'Deadliest Catch': Clean, sober, and crabby?

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'Deadliest Catch's' Captain Keith Colburn flips out at crew

Fox411: Captain Keith Colburn flips out at one of his longtime crew members

Captain Keith Colburn flipped out on one of his longtime crew men and ordered him off the ship on Tuesday's episode of "Deadliest Catch."

And the skipper who is now sober after some hard-drinking days insisted he was entirely in his right mind while sending the guy packing, Discovery Channel cameras showed.

Keith and his Wizard ship's crew wound up a successful crab fishing trip and were getting their boat tied up in port when he lost it.

The captain noticed that a couple of crew members were wearing ear buds and couldn't hear his commands from the wheelhouse.

Furious Keith stormed down to the deck to berate them.

When Keith thought that Robby, who had worked for him for four years, wasn't making eye contact, Keith erupted "You want a job on this boat or not?!"

Then he yelled, "In fact, go pack your s--t. Get the f--k out of here…I'm dead serious!"

Another crew man, Tyler, said of his boss' hair-trigger temper, "I don't get it. It's not a cool thing."

Keith told the cameras, "One thing I do know. I'm completely lucid, completely clear. If ever in my life I've had laser focus, it's right now. I haven't had a drink in over three months."

Earlier in the season, Keith had been longing for liquor, but stuck to his sobriety.

On Tuesday's episode, Keith mused aloud about Robby's abrupt dismissal, "Was I too short? Was I too quick? Did I blow up for no reason?  Well, no, I had a reason. Kind of a shame to see him go but you know what, see you later!"

Earlier, fans had seen Keith accuse Robby of being half asleep and the deck hand almost get injured when a hook whipped across the deck.

Also on Tuesday's episode, Johnathan Hillstrand, in his final season of fishing before retirement, was happy to have his brother Andy helping him on the Time Bandit and whipping the crew into shape.

Johnathan's crab haul quickly went from disappointing to thrilling.

"The good, the bad and the ugly on this one," Johnathan laughed.

Meanwhile, on the Saga, Jake Anderson was nervous after catching very little crab.

Like Keith, Jake had a struggle with a crew member. Dean wasn't counting crab accurately, Captain Jake sighed.

Dean finally said he'd do whatever the captain wanted.

Then his crab pots were full and Jake was jubilant.

He spoke to his wife Jenna on the phone and saw video of their son.

After hanging up, emotional Jake said, "Wow, that's rough. I didn't understand how hard it would be being a parent, let alone a parent at sea."