It’s time for another episode of Below Deck and it will not be a smooth sailing event. It never occurred to me that they have never had seriously bad weather in an episode, and tonight, they face a big storm they weren’t expecting. And it’s not just between Emile and Rocky. We will also have some very picky charter guests.
We start with Rocky giving Emile her breakup note. It’s so high school. Emile is embarrassed and hurt. Rocky says they are on different planets. Which is true. At Emile is on earth. To make matters worse, Dane is on the phone with his girlfriend all night long.
The new charter guests are major foodies. Leon says he may need to speak with the guests since Kate is so bad at communicating. 
Rocky is just finding out that her plan for a fling with Dane may be thwarted as he is on the phone with his girlfriend every morning at 5 a.m.
Siblings Traci and Mark are from Connecticut and very preppy. The cast immediately starts ridiculing them for being wealthy. So they don’t like new money and they don’t like old money. What do they like again? Why do they work on chartered yachts? Even Connie is in on the mocking. The guests have brought so “really cool wines.” They meet with Leon to suggest a 6 course tasting menu for one of the nights. Actually, from what I understand, Leon’s restaurant in Cairns is all about wine pairings. He seems quite excited. If he brings out the beef cheeks again, I won’t be surprised. I don’t understand why Kate is so pissy that he does that so often. It’s new guests each time and they all love it.
Kate tells the guests that Connie is going to take them “hunting for lobster” I think she means diving for lobster. The guests tell Amy that their last yachting experience they hit a reef off Martha’s Vineyard after just 23 hours and had to abandon ship. They hope for better luck this time. #Foreshadowing. The storm quickly rolls in. Lobster mission is quickly aborted. All hell is breaking loose.
The captain puts Dane on anchor watch. Because, bad idea. I don’t believe Captain Lee would really do that. I think the real crew will handle the anchor watch.
Leon is going all out for this meal starting with cauliflower truffle soup. They love it as usual. And there are the beef cheeks with lobster tail. Kate moans. The guests adore the food. They retire early.
Leon gets on the phone to order a delivery of many items the guests didn’t let him know about, like foie gras and rabbit. I’d love to do a tasting menu at Wink II in Australia. Have any of my Aussie friends been there?
Disaster happens when Dane tries to bring in the jet ski that a charter drove into the prop or something. Dane hits the boat. I’m not really sure what the issue is but Captain Lee is not at all happy with Dane or Eddie at the moment.
Meanwhile, Leon’s last minute requests arrive frozen solid. Kate says that Leon is unprofessional and doesn’t know about wine pairings. This is ridiculous. Leon’s restaurant is all about the wine pairings. How is it his fault that the proteins arrived frozen? Amy joins in on this ridiculous storyline. The wine is not coming out on time. That is Kate’s fault. Yet, somehow it’s a hatchet job on Leon. Kate takes Leon to task telling him he should have been in a chef’s jacket. I’m over the bad edit for Leon. WAY over it. Captain Lee comes in while they are arguing.
On the final day of charter the guests continue to rave about Leon’s food. For some reason, Amy is sadly on board with talking ridiculous crap about Leon.
Meanwhile, they are trying to dock and the winds are super high. But it all works out. Crap I just remember I forgot to look at Rocky in talking heads. The guests rave to the Captain about Leon. So does he cut Leon some slack? Noe. He is #TeamRestingBitchFace
They got $16K in tips BECAUSE OF THE FOOD. And the owner of the boat has decided to give them a day off at a resort because of the rave reviews about the service and FOOD. But, Captain Lee needs to ream out Dane in the wheelhouse.
The stews have girl talk. Amy is nice, but Kate isn’t. Which is odd because they both go in on Rocky on WWHL
Meanwhile, Eddie is texting Rocky telling her to pay attention to him and she might get some stress relief! Oh really now? Not perfect Eddie! This feels like a set up. Meanwhile, Dane is wasted. Connie is sort of a lunatic. She makes herself a peanut butter bra and goes swimming. Then is later worries about sharing a bunk with Dane. Because, don’t do nekkid interviews and act slutty and then worry that guy might try to get with you?
Next week: Dane and Eddie get into it. And something might go on with Rocky and Eddie. Note that Eddie is at the center of the drama, but he is the golden child…so he won’t get fired.
Connie should be in chargeon deck. Although more dedicated than Eddie, who bangs and blames his crew for his lethargy, she’s a getter done kid of girl. Bonus, she doesn’t whine while below deck. Captain Lee needs to try having an achiever give it their best shot. Golden boy’s a cry baby.
I think I still love Eddie from seasons past, but he’s not that great this season. Much whinier and blaming others. I know this has been mentioned before, but I’m really confused about why Rocky refuses to look in the camera during her interviews. It’s just awkward now.
I don’t like Dane and I don’t see the attraction.
Totally agree about the food. Who cares if he makes beef cheeks every charter? The guests seem to love it and no one has complained about the food so far.
Exactly, it’s not like he’s feeding the beef cheeks to the same guests over and over. If you know people consistently like that dish, go ahead and give them beef cheeks. I would like some of Leon’s beef cheeks.
Eddie was promoted this season and not holds a position of more authority. It doesn’t look like he’s managing his job responsibilities or his staff very well, to say nothing about the way he talks to his GF – put her in her place if you must Eddie, but doing it on camera is tacky. I loved him previous seasons, too, but this time… not so much.
I don’t get why the crew can not figure out why the tips are so much better this season. Ummm, maybe the food? Nooooo Eddie please no. I like you being the good guy that no one can have. Let’s hope it’s a set up.
Yes and yes!
Kate should go back and start picking on Rocky as her target again (justified) and leave Leon alone. Lobster and beef cheeks looked delicious.
I don’t really see Kate picking at Leon. She is not saying rude stuff to him, she is venting in her talking heads, but seems to be remaining professional in her dealings with him. But he is just being a dick to her, imo. He even told her “I don’t like you”.
I liked Amy’s frog leg dance. Amy must be welcome comedy relief. Leon didn’t even crack a smile when she did that. He is a grumpy grump.
Kate is not without fault in all of this…I don’t love Leon cuz he’s not warm and fuzzy and funny but Kate has badmouthed him to other crew members (Specifically I remember her criticizing his skills to Emile an episode or two ago). He overheard her and I think him being rude to Kate this episode ie “I don’t like you”, is his way of saying to Kate he is being direct with her, now she needs to be direct with him and not talk behind his back. He is not the best communicator and his prickly behavior now makes him look bad instead of her. But he is a good chef, if charter guests comments are to be believed, and I think that makes Kate crazy. Did you read Rocky’s blog? She really doesn’t like Kate!
Oh dear, I don’t think I’ve seen Kate have anything complimentary to say about Leon all season. She’s been backstabbing him since their first service this season and to say the things she has about Leon (supposedly her equal rank wise) to lower ranked crew isn’t just unprofessional but it’s rude.
Thank you, TT. I actually fell for Kate’s Leon bs this episode. I was being manipulated. I think Amy’s involvement really tipped the scales. Argh.
Don’t drink the the leon is great tea they are trying to pass around here. Kate is wonderful. Kate the beautiful, bonnie Kate is perfect.
It’s bad enough that your comments are ludicrous, Sequoia, but for some reason they are all going to the WLS and I have to keep fishing them out. ARGH.
It’s called karma, sweetie. 😀
Leon was told that the guests were “foodies” when they received the charter guests sheets. Thats why Kate said he had time to order the food while they were still in the dock and not wait two days to receive frozen food. It was Leon’s fault, which caused everything to be backed up. He is not a team player and Kate was very professional when speaking to him while he was beyond nasty to her. He’s a jerk.
That makes no sense at all. The guests came the same day as the overview meeting. Leon made an order thereafter.
Thanks TT. My hubby couldn’t understand the BS with the whole Leon situation.
It’s all manufactured crap. He’s a great chef, but he probably should not tweet arrogantly in misspelled English. IJS
TT – apologies in advance if I’m wrong. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately (in an ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ kinda way) so all this stuff is jumbled in my head. Here goes. Early this season wasn’t it said that no one sees Leon cook and there were questions whether he was a real chef or not?
I’m confused – my head’s pounding – again. I want to retire (whine whine whine lol)
I’ll probably going to be sent to the WLS, but I like Kate. I mean, the sitting in a tree kinda like. I mean, I think she’s perfect kinda like. So I have contrary feelings where leon is concerned.
You really think the WLS is the worst that can happen? BWAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHHAHH I’ll get you my pretty and your little dog too!
*Gulp*
I might just give up the show and come here instead for the drama between Sequoia and TT.
Hahaha! Sequoia! I love Kate! I always defend her and Tamara hasn’t grounded me yet.
I feel like Petruchio in “Taming of the Shrew” defending bonnie Kate, Kate the magnificent. Kate.
I agree 100.
She is ethereal. I want to be her.
Oh Sequoia and Pip you are my spirit animals.
I was starting to like her a bit, but I’m over it now. She just keeps venting her hostility on people and stirring things up. Not at all professional. I’m also really annoyed by the captain’s obvious crush on her. He lets her away with totally rubbish behavior and randomly blames other people for the doodoo she stirs up. She picks a target and she’s relentless in attacking that person. I’m starting to think she could use a bit of therapy, as she seems to have no self awareness about her own behavior and when she starts in on someone (like she did with Amy last season), she doesn’t appear to have any conscience or sense of decency or kindness about her at all. I had to laugh at her saying she prided herself at getting along with even the most difficult chefs, but just couldn’t get along with Leon because of course it’s him not her. Last season, she clearly clashed with Ben, but it’s always good to rewrite history when it serves you to do so.
Best line of the night:
Leon: “Good night, ladies. You too, Kate.”
What doesth Lady Kate of Krunk know of cooking?
Can she even ‘smell that smell?’
‘You know that smell that is all around you?’
It’s Kate. She doesn’t shower.
I like kate – she’s funny in a bitchy sort of way that I could never get away with. I think Leon isn’t as flexible as he needs to be as a chef on this sort of boat but I think his food looks WAY more appealing than the old chef. Even the previews of old chef returning his plated something looks awful!! Yes Leon over does the smear, the beef checks but is eat his food – other chef no way
Wouldn’t the tips be bigger because the boat is a lot bigger and would cost a lot more? Tips would be based on what was initially spent, right? A percent of a cost of a bigger boat would be more that a percent of a tip from a smaller boat. Am I crazy, or is that how it would work? I don’t think Leon is the reason for the bigger tip is my point.
Not sure how it works on these luxury yachts, but on big cruise ships you’re expected to tip a certain amount per staff person, but you can give more of a tip to someone who gave you exceptional service.
Since Capt. Lee splits the tip money evenly we’ll never know if one crew member was tipped or appreciated more over another one, but I tend to think the tips being bigger this season, especially after hearing the guests rave about his food, have a lot to do with Leon’s cooking.
It’ll be interesting to see if the tips are smaller after Ben returns and if they are, if the crew mentions it.
I still like Leon. Who cares if he likes Kate or not, he’s preparing fabulous meals! You always remember how great the food was when you are on vacay. I really think that is why they are getting the high tips. Dane, can’t stand him. Does he ever wash his hair? He’ll be the next one to go. Rocky, still a tease. I can’t stand her wedgie bathing suit/underwear/shorts. Emile still immature. Poor poor Eddie, I think he just has too much on his mind. I still love him tho! I don’t like how Amy got on the bandwagon with Kate about Leon.
Leon doesn’t have time for manufactured nonsense. WTF, Amy?
He talked to the guests, found out their preferences, many of which didn’t appear on the provisions list, and then ordered them. Should he have done it sooner? Who knows? Would it have mattered?
But seriously, Kate and Amy appear to be conjuring reasons to throw him under the bus. Once he heard Kate badmouthing him to the rest of the crew, all bets were off. That was highly unprofessional, especially as a supervisor. So passive aggressive.
Which is why I agree with you that this sooo scripted.
Dane’s a scary, stupid drunk who shouldn’t be on the Eros. And if someone woke me up talking two feet away from me at 5 am, he’d be a bald and bruised scary, stupid drunk.
I’m very sad to see Amy jump on the Leon bashing bandwagon. Maybe she’s afraid she’ll incur the wrath of Kate if she doesn’t. The thought of that a second time around probably leaves her shaking in her cowgirl boots. If I had to put up with that constant bitching in my face, I’d probably loose it. She seems to think that putting people down and saying nasty things makes her look intelligent, but it has totally worn thin for me. If she were really intelligent, she would have figured out by now that venting her anger at not having landed a rich yacht owning husband on whoever she thinks she can get away with making her target is bad for everyone. Some self awareness please.
I agree with you about Dane, Katherine2.0. He gives me an “ewwww” feeling. I don’t like Leon, but his food look good.
When people work as closely as they do on boats, courtesy and a good attitude are especially important. ( My husband was a diver/welder and now is an inspector for both diving and welding…and I do listen to him at least part of the time). Small slights and grievances are magnified by the 24/7 exposure.
No Eddie cannot sleep with Roxky. Those thong one pieces all like catnip to the boys i guess.
If he did he denies it like hell on camera…
I think it could be a set up or a mistake. I think Eddie was texting the gf and accidently texted Rocky and he hasnt figured it out yet.
That was my initial thought about the texts, too.
Kate set the tone with Leon from the time they met and she asked if he needed extra time to do his hair. Leon’s been scripted as a target. I liked the way he said his daughter is his world ⚓️ .
How did this show take people who started out acting normally and turn them into shameless attention, word I don’t know if I can use on here. The poor Captain is now coming across like a useless buffone, which is a shame as he started out seeming so dignified and respectful. It’s bad enough when they are totally edited to look bad, but when they go willingly to slaughter and fall on the knife. I can’t bring myself to watch it anymore, but I’m assuming Amy has crossed over the line to the dark side as a means of self preservation and Kate is still harassing the easy p