On this episode of Below Deck, Captain Sandy is keeping a big secret: Captain Lee is coming back! The interior is wearing thin, and the exterior is getting fed up with Katie‘s bossiness, so it is clear that this crew could certainly use a pick-me-up, rather than another shake-up…
It’s the second night of charter and the wind is picking up. Captain Sandy is stressing because she is afraid of dragging anchor. While this very real fear is happening behind the scenes, the show must go on for the guests. Fraser is in a tizzy, and so he is praying for a quick stew replacement. He admits that having Alissa off the boat has certainly zapped the negative energy, but he could sure use another set of hands.
Chef Rachel is busy trying to keep the dietary restrictions straight, and TELL ME WHY she is listening to LaQuish and her requests: 24-karat steaks all around! Tyler talks about when he realized he was gay, and Hayley shares that she thought she was gay because of her obsession with Geri Halliwell (you know her better as Ginger Spice from the Spice Girls). LOL.
After chowing down, the guests (and the crew) transition into their ’80s ensembles. As they all bounce around in their neon garb and sweatbands, they are too deliriously happy to notice the wind whipping like crazy, but Captain Sandy is not taking any chances. She pulls an all-nighter to ensure the safety of all on board.
It’s a long night and an early wake-up for the crew, but that doesn’t stop them from wishing Hayley a happy birthday. Turns out that the interior is not the only department having issues. Katie is being a bit bossy, and Tony is getting fed up. The issue is that the head of exterior (Ross) is sleeping with Katie… soooo that makes things awkward.
But you know what’s not awkward now? Captain Sandy and Fraser’s relationship. Captain Sandy has seen a great change in Fraser since Alissa left the boat, and she is beyond proud of this attitude adjustment. Interesting to watch these two exchanging ‘I love yous’ after what happened in their past.
Captain Sandy is stressing out about docking since she only has a small window to safely enter the channel. There’s a lot of pressure on Ben tossing that dock line, and he manages to pull it off. In the words of Rachel, “Boom, b*tches.”
The good news is that LaQuish — the guest from hell (their words not mine) — is finally leaving, “like a fart in the wind.” Before the guests leave the boat, they crown Captain Sandy and hand over a tip envelope. And then, it’s time to get down to business. The usual cleaning goes down, and Ben takes this opportunity to talk to Ross about Katie’s behavior.
At the tip meeting, Fraser calls this trip “harmony,” and Captain Sandy goes as far as hugging him for his turn-around. He is beyond happy to be appreciated even IF the tip is lacking. Seems a tad unfair, considering the crew participated in the Olympics, and Rachel had to dance around 135,397 food restrictions + make gold STEAK.
Once dismissed, Ross speaks with Katie about being “proactive and assertive.” He suggests Katie pulls it back a little, and so she gets defensive and snarky, cutting Ross off. He tries to explain that she needs to listen since she is “stepping out of line.” And THIS is why you should never mix business and pleasure. Katie tells Ross she has “hard a*s skin” when Ross worries that he has upset her after this conversation.
Captain Sandy calls for a preference sheet meeting, and there seems to be a unanimous groan among the group upon hearing all of the challenging requirements listed. It is especially stressful for Fraser since this new charter picks up tomorrow and they are STILL a stew down.
Although they have a new group of guests coming on board tomorrow, the crew dresses up and celebrates the birthday girl. I can’t understand why they chose to stay on the boat (and mess it up only to have to clean it up in preparation for the guests the next morning) or what Captain Sandy was doing while they “raged” and used blow horns.
Later that evening, Katie pulls Ben aside to apologize for being bossy, which was big of her… It is not easy to have tension in your workplace, orrrrr to sleep with your boss, but I digress…
The next morning, the boat is a disaster due to last night’s partying. The clock is tight to get the boat in order, but there is a silver lining: a new second stew will be joining the crew for the charter… only this girl has chief stew experience, which of course makes Fraser a little nervous. He is fearful she may try to snatch that position from under him, but he has his team backing him up.
When Leigh-Ann, the new stew arrives, Ben has a moment of panic. He shares with the deck crew that he has nudes of this girl on his phone, and she has nudes of him on her phone. WTF. (Camille who???) Turns out that Ben met Leigh-Ann on Tinder about a year ago, but they never actually met in person. They have sexted but have never “consummated.” Leigh-Ann shares that her favorite part of yachting is the “boys” (JK??), but based on her history with Ben…
While Leigh-Ann makes herself comfortable on board, Captain Lee lets Captain Sandy know he just landed. Man, this is a day full of surprises! Captain Sandy finally lets the crew know that Captain Lee is returning, and she becomes emotional sharing this news. “It’s like we were in the trenches together… I’m gonna miss” the crew!
There’s a new sense of urgency to get the boat in order as they all await the return of their king. Captain Lee explains, “I feel like I’m back where I belong.” Captain Lee gets back on and shares that not much is gonna stop him from working this time around. He gets filled in on all of the insubordination and firings and does not question Captain Sandy’s choices. Captain Sandy heads off the boat and bids adieu to the crew. As she rides off, Captain Lee radios to “get their a*ses back to work.” Some things just never change…
TELL US — THOUGHTS ON THE LATEST BELOW DECK EPISODE?