Discovery Channel has declined to comment that the three captains have quit, but it has me wondering – will you watch without Sig Hansen and the Hillstrands?

A lot of blog comment sections are filling up with disappointed Deadliest Catch fans who say that since the death of Captain Phil Harris, and now these three jumping ship, they will no longer tune in to the reality show.

Seems a lawsuit is at issue – The Hollywood Reporter tells the tale that a Discovery Channel lawsuit against the Hillstrand brothers is to blame. Discovery said the brothers had breached their contract when they refused to finish production on an episode about their lives in Alaska.

Sig Hansen and the Hillstrands released the following statement: “We have been through a lot over the past year and unfortunately given the current situation with Discovery we are unable to continue participating in ‘Deadliest Catch.’ It has been a fantastic ride, and we wish the best to all of the amazing and supportive ‘Catch’ fans we have met over the years.”

The Discovery Network released a statement from Phil Harris’ sons about their dad’s death:

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad – Captain Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down. We will remember and celebrate that strength. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.

Discovery issued the following statement about Phil Harris’ death:

“Discovery mourns the loss of dear friend and colleague Captain Phil Harris. He was more than someone on our television screen. Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him. We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart. We share our tremendous sadness over this loss with the millions of viewers who followed Phil’s every move. We send our thoughts and prayers to Phil’s sons Josh and Jake and the Cornelia Marie crew.”

Deadliest Catch’s Phil Harris was the captain of the Cornelia Marie; he had suffered a stroke on January 29, was placed in a coma after surgery, then woke from the coma last week and was reportedly improving.

News that Harris died hit Twitter late tonight, with fans of the reality show shocked about this sudden turn of events.

R.I.P.

Not content until she rules the universe, Oprah is partnering with Discovery Communications to create the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). The OWN will replace Discovery Health network.

According to David Zaslav, Discovery Communications chief, “The focus of the channel will be the focus of Oprah’s brand, which is to educate and inspire people to live the best life they can.”

Seriously, what doesn’t Oprah have her hands in these days? Talk show, magazine, Internet, politics, television network… the only place we haven’t seen Oprah is in sports. Maybe Oprah could buy a football team next?