Amidst the glam housewives, Los Angeles bartenders-slash-DJs, and Hamptons party hoppers that populate Bravo’s hit reality TV programs, a hardworking boat crew might seem out of place. But the enduring popularity of Below Deck, which returned for its 11th season on Monday night, is proof that watching four deckhands struggle to set up an inflatable water slide for a group of former college sorority sisters from Florida is actually pretty entertaining after all. After more than a decade on air, Below Deck is back again with its familiar formula of hunky deckhands, catfights between stews, uber-rich charter guests—and a brand new captain.
The supersized 75-minute season premiere kicks off by introducing the (mostly) new crew of the St. David megayacht. As always, the cast is composed of aquatic enthusiasts from all over the world who, though equal in hotness, are in possession of vastly varying levels of yachting experience. Clashes between the less experienced yachties and those left to resentfully pick up their slack is as essential to Below Deck’s DNA as entitled charter guests and drunken jacuzzi makeouts.
First up, we have the biggest casting shake-up in the show’s 11-season run. Captain Lee Rosbach, who had been anchoring—pun intended—Below Deck since it debuted in 2013, made the difficult decision to leave the show last year due to medical issues. Taking over Captain Lee’s role for season 11 is Captain Kerry Titheradge, who previously starred in franchise spin-off Below Deck Adventure in 2022. “There’s no doubt I’ve got some big shoes to fill,” he says. “But hey, sounds like a challenge to me and I’m up for it.” The bottom line? Captain Kerry arrived in Grenada with a no-nonsense attitude and something to prove.
Returning cast members include chief stew Fraser Olender and lead deckhand Ben Willoughby. This marks Fraser’s second season as chief stew and third on the show. “I didn’t realize that becoming a chief stew meant that I had to be a therapist, but I’m coming back with an iron fist and I’m going to fist the shit out of this season,” he jokes. Fraser gets some of the more exciting clips in previews for the season to come, including having to field requests from former housewife Jill Zarin (!!) and an illicit New Year’s kiss with a charter guest.
Meanwhile, Ben, an affable Aussie who refers to himself as the “Stew Slayer,” has been promoted to lead deckhand. Ben found himself in the thick of the chaos last season when he struck up a relationship with the notoriously messy stewardess Camille Lamb. (Their romance fizzled out after Camille allegedly was unfaithful.) Only time will tell if another on-deck hookup is in store for the Stew Slayer—though we’re willing to concede that it’s a safe bet.
Among the new cast members, we have stewardess Barbie Pascual, who appears to have been created in a lab dedicated to crafting perfect reality TV personalities. Her intro consists of a series of outrageous soundbites, beginning with “I grew up with three nannies—one would cook, one would clean, one would do my hair,” and ending with, “My eyebrows are tattooed, my eyelashes are fake as hell and so are my extensions, but I’m real as fuck.” She self-identifies as “a huge daddy’s girl” as if it’s a job title. This woman has clearly been training for her entire life to be on television.
Rounding out the cast are stewardesses Xandi Olivier and Cat Baugh, bosun Jared Woodin, chef Anthony Iracane, and deckhands Sunny Marquis and Kyle Stillie. Though as Below Deck fans know, anyone can be axed by the captain at any moment, and if this first episode is any indication, some of the new St. David crew members might not be cut out for the high stakes of the high seas.
As is typical for the season premiere of Below Deck, much of the episode is devoted to introducing the crew and preparing for the first charter guests, a 24-hour marathon of cleaning, unpacking, and laying the groundwork for simmering tension. Sidenote: A new season of Below Deck is always a good reminder that the way people talk about boats is grotesque. For instance, multiple cast members use the phrase, “She’s a big girl,” to describe the St. David upon arrival. Why must we continue to inflict the gender binary on boats in 2024? It’s unclear.
We get lots of B-roll of the megayacht’s absurdly luxe accommodations, including baroque-style interiors, a multi-level primary suite, and a hot tub with a clear glass bottom that doubles as a skylight. Fraser is lamenting the garish teal shade of their uniforms, Barbie is deciding where in her 8-by-8 cabin to display her collection of Chanel bags, and Jared is panicking to anyone who will listen about how it’s been 10 years since he’s worked a vessel this large. Uh oh. Surely this is not the last we will be hearing about that.
Soon, the first charter guests of the season arrive. The group includes a newlywed couple and some friends, and the only thing we know about them is that they’re all horny AF. Everything they say ranges from innuendo to straight-up crass, whether they’re pointing out how many windows are in the master bedroom or complimenting Chef Anthony’s cooking. Things get off to a rocky start when Jared realizes he only knows how to measure distance in feet, not meters (perhaps this should have been part of the job interview?), but they eventually make it out of the marina after only almost crashing into another yacht.
We only get to see the beginning of the charter, and while there are a few classic hiccups—Jared’s struggles with the metric system and dinner being served a full 90 minutes late—it’s far from the most disastrous first charter in Below Deck history. Still, despite the relative lack of drama, the end of the episode sees an overwhelmed Cat sobbing in the galley. Ever the consummate professional, Fraser sweetly comforts her before decisively declaring to himself, “She’s not going to last.”
The season premiere also highlighted another important part of prepping for charter season—establishing who on board is single. Spoiler alert: The answer is everyone, basically. Being open and available for an onscreen fling seems to be a Below Deck casting requirement, which makes sense given the integral role inter-cast romances have played in propelling the drama in past seasons.
However, after two stars of Below Deck Down Under were fired for sexual misconduct during filming last year, the culture of heavy drinking and alcohol-fueled hookups that have long been a series mainstay has been under scrutiny. When the disturbing episodes of Below Deck Down Under aired, production and crew members were applauded for holding Luke Jones and Laura Bileskalne accountable for their actions. This new season is an opportunity for Bravo to continue the conversation around how reality TV as a genre must move forward from exploiting its stars in the name of good television, and viewers will certainly be keeping an eye on how last summer’s controversy shapes Below Deck in the episodes to come.
