Summary
Captain Titheradge keeps a close eye on crew, making tough decisions about who stays and who goes on the St. David.
Chief Stew Fraser clashed with Barbie, but realized her skills were essential to the team despite her tough attitude.
Bosun Jared’s mistakes have been repeatedly noticed by Captain Kerry, and could lead to his departure from the crew.
Below Deck season 11 has a fascinating mix of crew members who have been successful in their positions and those who haven’t, but who will be the first to be fired by Captain Kerry Titheradge? Kerry has been firm with the crew so far, sharing that he’s watching their performances carefully, but has been allowing some time for them to make mistakes and learn from them. While crew members like stew Barbie Pascual have been performing well, others like Bosun Jared Woodin and stew Cat Baugh have struggled in their roles aboard the St. David despite being given second chances.
For the cast of Below Deck season 11, the stakes are high as they continue on in the current charter season. With a few charters under their belt, the success of the crew has been hinging on their performances, and how much some of the more competent staff can pick up the slack of their colleagues. While things have been running smoothly overall, certain crew members consistent struggles are something the Captain has noticed. With their issues coming to the surface in the most recent episode of Below Deck, who will be the first person to leave the St. David?
Chief Stew Fraser Olender Was Hoping To Get Barbie Pascual Fired
He Felt She Wasn’t Being A Team Player
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.
Early in the charter season, Chief Stew Fraser Olender and Barbie clashed even though she was one of the best people available on his team. The other stews, Cat Baugh and Xandi Olivier, both had an array of special skills, but Barbie was the best overall aboard the St. David. Fraser knew that her skillset was exactly what he needed on his team, but working directly with Barbie was difficult at times. Though she was good at her job, Barbie was controlling about the way she did her work, which meant she could come off tough or abrasive to others.
After dealing with Barbie’s attitude for the first charter of the season, Fraser tried to have a talk with his stew about the way she was coming across. For Fraser, the conversation was important, as he was trying to do everything to avoid the issues between his stews becoming like what he dealt with during Below Deck season 10. Course correcting potentially too much, Fraser’s chat with Barbie rubbed her the wrong way, and when her attitude continued, Fraser went directly to Captain Kerry about making changes in his team. He made it clear he would be comfortable replacing Barbie.
Captain Kerry Made It Clear Barbie Was An Asset, Especially After Cat’s Disastrous Service
Cat Struggled To Handle Service On Her Own
While Cat was happy to be given the opportunity to work service with Fraser while Barbie handled Cat’s normal tasks, it wasn’t something she was successful at. Captain Kerry joined the charter guests for dinner during Cat’s service, and as Fraser worked with her to serve the guests and clear their plates, both he and the Captain noticed that Cat wasn’t up to their standard. Though Fraser was open to training Cat further on service, Captain Kerry shared that he knew Barbie could handle the job. Fraser, who had been angling to have Barbie fired, wasn’t happy with the praise.
Captain Kerry explained to Fraser that he understood Barbie’s attitude may be difficult to handle, but it wasn’t impacting her level of work, so he wasn’t interested in losing her on the crew. Rather than trying to change the circumstances and ignore the fact that there was tension between the stews, Captain Kerry suggested Fraser try to squash the beef between himself and Barbie so they could allow the stew to shine. While Fraser wasn’t happy with the thought of having to smooth things over, he understood where the Captain was coming from and did his best to make amends.
Stew Cat Baugh Is Close To Leaving The St. David
She Could Be The First Person To Leave On Her Own
While it’s possible that Cat could be fired from the St. David for her lackluster performance, it’s more likely that she’ll leave the superyacht on her own. Cat’s struggled throughout the season with some serious emotional issues, which have been preventing her from working well with others and making social connections. After the first charter, Cat struggled to connect with her fellow stews, and it appears her relationship with Fraser has been the only interpersonal connection she’s made on the St. David. After revealing details about her tough past, it’s clear Cat has personal issues that bleed into her work.
Regularly dealing with meltdowns due to feeling inadequate and lacking true friends aboard the boat, Cat has broken down more than once this season. Though Fraser has tried to talk her out of feeling so down on herself and taking things so hard, Cat has been unable to shake the feeling of not being enough or disappointing others, which has made it tough for her to move forward. It seems likely that if Cat continues to feel out of place and unconfident in her abilities, she may choose to leave the St. David rather than finishing out the charter season.
Ben Willoughby’s Drama With Jared Could Be Difficult For Both
The Bosun Keeps Getting Called Out
While Ben Willoughby is returning to Below Deck for another season, his time as the Lead Deckhand aboard the St. David has been different than his previous charter seasons. Ben, who’s working with many of the crew members for the first time, has taken to calling people out over the radio for their mistakes. While it’s not the worst practice aboard the St. David, it’s caused drama with Bosun Jared Woodin, who has made some errors during his time working on the vessel. The callouts have been noticeable, especially to Captain Kerry, who’s been keeping track of Jared’s mistakes diligently.
Ben’s decision to call Jared out has proven that the Bosun is struggling in his position. Captain Kerry, who has been trying to decide where to draw the line with Jared, has also found himself somewhat irritated with Ben’s antics. Though Ben has made errors in the past, the mistakes of others, including Jared, are the only one’s that are being called out over the crew-wide radios. Jared has chastised Ben, who technically works beneath him, but it’s only caused more tension. Jared’s time on the St. David may be limited due to his mistakes, but his irritation is valid.
Bosun Jared Woodin Will Likely Be The First Fired Crew Member
His Mistakes Have Become Too Regular
Custom image by César García
Although Jared’s right to be irritated with Ben for continuously calling him out in public, he’s also been one of the biggest repeat offenders when it comes to mistakes on the St. David. Having repeatedly messed up simple tasks that Captain Kerry has noticed over and over, it seems likely that Jared will be the first person fired from the crew on Below Deck season 11. Regardless of the fact that Captain Kerry has wanted to give the Bosun the opportunity to prove himself, Jared’s struggles have ultimately become a liability aboard the vessel, and the Captain can’t ignore that.
Below Deck
airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo, then streams the following day on Peacock.
Source: Below Deck/Instagram