If you’ve watched Deadliest Catch for any length of time, you know Captain Keith Colburn isn’t exactly a "meditation and chamomile tea" kind of guy. He’s the commander of the F/V Wizard, a 150-foot beast of a boat, and he’s usually the one barking orders or obsessing over his safety drills. But Season 20 took a turn that nobody—not even his brother Monte—saw coming.
The Bering Sea is a lonely place to have a breakdown. Honestly, it’s the worst place on earth for it. One minute Keith was in a heated shouting match with Monte over fuel costs and bad fishing spots, and the next, the veteran captain was slumped over, completely unresponsive. It was terrifying.
The moment everything went wrong for Keith Colburn
So, what happened to Keith on Deadliest Catch? It started with an argument. Tension on the Wizard is nothing new, but this was different. Keith and Monte "Mouse" Colburn were at each other's throats because the boat had just burned through $30,000 in fuel with almost nothing to show for it.
During the blowout, Keith just... collapsed.
When he finally came to, he wasn't himself. He was sitting on a bench in the galley, visibly shaken and tearing up. For a guy known as the "yeller" of the fleet, seeing him cry was a gut punch. He kept saying he couldn't feel his left arm. His whole left side was going numb.
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The cameras kept rolling, which some fans hated, but it captured the raw panic of a man who thought he was dying. "I don't want to go out like this," he whispered. It was a haunting echo of what happened to Captain Phil Harris years ago, and every fan watching felt that same pit in their stomach.
Was it a heart attack or a stroke?
The initial fear was a massive heart attack or a stroke. Monte had to play doctor while navigating 25-foot swells to get the Wizard toward Saint Paul Island. It was a race against the clock. When Keith finally made it to a hospital in Anchorage, the doctors started digging.
Here is the breakdown of what the medical team actually found:
- Troponin Levels: These were negative. If you aren't a medical nerd, that basically means it likely wasn't a traditional heart attack because the enzymes that signal heart muscle damage weren't elevated.
- The TIA Theory: Doctors leaned toward a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), which most people call a "mini-stroke." It has all the scary symptoms of a stroke but doesn't usually cause permanent brain damage.
- The Fall: Because Keith lost consciousness multiple times at sea, he actually took a nasty fall and hit his head, which added a possible concussion to the mix.
Keith was desperate to get back to the boat. He’s a workaholic; it’s in his DNA. But the doctors were firm. They wouldn't give him the "green light," and he ended up stuck on land while Monte had to take the Wizard back out alone.
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A season of "bad luck" or something more?
Before the medical emergency, Season 20 was already trying to break Keith. The Wizard actually caught fire earlier in the season. There was smoke billowing from the bow, and for a terrifying few minutes, deckhand Tyler Gateman was missing in the chaos. Keith nearly lost his best friend’s son to those flames.
Then came the winter season in 2025. Just when fans thought he was in the clear, Keith had another accident. He slipped and fell near the fridge on the boat, injuring his back so badly it turned a deep shade of purple.
It makes you wonder if the Bering Sea is finally telling him it's time to hang up the Grundéns. At 61, the physical toll of 35+ years of crabbing is no joke.
Where is Captain Keith now?
The good news? Keith survived. He’s been active-ish on social media, posting holiday wishes and staying connected with fans. But the question of whether he’ll be back full-time for Season 21 is the elephant in the room.
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He’s a first-generation fisherman who started as a greenhorn at 22. He loves the grind. But after a mini-stroke and a season of literal fire and blood, his "safety first" motto might have to apply to his own retirement plans.
What you should keep an eye on:
If you're following the Wizard's journey, watch for these three things in the coming months:
- The Medical Clearance: Whether Keith gets a full "all clear" from his cardiac specialists for high-stress environments.
- Monte's Role: Keep an eye on whether Monte takes a more permanent "Co-Captain" role to take the physical load off Keith.
- The Back Injury: That 2025 fall was serious. Back injuries and 30-foot waves do not mix well.
Keith Colburn is a survivor, but Season 20 was the closest he’s ever come to the edge. For now, he's focusing on recovery, but as any Deadliest Catch fan knows, the call of the crab is hard to ignore.
To stay updated on the Wizard crew, keep an eye on Discovery’s official updates or Keith’s Facebook page, where he occasionally drops hints about his health. If you're worried about the show's future, don't be—the fleet is still moving, even if the "Captain" has to watch from the dock for a while.