Ben Willoughby has always been on my Below Deck radar. The Australian came onto the series as the self-proclaimed heartthrob and worked his way up to Bosun. The Bravo star seemed kind enough with a humorous demeanor. But the current season showed him almost weasel his way into his new leadership position. Ben often complained about Jared Woodin’s way of getting the job done. And soon enough, we saw him take over the lead position. The last episode showed Ben fulfilling the Lead Deckhand position on Sunny Marquis. But was it the right choice?
Ben ruffled feathers
I find it telling that only three weeks ago, Ben posted a long-winded rant about what it means to be in a position of power. He wrote, “Being in a position of responsibility means you have to understand leadership. Understand how your team works, understand their strengths and weaknesses, build those team members up, and encourage them to go further than they thought possible. Lead from the front and not use a position of authority over anyone.” Ben’s choice of Lead Deckhand upset a few crew members, mainly Barbie Pascual and Dylan Pierre De Villiers.
According to Dylan, he has four-plus years of yachting experience, while Sunny is just entering her second year. I don’t think it helps that Sunny and Ben have formed a boatmance. I would argue that charter relationships should be condemned, but then we wouldn’t have the Below Deck we all know and love. But they also shouldn’t be making out in front of Dylan, as it reeks of unprofessionalism. But to infer, like Dylan did, that Sunny shouldn’t be in the running for a promotion because she is sleeping with the Bosun isn’t exactly fair. Sunny and Ben started their relationship before he had a position of power.
Sunny works hard
No viewer can deny Sunny worked incredibly hard this past charter season. She did every job given to her with a smile on her face and often put her personal issues aside, all in the name of the job. Sunny is more than capable of performing the duties of a Lead Deckhand and often shows a massive desire to improve her role. Ben took to his social media to clarify that he “promotes on character, not qualifications.”
I don’t necessarily disagree with Ben’s choice. But I can see how the optics could make others think incorrectly. Ben commented on Dylan’s behavior, sharing, “You will see his reactions to the decision on lead deckhand (after I told the team if anyone has a problem with the decision come and talk to me privately) is the reason why he was not chosen as lead deckhand.” Captain Kerry Titheradge has been giving Sunny a lot more responsibility, which leads me to think there is something we are not seeing.
Dylan looked dumb
I think Dylan has a right to be upset with the personnel choice, but he is being a big baby by talking sh*t to everyone else on the crew. While on paper, Dylan could be more qualified; I don’t think that he has shown viewers why he deserved the position over Sunny. He came into the charter season late and shouldn’t have expected to be handed everything on a silver platter, even if he is disgustingly cheerful. But what disappointed me the most was how the mask fell when Dylan didn’t get what he wanted. The South African’s sexist comments were gross, and I really can’t like him for that.
The final decision
While I find it hard to respect Ben, I respect his decision. Multiple episodes have shown Sunny always wanting to learn from Captain Kerry and taking every opportunity to try new things and further her knowledge. In my opinion, initiative and curiosity should be rewarded. There are no clear-cut lines here, as the waters were murky when it came to the promotion. I think the main saving grace is the fact that the Captain agreed with the decision that Sunny was the best for the job. So congrats, Sunny!
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TELL US – DO YOU THINK BEN MADE THE RIGHT DECISION ABOUT THE LEAD DECKHAND?
