It’s a slow time for Bravo exclusive news as everyone seems to have disappeared for the winter break. But, amazingly, we still have recaps to do this week! Tonight we have a Below Deck recap of a new episode! I’m not sure how many episodes we have left. We seem to be getting into the thick of COVID and I remember that they got through about 75% of the season. I do think COVID probably kept Elizabeth on the boat with a demotion and not a ticket home. With each passing charter, travel gets less and less safe. So take your demotion, Elizabeth and ramp up your boatmance with James and you should be good to go.
Vive La France!
So let’s get back to my favorite charter guests of all time. It’s French night for dinner and Rachel is making fois gras. I’m pretty sure I am never eating that again as I believe that this what made me sick on Christmas. And I literally just stuffed a bit under the skin of my hen. I think Izzy just told Elizabeth that she only had a couple weeks left to deal with Francesca. The new deckhand Tom is a bit odd in that Dungeons and Dragons sort of way.
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Eddie is still salty with Rachel and is unwilling to share his crew with her at this point. She needs to make him some French toast. But first, she has to get through ten course meal. Or as Captain Lee says “sixty plates of fucking food.” And she better get it right because he would still like to fire her because of her tendency to flee the boat and tell everyone to eat her cooter. Elizabeth has to be asked to help serve the ten course meal. Really? Rachel is the best cook ever on Below Deck. She nailed the dinner. Then there was an after dinner orgry for the guests in the jacuzzi! Francesca is up flirting with James when she should be sleeping.
It’s On Like Donkey Kong!
The next morning, Captain Lee is back on Cheerios and bananas. The guests get some sort of smoked chipotle crepe with avocado and fresh croissants. The Captain has a really hard docking to negotiate. I foresee a lot of bleeping. But first it is time for Elizabeth to cry and feel sorry for herself. What a tough life she has. I’m sad that these guests are leaving. The tip was $25K! The crew has an optional trip to the donkey sanctuary in Antigua. Even Captain Lee goes to check it out. Eddie, Rachel and Francesca opt to stay on the boat.
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Francesca chats with Elizabeth about her poor work ethic. She demotes her. Francesa is pissed. She literally had to be asked to help with service! Izzy and Elizabeth immediately start trash talking Francesca. Wow. Ashling smartly runs off to do her job. Izzy tells Elizabeth to go to Captain Lee about her. Izzy is really trashing Francesca. And it’s a boat. So, Francesca hears the whole sordid conversation. Izzy is a bitch to Francesca’s face.
Shore Leave
While waiting for the others to get ready for a night out, Izzy tells the deck crew that she was sexually assaulted the year before. This seems like something she should have shared with the females if she wanted to share at all. The guys aren’t sure how to react. But they make it over to the lovely outdoor bistro and things are going well. Until Rachel starts drinking like a fish. She is trying to “get wasted.” We’ve seen this before and it isn’t pretty. She starts talking about flying scorpions vaginas coming toward your face. It’s bizarre.
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The Rachel starts bothering the other diners. And Eddie. And Eddie has not gotten over her quitting the last time. Rachel is also breaking Captain Lee’s rule about not embarrassing the boat. Francesca is trying to hit on Rob. Rob is socially awkward and claims he has never danced before. They call it an early night and everyone wants to get some sleep except for Elizabeth and James who apparently want to do it in the hot tub. This is something only seems like a good idea on TV, by the way. Rachel is also up talking to a toaster. Because, Rachel. The episode ends at like 2 am with Elizabeth and James still going at it. And Rachel talking to a bagel.
It must be midseason because we are getting a midseason preview of the rest of the season. It looks like everything goes to hell. In other news Kate Chastain has another new show. It’s Pillow Talk/PeoplesCouch for Below Deck and I believe it starts on Friday at 7pm.
Well, I don’t understand the hatred for Francesca from the other girls. What’s their problem? Weren’t they hired to work? Poor little babies, hired to work and they get upset when they have to HARK work. Sick of them. Eliz seems like a nice person, just not good at multi tasking. Not sure about the new guy. Cannot watch anything about animal sanctuaries as it really upsets me. it’s too sad. I do not like seeing animals in any sort of peril or hurt. You just can’t unsee things. wonder what will happen when covid hits big time and they are on this boat. Will they be allowed to leave??
Francesca is a grade A bitch. She reminds me of a nun who used to make us sit on our knuckles until we cried.
Thank you for the recap. I’m so behind on Below Deck! If not for you, I’d have no idea what’s going on. Last week I watched the Bachelorette on Monday and tonight I was busy catching up on my recorded Hallmark xmas movies. Ive recorded the BD episodes but I’m trying to avoid covid references wherever possible and I’m worried that watching BD will just stress me out. I’m sure I’ll watch at some point. Maybe.
Me, too.
I finally watched the last two episodes. OMG what great guests! Loved them. Rachel is full on Bipolar but brilliant in the galley- but aren’t all geniuses borderline crazy. like VanGough comes to mind when I watch her. And I totally get it could have been from Covid madness. But there was very little talk of it so that was good. And I understand Eddie feeling hurt by Rachel’s abandonment of the boat and crew.
As for miss Eliza Doolittle, girl stop the whiny baby talk and get to work . Perhaps she’s shoving crystals in her ears cause she seems incapable of listening to instruction. I give the chief stew so much credit. Kate would have thrown her overboard by now. Abby is sooo much better. And I had liked Izzy but now she’s just a bitch. She was lazy as fuck when on the interior. Even She must see that compared to how much she works on with the deck crew. I’m sort of done with her. And I’m loving sunshine’s replacement. He looked like that actor who plays Antman and other movies. Cant remember the name but he sure is adorable.
I’ve been on this website for awhile but never commented. I love the recaps! I agree I don’t get the dislike for Francesca, I totally get Eddie and he feels about Rachel. On a side note has anyone noticed when Kate comments on chat room it seems she doesn’t want to like Francesca. Kate would never have put up with Elizabeth. I use to enjoy Kate banter on below deck but now I find her hating on some of the originals players and supporting new yachties that she never would have before.
Yes, I noticed Kate acted like she doesn’t like her. I like Francesca. I think she’s had her plate full w/Elizabeth (and I agree Kate would not have put up w/her), the chef walking out, and Izzy trying to fuel the issues w/Elizabeth.
Kate hates that Francesca can run circles around her. When Kate was first given her show to comment on BD, it was horrible. I can’t believe Bravo put her on another show. I was never a Kate fan. Her last few seasons, I was on her side because I felt she was in the right. Izzy is a total twat. She was the Sunshine of the interior, which is why Lizzy looked good. Francesca should have demoted Lizzy after the toxic gas incident when Captain Lee wouldn’t let her fire the moron. Izzy should be thankful that the good deckhand left before Francesca had a chance to fire her.
Elizabeth reminds me of many twentysomethings I’ve encountered in life. I know older people like to blame it on the current generation, but there were spoiled pretty young people before there was the internet. She just can’t adult. It’s like so hard. You have to remember hard things, like rose for guests who like rose and orders given two seconds ago. She should have never been 2nd. The romance between her and James is as vapid as they are.
I agree, Tamara, Izzy would have had more empathy from the females. I also think it was good to tell the guys. So many seasons of them being sexists jerkwagons and here’s your team mate telling you where that attitude places the women. She told them she didn’t want to cause a scene. Maybe that will sink in. Maybe not.
I tune in for Rachel. All her crazy and talent. #teameatmycooter
? on the money with this! Glad Izzy said something to them, she’s great. I like her vibe a lot. Happy for her she got out of interior. Also I’m loving every second of Rachel’s crazy antics.. must be something about her being so wicked talented.. comes along with some weird tickies!? #teameatmycooter
I’ve no clue why it’s so much drama to do your damn job. If you don’t want to work your ass off for tips then don’t work in the industry.
Unfortunately I don’t think they think about working in the industry anymore it’s about increasing their time on a reality TV show for money it’s totally scripted now
Well, the hard true fact is that they have to do both to stay on the show and on top of it all endure crazy production interference all while being on camera even when they are sleeping. That has to be a lot more stressful than knowing when cameras are coming to your house. They are on camera 24/7.
That would be hard 24/7. I get mad if my hour lunch break is disturbed
The producers are there to bring on people who clash. The hate factor is important.
The Francesca hate is puzzling. I guess expecting someone to do their job is unacceptable. At this point, with all of Liz’s mistakes & now catching her talking behind her back THREE TIMES, I’m surprised Francesca is not more exasperated with Liz. It must be exhausting to have to constantly go behind someone to check that everything has been done and find that it isn’t. Liz is in a constant Pity Party, can’t seem to understand why Francesca is unhappy with her when she’s trying “so hard,” making mistakes that cause additional work for everyone else. This charter alone: the bleach/ammonia thing causing the engineer to ventilate the room; not taking down the decorations which Ashling Had to do the next morning; bringing ONE FUCKING BOTTLE OF ROSE for 6 people who drink a lot of Rose causing Eddie to make an extra trip; stripping ALL the beds of linens instead of the one causing more work for her & Ashling. Most of these are small things but they add up to no follow through & lack of attention to detail. So tired of Liz’s “lost lamb” attitude. Pity Party – table for one.
Rachel on the other hand is obviously a super star in the kitchen but less so out of it. That was an amazing meal she created that last night & she appears to do so effortlessly. But get a couple drinks in her & she becomes obnoxious. I kinda agree with Eddie’s attitude toward her. Rachel should have said something to the crew as a mea culpa because her actions did affect everyone. That crazy side of her comes off as somewhat psychotic.
And a final word on the guests – how sweet were they. Yes, they made some over the top demands but they were not demanding. The appreciated everything the crew did for them. Compare them to Charley & his obnoxious, entitle friends – no contest.
I feel like Rachel may be on meds for some sort of mental health issue that precludes her from being able to drink. They were not at the restaurant very long and even though she was pounding drinks, her bizarre behavior seemed way over the top.
That may be the source. She seems to be a mean drunk and gets unconventionally crazy after a few. I’m gonna guess she’s been in a few bar fights because she gets aggressive.
She’s mixing her drinks. She had liquor on board. Francesca accidentally drank some and you could tell it was strong strong. Then she had wine, champagne and more liquor at the restaurant and they don’t show her eating. She just drinks irresponsibly.
She’s so foul mouthed and crude. Her behavior is unacceptable !
I don’t k is what it is about the Chief Stew position but it seems that they all get disrespected by various members of the crew. It’s like their stripes don’t mean anything. And truth be told, aside from the captain, it is probably the most important position on board. She is the one who manages the boat overall, coordinates the meals, the excursions, the parties, the cleanliness of the interior & rooms, the care & feeding of the guests. Yet all the chief Stews across all the franchises constantly get ignored, disrespected and hated. Since this has been, so far, a female-only position, I’m gonna lay this a sexism’s feet. And yes, women can be as misogynistic as men. It’s just curious to me.
I feel like they always cast ONE stew who is going to clash with the chief stew. Same with the deck crew. And the chef is always…difficult. Probably all scripted. Except Rachel really does seem to be batshit.
It seems there is more definition between the Chief Stew and the other Stews compared to the Bosun and the Deckhands. We don’t see all of what is said at staff meetings, but if I were the Chief Stew, I’d make it very clear right out of the gate that I am not doing the same job as my staff and while I might pitch in and will be involved in service, they need to manage the rooms and laundry completely. Because so often, it seems like the stews’ biggest complaint is that they are doing al the work.
Well poor Captn. Lee. He is between a rock and a hard place with Rachel. It’s too bad too because she really is creative and talented but she really needs to be or stablized on Bi-Polar meds for her manic episodes.
I think Elizabeth uses her coyish cutesiness to gather sympathy from the rest of the crew. I felt so bad for Francesca when she saw her friend on the other boat and broke down. It must suck knowing everyone is talking about her behind her back, and always catching them doing it.
Rachel needs to stick to one type of alcohol.
The previews have me excited for the rest of the season. I remember when Captain Lee said his son died and it will be sad to see him re-live that but I’m ready for the interior blow up. #teamashling
Rachel needs to AVOID alcohol. It’s not mixing different types of alcohol. She is just one of those people who get obnoxious and nasty when drinking. Some people become really fun. Alcohol affects everyone differently. Rachel may or may not be on medication. i don’t know if people noticed that she was drinking before that preference sheet meeting where she was so unprofessional and quit. It was after she slept it off and sobered up that she came to beg Captain Lee to take her back.
Francesca, in my opinion, is the best chief stew of all the BD & BDM shows. She is excellent at her job, she speaks to everyone in a respectful manner, and she knows how to manage her stews and the crew. She got a dirty deal from Bravo with having 2 shit stews right off the bat. Fortunately, she got Ashling who is wonderful. Izzy turned out to be a bitch. And you are spot on about Lizzy. She’s a spoiled little rich girl from NY. So used to being told how wonderful she is. What’s even worse is she doesn’t think she’s doing anything wrong. It’s always just a little mistake. She even considered creating a toxic gas and sickening her coworkers a little mistake that wasn’t a big deal because she always did that before. The only mistake I see that Francesca made was not demoting her sooner.
Hi TT and everyone! I skipped to the comments because I am watching Below Deck with a family member and I don’t want to see spoilers.
I will promptly show myself to the WLS after I post, but I wanted to add this personal update to close-out my topic of therapy with Natasha. I graduated today! And you know what? It made a difference. It was only a 30-day program with weekly meetings, and it seemed so easy and simple. I’m thinking that maybe I am just at an age where I can appreciate the process–(thinking my younger-self would have thought it was complete BS). I almost had to start all-over when I answered “Yes” to, “Do you think you have any magical powers?”, but then I said I meant only my normal magical powers that I always have lol, not anything new or different.
So that is it with that but I wanted to update you guys I have a referral to a zoom-group if I want so I may try that too. My microphone does not work but that would be even better so that I can listen and learn.
I am loving Below Deck and I can’t wait to watch this new episode it is my favorite Bravo show for now and it is never a hate-watch unlike some others that I’m just not even bothering with.
A) What are your magical powers?
And
3) I’m talking to myself in the latest Open Forum where you could have posted it without worrying about spoilers.
Thanks TT, well one unique magic for myself is as long as I do not use a certain kind of soap, I do not get blemishes, pimples or even rashes. It may not sound that magical but it cured a pretty severe set of skin reactions.
What’s the name of the soap? And CONGRATULATIONS on graduating.
Listen closely to Eddie, he is great with accents and on liners. I have a big crush on Eddie.
I’m with you, these are the best ever charter guests.I want to be friends with all of them. I also want to eat Rachel’s food. Yes, she was an asshole but she came back and delivered. Did I see an ad for a new Rupaul Drag Race?
Yes! I missed the last one, was it good? The new one starts friday at 8. Since it is on Friday I may attempt an abbreviated recap. Warning, I’m no Lady Coette. 🙁
I’m not a huge fan of the show, but I know other posters like it. Below Deck is pretty much the only Bravo show I watch any more and I am binging shows oh Prime and Netflix.
Elizabeth is so boring. Lizzy is an asshole. You didn’t do your job in the interior because you wanted to be on the deck. Do the effing job you signed up for, you twat. You left a mess for someone else to do.
The donkeys and Captain Lee!
I wish I got paid for each time I screamed “just do your effing job, bitch!” while watching this show. I agree, I just don’t understand the dislike for Francesca. I think she’s is a saint for having to deal with these incompetent, entitled assholes.