Summary
There have been many Bosuns in theBelow Deckfranchise with big egos. As the head of the exterior team,Bosuns have a difficult job that requires skill, patience, and leadership. They serve as the right hand in line for each captain. Bosuns are crucial to the success of each charter team alongside the Chief Stew. If they don’t fit the position, the whole superyacht suffers.Jared Woodin was fired duringBelow Deckseason 11 for underperforming as Bosun. Aside from Jared, there have been otherBelow Deckbosuns who should’ve been firedbut weren’t.
Oftentimes, the crew members ofBelow Deckdevelop massive egos. Being the star of a season can get to their heads. Instead of prioritizing their jobs onboard, they may focus on creating dramatic reality TV moments to ensure fame afterBelow Deck. On the contrary,crew members also develop a sense of cockiness because of their titlesaboard the superyachts. Across theBelow Deckfranchise, they’ve had plenty of bosuns who have let the excitement of being on TV, combined with their pride in their job, change them as crew members.
20 Best Reality TV Shows Right Now
Reality TV is more popular than ever. With so many to choose from, here are some of the best reality TV shows to stream or watch right now.
10Malia White
Below Deck Mediterranean Seasons 2, 5, & 6
Malia White became thefirst female bosun of theBelow DeckfranchiseduringBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 5. Despite making history on the show during season 5, she also prompted one of the show’s most contested firings ever. InBelow Deck Medseason 5, Malia told Captain Sandy Yawn that Hannah Ferrier had illegal Valium and a vape pen on the superyacht. The Chief Stew was immediately fired, prompted by Malia’s conversation with the captain. While Hannah was in the wrong, Malia’s ego was somewhat inflated after getting one of the most beloved Chief Stews fired.
9EJ Jansen
Below Deck Season 5
EJ Jansen is one of theleast memorableBelow Deckbosunsfrom the franchise. He joined duringBelow Deckseason 5, serving as a temporary replacement for Kelley Johnson, who had to depart due to family matters. Even though EJ was on the show for a short time, his ego showed. Despite a lack of experience with the franchise, histitle of “Bosun” arguably got to his headas he didn’t get along swimmingly with the rest of his crew members. EJ had tension with Chief Stew Kate Chastain during the season.
8Bryan Kattenburg
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 1
Bryan Kattenburg was the first official Bosun for the franchise spin-offBelow Deck Med.He performed his job as Bosun exceptionally well. The cause of his conflict throughoutBelow Deck Medseason 1 was deckhandDanny Zureikat, who was firedfor his questionable behavior toward guests and the rest of the crew. Bryan was likelyexcited to be known as the OG Bosun ofBelow Deck Med, though he often faded into the background for the rest of the season’s drama.
7Eddie Lucas
Below Deck Seasons 1-3, 8, & 9
Eddie Lucas was the BosunonBelow Deckfor several seasons, including 1-3, 8, and 9. His many appearances on the show seemingly got to his head. DuringBelow Deckseason 3,he infamously cheated on his girlfriend with fellow crew member Rocky Dakota.They hid their boatmance from the rest of theBelow Deckseason 3 cast and confirmed their affair at the finale. Eddie’s ego was so inflated he didn’t even care he was cheating on his girlfriend and that the affair was filmed.
He made waves once more when returning forBelow Deckseason 9. The season was negatively tainted when Heather Chase said a racial slur in front of Rayna Lindsay. At the reunion, Rayna revealed she told Eddie what Heather said, and he didn’t do anything about it. He furthered their conflict,alleging Rayna used a homophobic slur,though Eddie said he “didn’t remember the conversation” he had with her about the issue. However, there was footage of Eddie making the allegation about Rayna.
6Nico Scholly
Below Deck Seasons 4 & 5
Nicol Scholly joinedBelow Deckseason 4 as a deckhand and returned once more for season 5. Working under Captain Lee Rosbach, he was the lead deckhand on season 5 and impressed his captain with his ability to help teach the rest of the exterior team crew. He was quick to discipline his fellow deck team members andwas eventually promoted to Bosun by Captain Lee.Nico’s promotion was a dream come true for the Bosun, who notably enjoyed the power he held in the position.
5Jamie Sayed
Below Deck Down Under Season 1
Jamie Sayed had a sour attitude onBelow Deck Down Underseason 1. He was disrespectful towards his fellow crew members. Jamie was demanding instead of working alongside them to ensure success during the charter season. Jamie was rude towards Captain Jason Chambers andwould call him “Jason” instead of “Captain.”He truly thought he ran the superyacht duringBelow Deck Down Underseason 1, and Captain Jason caught onto this. Subsequently, Jamie wasn’t asked to return for a second season.
4João Franco
Below Deck Mediterranean Seasons 3 & 4, Below Deck Down Under Season 2
João Franco’s first stint with the franchise duringBelow Deck Medseason 3 showcased an ugly side of the eventual bosun. When he drank, João turned into his self-proclaimed alter ego “Jezabob.” His behavior when he was intoxicated was utterly outrageous, and he specifically targeted the women of the crew to direct his anger towards them. João got so angry one night thathe shattered a glass in his bare hands on top of calling Aesha a “Russian prostitute.”Despite his terrible behavior, he returned for another season ofBelow Deck MedandBelow Deck Down Under.
3Ashton Pienaar
Below Deck Seasons 6 & 7
DuringBelow Deckseason 6,Ashton Pienaar was a beloved cast member. He’s well-known for being in a near-fatal accident when his foot got caught in a tow line and went into the ocean. He was promoted duringBelow Deckseason 7, and it seemed thatthe attention he’d received from the show’s audience had gotten to his head. Like João, Ashton became aggressive when he consumed alcohol. He did not get along well with Chief Stew Kate and punched a car door during one night out.
2Ben Willoughby
Below Deck Seasons 10 & 11
Ben Willoughby was promoted to BosunduringBelow Deckseason 11 after Jared was unable to fulfill his duties in the role. Hewent into the season disappointed that Captain Kerry Titheradge had not hired him in the rolebut was eager to take over in place of Jared. Before he was promoted, Ben often critiqued his Bosun’s performance. He grew incredibly annoyed with Jared and wasn’t too sad to see him leave St. David. Once he stepped into the role of Bosun, Ben did a good job leading his team. Nonetheless, Ben stirred up drama during the season.
After entering a boatmance with Camille Lamb duringBelow Deckseason 10, he formed a connection with his fellow deck team member, Sunny Marquis. His boatmance with Sunny was incredibly up-and-down. She had real feelings for Ben whilehe ranted about missing Camille in his confessionals.He went as far as to call his ex-girlfriend and ask if she’d be willing to hang out, an offer she declined. Ben and Sunny took time apart from each other before reconciling and walking away fromBelow Deckseason 11 together as a couple.
1Gary King
Below Deck Sailing Yacht Seasons 2-4
Gary King is a very controversialBelow DeckBosun. He deemed himself a womanizer and got involved in many boatmances onBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 2-4. The audience thoughtGary was a problematic creepbecause of his behavior towards the women on the show.Below Deck Sailing Yachtseason 4 makeup artistSamantha Suarez accused him of sexual misconductwhile the series was filming. PerRolling Stone, Samantha said that he tried to grab her from behind when he was intoxicated in a hotel after filming a confessional, and she couldn’t leave the room.
The makeup artist alsoalleged she told theBelow Deckproduction team about the incident, and no action was taken against Gary. The production team behindBelow Deck Sailing Yachtended up issuing a statement saying they investigated at the time of the alleged assault. He was allegedly invited back forBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5 instead of being fired.
Most of the Bosuns onBelow Deckhave huge egos. It takes a great deal of pride to accept the role of leader when it comes to the exterior deck team on superyachts. Sometimes, the notoriety of being on theBelow Deckfranchise combined with the power position of their job naturally inflates a Bosun’s ego.
Below Deck Mediterraneanseason 9 premieres Monday, June 3 at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo.
Sources:Rolling Stone
Below Deck
Below Deck is a popular reality TV franchise that focuses on a group of crew members as they work on luxurious yachts and cater to their client’s needs. After the original series proved to be a success, Bravo developed a handful of spinoff shows including Below Deck Selling Yacht, Below Deck Adventure, Below Deck Down Under, and Below Deck Mediterranean.
