Wicked Tuna Outer Banks to premier July 1.
After seven seasons Wicked Tuna hit 100 episodes and the competition is as fierce as ever as the Gloucester, Massachusetts boys square off against the local Outer Banks pros.
A Cen-TUNA-ial Milestone!
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC’S ‘MONSTAH’ HIT SERIES WICKED TUNA CELEBRATES 100 EPISODES
90-Minute Season Seven Finale, Premiering Sunday, June 24, at 9/8c, Crowns This Season’s Top Captain and Marks the Series’ 100th Episode
Season Five of Spinoff Series Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks
Premieres Sunday, July 1, at 9/8c
(Washington, D.C. – June 7, 2018) — National Geographic has reeled in a “monstah” milestone – after seven seasons on the high seas, Wicked Tuna premieres its 100th episode on Sunday, June 24, at 9/8c. The series, from Pilgrim Media Group, has celebrated one of America’s oldest industries since premiering in 2012 and made stars of the intrepid Gloucester commercial fishermen who brave the unrelenting North Atlantic waters to catch the elusive bluefin tuna. Join the countdown to the big moment and “tuna in” to Wicked Tuna every Sunday at 9/8c on National Geographic. For more information, visit www.natgeotvpressroom.
From the start, Wicked Tuna set out to document the skill and coordination it takes to wrestle a giant bluefin tuna using the centuries-old method of rod-and-reel fishing. The gripping action and human perseverance have drawn millions of loyal viewers around the globe, who tune in to watch the high drama and banter between the captains and crew — sometimes playful, sometimes heated — as the Gloucester fishermen vie to outdo each other every week in the hopes of taking home the most lucrative catch and ending the season as the top-earning boat in the fleet. Seven years later, Wicked Tuna continues to entertain and inspire, spawning a popular spinoff, Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks, which first premiered in 2014 and will debut its fifth season on Sunday, July 1, at 9/8c.
“Every great series starts with a great story and Wicked Tuna has always delivered on that promise,” said Matt Renner, vice president, production, National Geographic. “We have authentic human beings plying their trade in the unforgiving and volatile world of the open oceans, whose lives are rich with a healthy mixture of high-risk, high-reward adventures and personal sacrifice.” He continued, “We owe an extreme debt of gratitude to all of the wonderful storytellers who have left their fingerprints on the series, and we are especially grateful to the fishermen and their families for sharing their lives.”
Added Pilgrim Media Group CEO Craig Piligian, “While there’s been unprecedented change and disruption in the television industry since Pilgrim set sail with the Wicked Tuna captains and their crews seven years ago, our devoted viewers’ appetites for content packed with real stakes, and unapologetically authentic characters, have never wavered. All of us at Pilgrim are gratified to have seen this series through its first 100 episodes, and we’re looking forward to what the future holds for these committed fishermen who, with or without us, would be on the water, fighting for bluefin and their livelihoods.”
Leading the charge on the unpredictable seas this season are six courageous captains, each with a personal stake in the battle for bluefin. Weeks of fishing have taken a toll on the fleet. It takes teamwork to land a tuna, and each captain needs to set the right tone to keep a positive attitude among their crews. Captain Dave Carraro of the FV-Tuna.com is universally regarded as one of the most successful fishermen in the fleet, and as four-time champion and last year’s winner, he’s been the one to beat. However, the youngest captain in the fleet, Tyler McLaughlin of the PinWheel, and his first mate Nick “Duffy” Fudge are obsessed with nabbing the title of Gloucester’s top-earning bluefin boat and ensuring the FV-Tuna.com doesn’t win for a fifth season.
Meanwhile, haunted by his last place finish the previous season, Captain Brad Krasowski of the Fish Hawk is ready to make good on his promise to go from “worst to first” this year. Raised by a bluefin fisherman, Krasowski is well known throughout the Eastern Seaboard for his extensive experience on the water. And Hot Tuna Captain T.J. Ott‘s positive outlook has helped land him solidly in the middle of the pack, while underdog Captain Paul Hebert has clawed his way out of the bottom spot and is on a roll.
Fan favorite Captain Dave Marciano of the Hard Merchandise has been a fishing fixture off the coast of Gloucester for more than 30 years. Now with his family at his side, he’s trying to pick up the pieces from a bad fishing season.
As the weeks count down toward the finish line — and the 100th episode — the Wicked Tuna fleet continues to deliver surprises. With the leaderboard standings shifting with every weigh-in, the title of the top-earning boat in the fleet is up for grabs, and every fish counts.
The action continues on Sunday, July 1, when the hit spinoff series Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks returns for a fifth season of danger and drama in the most treacherous waters of North America. New England captains Marciano, McLaughlin and Ott will follow the bluefin tuna migration south to catch a piece of the action off the coast of North Carolina, but a reduced season catch quota means finding Southern hospitality won’t be easy. Northern and Southern fishermen will fight for every catch until the now-lower quota is reached, and Mother Nature shakes things up every step of the way.
Wicked Tuna: Fight to the Finish
Premieres Sunday, June 24, at 9/8c
With less than four days left in the North Atlantic bluefin tuna season, the fleet races to claim the title of Gloucester’s top-earning bluefin boat. But with two top contenders — last season’s champion Captain Dave Carraro of the FV-Tuna.com and previous top-earner Captain Tyler McLaughlin of the PinWheel — potentially sidelined, the field is wide open and everything will come down to the last fish.
Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks: Battle Lines
Premieres Sunday, July 1, at 9/8c
It’s opening day of the bluefin tuna season in the Outer Banks, and a reduced quota means there’s more pressure than ever to land a fish. Captain Tyler McLaughlin of the PinWheel has traveled all the way from Gloucester, Massachusetts, to fish in these waters, but soon finds there is no Southern hospitality in tuna fishing. The Southern captains are determined to watch out for each other, putting the Northern boats at a disadvantage.
Wicked Tuna and Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks are produced for National Geographic by Pilgrim Media Group. For Pilgrim Media Group, executive producers are Craig Piligian and Mike Nichols. For National Geographic, executive producer is Bengt Anderson and vice president of production is Matt Renner.