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‘Ax Men’ Spoilers: The Series Returns With More Danger, More Drama And More Shelby

By Charlinda Robinson
Published on: 01:23 PST, Nov 20, 2015

The first Ax Men episode kicking off the ninth season is titled, “Shelby Strikes Back,” and it features fan-favorite Shelby Stanga. To fill an order, Shelby must go deeper into the gator-infested bayous to find the right logs to satisfy his client. Fans will be happy to see Shelby “The Swamp Man” in the first episode; last season everyone was asking where he had gone when the first few episodes aired without him. The Shelby Stanga – Ax Men Facebook page hints at plenty of Shelby during the first episode.

“Ahright! Seven more sunrises until the premiere of the new season! It will be a whole hour of Shelby so we are excited! But starting next Saturday there will be an Ax Men marathon. If ya want to start now, History has made all episodes from Season 1-8 available on their website. Let’s go get some of the gold Junior!”

Rygaard Logging will return to Ax Men, as well. In a preview clip of the new season, Gabe Rygaard hints that more family members may be joining the logging operation. Gabe, with brother Jason’s help, has been running the company after patriarch Craig Rygaard suffered a horrible accident on the job. The incident was caught on video by the Ax Men film crew, and viewers were shocked to see Craig’s right leg being pulled into the haywire drum of a yarder. Rygaard is tougher than he looks; his doctors decided to let his knee and leg heal on their own. Recently, he appeared in a Honda commercial with Gabe and he seems to be fully healed.

According to History Channel’s Ax Men page, Jason may be striking out on his own this year and there will be fierce competition between the brothers for the coveted “King of the Mountain” title. Last season, Todd Dewey, cousin to the Rygaard brothers, made an appearance on Ax Men when he came up to the site to help haul logs. Viewers may recognize him from Ice Road Truckers, a series that he has been on for a few seasons now. If the next generation of Rygaards are going to try their hand at logging, it remains to be seen who Gabe is talking about.

Papac Logging will return to Ax Men with Mike “Coatsey” Coats, once again, leading the team. As Ax Men fans know, anything can happen with this group. Coatsey and Joe Linderborg have had some major arguments, and the team is prone to making mistakes and causing injuries. Last season on Ax Men, Coatsey fell and broke a few ribs, and Adrienne Priess fell and injured her ankle. This season she will be back and will be running the yarder for the first time. She is smart, even tempered, and a fast learner, which may be just what this unruly crew needs.

The Dreadknots and Chapman loggers will undoubtedly resume their rivalry on Ax Men this season. The two groups will be competing to see who can fill a large order. Every two weeks, the crews will bring their wood to the mill until the order is filled. Captain Clint Roberts is back with friend and fellow diver Dave Stone, better known as “The Kraken,” and he wants to be the one to fill the entire order. Greg Chapman has something to say about that, and is determined to do whatever it takes to fill the order, including hiring a new crew.

Dave Zitterkopf will be tackling his most daunting job ever on Ax Men. With the help of sons Zane, Ethan, and Levi, they will be working to harvest over 1,000 acres of timber in an area where just getting to the destination will be difficult due to the rough terrain. Given his recent health problems, it remains to be seen if this ambitious project is something Dave can finish.

Triack Resources will return for another season on Ax Men, and is located in British Columbia. Owner Dave McRae is known for taking on difficult jobs that other companies shy away from. He uses a dangerous logging technique called “chucking,” that’s not even allowed in the U.S. His crew drives shovel loaders up steep cliffs, where they grab logs and then they throw or “chuck” the logs down a hill. He has worked with sons Alec and Kelly, and in the middle of last season’s Ax Men, he fired Kelly. Perhaps this season the family will be back together.

Are you a fan of the show? Which team is your favorite? Leave your comments, thoughts, and opinions below. The Ax Men season premiere airs on Sunday, November 22 at 9 p.m. ET on the History Channel.

[Photo via History Channel/Ax Men Facebook, cropped and sized]

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