Reality shows are often at the top of the list when it comes to being accused of being fake. However, shows like Deadliest Catch remind us that sometimes the stakes are high, with the show having exposed its cast members to real danger a couple of times before.
One of the scariest implications of being on the show we’ve seen so far was when Chris Scambler, who worked the Wizard for just a short period, realized his lack of boat experience could have almost killed him.
Below we reveal the gruesome events that impacted Chris Scambler’s stay on Deadliest Catch and what happened to him after that.
What happened to Chris Scambler on Deadliest Catch?
Back in May 2012, on a riveting episode of Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch, many viewers were shocked to see a Coast Guard helicopter arrive on the deck of the Wizard.
The aircraft and medical crew were called to airlift then 28-year-old novice deckhand Chris Scambler after he suffered some mysterious, frightening symptoms and collapsed.
Before Chris’ co-workers called for assistance to have him taken to where he could receive professional medical attention, Captain Keith Colburn worked as hard as he could to keep him from dehydrating to the point where it was almost life-threatening.
Those who hadn’t seen the episode might be wondering: well, he’s a novice; why did Chris join the crew in the first place?
Why didn’t the show explain how Chris got to that severe state? How was he allowed to be part of the crew?
Regarding his dehydration, it’s most likely that Chris was exposed to the sun for too long (as expected on a boat) and perhaps, after working hard, didn’t take the time to replace the fluids he had lost.
As per Distractify, this resulted in Chris collapsing with intense pains in his neck and arm. The pains then escalated to excruciating convulsions, and at this point, the crew knew the severity of what he was facing could have possibly led him to succumb to the ordeal.
Thankfully, Captain Keith Colburn took charge of the situation quickly. With the help of a medical crew on-air, they took him to a nearby hospital in Anchorage, where he was stabilized and re-hydrated.
Chris felt bad about the situation
Perhaps like many show viewers who might be naturally or influentially skeptics of reality shows in general, the last thing you may have expected was that sailing on the Wizard to catch some Alaskan King Crab was a dangerous adventure.
Sailing on the Wizard to catch some Alaskan King Crab is a dangerous adventure by itself. Many men have lost their lives in the freezing waters and equipment accidents.
But who would have thought that the sun might be to blame for a near brush with death?
We think Chris was not expecting to be the one to prove this, as while medical professionals were preparing to lift him off, he apologized to Captain Keith for creating an inconvenience for the team.
Of course, like anyone responsible for looking after a group of people, Capt. Keith wasn’t worried about any inconvenience and wanted Chris to recover quickly from the scary ordeal.
“Don’t be sorry, man, you did a great job for me,” he said to Chris at the time. “All right?” he said.
In the end, Chris realized that he needed to recover from dehydration as well as the shock of his experience.
After he did, he never returned to the show, and some sources claim he died a few years later.
Did Chris return to Deadliest Catch?
Advent fans of the show would have noticed that Chris did not appear in the show’s most recent 16th season. In fact, he hadn’t appeared on the show since his dramatic exit on an aircraft after suffering dehydration.
After recovering from his dehydration, Chris seemed to live a private life and did not explain why he left his work in the spotlight.
In 2020, Aussie Celebs claimed Chris died in that year as per their investigation, but no family member has publically validated the news, so you might as well take it with a pinch of salt.
Although his reign on the show was relatively short, about two weeks long, he was a great addition, and we are sure fans of the show might agree that it would have been great to have him on for a bit longer.
Who is Chris Scambler?
Although not much is known about Chris Scambler, we were able to dig up a bit of information to give us an overview of who he was.
Chris was born in 1984 as Chris Scambler, and he is an American native. His education or career background is not known. All that we could extract is that before entering the show, Chris had no experience being on a boat and took the risk to earn some money to look after his child as per TV Over Mind.
The Deadliest Catch’s previous crew member was married to his wife, which we do not know her name, and neither do we know if they had a happily married life; however, the two did have a daughter together.
Chris had mentioned that he wanted to emulate a man like Captain Keith to be a better person for his daughter.
And with the risk that he took to be on the Wizard in the first place and having the chance to appear on a popular tv show, we assume his daughter is proud of the man he was.
The bottom line
Although Chris Scambler was well aware of the risk associated with going on the sea to catch Alaskan King Crabs without experience, he leaped for the opportunity anyways.
Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know how to keep hydrated while on the ocean.
It led to some gruesome events that opened viewers’ eyes to the potential dangers reality TV stars are sometimes exposed to.
Thankfully he was in the company of an all-star team that could call for help quickly, and he recovered.