8 Below Deck Yachties Who Deserve Second Chances (They Could Improve If They Had More Time On Screen)
Throughout Below Deck’srun as a franchise, several yachties would benefit from a second chance on the show or in the franchise to improve their abilities after difficult first showings. Although there are several Below Deck franchise shows, different yachties have moved throughout the shows and only worked aboard a franchise vessel for a season. Despite the Captains and Chief Stews returning to the series for multiple seasons, there are typically rotating casts of yachties as the show moves from charter season to charter season. With several yachties becoming viewer favorites after their run, it’s shocking when they don’t return.
Below Deck began as a stand-alone series in 2013, and after the success of the first season, Below Deck Mediterranean joined the franchise later that year. With the series beginning by showing viewers a look into the lives of the crews of superyacht charters, viewers were able to see an inside look at a type of career that they wouldn’t have had much perspective on otherwise. While the shows are clearly somewhat dramatized to include the most drama possible, viewers were given the opportunity to look behind the curtain at a profession that’s adjacent to luxury but is hardly luxurious.
After the original two Below Deck shows began, the show took some time before adding more shows to the franchise. Bringing Below Deck Sailing Yacht and Below Deck Down Under into the fold years later, the franchise has become bigger and more diverse than ever before, with dozens of yachties working on Below Deck charters at any given time. While some, like Chief Stew Kate Chastain, have become bigger names as they’ve moved through the series, others have only lasted a season with the Below Deck crew and moved into other career paths or onto other crews.
Throughout Below Deck’s run, the franchise has hosted many yachties who appear for one season, then retreat into other superyacht crews away from reality TV. Some leave the industry while others simply leave the spotlight, as Below Deck can be a difficult experience. Whether the yachties appear for one season because they couldn’t handle the pressure, were fired from their positions, or simply choose to move on, those who are only featured a season tend to be people viewers would like to see back in the franchise. There are several Below Deck yachties viewers hope to give a second chance.
8 Chef Ryan McKeown
Below Deck Down Under
As the first chef to work aboard a Below Deck Down Under vessel, Chef Ryan McKeown wasn’t an easy employee. Reporting directly to Captain Jason Chambers, Ryan’s difficulties were noticeable throughout the season, but his time aboard Thalassa wasn’t as poor as some made it seem. While Chef Ryan wasn’t the most palatable in terms of his personality, he was a skilled chef whose dishes suffered because he was intimidated by the pressure of working aboard a Below Deck superyacht. Chef Ryan worked through nearly the entire season before his termination, which showed a lack of respect for others.
While Chef Ryan wasn’t the best during his time aboard Below Deck Down Under season 1’s superyacht, he was capable of doing his job. In the time that’s passed since the first season, Chef Ryan may have been able to improve his skills. At this point, it would be interesting to see if Chef Ryan could make things work with another crew, moving into a new space in the franchise.
7 Lexi Wilson
Below Deck Mediterranean
Originally appearing on Below Deck Mediterranean season 6, Lexi Wilson was one of the most difficult stews that have been part of the franchise. While she came to Lady Michelle to work as part of the interior crew, she had a difficult time adjusting to the way things worked aboard the superyacht. Working beneath Chief Stew Katie Flood, Lexi wasn’t great at following orders and didn’t always know what she was meant to be doing. On top of her inability to work with the rest of the team, Lexi didn’t have the best attitude.
While Lexi’s time on Below Deck Mediterranean wasn’t the strongest, it seemed during the season that she could’ve improved if there had been more time for her to do so. If Lexi had been able to feel more comfortable within the crew and create a space for herself as a stew, she may have been able to fit in more easily. With another opportunity on a Below Deck vessel, Lexi could easily improve her skills.
6 Chef Kiko Lorran
Below Deck Mediterranean
Although Below Deck Mediterranean season 5 chef Hindrigo “Kiko” Lorran wasn’t able to make it through the entire season, he’s someone Below Deck viewers enjoyed watching throughout the season. Chef Kiko had a tough time during his season on The Wellington, where he wasn’t able to live up to Captain Sandy Yawn’s standards. Despite trying to improve his skills while he was on charter, Chef Kiko was young and had a difficult time meeting the needs of the superyacht guests while he was aboard the superyacht.
While Chef Kiko may have been one of the more difficult parts of Below Deck Mediterranean season 5, he was also someone that Below Deck viewers enjoyed watching throughout his time on the show. Chef Kiko worked diligently after his Below Deck experience to improve his skills and change the way he was working, honing his skills in a galley with other experiences outside of Below Deck. It would be fascinating to see Chef Kiko return to Below Deck Med with more experience under his belt.
5 Emma Crouch
Below Deck Sailing Yacht
As one of the most recent yachties to appear in the franchise, Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 5’s Emma Crouch was a difficult part of the deck team on the show. While Emma was a hard worker who tried to develop her skills on the exterior team, it can be difficult to work toward goals when there hasn’t been any set up. Emma’s manager, Gary King, had a tough time expressing that he was facing issues with her performance, and by the time he was able to do so, it was too little, too late.
Despite knowing that Emma had more to learn, her time on Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 5 wasn’t something that went unnoticed by viewers. Though many struggled to watch Emma during her initial season on the series, her time aboard Parsifal III could open new doors for her in the future. It would be interesting to see Emma return to the franchise on another show, working with someone who could manage and teach her more easily than Gary.
4 Caroline Bedol
Below Deck
Below Deck season 6’s stew Caroline Bedol was a person of interest during her time on the show, which ended abruptly in the middle of the charter season. After working well throughout the first charters of the season, Caroline unexpectedly left Below Deck without much reasoning. While she wasn’t the best stew in franchise history, Caroline was competent and able to handle the pressures of her job, which isn’t something every stew can do. Accommodating Below Deck stress, Caroline seemed fit for the job, which made it difficult to see her leave so quickly.
Although it’s been years since Caroline was a part of the crew, it would be interesting to see her return after such an abrupt exit from the series. Caroline has been quiet on social media after her time on the show, but after her quick exit, it wasn’t surprising to see her lay low. Regardless of her low profile, it would be interesting to see Caroline on Below Deck in the future after such a shocking exit.
3 Cat Baugh
Below Deck
As a part of Below Deck season 11, Cat Baugh was one of the stews who wound up leaving the season before she could get fired. As the first season of Below Deck without Captain Lee Rosbach at the helm of the ship in any way got started, Chief Stew Fraser Olender had a crew of three stews who were of varying degrees of competence. Cat and her fellow stews, Barbie Pascaul and Xandi Olivier, seemed ready for the season, but Cat had a hard time dealing with the tasks delegated to her.
Dealing with some traumatic experiences from her past, Cat wound up too overwhelmed to stay aboard St. David. Though she was already doing poorly in her tasks, Cat wound up being the one who chose to leave the superyacht rather than getting fired. After having such a difficult first season, seeing Cat continue on another season of Below Deck where she could really show off her skills sounds like a great story.
2 Hannah Ferrier
Below Deck Mediterranean
As one of the most iconic Chief Stews to ever grace the Below Deck franchise, Hannah Ferrier’s exit from Below Deck Mediterranean has been something that’s troubled viewers for years. Hannah, who worked with Captain Sandy from the first to the fifth season of the series, was a cornerstone of Below Deck Mediterranean, but her departure from the show wasn’t something she was happy about. Though Hannah was a wonderful Chief Stew, her downfall came from a report of undocumented prescription drugs in her cabin by Bosun Malia White, which pushed Captain Sandy to fire her immediately.
Although Hannah has since discussed her firing and made it clear that it wasn’t the way it appeared on screen, seeing a great Chief Stew removed from her post was difficult for Below Deck Med viewers. Many have wanted to see Hannah return for years, but it’s been tough to see a way for her to come back with her incredibly busy schedule. Even so, seeing Hannah come back in the future would be a Below Deck miracle.
1 Chef Anthony Iracane
Below Deck
As the chef from the most recent season of Below Deck, Anthony Iracane had a tough time adjusting to the busy world of St. David. Working well in his first few charters, things became overwhelming for Chef Anthony within a few short charters aboard St. David. Handling the galley with his learning disability and attention issues was tough, and the chef often felt like he had a lack of help in the galley from the rest of the interior team. Despite being highly skilled, Chef Anthony struggled too much to produce consistently good meals.
Chef Anthony ultimately found himself struggling too hard and contemplated quitting several times but tried to stick it out. After a particularly poor performance during one of the late charters of the season, Captain Kerry Titheradge had no choice but to fire Chef Anthony, but had a hard time doing so. The chef deserves a second chance to prove himself, and will be getting one when Below Deck season 12 returns later this year.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.
Source: Ryan James/Instagram
- Created by
- Mark Cronin, Rebecca Taylor Henning, Doug Henning
- First TV Show
- Below Deck
- Cast
- Kate Chastain, Gary King, Mads Herrera, Daisy Kelliher, Colin Macrae, Aesha Scott, Lexi Wilson, Glenn Shephard, Jason Chambers, Marcos Spaziani, Sandy Yawn
