The Below Deck series on Bravo has seen it all over the years. Truly, there’s been so many fun storylines, especially when the crews have worked well together. There have also been a few occasional sweet crushes, which made us root for love, not scream in frustration. From late night binges in the galley, to workers not wanting to work, we’ve related hard to these yachties, like, a lot.
But then there’s the flip side, which see’s a general sense of disconnect taking root amongst each season’s cast. Sometimes, the narratives have even taken on darker turns, which made several seasons pretty difficult to digest. Just in case you’re emotionally sitting right at sea-level today, as so many of us are, we’ve got a tip for you. Avoid watching these three seasons of Below Deck, as they might cause you to sink, and that’s the last thing that any of us want.
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 5
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 5 had the opportunity to tackle mental health conversations in a meaningful way. Yet, it failed. You see, series regular Hannah Ferrier, who was always open about her anxiety and depression, brought onboard her prescription meds. However, since she failed to register these with the boat, she was fired.
We’ve seen this play out before. All the way back on BD Season 1, stew Kat Held also had anxiety meds onboard. Yet, when Captain Lee Rosbach found out, he simply asked Kat for proof of her prescription, and then moved forward. However, on Hannah’s season, Captain Sandy Yawn chose differently.
Now, it’s her boat, so she can do as she chooses. Yet, the insensitive terminology and behaviors that Captain Sandy displayed crossed several lines. You see, she repeatedly stated that Hannah had “drugs” onboard. This is damaging, as drugs are perceived very, very differently than prescribed medications. She also followed Hannah into her cabin, behaving as if Hannah were about to flush her things down the toilet.
To her credit, Captain Sandy has since acknowledged how poorly she handled this situation. You can’t undo the past though, so Season 5 still stands, unaffected by her hindsight.
Words and actions matter. Overall, BDM Season 5 failed in addressing these really important conversations involving mental health. It was really, really hard to watch. So, if you are someone who also relies on medications, you should go ahead and skip BDM Season 5.
Below Deck Season 7
If you’ve ever been triggered by toxic energies, we feel you, but also, go ahead and give BD Season 7 a hard pass. Although Kate Chastain‘s interior team was solid, the men that made up the exterior team, and the chef, all gave off villain vibes. When these men were joined on deck midway through the season by Rhylee Gerber, she clashed with her male counterparts. At this point, the Brü Crew from hell fully emerged, and this season became unwatchable.
Now we know that Rhylee’s delivery isn’t always great. However, Ashton Pienaar, Brian de Saint Pern and Tanner Sterback gave her a really hard time on deck. Ashton, who had worked with Rhylee in the past, used his Bosun ranking to assign her to menial tasks. He also created a hostile work environment by speaking badly about her to Brian and Tanner.
In the galley, sharing a singular brain with the deck crew, was Chef Kevin Dobson, who equally loathed Rhylee’s strong personality. When Kevin was putting Rhylee down, Ashton grossly asked, “Did you slap her with your d***?” That’s not all these two men did though, as Ashton punched a window when he was angry at Kate, while Kevin chose to kick sand in Kate’s face when pissed. For their part, Brian and Tanner were not physically vile, but their talking down to the ladies, blaming them for their reactions to the men’s poor behaviors, sucked all the same.
I’ll say it again. If toxic energies trigger you, then avoid the very hard to watch BD Season 7.
Below Deck Down Under Season 2
Below Deck Down Under Season 2 is the worst on this list, so I have left it here, at the bottom. Trigger warning, this final section includes details involving two separate accounts of sexual assault. To protect your metal well-being, please stop reading here if this topic is one that brings you harm.
First up this season, Luke Jones got drunk, and he began making plays at Margot Sisson, who was equally trashed. Luckily, Aesha Scott caught on to Luke’s intentions. In order to protect her blacked-out stew, Aesha laid in bed with Margot, watching over her for a bit. Once Aesha left, however, Luke entered, climbing on top of Margot.
Thankfully, production stepped in and removed Luke from Margot’s cabin. Captain Jason Chambers then fired Luke, and the entire yacht comforted Margot, while Aesha opened up about her own experience as a SA survivor. It doesn’t end here though, as Aesha had also learned that Laura Bileskalne had ignored Adam Kodra‘s “no.” On top of this, once Laura learned of Luke’s firing, her comments made were vile, as she blamed everything but Luke for his actions.
Thankfully Laura was canned next. The remainder of this season went well, but you cannot untaint a series that has been touched by something of this nature. No matter how amazing the leadership onboard was. This is why we still find BDDU Season 2 so hard to watch.
TELL US – WHICH SERIES AND SEASON IS THE HARDEST TO WATCH IN THE BELOW DECK FRANCHISE?
