‘Deadliest Catch’: Wild Bill Opens Up About Cancer Diagnosis

Captain Wild Bill Wichrowski of 'Deadliest Catch' refused to 'crawl into a shell' when he learned he had prostate cancer.

Deadliest Catch star Wild Bill Wichrowski is opening up about his experience with prostate cancer, in the hopes that sharing his journey will help others in a similar situation.

Season 19 of the Discovery Channel reality series ended with Wichrowski learning that he’d been diagnosed with cancer. The show’s 20th season, which premieres June 11, will follow the crab fisherman as he undergoes treatment for the disease.

The ‘Deadliest Catch’ star got bad news from his doctor

In a clip from the upcoming season (via X), a subdued Wichrowski listens as he gets a sobering update from this doctor.

“You do have prostate cancer,” the doctor says. “And it needs to be treated aggressively.”

Getting such news would be a blow to anyone. But Wichrowski was determined to meet this latest challenge head-on.

“When I heard it, one of the things I thought was, you know, I’m not going to stop. I’m going to keep going until I actually can’t,” he says.

Prostate cancer is the second-most-common cancer in men after skin cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Thirteen out of every 100 people with a prostate will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives, with the risk of diagnosis increasing as people age. Prostate cancer kills roughly 34,000 people per year. Fortunately, the disease is highly treatable if it is caught early, which is why doctors recommend regular screenings for people over the age of 55 who are at average risk. High-risk individuals may need to start screening earlier.

Will Bill Wichrowski refused to ‘crawl into a shell’ after cancer diagnosis

After learning he had prostate cancer, Wichrowski realized he had a choice when it came to dealing with his health. Ignoring the problem wasn’t the solution, he decided.

“How many people get diagnosed with this and they just shut down?” he says. “They crawl into a shell. And it just makes it worse.”

Doctors warned him that the cancer could be debilitating. He wasn’t having it.

“They’re saying you’re going to have all these symptoms that are going to stop you,” he says. “And I said, there’s no way.”

Why Wichrowski opened up about his cancer experience

Wichrowski hoped that sharing his cancer story might help other people.

“The fact that I allowed the news to be broadcast, I heard from a million people, ‘Oh, I hope you’re all right,’ he says. “I was hoping that the fact that I kept going, it would show people that if you have this, you can keep working. You can keep your life moving. I wasn’t going to stop unless I had to.”

Fortunately for Wichrowski, his treatment seems to be going well.

“My PSA number, which is how they determine the level, is near zero,” he recently told TribLive. “[The doctors] are really excited.”

Deadliest Catch Season 20 premieres Tuesday, June 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery Channel. Episodes also stream on Max.

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