbacks.<\/p>\n

    On Feb. 25, Meadows fell overboard from the Aleutian Lady<\/em> approximately 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor, Alaska.<\/p>\n

    A spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District previously said Meadows was recovered unresponsive by his crewmates about 10 minutes after falling overboard. First aid and attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

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    Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE\u2019s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Meadows\u2019 death certificate later listed his cause of death as drowning with probable hypothermia. His death was ruled an accident.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWe are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Todd Meadows,\u201d a Discovery Channel spokesperson said in a statement after his death. \u201cThis is a devastating loss, and our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates, and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Days later, Shelford paid tribute to Meadows in a Facebook post, writing that Feb. 25 was \u201cthe most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady<\/em> on the Bering Sea.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \u201cWe lost our brother, Todd Meadows,\u201d he wrote. \u201cTodd was the newest member of our crew, he quickly became family. His love for fishing and his strong work ethic earned everyone\u2019s respect right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Shelford remembered Meadows\u2019 \u201ccontagious\u201d smile and laughter and reflected on his devotion to his family.<\/p>\n

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    \"Todd<\/div>\n<\/div>
    Todd Meadows.<\/span>Todd Meadows\/Facebook<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    \u201cTodd\u2019s love for his children, his family, and his life was evident in everything he did,\u201d he wrote. \u201cHe worked hard, loved deeply, and brought joy to those around him.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Shelford concluded his tribute by promising Meadows would remain part of the Aleutian Lady<\/em> family. \u201cTodd will forever be part of this boat, this crew, and this brotherhood,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThough we lost him far too soon, his legacy will live on through his children and in every memory we carry of him. Rest easy brother, till we meet again.\u201d<\/p>\n

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    The decision not to show Meadows\u2019 death follows a public plea from his mother, Angela Meadows, who asked Discovery not to broadcast footage of her son\u2019s fatal accident.<\/p>\n

    In March, Angela told TMZ the family did not want the network to show footage of Todd\u2019s death or profit from the tragedy, adding that she hoped the series would instead focus on the positive moments from his time aboard the Aleutian Lady<\/em>. \u201cNo parent would want the world to watch their child die,\u201d she also said in a statement obtained by Alaska\u2019s News Source.<\/p>\n

    Todd\u2019s father, Lucas Meadows, remembered his son as a lifelong fisherman who \u201calways had a smile.\u201d He told Alaska\u2019s News Source that Todd began fishing with him when he was just 3 years old and that the pastime remained a passion throughout his life.<\/p>\n

    \u201cHe had a smile on his face the whole time,\u201d Lucas said. \u201cGood day, bad day, didn\u2019t matter. \u2026 He loved to fish and loved to watch other people fish.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Deadliest Catch<\/em> is streaming on HBO Max and discovery+.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Deadliest Catch\u2019s Season Finale Documents the Chilling Seconds After Todd Meadows Fell Overboard to His Death NEED TO KNOW The season finale of Deadliest Catch aired Friday, Sept. 25, on Discovery Channel Todd Meadows\u2019 death is addressed in the episode The 25-year-old deckhand fell overboard and died at sea on Feb. 25, 2026 Deadliest Catch … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deadliest-catch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13641"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14051,"href":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13641\/revisions\/14051"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foxnews.znicely.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}