Below Deck Season-Premiere Recap: Big Boat, Big Crew, Big Problems

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As the sun ascends on Captain Kerry’s superyacht St. David in Sint Maarten, it swiftly sets the stage for another thrilling season of reality TV drama – and boy, have I missed it after a rather tranquil stint with Captain Jason in the Seychelles! This episode marks the start of the new season, and the tension among some crew members is already palpable. The chef seems on the brink, the deckhands are making blunders galore, and our charter guests might as well be from another planet. Welcome to Below Deck, where chaos reigns supreme! With a tantalizing teaser at the end of this week’s hour-long episode hinting at full-blown ship turmoil – obnoxious passengers, police boarding, deckhand Kyle allegedly getting cozy with a guest – one thing is for certain: There will be kisses galore, and not just among the guests!

Under the leadership of Captain Kerry, we find ourselves once more. His style as a captain can be summed up as a blend of benevolence and firmness, often referred to as a ‘benevolent autocrat’. He’s known for his friendly demeanor, sharing laughter and camaraderie with the crew, but his vigilance over the ship is unwavering. His sharp eyes are always on the lookout.

He conducts regular cleanliness checks in the cabins; last season, Kyle and Bosun Ben learned this the hard way when they overlooked these inspections. Before every guest’s arrival, he conducts a thorough walkthrough of the ship with the bosun and chief stew.

As soon as our new crew sets foot on the St. David, Captain Kerry calls them together for a briefing. His message is clear: he will be firm but fair. He urges his crew not to mistake his kindness for vulnerability, issuing a warning instead.

The somewhat puzzled crew members in front of him exhibit diverse backgrounds in yachting and personal acquaintance with Kerry. Rejoining the cast this season is Kyle, a Scottish deckhand who charmed audiences with his endearing youthfulness. His tumultuous relationship with Argentine-princess-stew Barbie from the previous season didn’t last, despite their efforts to make it work. Kyle can be exasperating – much like a cherished yet impulsive young relative you want to support, but who occasionally makes questionable choices.

Additionally, Fraser Olander, a standout crew member from Below Deck, is back on Kerry’s team. Ranked 10th on Brian Moylan’s list of the cast across all franchises, Fraser truly deserves this recognition – he’s exceptional at his role as chief stew and has an impressive tan.

As a passionate movie enthusiast, I’m always one step ahead, arranging for a pre-boarding beverage with the team before we even set foot on the St. David. It’s my attempt to foster camaraderie and understand everyone in their everyday selves, before we embark on our shared journey – a battle this season. The crew is quite extensive this time around: three stewards, three deckhands, and a chef. Being fresh faces for us all, let’s delve deeper to get acquainted with each member.

Beaudine Trinjtje Schilderman de Roos is more commonly known as Rainbeau, the Second Stew. This nickname is easier for everyone to remember and it’s reminiscent of a rainbow, just so there’s no confusion. She hails from the Netherlands, exudes a cool vibe, and harbors an ambition to become the chief stew one day. With her extensive experience onboard, Captain Fraser appoints her as second-in-command right off the bat.

Solène, also known as “Stew,” is a former contestant on Love Island France who’s relatively inexperienced in the world of yachting. With less than a month under her belt, she considers herself a novice stew and seems to be overwhelmed much of the time, asking crew members for help on where things are located. She’s yet to master rolling towels and distinguishes between cleaning vinegar and kitchen vinegar. It takes her longer than expected to clean the toilets, leaving some other stews concerned. However, she has a cheerful disposition, always laughing and joking. I think she will either prove incredibly competent or extremely frustrating, with little room for anything in between.

I let out quite a yelp when I realized another Brazilian contestant joined us this season, hot on the heels of our fellow countryman/woman Marina’s success during season three of “Down Under.” Interestingly enough, Bárbara isn’t the only Brazilian aboard – we have Caio as the bosun, whom we’ll discuss soon. Despite just setting foot on the ship, Bárbara has already started a spat with Solène, her roommate. Her straightforward and no-nonsense attitude reminds me of home, and I plan to support her wholeheartedly.

Caio serves as the bosun on our ship, hailing from Rio de Janeiro with a distinctive hairstyle to remember. He boasts two years of experience in his role, yet the St. David, by comparison, is his most massive vessel thus far, requiring some adjustment. His walk exudes traditional Rio coolness, although his character isn’t particularly expressive in this episode. Interestingly, he mentioned that he operates at an “extremely fast pace” shortly after making a big blunder, which made me wonder if perhaps a more deliberate approach would be beneficial.

Jess, serving as Caio’s right-hand, hails from South Africa and boasts extensive experience in deck work, having previously held roles as bosun and lead deckhand. The crew warms up to her swiftly, sensing a calm assurance that comes with true expertise. With aspirations of becoming a captain herself, she diligently examines maps late into the first charter, possibly navigational charts. Similar to Barbara, Jess identifies as gay and shares this with fellow deckhand Damo, expressing a fondness for women who speak languages other than English. This turns out to be advantageous since none of the stews are native English speakers.

To complete our deck team, we have Damo, a lively Australian crew member who initially appeared promising, but raised some concerns when he mentioned that he suffers from “Peter Pan syndrome” and never wants to mature. If there’s a more alarming signal in a man, I’m not aware of it, but fortunately, he seems to be getting along well with his roommate Kyle — another individual who seems immature at heart. We’ll have to wait and see if his youthful disposition will be endearing or off-putting.

Lawrence, the main character introduced at the start of the season, is a British chef who has a quick temper. Despite being a Christian, he finds himself losing his patience shortly after setting foot on the St. David. He confesses to having issues with anger management and addiction in the past, but claims that his life improved significantly once he found religion. However, it’s clear that his struggle is not over as he’s often heard cursing, huffing, puffing, and complaining, interspersed with sounds of him reading from the Bible. Kerry advises him to seek help if he feels overwhelmed, but it seems like Lawrence is more troubled by being in the spotlight than anything else. He’s uncomfortable with being filmed and requests privacy for the first time – something that will become a recurring theme throughout the series. Lawrence reminds me of the orange M&M or the orange, wiry character from Inside Out 2 due to his emotional intensity. I instantly like him because I too can get easily flustered, which is why I chose a profession that allows for individual and silent work.

Once everyone’s on board, the St. David is ready to begin getting ready for its initial charter passengers. Instead of the usual gathering with the heads of departments to discuss preferences, Kerry opts to address deck-related matters with the deck team and lets Fraser handle the interior details along with the chef. This move underscores Kerry’s faith in Fraser, and perhaps it was wiser for him not to witness Lawrence’s response to the guests’ desire for a Japanese tasting menu on their first evening. Following the interior meeting, Barbara informs Fraser that she’s concerned about Solène. The chief stew advises her to stay patient and assures her he will keep an eye on her situation.

The following day, Fraser might have aimed to encourage Solène and boost her visibility by asking her to go with Kerry to collect the guests from the marina. Since the port’s bridge was too narrow for a boat as large as the St. David, especially during strong winds, Kerry usually chose to anchor the boat far out at sea and pick up guests using the tender – a method he had already employed when the crew had arrived. Among the arriving guests was the principal one, Sam Rashid, a demanding man from Tampa who was accompanied by his entire family, including two charming four-year-olds.

It’s not Solène’s duty to manage guest luggage; instead, it falls upon the deck crew. However, one might ponder if a more seasoned companion for Kerry could have prevented LuggageGate. If Fraser had been present, he likely would have noticed immediately that the bags were missing as they trailed behind the guests. As things stand, the anchor is lifting, the boat is pulling away, and the guests are enjoying Lawrence’s appetizing hors d’oeuvres while wondering where their luggage is. This confusion arises mainly because Sam, a calm and ordinary individual, carries a black light to ensure everything stays clean. In this situation, it falls upon Fraser to inform the captain that the bags were not aboard the vessel.

The deck team was astonished to discover that no one had collected the luggage from the port, causing them to chuckle in disbelief, almost in shock. Kerry arranged for a yachting service to transport them via a shuttle, but first summoned Caio to the bridge for a stern discussion. It concerns me that Caio doesn’t express remorse or propose solutions for this issue; instead, he merely assures Kerry that it won’t happen again. When the bags finally arrived, Sam inspected the room with an ultraviolet light and found the light switches to be “unacceptably dirty,” which was so absurd it made Barbara laugh out loud.

In another part of the ship, Barbara and Solene are arguing due to their contrasting personalities. Solene criticizes Barbara for using an overly harsh tone when requesting something, stating that she comes off as rude. However, if Barbara seems curt, it’s because she is annoyed; after all, Solene requires a lot of supervision. Their disagreement escalates when Solene suggests that Brazilians are unaware of the phrase “please,” which I find offensive. Although Bárbara could tone down her aggression, one might argue that Solene isn’t always the epitome of politeness herself. If I were in a new position where my lack of expertise could potentially hold up everyone else, I would hope to approach it with humility.

While Lawrence prepares for dinner, Kerry enters to provide some uplifting remarks, which are kind and beneficial. The confusing “Pan-Asian Japanese fusion night” (is it Japanese or pan-Asian?) begins delightfully with an adult shiitake broth and kid-friendly chicken tenders and fries, but ends up as a catastrophe with the steak course. Sam had clearly stated on his preference sheet that he prefers his steak extremely well-done, bordering on charred. When a piece of meat still showing a hint of pink in the center is served to him, he sends it back to the kitchen. “It goes against everything I stand for,” he declares. What could this possibly mean? How can the temperature of cooked meat be related to one’s fundamental beliefs? One thing that might align with beliefs is abstaining from meat; that’s a belief. Eating meat, but only if it’s well-done, isn’t a belief.

Empowered by Sam, everyone concurs to return their steaks due to a shared conclusion that the meat is both hard and cold. I was worried Lawrence might suffer a panic attack. The most disheartening moment comes when someone is already tense, and then something stressful occurs. Eventually, the diners opt to avoid the steak completely. Despite enjoying the deboned chicken wings and dessert, it fails to lift Lawrence’s spirits significantly.

As a dedicated cinephile, I found myself empathizing with this hapless character’s plight throughout the night. He tossed and turned restlessly, only to rise at the ungodly hour of five in the morning. His journey led him to the kitchen where, it seemed, disaster was waiting. The electric stove baffled him, and he pleaded with the film crew for a respite. A producer approached, but his words fell on deaf ears; the man had reached his breaking point. The subtext of his frustration suggested that the production itself set the crew up for failure rather than success: “They tell me ‘we want to make you succeed’,” he spat out, “but that’s a load of rubbish!” By the time Kerry descended into the kitchen, Lawrence had already decided to abandon the charter. The first episode barely began, and yet we were witnessing the back of a producer’s head. By the end, I felt as though I was standing there with Kyle and Caio — eerily similar names — taking a cigarette break and contemplating the arduous journey that lay ahead.

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2025-06-03 04:55