My name is Andy Hall and I watch reality TV. There, I’ve said it. It’s my guilty pleasure born of long dark nights in the Alaska winter.
I watch the talent shows like American Idol, though I’m not sure what fascinates me more, the raw talent that emerges, the utterly talentless people who strut on stage and humiliate themselves, or the ravenous ambition both groups display in equal measure.
The shows I enjoy the most, though, are the ones that give the viewer a glimpse into the lives of those with unusual occupations and lifestyles, many of which are produced right here in Alaska. The Deadliest Catch, Alaska State Troopers and Ice Road Truckers are a few of the Alaska-based shows that allow us to live vicariously through a fishing season on the Bering Sea, to tag along while busting poachers or drive big rigs through the eternal night that is winter on Alaska’s North Slope.
After several years on the air, even these “lifestyle” reality shows are spawning stars and, consequently, attracting fame-seekers.
So it was a tremendous pleasure when earlier this week I met a crewman from the F/V Ramblin’ Rose, the newest vessel in the Deadliest Catch crab-boat fleet, and realized that he is the real deal.
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| Andy Hall |
| Bering Sea crab fisherman Face Iaulualo and his wife, Trenae, talk about his experience as part of the reality TV series Deadliest Catch. |
Faresa “Face” Iaulualo lives in my hometown of Eagle River with his wife and two sons, and has fished the Bering Sea for 15 years. He did not seek a role on the Discovery Channel series, it came out of nowhere when the boat on which he works was enlisted. He signed the contract and opened his life to the world. Nearly everything that happens on the Ramblin’ Rose is fodder for the producers, including work on the deck, downtime and even his calls home.
At 36, Face is one of the fittest men I’ve ever met, though he admits with a shrug that he’s never set foot in a gym. He describes his role on the show with an unusually calm demeanor, the same he maintains when recounting the time a giant wave washed him overboard, or the day a 500-pound pot took off one of his fingers while he was working the deck. This guy is no poser, and he’s taking the celebrity that comes with the same cool composure. Face and his wife, Trenae, say they view the opportunity to take part in the show as a legacy for their sons so they’ll know how their dad made a living.
Where some seem to capitalize on their appearance on such shows, trying to leverage it into fame, Face seems content enjoy to the experience. He described being approached by autograph seekers with a shy smile. His one hope is that the exposure might help him get an oil field job on the North Slope. That kind of humility is rare, especially on reality TV. I wouldn’t wish fame on anyone; too many who seek it are consumed by it. But Face didn’t go looking. Instead, it's tapping his broad, tattooed shoulder.