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‘Wicked Tuna’ Season 10 Premiere: How the Show Addressed Major Changes

On Sunday (February 21), season 10 of Wicked Tuna premiered, and due to the ongoing pandemic, the show had to make some much-needed changes.

At 9 p.m. ET, the National Geographic Channel debuted the 90-minute long episode of Wicked Tuna called “Keep the Tradition Alive.” The show addressed issues that concern life beyond 2020 and the challenges it left behind.

Some changes the pandemic caused were the sudden drop in demand for tuna since most restaurants had to close for extended periods or the reduced capacity at the restaurants that were open. The prices of bluefin tuna have dropped as well.

All About the Attitude

Wicked Tuna Captain Dave Marciano of the boat, Hard Merchandise, told the Gloucester Daily Times that the season depended on your attitude.

“We didn’t see the prices we saw in the past, but it was a fun year to participate in because we wanted it to be fun.”

Marciano said his crew is Massachusetts residents, so like them, Marciano is just happy to be able to work.

“We didn’t make the money like past years, but we were fortunate in this climate to be doing anything at all. A lot of people are unable to do whatever it is they do, and many restaurants never opened fully.”

Marciano is one of eight captains on Wicked Tuna. Between them and the fish buyers, the show has to come up with a way not to flood the market but still generate a profit.

All eight captains agreed to limit the amount of time they sell their catch to buyers to three days a week.

Wicked Tuna just hopes to give viewers a “very positive” season despite all the issues people are currently facing.

“Collectively, we all have seen enough negativity between elections and the pandemic,” Marciano said. “We truly want people to have fun watching this show and forget about their worries. And I think we accomplished that.”

Captain Paul Hebert Back on Wicked Tuna

In addition, Wicked Tuna will welcome back Captain Paul Hebert. While he was filming Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks in North Carolina during the pandemic, his father, unfortunately, died of COVID-19. Hebert was not allowed to visit him prior to his death. He notes that the loss was “one of the worst things I’ve ever been through.”

Hebert also hopes that the show will be an example of competitors coming together.

“We worked as hard as we possibly could, and we put a lot of time in my boat because my boat is slower, but it paid off,” the captain of the Wicked Pissah said. “We are excited for this season, and everyone is going to see how we all came together in this pandemic, and we all helped each other out. I think the world has had enough with all the fighting, and it goes to show you when times are really tough, people who are competitive can work together.”

Captains T.J. Ott, Dave Carraro, Tyler McLaughlin, and Bob Cook will also be returning for the upcoming season. However, Wicked Tuna will welcome two new captains to the show, Captains Jack Patrician and Spurge Krasowski.

Despite the halt in cutthroat competition between the eight captains on Wicked Tuna, Marciano notes that this season was the “most fun season yet.”

Episode two of the show’s tenth season will air on February 28 at 9 p.m. ET. You can watch the series on the National Geographic channel or stream it on Disney +.