Ahoy there, Below Deck fans! We are getting ready to welcome old man Neptune himself back to the helm of the motor yacht St. David. Captain Lee Rosbach is here, and he’s ready to WOW us with non-sensical mottos. This week I clocked “madder than a pissed-on chicken” and “the more bread you have the less [shit] you have to eat.” I almost miss the pep talks.
Captain Lee is pleased to return to his crew so unified. He thinks Captain Sandy Yawn has done a great job. Little does he know she essentially tortured them until they huddled together like little ocean orphans waiting for the storm to pass. Or maybe it was the volleyball. I guess we’ll never know.
Hayley Catches Leigh-Ann Up
Women are information gatherers, and Leigh-Ann Smith is all woman. She has done her due diligence throughout her first few days with her new crew. Quickly, she and her bunkmate Hayley De Sola Pinto start swapping stories about Ben Willoughby. We’re honored to be a production-operated fly on this wall.
Leigh-Ann tells Hayley she met Ben on Tinder, and Hayley tells Leigh-Ann that Ben has already found himself a yacht bae this season. Leigh-Ann doesn’t take the news too hard. She doesn’t think it’s possible for Benny to be involved in anything too committed so soon. Poor sweet Leigh-Ann.
South Florida Frat Boys
The guests are on board, and they look like how Planet Fitness smells. They’ve demanded a seafood extravaganza and cocktail pairing for their first lunch on board. Fraser Olender hands the cocktail-making over to Leigh-Ann. He’s putting her through her paces quickly. Lucky for her, Ben is there to offer boyish high-fives mid-shift.
For dinner, Chef Rachel Hargrove makes the guests a fish fully encrusted in salt. No one seems impressed except Captain Lee. He joined the guests for dinner, but I couldn’t pay any attention to that. The chyron kept distracting me. It was inexplicably reminding us of everyone’s relationship as a guest on the charter. HINT HINT.
Fraser gathers some information of his own the next day. When the guests first arrived on board, there was a strange moment where the primary shouts out a friend and suggests she sleeps on the couch (?) in his master suite. Fraser learns from said friend that she is actually the sister-in-law of the primary. Except, wait. She’s actually just a sister-like figure to the primary’s wife. She’s a hanger-on. And she’s here on the yacht with her “best friend’s” husband, sleeping in his room, while her sister-wife is home with their three children. Internet, do your work. Free that stay-at-home sister-wife from this greasy man for me, please!
Katie And Ross Are Still Happening
It’s getting closer and closer to the finale of this relationship. In one scene, Katie Glaser and Ross McHarg are comparing themselves to Ben and Leigh-Ann. Katie says she approves of flirting at work. Cue Ross tackling her onto the closest horizontal surface in sight. And she swoons. It hurts to watch.
In her confessional, Katie tells the viewers that her relationship with Ross is “more serious than playing around at work.” In his interview, Ross reports that he actually just wants to have fun. And he’s not having enough. He reveals that his current lack of sex is starting to “hurt” him. Gross. And then we get several scenes of the deck crew sitting around.
Leigh-Ann Circles Back On Ben
Leigh-Ann is checking for Ben consistently throughout the episode. They have the honor of staying up late to tend to the beastly guests. They deliver bottles of tequila and ham sammies until dawn. Then Ben takes some extra time to send Leigh-Ann a goodnight text. Side eye.
Ben has already been somewhat honest with Leigh-Ann about his relationship with Camille Lamb. But don’t give him too much credit. Remember Leigh-Ann already knew the good word from Hayley and she dug it out of him. She’s playing smarter, not harder. Or trying to.
RELATED: Below Deck’s Captain Sandy Yawn Reveals Where She Stands With Camille Lamb Post Firing
The next day, Leigh-Ann and Ben are sent to shore to host a beach event. Ben is flirting openly with Leigh-Ann, and Katie starts to feel uncomfortable with how insincere he is being about his seriousness with Camille. Meanwhile, Leigh-Ann has my jaw in the basement when she calls Ben a “smooth operator” for walking out of the ocean in cargo shorts. She’s really digging this guy. We’re also treated to a scene of Ben texting Camille while standing 2 feet from Leigh-Ann. I can’t wait for the reunion!
Frasier In Charge
And don’t you forget it! Fraser has totally come into his own on this charter. His boat daddy is back at long last and he is entering his 2.0 era! When faced with having to host a beach picnic in sketchy weather, Fraser and Ross come up with a new plan to better meet the guest’s needs. Fraser authoritatively puts his trust in Leigh-Ann to manage the shore event. He even seems pressed when she asks for extra accessories to boost the aesthetic.
Don’t you love gazebo-in-the-wind drama on Below Deck? I’m being pathetically serious when I say, I do. Besides, Leigh-Ann probably just realized these frat boys need some plastic tents to go with their corn hole. She’s brushed up on American culture.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK BEN IS GOING TO HOOK UP WITH LEIGH-ANN OR STAY TRUE TO HIS ONE TRUE LOVE, CAMILLE? PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE GUEST’S ROOMING SITUATION IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
[Photo Credit: Greg Endries/Bravo]
