Fraser Olender has a very green stew this season on Below Deck, courtesy of Solène Favreau. The interior team has struggled all season long over this matter. Likewise, the deck team is also spiraling, all while Fraser fails to impress upon Solène just how awful her showings are.
In seasons past, Fraser has not hesitated to recommend a firing. But, as he explained in Episode 14, this knee-jerk reaction is something he was trying to avoid. As a result, Rainbeau de Roos is working her tail off. And as her exhaustion mounts, her mean-spirited remarks are also increasing.
With only a few episodes remaining, Fraser has his work cut out for him. However, he has had 14 episodes to rein in his stew. And yet, here we are, wondering how Solène still has her job on Below Deck Season 12.
Below Deck Season 12 has seen Solène Favreau run riot under Fraser Olender’s leadership
At the start of this season, we learned how green Solène was. With 14 episodes under her belt, Solène has accrued roughly 54 days of experience. This number is tiny, so how has Fraser handled her showings on his team? To start, in Episode 1, Fraser briefly reminded Solène about hierarchy after Bárbara Kulaif accused her of questioning her authority.
In Episode 2, Solène refused to clean the toilets. So, Rainbeau did them. Likewise, Solène only prepped one side of a bed while working in a cabin, which Bárbara clocked. Solène, meanwhile, sassed them both as they complained, while Fraser seemingly let these incidents pass.
I could pull examples out like this from all 14 episodes thus far, but you already know the drill. Wildly, Fraser has chosen to deal with these matters mostly through Rainbeau. But Rainbeau is not the Chief Stew. Overall, the second that both stews voiced the disrespect and lack of effort or care shown by Solène, Fraser should have stepped in with an iron fist to start nipping his “problem child” in the bud.
Meanwhile, in his Instagram stories, Fraser recently explained his side of things, noting that Solène was “always polite” with a “positive attitude,” and that he “spoke to her every day.” I guess production decided to cut this all out and give us a cheap version of a hookup series instead, because where were these talks?
Fraser should have placed Solène on an improvement plan
Improvement plans are a vital part of any industry. A business cannot run with failing employees. However, if an employee shows promise, then a boss might choose to give them a second or third chance. And this is where a written plan of action typically comes into play.
Now, Rainbeau is not extra kind with her words. However, this girl is exhausted and stressed, doing two jobs that stretch far into the night. And yet, Rainbeau has often apologized for her harshness, unlike Solène. The second Fraser realized this, he should have stepped in with a plan, or even a firm warning, to help silence Solène.
Additionally, Solène has been taking “baby breaks” this entire season. Several times, Fraser has sought her out on the yacht to remind her about her break times. Yet, her breaks continue. As Fraser noted, on any other boat, she would get fired, but what route did he take to make Solène recognize that these extra moments of peace were not hers to take?
Solène might have thrived on an improvement plan. But, sadly, we saw no such plans arising from Fraser, at least from the edits that are airing.
Fraser’s “don’t talk to Solène” plan failed
Desperate times call for desperate measures. In the most recent episode, Fraser finally made a plan to help turn Solène into the stew of his dreams. To help his plan succeed, he needed Hugo Oretga to have a little chat with his deck team. In this chat, Hugo needed to tell his team to leave Solène on read during her shifts.
However, during a beach excursion, Solène picked up on the lesser words that these yachties were now throwing down. Shortly after, Damo Yorg cracked, revealing that his team was no longer allowed to respond to her while she was on the clock. Naturally, Solène grew frustrated. She then spoke harshly to Captain Kerry Titheradge while arguing with Fraser, wondering why he never told her that she was performing so poorly.
Ahem, this is, again, where an action plan would have been so easy for Fraser to pull out, to show that he has indeed tried to help her course correct. But I digress. Regardless, this plan clearly failed.
Could Solène be fired on Below Deck Season 12?
Only a handful of episodes remain for Season 12 of Below Deck. So, Solène could still get fired. However, as Fraser explained, he would prefer to end this season with his team intact.
“I’ve been frustrated many, many, many times,” he told Solène during Episode 14, adding, “I know you’re working when you’re working, but when you’re not, other people are still working. And that’s frustrating for the team. It’s frustrating to me.”
Instead of feeling ashamed, Solène doubled down. Fraser should fire her, since she is such a “bad worker.” Treating her backtalk with kid gloves, Fraser answered, “You’re here for a reason, because you have made a huge, huge progression.”
Nevertheless, Solène remained upset. So, she angrily asked Fraser if he had finished with his speech, so that she could leave this scene behind. In his confessional, Fraser quipped, “I don’t want to fire her. But we may not have an option.”
Stay tuned. This Solène-tinted storyline is not over yet.
Below Deck is streaming on Peacock and Hayu in the UK and Ireland.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK FRASER COULD HAVE DONE MORE WITH SOLÈNE? DO YOU THINK SHE WILL MAKE IT TO THE END OF THIS SEASON?
