Chloe Reynolds
Below Deck has returned to E4 with a bang, showcasing a new crew, a new boat and plenty of new drama. All aboard the St David!
Below Deck follows the lives of real crew members working on luxury yachts. Each year, an entirely new crew joins the boat with charter guests and drama. What more could you ask for?
This season’s cast consists of Captain Lee Roshbach, chef Rachel Hargrove, Chief Stew Fraser Olender, deputy stews Alissa Humber, Hayley De Sola Pinto, and Bosun Ross McHarg, and deckhands Katie Glaser, Tony Duarte, and Ben Willoughby.
The recent cast change sees Ross replacing long-time Bosun Eddie Lucas, who had been serving alongside Captain Lee for the past nine seasons.
A Change of Captains
Captain Lee underwent back surgery before the filming of season 10 started, but he was still struggling to move around the boat using both crutches and a cane. The captain, who has been on all 10 seasons, made the difficult decision to leave the boat so that his health could improve and the crew could have a captain who could oversee everything going on.
“Camille rocked the boat one too many times”
His replacement? A face that Bravo and Below Deck fans will recognise as Captain Sandy Yawn, who is often found in Below Deck Mediterranean. Her move to the St David makes her the first captain to switch franchises in the show’s history!
Captain Sandy has been a captain for over thirty years and remains the only female captain in the Below Deck franchise. So, the crew will certainly be in safe hands with her until Captain Lee returns.
Tension on Deck
Tensions between stews Alissa and Camille had been building all season, but they finally reached a breaking point for interim captain Sandy.
Alissa and Camille had it out for each other from the moment they laid eyes on each other. Camille had a lazy work ethic and would use the position as being a deck stew to her advantage whenever she didn’t want to do something, which certainly annoyed the second stew, Alissa.
“Sandy Yawn’s move to the St David makes her the first captain to switch franchises in the show’s history!”
Camille rocked the boat one too many times and was fired by Captain Sandy. Alissa was then also let go by Captain Sandy but for a different reason. The stew disrespected Captain Sandy on multiple occasions, but the breaking point was when Alissa called the captain by her first name: a no-go on boats. The interim captain consequently decided to let Alissa go.
Many More ‘Boatmances’ to Come
And it wouldn’t be a series of Below Deck without a series of ‘boatmances’.
First up was Boson Ross and Deckhand Katie, who had chemistry from the very start, kissing tenderly as they headed to the beach picnic. But Ross would also flirt heavily with Alissa on nights out, much to Katie’s frustration, causing plenty of drama. Nevertheless, Ross and Katie eventually slept together in the guest cabin, signalling the end of the love triangle. Before the final charter, however, Ross decided their relationship wasn’t working, and they parted ways.
“It wouldn’t be a series of Below Deck without a series of ‘boatmances’.”
Ben and Camille hooked up during the crew’s first dinner, kissing not only at the dinner but also in the hot tub afterwards. However, just as Ben was falling hard for her, she was unfortunately fired. The pair did keep in touch.
After Alissa’s firing, Leigh-Ann Smith joined the interior crew, searching for the person she apparently already knew and had been “sexting” for a year. This person turned out to be Ben!
Although this was the first time they had met in person, the chemistry proved to be more intense than it had been online, and the pair kissed and shared a bed during the final chapter. Ben was clearly still thinking about Camille, though, which meant he and Leigh-Ann went their separate ways.
Below Deck is available Monday to Friday on E4. The entire series is also available to stream on Channel 4.
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Feature image courtesy of Tony Higsett on Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
