“Deadliest Catch” star Todd Meadows told his children he “was safe” moments before he fatally fell overboard while filming the series.
Producers divulged the before and after of Meadows’ tragic death on February 25 after falling from the Aleutian Lady into the Alaskan waters of the Bering Sea during Friday’s episode – while avoiding the incident itself.
In a segment in the season 22 finale, Meadows promised his son during a FaceTime call with his family that when he returned home, they would go on a salmon fishing trip.
“I hope you’re safe,” his daughter said in the clip. “If you’re not safe, you better be.”
He responded hauntingly, “Oh, I’m safe. »
Meadows also told producers during a confessional that it had been “one of (his) dreams and goals” to join the team, adding, “That’s why I’m here to make this happen and to try to provide for my family.”
He told producers that letting his children – ages 1, 2 and 4 at the time – work on the show’s boat was “heartbreaking” because the younger ones don’t understand why he left.
The anguished moments following Meadows’ fall into the sea were then shared, with the scene switching to Captain Rick Shelford – after hearing screams – asking crew members: “Is everyone okay?”
“No,” the crew responded, explaining that there was a man overboard, to which Shelford immediately turned around and ordered the team to be ready to pull Meadows out of the water.
After being informed that a man was overboard, Shelford ordered crew members to bring Meadows up and perform CPR. He was in the water for 6 minutes and 26 seconds before being pulled out of the Bering Sea, unconscious.
Off camera, the captain could be heard saying, “Come on, man, come on,” before calling the Coast Guard.
A producer told an extremely emotional Shelford: “He’s gone, Rick. »
Shelford initially announced Meadows’ tragic death in an emotional social media post in March.
“February 25, 2026 was the most tragic day in the history of the Lady of the Aleutians on the Bering Sea,” he wrote at the time. “We lost our brother, Todd Meadows.”
Calling Meadows “family” and praising his “strong work ethic,” Shelford also mentioned the late TV personality’s children.
“Todd’s love for his children, his family and his life was evident in everything he did,” he wrote in his message.
“He worked hard, loved deeply and brought joy to those around him,” Shelford continued. “Right now, our hearts are broken in ways that words cannot fully express.”
The television personality was 25 years old at the time of her death.
“Deadliest Catch” deckhand Trey John Green III told Page Six exclusively in March that the waters were “calm” and “only a degree or two above freezing” at the time of the fatal incident.
His comrade was “in the right place, at the right time” and “doing exactly what he was supposed to do,” Green insisted, adding, “It’s one of those things that none of us really understand.” »
Meadows died of “drowning with probable hypothermia” and “submersion of the body in cold water,” a death certificate obtained by TMZ revealed.
Meadows’ mother, Angela, had already pleaded with the channel “not to broadcast these images or make money from the death of our son.”
The family has reportedly obtained the services of an attorney to potentially pursue a wrongful death lawsuit, TMZ reported in April, although it remains unclear whether any legal action has materialized.
A family GoFundMe for Meadows has since raised more than $85,000 of a $90,000 goal, with the episode about the tragic accident bringing new awareness to the reality star’s death.
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