Does ‘Deadliest Catch’s’ Nick Have Cancer? Discovery Channel Teases His Mystery Illness For Tonight’s Episode?

Deadliest Catch star Nick McGlashan is afraid he might have cancer, and the Discovery Channel is using that fear, combined with whatever his mystery illness is, to hype up tonight’s (May 1, 2017) episode.

In a video released late Tuesday morning (Eastern Time), the network showed a preview for tonight’s episode that appears to focus largely on McGlashan’s mystery illness.

What exactly is going on with Nick? #DeadliestCatch pic.twitter.com/Fcq7hPthn4

— Deadliest Catch (@DeadliestCatch) May 1, 2017

For those who can’t watch the video, here’s what happens: The video opens by showing an exhausted and bedraggled Nick, covered in sweat and looking like he’s only vaguely aware of where he is. You hear his boss, Captain Jake Anderson, express concern.

“I’m really worried about Nick. I’ve looked at this kid, almost like a son.”

A clip then shows the Summer Bay crew on the ground somewhere, and you can hear Nick say he’s headed to a clinic.

However, a caption reads, “His sickness is not what it seems.”

Cut to a shot of Nick’s bunk empty, and Jake flipping out and saying, “I’ve been lied to for a long time.”

So what does it all mean?

One thing that needs to be made clear right away is that there’s a gap in time between when scenes for a TV show are filmed and when viewers see them on the air, and that gap can be anywhere from weeks to over a year or more. In other words, whatever has happened to Nick has already happened in real life. As you’re reading these words, it could very well be that Nick has been seen, treated for, and gotten over whatever mystery illness he has.

The fact that his Twitter account is still active and, as recently as last week, he was tweeting should tell you that he’s at least healthy enough to operate his social media presence. Also, since he posted a photo from the cabin of the Summer Bay — his workplace — he clearly still had a job as of April 23.

My daughter giving @captwildbill a break at the #wheel. #deadliestcatch #spawns pic.twitter.com/qTN0pwzK0j

— Nick McGlashan (@NickMcglashan) April 24, 2017

Throughout this season, Nick has been dogged by a mystery illness that has had him “operating at half speed,” and on the show, you can see him looking sweaty, exhausted, and confused. And as it turns out, he’s been seen for his mystery illness before, but he didn’t follow through with treatment.

“I spent a while in the hospital, back in April… They told me that my white blood cell count is supposed to be a five to a seven, mine was in the 60’s. And so I just left the hospital. Like ‘Alright, I’m out.’ Pull my IV’s out and go.”

Clearly, the young man is scared and would rather hope the illness goes away on its own rather than find out what it is, for fear that it might be cancer.

However, Nick’s symptoms (fatigue, confusion, high white blood cell count) don’t necessarily point to cancer. In fact, they seem consistent with a lung infection (and the Inquisitr would like to remind you that this writer is not a medical professional and is only making an armchair diagnosis based on limited data). And considering his line of work — grueling physical labor in cold and wet conditions, being exposed to all manner of sea life and whatever pathogens that brings up — it’s not unlikely that he simply has a lung infection. Further, according to the American Cancer Society, there are some generalized signs and symptoms of cancer to be on the lookout for. Those do include fatigue, but they also include swollen glands and lymph nodes, unexplained weight loss, and diarrhea. If Nick has those symptoms, the Discovery Channel isn’t showing them.

Also, and this can’t be repeated enough: armchair diagnosis of medical conditions, when you’re not a medical professional and the person you’re “diagnosing” is a stranger you’ve only seen on TV, is a dangerous and foolish game to play.

Tune into Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern Time to see if any further information about Nick McGlashan’s mystery illness is revealed.

[Featured Image by Discovery Channel/Wikimedia Commons/Cropped an Resized/Fair Use]