“That was f---in’ gnarly, dude,” Captain Johnathan Hillstrand says.

Deadliest Catch crew member rushed to shore after bloody injury from bunk bed fall

“That was f---in’ gnarly, dude,” Captain Johnathan Hillstrand says.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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August 15, 2026 6:09 p.m. ET

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Ryan on ‘Deadliest Catch’. Credit:

- A greenhorn named Ryan was rushed to a clinic after hurting his head aboard the Time Bandit on *Deadliest Catch*.

- Captain Johnathan Hillstrand said Ryan was in “pretty bad shape”: “We can’t take a chance, so we’re gonna have to go to the clinic.”

- The ship faced a 17-foot following sea to return to shore: “That was f---in’ gnarly, dude.”

The stars of *Deadliest Catch* responded to a serious medical emergency in the latest episode of the show.

In season 22, episode 13, titled “Those in Peril on the Sea,” Captain Johnathan Hillstrand and the crew of the Time Bandit rushed to shore after a greenhorn named Ryan sustained an injury when he fell off his bunk bed on board the ship.

“The guys are sleeping like babies,” Hillstrand says before stepping away from the wheel as his deckhand Teddy takes over. “12 hours from our gear, I’m steaming hard.”

The crew awakens Hillstrand from a nap to alert him that Ryan is injured.

“Hey Johnny, something happened to Ryan, man,” a producer says. “He fell off his bunk and hit his head.”

The ep shows a shot of the wooden corner of a shelf in the bunk room with blood stains on it.

Ryan; Johnathan Hillstrand on ‘Deadliest Catch’.

Ryan has a large gash on his head extending from his forehead down onto his right eyebrow.

Hillstrand cleans Ryan’s wound and tells the crew to get him suture tape. “Get him a blanket and a pillow. Come lay down,” he says.

Neal the engineer applies suture tape to the wound. “Squeeze it as tight as you can,” Hillstrand says.

“Everyone keep an eye on him. If he starts throwing up, we got problems,” he adds.

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“We have an injured crew member,” the captain says. “Ryan fell out of his bed and cut his head, so we’re watching him for a concussion. He’s in pretty bad shape. We can’t take a chance, so we’re gonna have to go to the clinic. That sucks, but that’s what we’ve gotta do.”

Hillstrand and his crew traversed a nauseating 17-foot following sea to return to St. George Island Harbor to get Ryan checked out.

“How’s your head feel right now?” a producer asks Ryan.

“Not good. Does John know?” Ryan responds.

“Yeah, John knows. He’s the one that patched you up,” the producer says.

“I don’t even remember,” Ryan responds.

Johnathan Hillstrand on ‘Deadliest Catch’.

Later, Hillstrand explains the stakes of the journey. “Ryan was getting up and he slipped off his bunk and cracked his head on the corner of a shelf. So trying to make it to the island,” he says. “Take our patient to the clinic. I gotta get into the harbor. It’s not an easy thing to do here.”

After a mortifying journey, the Time Bandit made it back to the island. “Why am I sweatin’ bullets right now?” the captain asks. “That was f---in’ gnarly, dude.”

Ryan says that his “head hurts like a motherf---er,” as he prepares to get stitches.

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“I can’t leave town unless the doctor checks him out,” Hillstrand says. “Hopefully he’ll be good enough tomorrow to go fishing with us. I need some new underwear!”

*Deadliest Catch* airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on Discovery Channel.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Reality”