WEST RICHLAND -- Looking at the fans lined up outside Yoke's Fresh Market in West Richland on Friday, you would have thought a rock or country star had dropped by for a quart of milk.

But no, they were all there to get autographs from a couple of crab fishermen.

Captain Keith Colburn and his brother, Monty Colburn, star on the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch series. It's a reality show about the lives and fishing conditions aboard seven boats working the treacherous waters of the Bering Sea.

"Weather conditions there can be mercurial. A boat in one area can be in calm waters, yet another a few hundred miles away can be in a deadly storm," said Darrell Toombs, store manager of the West Richland Yoke's Fresh Market. He, and his wife, Jill, are fans of the show.

"It's amazing what they do in the miserable conditions they work in, the beyond-freezing cold, the huge waves, just the constant danger from the machinery and the ocean," he said.

Just a week before, Toombs found out from his beer distributor that the two TV stars would be visiting his store.

"I didn't have much time to get the word out," he said. Yet, at his estimate, there were about 500 people lined up outside his store Friday morning when the Colburns picked up their black Sharpies.

Henry Weinhard's Brewing is sponsoring the autograph tour and also is running a "Be a Greenhorn For a Day" contest. To enter, go to www.henryweinhards.com. Winners will be flown to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to meet Captain Colburn and the rest of the crew and be treated to a crab dinner.

Rich Roberts, district sales manager for Miller-Coors of Kirkland, which distributes Weinhard's, is handling the tour. And he's also a big fan of the show.

"These guys are so real -- just good, hard-working American people," Roberts said. "Their celebrity status hasn't gone to their head at all."

Monty Colburn, signing yet another photo of the Wizard crew, said, "I've been fishing for 24 years and I never thought I'd be doing this. Fishing is just my job; I always have bills to pay."

But their fans disagree, saying what the Colburns and the other crab fishermen do is anything but routine.

"I can't believe what goes into getting the great-tasting crab we love. They have a passion for what they do, and it shows. They are true-life heroes and crazy people," said Steve Arbogast of Kennewick.

Tammie Lane of Kennewick said it's very easy to get hooked on the show because of its intensity. She has been recording it since the first episode.

Diane Waters of Kennewick called out, "Thank you guys for risking your life for that good crab.

"They really put their lives in danger. When you see those crab cages come crashing down on the deck, wow," Waters said.

Gary LaViolette of West Richland, a Hanford patrolman, summed up most everyone's opinion of crab fishing, saying, "They work hard in rough conditions. I wouldn't trade my job for theirs for anything."

"Every time there's a big wave over the boat, I cover my eyes and my dog's too," said LaViolette's daughter, Emma, 8.

For two hours, the men signed T-shirts -- including the back of one that a young man was still wearing -- plus books, DVDs, posters, a buoy, even a bottle of beer.

"I'll drink the rest of the beer (in the box) but not the one they signed," said the woman.

But the most unusual request came from Diane Zuhlke of Burbank, who was toting a wooden plaque of a sailing ship made by her husband, Darwin.

"Would you sign the sails?" she asked.

Captain Colburn, asked if 10 years ago he would have guessed he would have fans, shook his head, looked at the endless line of autograph seekers, and replied, "I would never have believed it. This has been pretty crazy."

The Colburns' next autograph signing will be at the Alderwood Fred Meyer from 4 to 6 p.m. June 24 in Lynnwood.

You can find out more about Deadliest Catch at http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/deadliest-catch. You also can keep up with Captain Colburn at "Crabwizard" on Facebook.