Below Deck Down Under Season 3 saw Captain Jason Chambers making the difficult decision to fire two crew members working aboard the Katina as it sails around the Seychelles. It’s never easy to fire any crew member, but his decision to let go of deckhand Johnny Arvanitis and bosun Wihan Du Toit was the right move.

Both crew members were fired for different reasons. Johnny for exhibiting aggressive behavior following an incident the night before, and Wihan for his lack of leadership and constant need for attention from the women on board. Although both men were ultimately let go on the same day, they handled their dismissals in very different ways. Johnny took the classy route, accepting the decision with grace, while Wihan continued to deflect responsibility, further proving his inability to take accountability.

Below Deck Down Under Season 3’s Johnny Arvanitis’ Classy Exit Showed That He Took Full Responsibility For His Actions And Was Remorseful

Below Deck Down Under Season 3, Episode 11, was a tough one to watch, as Captain Jason has to fire both his deckhand Johnny Arvanitis and bosun Wihan Du Toit.

Johnny boarded the Katina with 9 years of yachting experience, and although he initially came across as someone who believed he knew more than his peers, he eventually learned to work together with his deck team rather than assert superiority over them, which included Harry Van Vliet and deck/stew Adair Werley. Johnny proved to be an asset for both the deck crew and Captain Jason, but a night of chaos saw him ultimately leaving the vessel for good.

In Episode 10, Johnny takes sous chef Alesia Harris on a date after the two had flirted throughout their time together on the Katina. However, later that night, Alesia jumps into bed with Wihan believing that it was Johnny’s bed in their shared cabin. Johnny walks in on this and Alesia realizes the mistake she has made. Johnny becomes furious and punches the walls, slams doors and begins yelling, which wakes up Captain Jason.

Johnny was put in a hotel the following morning, and Captain Jason made the decision to fire him the next day due to his aggression and outbursts, which had created an unsafe environment for the entire team. However, instead of challenging the Captain’s decision, Johnny took full responsibility for his actions. Even he was shocked that such intense anger had come out of him.

“I understand. Because this part of myself does not really exist inside me anymore, to show this again, after so many years, it’s something I really hate. And for me, I don’t really belong here. So, no hard feelings. Thank you for everything you taught me,” Johnny tells the Captain.

Johnny knew he was wrong the other night, and he fully understood why Captain Jason had to let him go. It was unfortunate that he had to leave because he was a solid deckhand and his experience on yachts was something the Katina needed, especially for its massive size. Johnny and Captain Jason did not leave on bad terms. In fact, even chief stew Lara Rigby admitted to being sad to see Johnny go. However, she didn’t feel exactly the same when Wihan also got fired.

Wihan Du Toit’s Unprofessionalism Was A Major Concern For The Crew, His Exit Proved He Lacked Leadership

After letting Johnny go, Captain Jason learned that most of the crew were having a difficult time working alongside their bosun, Wihan. After putting the pieces together the other night, he learned that Wihan made Harry cry, and both chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph and Lara were called to the bridge to discuss Wihan’s behavior and lack of leadership. The chef shared with the Captain that Wihan was causing “so much drama.”

As viewers have seen, Wihan displayed a lack of leadership qualities and faced criticism for his decision-making on more than one occasion. In one incident, in which a charter guest flipped their jet ski, Wihan chose not to take responsibility and neglected prior warnings about equipment and blamed others. In addition, Wihan also clashed with Lara on multiple occasions as they had different approaches to teamwork. Wihan would often refuse to help Lara and her interior team when the deck crew were not busy.

Wihan was also heavily distracted by the women who worked aboard the Katina. He got caught in a love triangle between Tzarina and stew Marina Marcondes de Barros. He then decided he wanted to pursue Adair, and even wrote her a long letter professing his intentions of wanting to pursue her. These distractions are not good to have as someone who should be looked at as a leader.

In Episode 11, Captain Jason called Wihan to the bridge and told him he was fired. Captain Jason did not like hearing Wihan not getting along with the interior and his lack of leadership showed. However, unlike Johnny, Wihan did not take his firing likely. He argued that he was not spreading negativity aboard the Katina.

“But at the end of the day I feel you’re not taking accountability for all the things that have been happening. And with everything else that’s going on, I’m going to make a change,” Captain Jason told Wihan.

Wihan was shocked at his firing and was blindsided. “I’m stunned. I’ve been trying my absolute, absolute hardest. Unappreciated. So be it.” However, he should watch the season back and see how he did not display good leadership. What kind of leader threatens their own crew and makes them cry? Who would want to work with someone like that? It was time for Wihan to go.

Captain Jason Chambers Called The Firings “A Reset” And Quickly Filled Both Positions

Below Deck captains always have the final say when it comes to firing decisions. While Johnny was a skilled deckhand, he displayed aggression that posed a safety hazard to the rest of the crew. He understood why he was let go, but he did not leave with hatred towards his Captain and would only take his firing as a life lesson. Surely, Johnny would have no issues getting a recommendation from the Captain if he needs one for his next job.

But the same can’t be said for Wihan. He was too preoccupied with the women on board—particularly distracted by Adair, who didn’t even seem that interested in him—to stay focused on his job. His involvement with multiple crew members stirred up unnecessary drama and contributed to an unstable and unprofessional crew dynamic.

In an April 17th Instagram post, Captain Jason shared his thoughts on how the season was going so far as it’s nearing an end. Altogether, he fired three people from this crew, having first fired sous chef Anthony Bird early on in the season after clashing with Tazarina.

He continued, “I will say my intention this season was to let department heads learn to manage however not everything works out the way you want in life. We now have to reset and finish off the season with a positive attitude and respectful approach to achieving a great working environment.”

“One point I will make, this was a year ago in the making and crew will be watching back now and will be affected by what’s written about them, so just enjoy the ride and remember the crew are humans with emotions. Thanks to all the crew to date on Season 3, it’s harder than people imagine.#belowdeckdownunder #bravotv.”

In Episode 11, Captain Jason manages to fill both Wihan and Johnny’s positions quickly after receiving a few CVs. New on board is bosun Nate Salmon and deckhand Nicolas Cattelan.