TV Cameraman Rushed to Hospital After Serious Infection During Filming

A frightening medical emergency rocked the crew of Deadliest Catch after a longtime producer and cameraman developed a serious facial infection at sea and was forced to leave the Cornelia Marie for treatment.

Matt Holland, 38, became so sick during the Friday, Sept. 4, episode of the Discovery Channel hit that Captain Jake Anderson ultimately had no choice but to get him off the boat.

The trouble began when Holland noticed his face rapidly swelling as an inflamed pustule developed between his nose and mouth.

His condition quickly became so painful that even Holland admitted he had reached his limit.

“I have a very high pain tolerance, and I’ve met my match,” Holland told Anderson.

Even more concerning, Holland was not the first person aboard the Cornelia Marie to develop an infection. Relief captain Jake Albinio had already suffered one, raising fears that something potentially dangerous could be spreading through the vessel.

Anderson initially said Holland’s infection looked like a badly infected pimple, but he worried it could possibly be MRSA, a type of staph bacteria that can resist several commonly used antibiotics.

Life aboard a crab boat only made the situation more alarming.

“Being out here, doing this job, it’s about survival. Infections on boats are bad,” Anderson explained, pointing out that crew members are routinely exposed to crab injuries, old fish remains and other bacteria-filled hazards.

Still, the Cornelia Marie was in the middle of a crucial fishing run, and Anderson made it clear that stopping was not an easy option.

“There’s a lot of crab to catch. I can’t stop. I’m going to keep going,” he said.

Unlike being sick on land, getting medical help in the middle of the Bering Sea can become a major ordeal.

“This isn’t like being at work, where you just get in the car or call an ambulance and two minutes later you’re at the hospital,” Anderson said.

By the next morning, Holland’s condition had gotten worse.

“I feel like s—, dude,” he told producers while lying down. “If I didn’t feel like s—, I wouldn’t be lying here.”

The crew initially gave Holland antibiotics while Anderson continued hauling crab pots, but the medication failed to improve his condition.

That was when Anderson contacted supervising producer Lisa Roberts for medical guidance.

After discussing Holland’s worsening symptoms, they determined that the safest move was to head toward St. Paul, Alaska, so he could receive medical treatment.

Holland later revealed just how serious the infection had become.

He said it appeared to have entered through a pore and grown inward, putting pressure on his trigeminal nerve.

According to Holland, doctors warned that the location of the infection could potentially lead to Bell’s palsy, permanent nerve damage or even facial paralysis.

He was told he would need roughly 10 days away from work to recover.

“Get better, man,” Anderson told him.

Once Holland was off the vessel, Anderson ordered the area where he had been staying to be sanitized as concerns continued about infections spreading aboard the boat.

“It’s a bummer. Matt’s a good guy,” Anderson said. “But the fact of the matter is, we got to get the hell out of here.”

The Cornelia Marie remained docked until Holland’s replacement, Kelsey Kroon, arrived.

Anderson was clearly anxious to get back on the water.

“We need to f—ing get the f— out of here, now,” he said.

“We have a lot of work to do, and time is not on our side.”

The crew eventually returned to sea, where their crab pots began producing strong numbers and gave Anderson a much-needed victory after the medical scare.

But the health problems were not completely over.

Several other crew members also required medical treatment as infections continued to spread. They were given medication and eventually cleared to return to work.

Anderson made it clear that their safety remained his biggest concern.

“I don’t want to lose any one of you guys,” he told the crew.

Despite being battered by illness and exhaustion, the Cornelia Marie crew ended the episode preparing to head back out and continue one of the most dangerous jobs on television.