After last week’s super classy and polite guests, the “Below Deck” crew is going to be hard-pressed to find a family like that. This week, a new set of guests is coming on, and the primary, Michele, is a new divorcée who is celebrating her 50th birthday. Should be interesting.
It’s the last charter and the crew is getting salty. Barbie Pascual is complaining to her friend over the phone about how hard she works while standing around texting and Xandi Olivier mutters, “I wish I could just let things go and not make my life hard.”
Captain Kerry Titheradge checks the interiors and Fraser Oldender is given a thumbs-up. However, when looking around the deck, Kerry points out little errors to the bosun, Ben Willoughby.
“It’s like Captain Kerry’s got his knickers in a knot,” Ben says in a confessional. “I just feel like I have to bite my tongue right up to the end and just say, ‘Yes, sir let’s get on with it.’ It’s a bit annoying,” he complains.
Before the guests arrive, Kerry gives the crew a pep talk and rallies everyone for a group hug. Then, a group of women arrive and some of them are sorority sisters, while others are meeting for the first time.
While the ladies pose with their Delta Sigma Theta sign, Xandi asks Barbie to help her set up the sky lounge. Barbie says okay but needs five minutes to put on makeup.
“I’m honestly dumbfounded at this request. She already wants a break,” Xandi tells the cameras. “I don’t have words. I think my face says it all.”
The Below Deck crew is getting sloppy
Kerry has departed the dock and while anchoring, he calls out through the radio that he wants four on deck. The exterior misheard him and Sunny Marquis responds, “Four shackles at the waterline.” Kerry replies, “Okay, I said four on deck, but that’ll be fine.”
Ben asks Sunny what the captain said and she tells him, “He said four on deck, not four at the waterline.” Ben doesn’t think it’s a big deal and shrugs it off.
Meanwhile, the guests are having lunch and Kerry radios Ben to tell him the jacuzzi isn’t hot and that the umbrellas need to be closed because of the wind. Ben is like whatever, but he’s forgetting that Kerry told him to close the umbrellas while the boat is out in the water.
Barbie apparently needs hearing aids because the primary complains that her food is salty. Fraser asks what they’re saying and Barbie tells him that the food’s not salty enough, which he tells Chef Nick Tatlock. Things are about to get even saltier!
Later, Fraser finds Barnie napping in her cabin almost 30 minutes late from break. She wakes up like she has no idea where or when she is.
“We are so exhausted at this point but that doesn’t mean we can slack. So, get the f*ck up babe. Get up now,” Fraser says in a confessional.
It’s almost dinner time and Sunny is talking to Dylan Pierre De Villiers in the crew mess. Kerry sees yoga mats and pillows on the deck and is pissed. That’s American slang for “mad,” not Australian for “drunk,” just to be clear.
He storms into the mess and says, “The flybridge, guest area, is messy right now. We don’t eat when the guest areas haven’t been cleared.”
Ben and Kyle are back from the guests’ Reiki session on the beach and Kerry tells them what’s up. “Can’t leave guest areas incomplete,” he says. “That’s fair,” Ben replies.
“I’m f*cking speechless. It’s not the first day,” Kerry tells the cameras. “They know what’s expected of them. It’s like, where’s this coming from? Why aren’t you doing your job?”
The primary is salty about salt
The dinner is French-themed and cheffy has made a pretty green salad that is Fraser-approved. Unfortunately, Michele doesn’t like arugula, which wasn’t on her preference sheet.
Fraser brings them a palate cleanser so that Michele can get the taste of peppery greens out of her mouth. The next dish is local Grenadian lobster with saffron risotto and lobster bisque, which is too salty for Michele.
“I feel like she just wants to complain,” Nick tells the cameras. “It was delicious. But, I’m just going to focus on dessert.” Thankfully, Michele likes the lemon tart with chantilly cream. Oui oui.
The next morning is a brand new day and there are new things to complain about. Captain Von Trapp has issued a cabin inspection that evening and everyone groans.
“We have standards to be upheld throughout the boat. Standards of cleanliness, tidiness, and we are now due to do cabin inspections,” Kerry says in a confessional. “Make sure there’s no fire hazards, emergency escapes aren’t blocked … it’s part of health and safety that we do this.”
Ben says he’s not cleaning his cabin because they’re on charter and he has to look after the guests. Mutiny on the STD!
The guests have a beach picnic and everything goes swimmingly until dessert time. Michele doesn’t want her crème brûlée and tells Paris she can have it. There are two extras so Paris and Sunny dig in. Fraser tells them to stop eating in front of the guests and then, all of a sudden, Michele asks for her crème brûlée back. I mean, who does that? Has she not heard of no backsies?
Fraser is all, I told you so and tells Paris to go deal with it. She goes up to Michele and says, “You said I could eat it!” They all have a good laugh and crisis averted.
Ben Willoughby and Kyle Stillie are in big trouble
It’s time for cabin checks. Kerry gives Fraser his stamp of approval as everything is neat and tidy. Everyone passes but when the captain goes into Ben and Kyle’s cabin, it’s a mess.
“No attempt to make it clean. It’s like a bomb’s gone off,” he says. “I’m very old school. There is hierarchy. You don’t have to understand why your superior makes a decision. You just got to do what you’re asked to do. There’s no bigger f*ck you to a captain than to go against what he says.”
Kerry calls Ben and Kyle to the bridge. He immediately tells them, “Did you guys not take seriously the inspection today? It wasn’t like it was just a little messy. It was just f*cking, just f*cking rude. Every single person on this boat went to their cabin. The chef broke out from cooking food to go do it. Interior went and done their bit.”
“You’re the f*cking bosun, mate,” he tells Ben. “Just f*cking blatant disrespect. I’ve shown both of you guys respect. I’ve been out f*cking busting my f*cking ass to help you guys out and this is the way you say f*cking thank you? F*cking beyond words.”
Ben and Kyle both look scared and “Below Deck” crew members have been fired for less. We’ll find out next week what their fate awaits, mates.
