On last night’s Below Deck the crew dealt with a shocking realization. Ashton Pienaar’s fall overboard wasn’t just a dramatic television moment, but that he could’ve lost his life!
Ashton went off the back of the swim platform after stepping into a tow line which wrapped around his ankle. It was exactly like a movie, but this was actual reality and Bravo editing magic had nothing to do with the events! As Captain Lee Rosbach explained while choking up, Ashton was “within 30 seconds” of losing his life, or at the very least his foot!
The most surprising revelation, however, was that Ashton owes his life (and the continuation of his defined tricep muscles) to the rapid reaction of a Below Deck cameraman named Brent. He literally threw down his camera, raced to the side of the boat, and untangled the lines to give Ashton more time, which set him free to swim to the tender to wait until they were in safer water to bring him in! Maybe Brent should be bosun. Something tells me Rhylee Gerber wouldn’t be talking to him with a nasty attitude!
This all happened while the entire crew and the guests watched on. “I’ve never really had a crew member almost die right in front of the charter guests,” muses Kate Chastain. “I think in a situation like this cocktails are the answer.” At the very least! Also perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that Ashton got to hide out in the tender for a while, collecting his thoughts and being alone to process what happened. He is well aware of how very close he was to death over a stupid and thoughtless misstep of the foot. He is literally walking away with only a sprained ankle and hurt pride.
After learning Ashton was safe, Ross Inia retreated to the bathroom to rinse his tears away with Core Coconut Water. When Ashton finally returns, he and Ross hug like long lost friends, and thus a bromance became a bromarraige. Meanwhile, Rhylee looked on, left-out, as always and adding more fuel to her fiery rage that she is not ”one of the guys.”
RELATED: Below Deck Crew Reacts To Ashton Pienaar’s Man Overboard Incident
The grand irony is how Ashton is handling his foot injury as compared to Caroline Bedol. Ashton has a red and swollen ankle, attached to a foot he almost lost. He is laying on the ground with it elevated and iced, while anxiously wanting to return to work ASAP. Unlike with Caroline’s marshmallow foot episode, everyone was hovering over Ashton; bringing him food in bed, and chocolate, and gossip.
Whereas Caroline used a bug bite as excuse to literally take six charters off of work, then complained incessantly that no one understands what it’s like to have a puffy appendage. Every woman who wears heels has experienced a puffy foot, Carowhine. We get it.
Laura Betancourt is also causing problems. Kate is actually beginning to question if Laura’s resume is legit, because if she really had been a chief stew she would understand what it’s like to work with someone like Caroline, and she’d cut Kate some hospital corners.
Instead, Laura is constantly being negative about the job Kate and Josiah Carter have been doing, while resenting having to do third stew grunt work like turndowns even though THAT is the job she applied for to fulfill her insatiable craving for reality TV stardom. And Adrian Martin is right there to blow up Laura’s spot as revenge for her not liking him back by telling Kate everything Laura has been saying behind her back.
Later when Kate inspects Laura’s work, she realizes Laura left dirty towels on the floor of the cabins and didn’t put out water. Adrian tells her that Kate is upset, but Laura doesn’t understand. Like she thinks she’s perfect. Uuugggghhh! Like it or not lady you signed on to be third stew to get on TV, so the shit work is all you deserve.
RELATED: Below Deck Star Kate Chastain Says Ross Inia Tried To Kiss Her; Ross Downplays Hookup With Rhylee Gerber
This boat is literally high school.
I’ll tell you who doesn’t get anything though: the overly entitled asshole guests who complain that chicken is poor people food. Maybe Chicken Of The Sea? But what Adrian was serving was hardly some canned concoction. In fact, one of the best meals of my life was a roast chicken in Italy, and Thomas Keller touts roast chicken as his favorite food. But what does that Michelin starred guy know? He’s probably on food stamps. #sarcasm
Adrian responds to the guests’ complaints by whipping up a mountain of scallops which kinda resembled a mound of fleshy balls piled on a plate and scooped out for the anti-chicken guest who was literally licking her lips and salivating. I guess she’s so poor she has to eat chicken at home all the time, and this was a real high-class treat!
The next morning Laura is up early offering to do yoga classes for these entitled guests who live very rich people lives. Which means Kate who was up late, also has to get up early, much to her dismay. While Laura is leading the pseudo-zen, Captain Lee is down on the swim platform instructing Ross that NO ONE, no one at all, is to be down there while they are towing the tender.
Of course, Rhylee makes her own rules so even after Ross tells her repeatedly to get off the platform while the boat is firing up, she refuses until he yells at her. Captain Lee notices from the CV cameras and immediately calls Ross to the bridge where he confesses that Rhylee wasn’t listening. He didn’t add “once again” but he should have!
RELATED: Below Deck’s Caroline Bedol Used Fake Name To Call Watch What Happens Live After Show
Captain Lee immediately calls Rhylee in and lets her know that HE is the one who said everyone has to be off the platform except Ross. In her mind, Rhylee thinks she is Ross’s peer, she is not, in fact, Ross.
As soon as Captain Lee’s back is turned Rhylee unloads a slew of f-Bombs and accusations on Ross blaming him for not giving her enough time to wake up, not giving her good enough direction and making her look bad in front of the Captain. “This is Chandler all over again,” she snaps! Um, no, Rhylee, the common denominator in your not getting along with the bosuns is YOU!
Instead of demanding that Rhylee come with him to the bridge where they could continue her screaming outburst in front of Captain Lee, Ross defending himself, then realizing guests are observing this like breakfast theater, he tries to make her quiet down only to end up in another tit-for-tat in the jet ski stable. That’s like Rhylee’s bosun boxing ring down there!
Seriously, what is wrong with Ross?! Enough is enough! Rhylee is out of control, and it’s worth mentioning that HER not picking up the tow lines like both Ross and Ashton instructed, is what led to Ashton stepping in them and being yanked off the boat. Rhylee is out of control. If Ross isn’t able to make her heed, he needs to tuck his tail between his legs and let the Captain know. Instead he decides once again to be the bigger person and apologizes for not using the exact words “GET THE FUCK OFF THE SWIM PLATFORM’ in a sentence when explaining to her what to do.
RELATED: Below Deck Star Captain Lee Rosbach Would Have Fired Rhylee Gerber If He Saw Her Attitude In Person; Calls Out New Stew Laura Betancourt For Her Constant Criticism
See this is the problem, Ross, and Chandler before him, let Rhylee know that her bad behavior gets results, so now every time Rhylee doesn’t get her way – even in the slightest, or doesn’t like something she throws a fit and wins. Isn’t Ross a parent? Shouldn’t he know better?!
It’s also shocking to me that Captain Lee, for all his claims that he is the eyes and ears of this boat, hasn’t noticed Rhylee’s MILLION screaming outbursts. I mean, the guests are hearing them for chrissakes and they’ve only been on this boat one day!
Maybe Rhylee will wind up sleeping with new deckhand Tyler Rowland and that will mellow her out. A girl can hope, but something tells me Ross doesn’t want to!
One of the guests also gets to celebrate her birthday with a lunch hosted in what looks like the jet ski storage shed with some dollar store decorations. But because Adrian served SAL-mon, followed by a cake inspired by the shape of Laura’s breast, I guess it’s a classy affair for rich people!
Next, Adrian should butcher a live chicken at the table and explain that experiential cuisine is all the rage in the five-star establishments. Or if he served a fish gut smoothie and called it lobster bisque they wouldn’t know the difference. Hell, he should plate some cat food and rename it Seafood Sensation Tarte-Tarte and surround it by some like frisseed cauliflower (aka diced cauliflower stalk) with peanut butter foam.
RELATED: Captain Lee Rosbach Traumatized By Ashton Pienaar Falling Overboard On Below Deck
After 2 days of bedrest, Ashton is bored and back at work, even though he’s still not 100%. Somehow Rhylee is showing Tyler “the ropes,” which is a scary thought considering what happened with Ashton. Also isn’t Rhylee always complaining that she doesn’t know anything because no one tells her anything? Now she is qualified to train others?! Maybe they just needed to distract her and Tyler seems pretty savvy.
With the guests finally off the boat, and having had a wonderful time despite all the drama – and poor people food – they leave a decent tip. Which Ashton humbly tries to refuse because he had to sit the charter out. However, Captain Lee, and everyone, insists he deserves it. Again, it bears repeating, but what a contrast to Caroline! Ashton does deserve it. He is so gracious and kind, but the good vibes are short-lived when Captain Lee pulls everyone into the sky lounge for a “come to Jesus meeting” to show the actual footage of Ashton’s accident.
Captain Lee narrates it the way a football coach breaks down a play by play to show where things went wrong. Including that Rhylee only said “Man overboard” once leaving the Captain and others confused about the severity of the situation. “We got extremely lucky,” says Captain Lee, tearing up.
“What really surprised me watching this footage is how quickly I’m in this water,” says Ashton who realizes he’s been given a second chance. Yes – so don’t waste it f–king around with Laura’s drama!
RELATED: Below Deck Recap: Hey, Hey, Hey Goodbye!
TELL US – SHOULD ROSS GO TO CAPTAIN LEE ABOUT RHYLEE’S BEHAVIOR? IS LAURA BEING NEGATIVE, OR ACCURATE? WERE THESE THE WORST CHARTER GUESTS FROM THIS SEASON OF BELOW DECK?
[Photo Credits: Bravo]
