No More Captain Sig or the Hillstrand Brothers on "Deadliest Catch"

[Doyouloveit?]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_deadliest

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – A trio of stars of Discovery's hit reality series have left the show. Capts. Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand -- who were sued earlier this month by Discovery for allegedly not performing work on a planned spinoff special -- as well as Capt. Sig Hansen, said in a statement Tuesday that they were "unable" to continue on the series due to the litigation.
"We have been through a lot over the past year and unfortunately given the current situation with Discovery we are unable to continue participating in 'Deadliest Catch,'" the three crab fishermen said in a joint written statement. "It has been a fantastic ride, and we wish the best to all of the amazing and supportive 'Catch' fans we have met over the years."
A statement from Discovery was not forthcoming.
The network sued the Hillstrands for $3 million claiming they failed to show up to finish work on "Hillstranded," a planned "Catch" spinoff. The Hillstrands' lawyer Jeff Cohen then called the suit an attempt to "extort" his clients and said the lawsuit could force them to sell their boats and fire their crews. Hansen, also repped by Cohen, later weighed in, backing the Hillstrands, slamming Discovery and saying, "I want people to know the captains stand together, and me and my brothers support them 100 percent."
Hansen, captain of the Northwestern, has been a fixture on "Catch" since its first season premiered in 2005. The Hillstrands, captains of the Time Bandit, joined in Season 2. Filming on the seventh season of the Emmy-nominated series is scheduled to begin as crab season starts in October. But barring any reconciliation, it now appears the show will be down three captains (in addition to Capt. Phil Harris, who died earlier this year).

[Jim Wilke]

Let me guess, this is about money.

Sig and the Hillstrands are the stars of the show and they want their piece of the pie. Here's why:

http://www.gossipcop.com/jersey-shor...tuation-jwoww/

MTV announced on Tuesday night that it reached deals with seven cast members to begin production on a third season, scheduled to air early next year.

Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio, Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino, Jenni “J Woww” Farley, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Vinny Guadagnino will all be back.

Angelina Pivarnick will not return.

Despite reports that the cast of “Jersey Shore” will receive nearly $30,000 an episode for Season Three – three times what they were paid for Season Two – an MTV insider tells Gossip Cop that the reported increase is “a bit high.”

The source, whose familiar with the negotiations, acknowledges the stars will be paid “more cash, but nothing dramatic.”

“They asked for 30 [thousand dollars per episode],” relates the source, adding that it’s expected the majority of the cast will “settle at 15 [thousand dollars per episode].”

If the young louts on 'Jersey Shore' are getting $15K per episode, you can bet that the 'Deadliest Catch' guys want a big raise.

[midtown]

Who gets better ratings?

[Jim Wilke]

'Jersey Shore' gets giant numbers but 'Deadliest Catch' has been a solid hit for 10 years and the episodes dealing with the death of Captain Phil had huge audiences:

According to ‘Variety’, ratings for ‘Deadliest Catch’ this week was through the roof–no surprise. …Here are the numbers…

If you didnt have a chance to watch this weeks episode, please remember it airs again on Thursday evenings and then during the weekend of July 23rd–the entire 6th season will air again.

USA’s “Covert Affairs” delivered 2010′s top 18-49 audience for a series premiere on ad-supported cable Tuesday, but overall it was no match for the emotional farewell to Capt. Phil Harris on Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch.”

The final regular appearance on “Deadliest Catch” of Harris, who died in February days after suffering a stroke, drew 8.5 million viewers at 9 p.m., the biggest audience on cable Tuesday and the largest for Discovery since 2000 (third all-time behind “Raising the Mammoth” and “Walking With Dinosaurs”). “Deadliest Catch” has ranked first in the 25-54 demo for 14 consecutive weeks among non-sports programs on cable.

A 10 p.m., a Capt. Phil tribute episode on sister series “After the Catch” was seen by 6.8 million and ranked second on cable Tuesday and fifth all-time for Discovery