Wicked Tuna exclusive: The new season 8 begins after a rough 2018, preview

Wicked Tuna had a rough 2018 which saw two deaths on the series, this season new faces show up and promise more drama. Pic ccredit: NGC
Wicked Tuna had a rough 2018 which saw a death on the series, and this season new faces show up and promise more drama. Pic credit: NGC

Wicked Tuna is back this Sunday on National Geographic Channel.

Last season was defined by unstable alliances, shocking injuries, and massive blow ups, and winning is and was anyone’s game. It was also colored by the early death of one very young Wicked Tuna cast member.

Our exclusive clip is a preview of the opening day of the bluefin tuna season and Season 8 of Wicked Tuna. Every captain wants to be the one to bring in the lucrative first fish.

Fan favorites Captain Dave Marciano  and Captain Paul Hebert are back in action.

Dave’s daughter Angelica helped him last season. This season, we can tell you that last place winner Marciano is spending money to make money. He bought a new boat for Season 8.

Always a wise-ass, Captain Paul Hebert runs the wheelhouse of a commercial boat, Wicked Pissah. He came on board as cappy in Season 6 and became the runner-up behind FV-Tuna.com captain, Dave Marciano.

Whenever Hebert was on the panel at the Television Critics Association press tour, he brought the house down with his one-liners.

Also back is Captain Tyler McLaughlin, whose gruesome index finger injury and personal loss were crushing last season.

It was Dot-Com versus Pinwheel at the end of Season 7 with Pinwheel coming in for the win… but how will they stack up now for the new season?

The first fish is the prize out of the gate in any tuna fishing season. The buyers are chomping at the bit to bid and win the fishy flesh. Fun fact: The one who usually catches the first fish is usually the top of the leader board by season end, coincidentally.

The realities of owning a boat are made clear on this series, and they don’t sugar coat the problems these guys face at the docks or out in the open seas.

Their boat is the main tool and how these guys make a living. Their incomes rely on the seaworthiness and efficiency of this vessel, and a great portion of a fisherman’s income has to be reinvested in that boat to continue making a living.

It’s a balancing act, and the stakes are super high.

And even though the guys get some compensation from the production company, all of them need to make their money out on the open sea for expenses, payroll, and to pay themselves.

What will season eight bring?

Last season, Wicked Tuna marked 100 episodes with a nail-biting finale that saw a young captain take the top spot on the leader board.  After a disappointing Season 7 performance in the Outer Banks, Captain Dave Marciano is ready to have his first season on his home seas aboard his new boat, the Falcon.

And Captain Tyler McLaughlin of the Pinwheel is not over the unexpected death of his mate and best friend Duffy.

Old faces return and new young upstarts will add to Season 8, as the core cast must compete and grieve at the same time.

Who passed away in 2018?

Wicked Tuna lost was Nicholas “Duffy” Fudge, a Pinwheel crewmate who was 28 years old.

National Geographic released a statement via Twitter that said “@NatGeoChannel and @Pilgrim_Studios were saddened to learn that Wicked Tuna cast member Nicholas “Duffy” Fudge passed away this week. Duffy was the first mate on Captain Tyler McLaughlin’s fishing vessel, Pinwheel. We join his family and friends in mourning his untimely loss.”

What is Wicked Tuna about?

From Nat Geo:

Filmed on location in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and the surrounding waters, Wicked Tuna follows a group of salty fishermen from the nation’s oldest seaport as they make their living the way it’s been done for centuries — rod and reel fishing, one catch at a time — all in pursuit of the bluefin tuna. The series gives viewers an in-depth look at the intense battles, fierce competition, crushing losses and major paydays of the country’s toughest captains. For commercial fishermen, the directive is simple: catch a fish or go home without a paycheck. One “monstah” bluefin can be worth more than $20,000; with that kind of money on the line, every captain is fighting to be the best in the fleet.

Wicked Tuna starts with an extended 90-minute episode on Sunday, March 10, at 9/8c on National Geographic Channel

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