I started watching 2 or 3 yrs ago....I love watching any kind of fabrication, assembly line, any type of production stuff really. Just amazes me to see what those guys can make at the drop of a hat. But I gotta agree, the drama level went so far up, it got in the way of the show...it changed to little more than a soap opera/reality show. I've only watched some this year, but did catch most of the Sr. vs. Jr....but funny, I missed the ending....so now I know who won......but I'll catch it in on the replays.
Sometimes I think a lot of it becomes "scripted for TV"...like the Sr. Jr feud....what ever will draw more viewers....but then the lawsuit seems real I guess.

I saw the episode last week where Sr and his crew went up to Alaska to visit the "Deadliest Catch" gang, where Jonathan of the Time Bandit had retained Sr. to build a commemorative bike to Phil Harris. I love Deadliest Catch so I thought that was really cool what Jonathan was doing. Did anybody catch the custom bike Phil Harris owned that his sons put on ebay last year for charity, but reserve wasn't met, I think it petered out at 42k. Don't know what became of it.