Below Deck Season 12 kicked off on June 2nd, and the first charter did not go smoothly. The deck crew totally forgot to bring the guests’ luggage on board; the chef had already admitted to quitting, and a primary brings a blacklight to inspect every nook and cranny of his sleeping quarters.

However, that is nothing compared to what’s to come this season. The trailer seems to suggest that deckhand Kyle Stillie hooked up with a charter guest — a married one at that. Viewers will have to keep watching to see what went down as it seems like the entire crew is baffled by the allegation. It’s still unclear whether the hookup really did go down as Kyle and the rest of the crew aboard the St. David has stayed quiet on the matter since the show premiered.

Below Deck Season 12’s Deckhand Kyle Stillie Allegedly Crossed The Line With A Married Charter Guest

Season 12 of Below Deck is promising to be the series’ most explosive as the trailer teases a scandal involving deckhand Kyle Stillie and a married charter guest. Captain Kerry and his crew are aboard the St. David and yachting around Sint Maarten, and it appears that everyone can’t stop talking about the rumored hookup.

In the trailer, Kyle — who returns as deckhand for a second season — is seen carrying a charter guest in the water while she holds a glass of wine in her hand. We then hear deckhand Damo Yörg telling stew Rainbeau de Roos, “Stillie is either in there making our tip or losing our tip,” suggesting that Kyle is heavily flirting with a charter guest.

We then see Kyle on the bridge where Captain Kerry tells him, “The crew think you banged a charter guest.”

The scandal appears to continue during a crew night out, where chief stew Fraser Olender is shown something on stew Barbara Kulaif’s phone and states, “That is not okay.” In the background we also hear a male yachtie share, “Her husband paid for the tip.”

The trailer later cuts to a nighttime scene where two figures are seen embracing on a beach and becoming intimate, but their identities remain unclear. Could it be Kyle and the rumored married charter guest? In a confessional, Kyle asks the producers, “Was it a joke?” The producer then echoes the question back, leaving Kyle to sigh heavily and leaving viewers in total shock.

Captain Kerry Admitted That a “Thorough Investigation” Regarding The Alleged Incident Took Place

The day after Below Deck Season 12 premiered, Captain Kerry was asked about the potential scandal that already seemed to be dominating the season. Speaking to Us Weekly, Kerry revealed that there was a “thorough investigation” but could not go into too much detail as to not give the season away.

“There was an investigation done. I’m not too sure how much of that will be shown but I did a thorough investigation before I made my decision,” he shared. “It will be interesting to see what happens after I interviewed each of the crew members — including what was actually said behind [my back].”

Captain Kerry also revealed that he only stepped in after learning about the alleged hookup, suggesting that he prefers not to involve himself in crew drama unless absolutely necessary.

“I don’t get to see what’s going on Below Deck because I’m in the wheelhouse or I’m over here and I can’t be everywhere. I don’t micromanage. I allow my crew to grow and I like to be here and to help encourage people,” he said.

The captain continued, “We’re going to see how it all develops on the show. If one of my staff is with a married person on the boat, they’re not going to stay on the boat. You’re breaking a boundary there that you can’t cross.” The trailer does see Captain Kerry firing one member of his crew, but it’s not known whether it was Kyle.

Kyle Revealed He Made It To The End Of The Season, Which May Confuse Fans

Although Captain Kerry made it clear that he would never keep a crew member on board who slept with a married charter guest, Kyle hinted that he made it the entire charter season. This leaves fans questioning whether the hookup actually happened—or if the scandalous storyline is a total misdirection.

In an interview with E! News, Kyle shared, “I’m surprised I made it to the end of the season.”

However, he did spill a lot more details of the alleged hookup. He shared that he chose to come clean to Captain Kerry after fellow deckhand Damo Yorg urged him to do the right thing, before the situation spiraled any further.

“[Deckhand] Damo [Yorg] was a good mate and basically called me out like, ‘Look lad, you’re gonna have to go tell cap what’s going on, because it’s being talked about.’ That was a rough, rough conversation, especially that was the day after my birthday. So, hungover and having to go and have that conversation with cap wasn’t a good day.

And it just it makes my day much worse after what he does, so it’s not something that I want to look back on fondly.”

Kyle added that he didn’t “regret” his actions, but did regret his “response to some situations.”

Captain Kerry and Kyle have a history together, having worked together on the St. David last year. In his interview with Us Weekly, Kerry did admit to appreciating his deckhand’s work ethic despite this massive yacht rumor that may or may not see him fired.

“Kyle works very hard. He has a lot of respect. Last season, he was led astray by the bosun but I think he needs to keep it in his pants,” he said. “But he has a very strong work ethic and he’s a very good crew member to have around. He doesn’t have any ego. He gets the job done, he works hard and I want to see him grow in the ranks. I want to see him continue in the franchise. Let’s see if he can’t be a bosun one day — but maybe that’s over for him.”

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