My friends, the OG nautical series is back on Bravo. Finally, Below Deck Season 12 Episode 1 is here, led by the ever-charming Captain Kerry Titheradge. With two returning yachties and a slew of fresh new faces, this season promises action, adventure, and even a teased meeting with the maritime police. So, without further ado, let us dive right in, shall we? Here is everything that happened in Below Deck Season 12 Episode 1.
What happened in Below Deck Season 12 Episode 1?
Captain Kerry and Frasier have their work cut out for them this season. Onboard is a green, feisty stew and a chef who hates cameras and stress. Pair this with a deck team that makes their first misstep, and you get an annoyed, very picky first primary guest. But will this guest still have a chef following his first failed dinner service on board? Either way, production is already breaking the fourth wall to help sort this mess out.
The Below Deck Season 12 crew meets for drinks before their first charter, which sends Lawrence into a spiral
Big Ben rings in a new day in London, finding Fraser in his flat locked into a group chat. This chat reveals that Fraser is meeting up with his new crew before their season begins, which, YAS, Bravo, we love this new angle! Meanwhile, Captain Kerry is in his wheelhouse in Sint Maarten, announcing that it is go time for this season. Finally, Fraser boards his flight, which takes him to a bar near Captain Kerry and his soon-to-be home-away-from-home, the docked superyacht, St. David.
Solène arrives first. She is a green stew but has energy for days. Bosun Caio arrives next, followed by Rainbeau, Bárbara, Kyle, Jess, Lawrence, and Damo. As Caio explains, he met with Captain Kerry earlier that day. The winds are so strong that they had to come off the dock and anchor the yacht, he explains.
The following morning, the Below Deck Season 12 crew boards a tender to their vessel. Captain Kerry notes that their first charter will start from an anchored location to help avoid the high winds around a nearby bridge, where accidents frequently occur. His goal this entire season is to avoid any harmful run-ins with this bridge, he jokes. Uh oh.
Lawrence used to be a bad boy. But now, Jesus holds his wheel, he explains from his new galley. Already breaking the fourth wall, Lawrence asks production not to film him as he preps. The cameraperson remains.
Lawrence quotes a Bible verse in his interview. Provisions arrive, sending him further into his spiral as this verse repeats in the background. Uh oh, take two.
Tensions are already mounting between Solène and Bárbara
Jess has experience as a Bosun, but on Below Deck, she is a deckhand. She desires to be a captain one day, she admits. In the galley, Lawrence is still stressed, unable to locate his radio. In the interior, Solène and Rainbeau happily get acquainted with their new BFF, the laundry room.
Captain Kerry aids Lawrence as Bárbara calls for Solène to meet her in the laundry room. Bárbara teaches Solène a folding procedure, which Solène records with her phone, but only after learning that Fraser first approved of this folding technique. On deck, Jess jokes with Damo about their singleness, admitting she loves bilingual stews, which this yacht has.
Preference sheet meetings will look different this year, Captain Kerry explains. He will meet with the deck team as a whole, while Fraser will now disseminate information to his team using the preference sheets, he adds. Loving this, Fraser meets with his team and the chef, announcing that their first guests are from Tampa. These guests loathe germs, and they will be traveling with a black light, Fraser reads.
Sighing alongside the stews, Lawrence is also overwhelmed (again). The meeting ends. Sensing tensions, Fraser pulls Bárbara aside for a chat. Solène is already questioning her authority, Bárbara states, as Fraser promises he will help sort this mess out.
The deck team screws up royally
Last season on Below Deck, Kyle dated Barbie Pascual. He still loves Barbie, but their romance failed, he notes. So this season, Kyle is single and ready to mingle. Specifically, he finds Solène “sexy as hell.”
Damo agrees. He thinks all of the ladies this season look like babes, while he resembles a “bag of dicks,” he jokes. Everyone heads to bed.
The following morning, Fraser tasks Solène with the toilets, telling her she has 10 minutes to scrub them all. Solène panics as Bárbara tries to teach her how to handle this task quickly. Listening in as their voices intensify, Jess nervously laughs.
Caio makes Jess his lead deckhand. Likewise, Fraser promotes Rainbeau as his second stew. He also decides that Solène will be the one who boards the tender with Captain Kerry to greet their first charter guests and their children. On the pier, Solène finds their kids cute, but she does not understand “the baby people,” she quips.
While on the yacht tour, the primary guest, Sam, states that he will check the bathrooms with his black light. Jade, his daughter, wants her Clorox wipes out of her luggage. As they talk, Captain Kerry pulls up the anchor and motors away from the pier, where their luggage remains.
Lawrence grows weary after every steak dish gets sent back to the galley
Lawrence serves the guests an assortment of small dishes to snack on. “Oh, gross,” Sam responds.
In the laundry, Solène asks Bárbara if she is mad at her. Bárbara answers no, but Solène leans in, explaining that Bárbara is giving her attitude. Matching her tone, Bárbara suggests that all is well.
But Fraser has just realized that all is not well, as the suitcases are now far away. He radios Caio, who does not answer. Captain Kerry calls yacht services back at the pier for help. Their luggage arrives shortly after.
Sam grabs his black light from his bag. The switches by his bed “were disgustingly dirty,” he tells Fraser. Bárbara and Fraser happily clean them. Seated at dinner, Sam strikes again, reminding Fraser that he wants his steak cooked well done, borderline burnt.
His steak arrives. Sam sends it back, wanting to see zero red. Another guest chimes in that her steak is cold. Sam yells for Fraser, asking for every dish to go back to the galley.
Lawrence threatens to quit Below Deck Season 12
As Lawrence prepares to deal with their incoming plates, the guests decide to skip this portion of their dinner altogether. Thankfully, the rest of their meal is beloved. But Lawrence has decided that he does not love “those camera people,” who are heightening his anxious thoughts.
As dinner service wraps, Rainbeau kindly asks Solène to move faster. They share a laugh. All is well.
But everything is not well for Lawrence. In the morning, Lawrence heads to the galley while it is still dark out to start prepping breakfast. However, one of his stoves is acting up. Turning to the camera operator, Lawrence pleads for a moment of privacy, which they give.
But another production team member enters, trying to talk Lawrence down. However, Lawrence cannot handle any chats in his current state, which Captain Kerry overhears. Lawrence apologizes to Captain Kerry, stating, “I can’t do another charter,” as the credits roll on the first episode of Below Deck Season 12.
Below Deck continues Mondays at 8/7c on Bravo. The show also streams on Hayu in the UK and Ireland.
TELL US: DID YOU TUNE IN TO CATCH BELOW DECK SEASON 12 EPISODE 1? DO YOU THINK LAWRENCE WILL QUIT? WILL PROBLEMS ARISE BETWEEN SOLÈNE AND BÀRBARA?
