Sam Carlson has been a staple of National Geographic's 'Port Protection' since the show began, but he recently suffered a health scare. What happened?

Sam Carlson has lived in Port Protection, Alaska for his entire life which, at the time of this writing, is 62 years. He's a jack-of-all-trades who has been a commercial fisherman and trapper. He's also a self-taught inventor whose nickname on the show is The Engineer.

He raised his family in a home he built that also serves as a compound of sorts. However, it doesn't keep people out. Like any good husband or father, Sam keeps his family safe.

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However, sometimes even the strongest of folks can get hit with a health scare and Sam is no exception. What happened to Sam Carlson on Port Protection? We hope he's doing OK.

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What happened to Sam Carlson on 'Port Protection'?

In Season 6, Episode of 3 of Port Protection, Sam and his son Matt Carlson are joined by another member of the Carlson clan for a family fishing trip. Their youngest son, Kelly, is a musician who didn't follow in his father or brother's rustic footsteps, but that doesn't mean he can't dip his toes back into the frigid waters every now and again. While it was lovely seeing this reunion, some thought Kelly's sudden appearance might have something to do with his father's health.

We haven't seen anything on the show that would warrant concerns, but eagle-eyed fans have been exchanging information on social media. On Dec. 30, 2022, a woman named Sue Wise Nugent posted, "Prayers for Same Carlson. Hope he's OK," in the Port Protection Facebook group.

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A couple folks replied to her post asking what happened.

"He was airlifted out to a hospital and there is no news on what happened," wrote Karen Goyette.

According to member Caroline Shade, Sam "had a mild heart attack and is doing good." Evidently Matt confirmed somewhere on his own Facebook page that his dad was doing well.

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What do we know about Kelly Carlson?

The mysterious Carlson brother that fans finally met on a recent episode of Port Protection is a musician currently living in Seattle, Wash. According to Kelly's Facebook page, he plays bass for the band Raw Dogs who write what they describe as "anthems of the apocalypse." If you go to a show, do not yell out Kelly Carlson as he goes by the stage name of Kelly Carcinogen. (Perhaps Kelly Carlson was too close to Kelly Clarkson? It seems as if he's "been gone" from Port Protection for quite some time.)

Kelly's wife, Celeste Mora Carlson, joined her husband in Alaska when they were filming in 2022. On her Facebook page, she recently dropped some behind-the-scenes footage of their time in that tiny corner of the world. In one short but adorable video, Celeste is filming Kelly while they're on a boat.

"We have to go investigate a log covered in seagulls about a half mile away," Kelly says. "That's how Alaska is going," Celeste drily says off-camera. Sometimes the drama is in the little things.