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Rumors dogged the nautical docuseries Below Deck that Captain Lee Rosbach was retiring and he finally confirmed that while he won’t return next season, he isn’t exactly finished with Bravo.
After having to temporarily step away from Below Deck Season 10 due to a medical issue, Rosbach revealed that he was replaced as the captain for Below Deck Season 11. He cited that the medical issue he faced may have been a reason. But he insisted that not returning for next season doesn’t mean Bravo fans won’t see him again in some capacity.
Unlike other shows on Bravo, Below Deck is known for its turnstile of crew members, often with the exception of the captain and perhaps the bosun or chief stew. The flagship series Below Deck began with Rosbach at the helm in 2013 and the series has never had another captain step into Rosbach’s shoes full-time.
But when Rosbach’s tenure on the show came into question mid-season, he hit back, insisting he was not retiring. However, he recently clarified his position on the series. “I did not quit. I did not retire, he told The Sun-Sentinel. Adding, “I was just not invited back.”
“I guess I can see their point of view. They really couldn’t get a straight answer from anyone on how my health was,” Rosbach said.
Captain Lee could return for ‘Below Deck’ Season 12
He insisted that returning for Below Deck Season 12 isn’t out of the question. “We came to an agreement, and I’m going to be doing some things for them in the next year. Then, Season 12?” he pondered. “I imagine they are going to see what happens with Season 11, with somebody new trying to take over for me, see how they do. If it’s too expensive for them, we’ll see what happens. If the numbers take a tank, would I go back? Yeah.”
Rosbach has had a few splintered seasons on the show. On Below Deck Season 8, he arrived on the boat at the last minute after he fell in the shower and broke his ribs. Then, on Below Deck Season 9, he dealt with a heart issue so Captain Sean Meagher took over for half of the first charter.
But on Below Deck Season 10, a nerve issue sidelined Rosbach for a good chunk of the season. Captain Sandy Yawn from Below Deck Mediterranean took over while he was hospitalized and doctors addressed the issue. He returned before the season ended.
How bad was Captain Lee’s injury?
Rosbach first started feeling pain before he left to film Below Deck Season 10. “You know how it feels when you hit your elbow, the funny bone, and you get that electrical shock up and down your arm? That’s how it felt in my leg. It felt like someone had plugged my a– into a 220-volt outlet and left it there,” he explained.
His physician prescribed medication that they hoped would heal the nerve pain, but instead, it progressed. “I got down there, hobbled onboard,” he recalled. “Production was really great about it. They got me a physical therapist down there, a massage therapist, a medic came in to stretch my leg every day. I had to have somebody help dress me. We did everything we could to make it work.”
Once Rosbach realized the numbness and pain were worsening, he had to make a decision. “I said, ‘Well if I’m going to be totally honest, I have to say that right now I am more of a liability to the crew and to the show than I am an asset. I’d been thinking it, but to admit it out loud? Yeah, that took a lot. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. It broke my heart.”
Rosbach said his health is good today and feels ready to return to the Below Deck if asked.
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