The Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch splashed into a whopping 20th season this year, continuing the stories of crab fishermen on the Bering Sea. Previous Deadliest Catch seasons revealed that one of these men, Captain Wild Bill, is facing his most difficult challenge yet.
Who Is Captain Wild Bill From Deadliest Catch?
Captain “Wild Bill” Wichrowski first appeared on the sixth season of Deadliest Catch back in 2010 and has consistently proven his mettle. Like his fellow captains, Wild Bill has faced his fair share of obstacles and consistently rises to meet every challenge. All that resilience probably stems from his time in the Navy.
However, the end of the 19th season hinted that Wild Bill is now facing his biggest struggle in the form of a cancer diagnosis. Season 20 dived deeper into the captain’s condition, revealing that he has prostate cancer that needs immediate treatment.
True to form, Wild Bill decided to not allow his diagnosis to stop him from doing what he loves. Although his grit is admirable, many viewers are still understandably concerned about how he’s doing now as Deadliest Catch continues to chronicle his journey.
Related: Deadliest Catch: Tom Brossard’s Cause of Death, Confirmed
How Is Wild Bill Doing Now?
A 2024 episode of Deadliest Catch revealed that Wild Bill was undergoing surgery. While this is no doubt alarming to fans, it should be kept in mind that the season was filmed much earlier in the year, meaning that Wild Bill likely already recovered by the time the episode aired on Discovery.
Additionally, Wild Bill has continued to be somewhat active on social media, particularly Facebook. In fact, he posted a positive update early in 2025. “Lots of folks asking about cancer treatment progress,” he wrote. “Recap, Radioactive seeds and hormone treatment. Happy to say numbers Are great. Not complaining purely for information. The hormone thing is necessary but for me not w/o issues. Testerone drops to near zero by design. You can google results of that. I seem to be cancer free now. I have always felt 10-15 years younger than my age . The job I have and being around crew 1/2 my age . Feels like the clock has caught up. Maybe small price to pay. Thanks for concern and best wishes. If you have symtoms , get checked.”
The message at the end of the post is one that all cancer patients subscribe to. There’s never harm in getting checked, and the earlier the cancer is caught, the better the chance of survival in a lot of cases. It’s unfortunate that Wild Bill may never be on the water as much as he was in the past, but if his free time is now spent advocating for those fighting cancer, it’s a worthwhile trade.
And that’s what happened to Wild Bill on Deadliest Catch.
New episodes of Deadliest Catch air Tuesdays on Discovery Channel, Discovery+, and HBO Max.
The above article was updated on 2/20/25 by Escapist Editorial to include additional information about Wild Bill.
Published: Feb 20, 2025 1:10 PM UTC