I’m taking my Dramamine as I watch the newest season of Below Deck. Understandably, there have be some waves as the cast transitioned from Captain Lee Rosbach to Captain Kerry Titheradge. Personally I was ready for a new leader as the Old Seadog was starting to lose his knack for the job. In this writer’s opinion, and remember its “MY OPINION,” Kerry brings a whole new feeling to the OG series, and Lee isn’t missed. I don’t mean it in a horrible way but it was time for out with the old and with the new.
There Aren’t Dumb Sayings
Captain Lee was noted for his infamous one-liners, including “Life is like a sh*t sandwich. The more bread you have, the more shit you have to eat.” I can understand how so many viewers found his parables entertaining, but after a few seasons, they started to wear on me and lose all meaning. Again, while I am sure Captain Lee’s type of yachting will be missed, I am happy to hear fewer sayings.
With that being said, Kerry does have his own language that fans are becoming accustomed to. Since he was born in Brisbane, Australia, he calls a few things different from us Americans. Take a sandwich, which he would call sanga. Sunglasses are sunnies. And if you’re whining, he will call you out for Whinge. Honestly, I can get used to the Aussie accent over a Florida one any day.
Kerry Has His Own Storyline
During the premiere episode on Below Deck, viewers saw Captain Kerry sit with some of the crew for dinner. The conversation started to flow, and the new bosun and Kerry bonded over their children and how they don’t see them as often due to the demands of yachting. The captain also opened up about his recent divorce and how he had met someone. While sitting in the mess, the father revealed, “I was married, and then that ended. It wasn’t good. I was running a 300-foot yacht. Gave it all up for my kids.”
The skipper of the St. David went on to say, “I went from being a captain of a multi-million dollar yacht to painting houses. I went and did a job that I could focus on myself — put my earbuds in, listen to self-help work. [And] I was there for my kids every day.”
Kerry Shines in Key Area
One thing hasn’t gone unnoticed, and that is the fact that Captain Kerry is extremely approachable. While Captain Lee was helpful at times, it didn’t feel like you could sit with him and shoot the sh*t, ya know? Kerry told fans in a confessional, “I was taught, you know, the mom’s there to be the emotional support [and] the dad’s there to be the money and the disciplinarian. When the divorce happened, it gave me the opportunity to be there for them emotionally as well.”
Without a doubt, Captain Kerry comes across as fair but not unapproachable. Personally, I thought his comments to the crew about having a bad day and their mental health were upstanding as they let them know they were not alone on the boat. Unlike Captain Lee, it doesn’t feel like Captain Kerry will be picking favorites.
The Franchise Needed a Fresh Start
I’m going to strap my tinfoil hat on for a moment as I go down the rabbit hole. Okay, hear me out; I believe Below Deck Adventure may have been a screen test for Captain Kerry. Production probably already knew they’d need to replace Captain Lee sooner rather than later, so they made Below Deck Adventure on the cheaper side (thus the lackluster adventures, the different production company, and the very short season.) If you will recall the season airs the same time as Below Deck Mediterranean, so I think it was a foot race between Captain Kerry and Captain Sandy Yawn.
Luckily, I think the better captain won the slot. Captain Kerry is going to do a great job taking over the helm, and I can’t wait to see what the season reveals.
TELL US – DO YOU MISS CAPTAIN LEE?
