What Happened to the Time Bandit on 'Deadliest Catch'?

From Country Living

• Deadliest Catch just entered its 15th season, but one staple fishing boat from seasons' past has been noticeably MIA—the Time Bandit.

• The commercial fishing boat, which is currently being auctioned off, had been run by Captain Johnathan Hillstrand and his brothers.

Discovery's Deadliest Catch season 15 returned earlier this month, with plenty of veteran stars taking the helm for another round of high-stakes crab fishing. Even Captain Sig Hansen made a comeback to the docuseries, despite his big on-screen reveal that he suffered a second heart attack last year. However, there's one major player that unfortunately won't be gracing our television screens this time around—the Time Bandit commercial fishing boat.

Fans of the series should be well-acquainted with the skull-and-crossbone-adorned vessel from seasons two through 13, manned by brothers Neal, Johnathan, and Andy Hillstrand. However, even with the boat's longstanding TV run, Captain Johnathan announced his retirement at the end of the show's 13th running.

Plot twist: said retirement actually had a super-short life span, as the veteran fisherman continued to document his off-camera at-sea jaunts via social media shortly after. Fans had a glimmer of hope that this signaled Time Bandit's triumphant return to Deadliest Catch season 15, but any plans were foiled by an unexpected malfunction last year—the boat's engine exploded.

Johnathan took to Twitter to share the troubling news, confirming that the famed boat would be out of commission during crab fishing season, which put an end to his almost four-decades-long streak.

A few days later, he thanked the public for their concern with a promising Time Bandit status update, revealing that it was repaired and headed to Homer, Alaska.

So, with the current Deadliest Catch season well underway, where's the Time Bandit now, and could we finally see it back on TV next year? Sadly, no—it's currently getting sold. An undated online listing from Dock Street Brokers shows the unmistakable 113-foot boat currently available for a whopping $2,888,888. According to the post, Time Bandit, built in 1991, can stash up to 365,000 pounds of salmon and 175,000 pounds of crab (wow).

We're heartbroken that the Hillstrand brothers have chosen to part ways with their beloved family boat—and that this means Time Bandit's Deadliest Catch stint has officially run its course. The crew's absence has been a hard pill to swallow for many avid viewers, but there's no doubt that the remaining stars will continue to serve up our dramatic fishing fix (and hopefully fill Johnathan's pranking void).

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