From the Helm to Heartache: Jake Anderson’s Most Challenging Moments on ‘Deadliest Catch

For 19 years, Deadliest Catch viewers have gotten a firsthand glimpse into some of the deadliest ocean waves surrounding the U.S. Crabbers and fishermen are the stars of this series, a few of whom have been there since day one of the show. Captain Sig Hansen has been the primary captain featured in this series, and he has mentored several others who have since become captains of their own boats. One of those captains and former mentees is Jake Anderson, who is presently dealing with big issues.

Jake joined the Deadliest Catch fray in Season 2, hired on as a greenhorn. Five years later, he was promoted to deck boss. Jake had a very clear goal in mind as he progressed on the series. After receiving the necessary licensing, he eventually became a captain himself. In 2015 with his life-savings, he invested in the Saga as his new boat with another co-owner. Unfortunately, thanks to some financial problems his partner allegedly caused, Jake Anderson lost the Saga.

Jake recently did an interview with TV Insider to share what happened with his former boat. Due to ongoing legal processes, Jake was unable to disclose any specifics regarding exactly what happened. He said, “Just before I was getting ready to go red crab fishing, I found out that my partner, with all due respect to the legal things going on, we don’t know what he did.”

The timing was incredibly unfortunate, as he lost out on a potentially massive payday thanks to losing the boat.

Deadliest Catch‘s 20th season is seeing a lot of dynamic shifts thanks to the Saga being taken from Jake. When asked about how he recovered, Jake said, “For Sig, not that I expected him to take me in, but we both knew we had a tumultuous relationship.” He added, “Without my boat, I’m not a threat to him. I can only be an asset.” Jake being an asset works in his favor, but going from being a captain to a crew member again is a whole different ballgame, which he hinted added more than the usual tension.

Losing the Saga, especially after investing all of his money into it, was a major hit for Jake and his family to take. Because of the loss of income, he had to take what he could get. It’s only natural that conflict would arise from having to go from being the person giving the orders to taking them. Both parties struggled with the power shift. “Have you ever seen the movie Rocky? The one where he loses?” Jake asked, continuing, “That’s Deadliest Catch Season 20 for Jake Anderson.”