How “Deadliest Catch” acknowledges the death of deckhand Todd Meadows in season 22 premiere

Key points

• Deadliest Catch‘s season 22 premiere opens with a tribute to late deckhand Todd Meadows.

• Meadows, who died on Feb. 25 while working board the Aleutian Lady, shares his perspective on fishing in Alaska.

• Meadows also shares a message for his children.

Deadliest Catch is paying tribute to Todd Meadows.

The season 22 premiere of the show opens with poignant footage of the late deckhand, who died Feb. 25 at age 25 while working aboard the Aleutian Lady.

“We’re ready to get out there and get fishin’,” Meadows says at the beginning of the episode. “It’s been one of my dreams and goals to make it up here. I’ve been to Alaska a few times, but never to fish. Just on vacations and to hang out with family.”

Meadows goes on to explain how Alaska differs from other regions that he’s visited. “Everything up here that I’ve experienced so far is just so much bigger,” he observes. “Everything’s scaled up. Smells different, feels different. There’s a lot of risk that comes into it.”

The deckhand then shares a message for his children. “I just want my kids to know that I want them to work toward your dreams and goals,” he says. “Don’t let anything slow you down.”

At the end of the segment, Meadows says, “It’s gonna be fun. I’m just fortunate that I fell in love with it.”

The episode then cuts to a still photo of Meadows with the caption, “In memory of Todd Meadows” alongside the dates “2000-2026.”

Entertainment Weekly previously learned that Meadows will be shown throughout the course of season 22, as his contributions as a member of the Aleutian Lady crew were filmed in the weeks leading up to the accident. However, the incident that led to Meadows’ death will not be shown on the series out of respect for his loved ones.

Captain Rick Shelford shared first shared the news of Meadows’ death on social media, announcing “the most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady on the Bering Sea” and adding that “the sound of his laughter coming up the wheelhouse stairs or over the deck hailer is something we will carry with us always.”

Discovery paid tribute to Meadows in a statement to EW after his death. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Todd Meadows,” the network said. “This is a devastating loss, and our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates, and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time.”

Later, the U.S. Coast Guard shared more information about the incident with EW. “On February 25, 2026, at 5:05 p.m. local Alaska time, Coast Guard watchstanders at the Arctic District command center in Juneau received notification from the fishing vessel Aleutian Lady, reporting that a crew member by the name of Todd Meadows fell overboard approximately 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor,” a spokesperson for the military branch said in a statement. “He was recovered unresponsive by the crew approximately ten minutes later. First aid and attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful, and the crew transported the deceased to Dutch Harbor.”

Trey John Green III, who was working on the Aleutian Lady at the time of Meadows’ death, later said that cameras were actively filming on the vessel when Meadows fell overboard.

“Todd was an amazing human,” Green told Us, adding that his late colleague “was doing a great job” at the time of his death and indicated that the accident was “none of Todd’s fault.”

Green shared a detailed description of the incident, explaining that after Meadows fell into the water, he successfully entered a life sling and was midway through the process of being rescued, but he then “fell back into the water,” forcing the crew to begin their rescue efforts anew.

“The second time we went to go lift him up, Todd was just — he was lifeless,” Green recalled. “He didn’t have any more — like I said, the first time, he was fighting, trying to get onto the sling. And then the second time, he was just — he was lifeless.”

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Green remembered Meadows turning blue after around three minutes overboard, and said that the crew gave him CPR as soon as he was back on the boat. “We finally brought him inside and continued CPR,” he said. “The boat has an AED [machine] … it’s basically a defibrillator. And we tried to use that, too, and it just — nothing was working. And finally, finally, after a half hour, 45 minutes of trying to save him, Captain came down and said, ‘Guys, it’s not gonna work.'”

Deadliest Catch airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fridays on Discovery Channel.

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