Todd Meadows’ final moments were filmed for the Deadliest Catch season 22 finale.
Shortly before Meadows fell overboard the Aleutian Lady vessel in February, he spoke to his three young children via FaceTime call — a touching and heartbroken moment captured by the camera crew and featured on the Friday, September 25, episode.
“I hope you’re being safe. If you’re not being safe, you better be safe,” Meadows’ daughter told her dad during the conversation.
Meadows subsequently reassured his child, noting, “Oh, I’m being safe.” The pair then made plans for a family salmon fishing outing upon his return home.
After the call ended, he tragically died in a fishing-related incident. The moments during and after Meadow’s rescue were captured on film but weren’t shown in the finale episode. Instead, information about his death was displayed on the screen.
“On February 25th, 2026, deckhand Todd Meadows went overboard,” the text read. “After six minutes and 26 seconds in the water, he was recovered unresponsive.”
Elsewhere during the finale, the ship’s captain, Rich Shelford, could be heard telling his crew, “Keep doing CRP! Keep doing CPR! Keep pumping!”
News broke of Meadow’s death in early March.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Todd Meadows,” a spokesperson for the Discovery Channel said in a statement, announcing Meadow’s death. “This is a devastating loss, and our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates, and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time.”
The United States Coast Guard confirmed to Us that Meadows’ body was “recovered unresponsive by the crew” within 10 minutes of him going overboard.
Captain Shelford later called the incident “the most tragic day” in the ship’s history.
“Todd was the newest member of our crew, he quickly became family,” Shelford wrote via Facebook at the time. “His love for fishing and his strong work ethic earned everyone’s respect right away. His smile was contagious, and the sound of his laughter coming up the wheelhouse stairs or over the deck hailer is something we will carry with us always.”
He continued, “Todd’s love for his children, his family, and his life was evident in everything he did. He worked hard, loved deeply, and brought joy to those around him. Right now, our hearts are broken in a way that words can’t fully express. We ask that you lift Todd’s children and family in prayer and keep them in your thoughts as they face the days ahead without him.”
Shelford further noted that Meadows ”will forever be part of this boat, this crew and this brotherhood.”
“Though we lost him far too soon, his legacy will live on through his children and in every memory we carry of him,” his statement concluded. “Rest easy brother, till we meet again.”
Meadows’ bunkmate, Trey John Green III, later exclusively told Us how the late deckhand was an “amazing human” on and off the screen.
“Todd was doing a great job,” Green added, believing the accident was “none of Todd’s fault.”
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