Share and Follow
Below Deck producers do an artful job of introducing explosive crew members toward the beginning of the season, but when they are fired (or quit), their Below Deck legacy is mere shrapnel as the drama unfolds.
For instance, bosun Raygan Tyler seemed as though she was going to fuel the majority of the drama on Below Deck Mediterranean Season 7. Tyler didn’t seem ready to be a bosun. Plus she got so drunk on a crew night out, she was late to work the next day. Captain Sandy Yawn fired her at the end of episode 5 and she graciously left the boat. But now that the season is complete – 19 episodes later – viewers may be trying to remember who she was. This isn’t the first example of a Below Deck crew member who was primed to drive the drama but ended up being a footnote.
‘Party’ Pete Hunziker was edited from ‘Below Deck Med’
Deckhand Pete Hunziker, who referred to himself as “Party Pete” launched Below Deck Med Season 5 with over-the-top remarks and sexist behavior. After endlessly calling bosun Malia White “sweetie” and then making inappropriate comments to Christine “Bugsy” Drake in the crew mess, Hunziker was removed from being the lead deckhand and told he had only one more chance.
But that’s not why Hunziker disappeared from the show. After about five or six episodes, Hunziker posted a racist and sexist meme on social media, which he defended when fans expressed outrage. For the first time ever, Below Deck Med producers removed Hunziker from the majority of the footage and he was not invited to the reunion. By the end of the season, some people wondered “who” was the deckhand they would sometimes see in the background.
Lara Flumiani came for Hannah Ferrier and then left ‘Below Deck Med’
Second stew Lara Flumiani clashed hard with chief stew Hannah Ferrier almost instantly on Below Deck Med Season 5. She constantly complained about Ferrier, telling her to get her act together and refusing to pivot when tasks changed. At one point, a confrontation between Flumiani and Ferrier got so heated in the crew mess, Ferrier angrily said to her, “Lady, don’t touch me,” double fingers pointed at Flumiani.
And while Flumiani seemed to be trying to overpower Ferrier, she claimed to be the one hurt and dismissed. She quit after the first charter. She did not show up for the reunion.
Chef Mila Kolomeitseva’s outrageous nachos … quickly forgotten on ‘Below Deck Med’ Season 4
Chef Mila Kolomeitseva had the Below Deck Med Season 4 crew on edge because she had the credentials but cooked like a college student. From her nachos (chips and cheese) to microwaved steaks, it was clear Kolomeitseva wasn’t going to make the entire season.
But her homophobic comments during a crew night out were also problematic, making it appear as though she could fuel the majority of the drama. But, she was fired after episode 5 because she struggled in the galley. The chef drama didn’t end there, but it did for this chef. She did not appear for the Below Deck Med Season 4 reunion.
Dane Jackson created a ‘Below Deck’ Season 3 mess and quickly left
Below Deck Season 3 deckhand Dane Jackson was supposed to replace departing deckhand Don Abenante. But red flags were everywhere when Jackson got drunk alone in the crew mess one night. The Below Deck crew tried to shrug it off, but Jackson got so drunk and aggressive on a crew weekend away, bosun Eddie Lucas has to send him back to the boat.
Read Related Also: Karen Bass and Rick Caruso Vie to Become L.A.’s Next Mayor
Captain Lee Rosbach said at BravoCon that Jackson was one of the worst Below Deck crew members he’s had. “Dane was just tough,” Rosbach said. “And not only did he embarrass the boat, he embarrassed all of the crew members, and probably had absolutely no clue that he embarrassed himself as much as he did.” When Jackson met with Rosbach, he tried to quit.
“So he strolls down the dock, gets on board, comes up to the wheelhouse,” Captain Lee continued. ‘And he said, “You know, I think I probably should resign. I said, ‘Oh no, no, no. That’s not the way this works. You don’t deserve the right to resign. You, my good man, are fired.’” Jackson appeared on the show from episodes 5 through 8. He also did not attend the reunion.
Captain Sean Meagher said he’d fire ‘Below Deck’ crew members during the first meeting
For the first time in Below Deck history, season 9 began without Rosbach. Rosbach was recovering from a heart procedure so Captain Sean Meagher stepped in, and it appeared – at least at first – he was in it for the long haul. Meagher was the complete opposite of Rosbach, very hands-on. He also suggested that if the Below Deck crew didn’t do a good job, he’d simply fire them.
Lucas joked “Come back to me boat daddy,” about Rosbach while working for Meagher. The season was set up to be completely different with a hands-on captain, but Rosbach quickly returned after only two episodes. Meagher left during the first charter. He did not attend the Below Deck reunion.
Trevor Walker fought with everyone when he got drunk on ‘Below Deck’ Season 4
Deckhand Trevor Walker, the self-proclaimed Paul Mitchell hair model made it for four episodes on Below Deck Season 4 before Rosbach fired him. Despite having promise on deck, Walker’s attitude helped him to earn one of Rosbach’s infamous plane tickets home. Walker came hard for bosun Kelley Johnson, but pretty much anyone in his path.
“Trevor doesn’t play well with others,” Rosbach explained to Bravo’s The Daily Dish. “He’s extremely offensive. One drink is not enough and two is too many. He doesn’t handle his alcohol well. He doesn’t interact socially well with other people. And you have to have that chemistry on a yacht.”
Rosbach added that crew members can disagree but “You have to get along.” And “need to be professional enough to set it aside, do your job, and get along as best as you can. Trevor is just way too full of himself. Not enough room on that boat for anybody with an ego that size.”
RELATED: Chef Ben Shocks Fans and Would Return to ‘Below Deck’ – ‘I’m Coming Around,’ He Teased
