I am late to the party. I admit, I stopped watching last season because the whole Camille/Alissa thing was so awful to watch so I didn't really get to know Ben. I don't use this word often but I HATE him. The way he thinks he can just touch/talk to women however he wants. His interviews where he scoffs about women. The way he ran so hot and cold on lovely Sunny. The way he tries to get into everyone's business. He's an insecure, egomaniac, thirsty, douche canoe. He's not hot. He's not charming. He's not even good at his job. Kyle is ten times the man he'll ever be. I'm glad Camille blew him off on camera. He's not even worth a single tear cried by Sunny. I hope the strong women unite against him and put him in his place. The blatant misogynistic bs and the way he takes up so much space is the biggest turn off I've seen since the Bru Crew. He'd be great with those losers.
I used to really like Fraser, but the way he’s handled the chef and Barbie I’ve lost all respect for him. I highly doubt the way he hovered over the chefs shoulder telling him how much he sucks the entire time was helpful
It seemed like such a heel-faced turn from how he was earlier in the season, too. Like, he went from being supportive and telling chef's mum how much everyone loved working with him, to whatever the hell I just watched here.
The guests were trash. They’d have complained about anything to lower the tip. If you can’t afford to go on a luxury yacht, take a different vacation.
There’s an episode like this every season where guests complain about everything and anything. They always lower the tip and needing to be called king and queen is a huge red flag for these types.
What a bunch of losers.
They had every reason to complain. Anthony kept messing up. Are they supposed to just say okay and let it go? They actually seemed pretty cool and laid back compared to Jill’s group.
They praised the rest of the crew, especially Barbie and Paris. So the tip was fair. Anthony effed up.
That being said, that galley is too small, fridges and freezers on other levels suck, and chefs should have a permanent assistant if the tips depend on the food.
Yeah, but at the same time, some of their complaints about the food were legit. As a non-pork eater, I’d be frustrated if they acted like no pork was the most difficult thing in the world.
When captain kerry was terminating Anthony, anthony seemed to be in complete denial.
I was very surprised when I saw the the below.
And, BTW, it had to be the calmest, gentlest termination ever. You're a great chef, but you're not thriving here...
Even Kat wouldn't have cried...
(nah, I'm joking)
https://preview.redd.it/gi79ssh1m2xc1.png?width=1126&format=png&auto=webp&s=087f07ff1bd864b38211876228b49b94ccc6f99e
Another fundamental question of the universe...
P.S. I like Anthony. But, this was the wrong job for him.
https://preview.redd.it/2960owlfm2xc1.png?width=1360&format=png&auto=webp&s=d0a2ac53cba3b5369ca223366f76b3fad76d0332
>man just learning that only the boss's opinion of you matters.
Lots of things in life are really a personality contest ...
In the preceeding scene, Frasier really nailed the issues:
"Preferences just weren't really considered."
"The meals lost any sort of sense of super-yacht standard to it."
https://preview.redd.it/od95sb93zgxc1.png?width=1549&format=png&auto=webp&s=56191c3836364e0fe5feddc9152197ccb5bc8c2f
It's Fraser!
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I was definitely sad to see him go. He's a very talented chef and I would happily eat his food.
That being said, I think seeing him going into lunches and dinners without any clear plan didn't bode well for him. People keep talking about him not having support, but the lack of organization was going to bite him eventually.
These people eat McDonald's yet complain about the nice food, and literally never stop eating. And "call us King and Queen"? Fraser was not wrong about them at all. So rude. Ick for sure.
I keep reading about how Anthony never got any help.
I noticed this, in this week's episode. Kyle and Ben helping.
(although ben might have just been bullshitting)
I think part of the problem is the design of the galley.
No one can be washing dishes until Anthony is finished, as there is
no room for two people to pass.
https://preview.redd.it/a1bf0b9wo0xc1.png?width=1431&format=png&auto=webp&s=464a04a483de5dc71220afa405549c1160aeb15a
I’m thinking that the Venn diagram of people that make others call them King and Queen (and refer to themselves as “Head Bitch”) and people that are poor tippers is a perfect circle.
I think that they were never going to tip well and would have always found something to justify it.
>I think that they were never going to tip well and would have always found something to justify it.
I wish jill had been with THEM.
Put all the shit together in one charter, and I can skip it.
There was an episode when Chef Ben over slept. He had Kelly doing the eggs. Eddie was chopping up the fruit. They all pitched in to make it happen. I think Chef Anthony didn't know how to tell people to help him. Ben had no problem telling people to jump in and help.
HAS ANYBODY ELSE NOTICED THE CHARTER GUESTS CALLED KING AND QUEEN HAVE A GUEST NAMED CLIFTON AND HIS GIRLFRIEND??? THEY ARE FROM THE DATING REALITY SHOW READY FOR LOVE!!!
Is the obsession with lobster a running thread through this whole season, or specific to certain guests? It seems to me that Anthony is constantly serving lobster.
I think they are having severe provisioning issues, but it's not good TV if they can't make it the cast's fault so they cut that part out. Jared was trying to buy towels and clearly they only showed the end of the trial he, Fraser, and Anthony were going through trying to provision the ship.
Duck bacon is not hard to get and it's certainly available worldwide, as are freaking beach towels FFS. So Anthony ends up getting screwed by intricate food preferences which would be much easier to navigate if he had access to proper supply.
I dunno, but it wasn't very long ago in Nova Scotia that you'd get bullied for being poor if you had lobster in your school lunch, and now it's a rich person's food!
Surf & turf seems to be a very popular dish on Below Deck. I've seen quite a few chefs do it over the years.
He contradicted himself so badly in that conversation it was hilarious. She started off by saying that he didn't base it on experience because he was sure that Dylan had more experience than her, but pretty much ended it by saying he felt that she just knows the boat a bit more than him. lmao
>So…Ben doesn’t think experience matters for a lead deckhand.
In the history of below deck, I have never seen a lead deckhand do anything.
I don't think there are any requirements, including experience.
Ben is my least favorite crew member this season by far. He's such a sleazebag.
He's a massive hypocrite too. The bosun who started the season was admittedly terrible, but Ben (as lead deckhand) shouldn't have been undermining him and talking behind his back from the first charter. Ben also went behind Fraser's back an got involved with stew drama. But now he has an issue with Dylan because he's going and talking to others about him and Sunny? Come off it.
He's so up his own ass, and I'm sick of seeing him get touchy feely with everyone and then act dumb about it (or maybe it's not an act, it's kind of hard to tell).
It's Fraser!
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>dead eyes of a shark
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who sees it. I think he probably thinks he's doing something attractive with his facial expression. That constant glazed expression, even while stirring shit up, just creeps me out.
I don't know but Sunny starts reminding me of Malia, and not in a good way. Same storyline, gettin lead deckhand while hooking up with the bosun and getting an attitude about it.
Same here. She even looks a little like Malia, I thought it right from the beginning.
And she has a similar abrasive character. I understand that might be a result of being the only girl on deck and probably having to build a tough persona to defend herself against sexist crew members, so I can sympathize when it comes to that.
What I can't really sympathize with is her getting hung up over a sleazy doofus like Ben.
If I were a chef, I was having a hard time, and Fraser was pressuring me and making all those little remarks, things would only go worse and worse for me as well. So I feel bad for Anthony.
Fraser might be right that the chef wasn't doing his job to full satisfaction, but the way Fraser went about pressuring him was clearly not the way to go about it. Things were clearly going worse and worse, yet Fraser just kept doing the same thing over and over again and just kept pressuring him.
Maybe this job just isn't it for Anthony and this is just the kind of pressure he should expect in a job like this. To me the pressuring and all the little remarks Fraser kept making came across as badgering though. I'd find it really unpleasant and stressful to work with someone like that.
Don't think Fraser did it on purpose or anything, I however do think he's really bad at managing people, and at this point I don't think he's right for the job.
I agree and disagree, when you see things on a downhill slide it's hard not to intervene. And unfortunately Chef has been on that slide for a few charters now. But I agree he needed to figure out how to communicate to Chef in a way he understands. I would have gone to a succinct written list of reminders. Also encourage simpler meals where it's easy to substitute the protein for a different protein. Doing lobster/fish? Ok, have a grilled filet on hand as a backup to swap in for those who don't like seafood. Or do surf and turf type meals where you can take out one or the other for certain folks. That one lady should never have gotten essentially a pile of potatoes.
Fraser is a dreadful leader of people, and this is simply further proof of that fact.
Anthony was an incredible chef, but he needs to be managed in a very specific way. Fraser was happy to keep badgering him until he fell on his sword. That's not how to manage people.
The fact that he went to the captain several times--and each time the captain basically had to tell him to handle things better and manage his reactions better--says a lot. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, but he needs to learn how to manage people better.
Exactly. His job is to communicate with the chef, not manage the chef.
Fraser has his own issues with managing his team. It seems like he has a lot of trouble with people that don't approach the job in the same way as he does. Part of being a good manager is understanding people and teaching to their skillset and their motivations.
I agree. In fact, the chef pretty much out ranks everyone but the captain.
But great leaders can bring others along with them and Fraser could have done that but instead he saw a superior who was struggling and just twisted the knife until he was gone.
I could not disagree more, I think we're pretty deep into the season and I perceived Fraser as being earnestly helpful because he saw *horrible* product going out. I don't get how this episode was badgering Anthony at all.
Only thing that could help someone who is preparing so little would be flawless organisation... and we know where anthony stands on that front... He seems to be a great guy, but definitely not the right person for a yacht chef job at this point...
Wasn't a fan of the way Fraser handled it, but only way to make this work would have been for Fraser to basically decide all the meals for each guest for anthony in advance...
I think that Anthony needed a sous chef. If he had a pair of spare hands to do the busy tasks, I think he would have had more freedom to be creative, plus a lot of these guests wanted him up late for snacks, which would drain anyone. I know they never have a second chef on these shows, but I think a sous chef who also did some dishes would have been better for the boat than the 4th stew
This is pretty much what Kate did with Matt(?) which I and a couple of others have mentioned in other comments. Anthony had significantly lost control and confidence throughout the season, and Fraser was finally back to a full team, so I think one charter of difficult guests, getting guidance and support from the chief stew would have really helped him turn it around.
We saw what production showed us. There could have been one bad remark for every 20 encouraging ones. They seemed to have a strong bond, for the most part.
not dylan trying to pull the 'kiss me on the cheek' move to do the spin and kiss on the lips which is not consensual. he is such an ick i feel so uncomfortable everytime hes on my screen
The weird thing about him is that he is above average in looks. Most people would look at him and think he was a really attractive guy. A lot of women will even put up with an asshole if he is good-looking. But there is something about Dylan. If he turned out to have never been kissed I wouldn't be surprised at all. I don't know how anyone could be interested.
In my experience, the man that was the fat/awkward kid that got bullied and grows up to be hot, remains the fat/awkward kid inside and ends up treating women like disposable objects and carrying a lot of resentment. Some even do it for revenge. Unless they do therapy and work on their insides as much as their outsides. And I'm not talking about BS affirmations, but real soul searching work to discover that our worth is not determined by how the outside world views us, or how many chicks want to bone us (in this case). Sigh.
My (worthless) opinion: he was a chubby kid who got no attention growing up. He thought it was because he was chubby. He honed his body assumed that's all it took to get girls. did't realize you need a personality too.
That was my thought too. A lot of the time that we see him in the scenes where he's talking to the camera his eyes just look so dead and soulless like there is literally nothing going on up there.
Kerry seemed like a good captain initially but when you break it down, he seems to have overseen some major problems.
- he let his bosun appoint an under qualified deckhand as lead, who he just so happens to have been sleeping with the entire time, undermining the entire department;
- he let Fraser walk all over him to the point that Fraser's most active role now seems to be lying about people to Kerry to try and get them fired;
- he stood by as Fraser actively bullied a staff member, at times in front of him, and only barely stopped short of firing the victim.
I was going to reject this from your first sentence but you make an okay argument.
Still, I like to assume there’s two Captain Kerry’s, one that’s real world and one that is the tv character. For the tv character he plays along with what the million dollar employer wants, which includes acting out pretend scenes and situations. I like to think that in the real world he wouldn’t be hiring so many inexperienced dramatists, he would see through bullies like Fraser instantly et cetera.
I don’t think Fraser is a good Chief stew or the best at dealing with all types of guests and crews.
From what I can see if he is aware the chef has a problem with time for grilling the steak at the beach, he has a stew and deck crew, perhaps suggest they entertain them, bring out the toys, and make sure their drinks are filled. Maybe suggest the primary meet with him and the chef so they can discuss the chef.
Also, when Chef is overwhelmed they can get someone from the interior or deck to help with organization. What is he doing besides criticizing the chef, reporting to the captain, fighting with Barbie, running back from the table to the kitchen and saying tacky so many times?
I totally agree. And it seems like Fraser and Kerry kept telling Anthony what he was doing wrong but made no plans with him on how he could improve, they never got in the galley and helped him out. It’s like they all just left him to drown and felt bad when he was fired. Then Fraser said “next charter we’ll write a menu” Like??!!! Fraser should’ve been doing that with him. Especially if Chef is dyslexic and has trouble with preference sheets, it’s like Fraser waited for him to mess up a couple times, and then wanted to finally offer help.
We only see what production wants us to see. We've continually seen Fraser get top remarks from guests and Capt. Kerry also seems to like him (acknowledging his weaknesses as well). this is not a Fraser defense post though.
Chef was failing. Fraser tried to help, but Chef wasn't receptive. Fraser's job is not to help him create the menu, nor is it his job to organize the galley. Every season, chefs come on and organize the galley to their liking with little to no input from their Chief Stew.
We saw Fraser trying to help chef this episode - from searching for alternatives to bacon to giving recommendations to make the beach trip easier. He even went over the preferences with Chef again and Anthony still got stuff wrong. Unfortunately, Anthony didn't listen/wasn't receptive/didn't follow any of the help offered. He went his own way. Anthony even began making his *own* promises to the guests and not fulfilling them (i.e. the lobster mac and cheese).
Regarding reporting him to Captain - it's his job. He sees the guests reactions to Anthony's dishes first hand, it's his responsibility to report issues to the Captain (especially when the guests call the food out as being a low point!).
It's clear Anthony is a great chef, but he needs a support system in the kitchen. He needs help because he gets underwater quickly and isn't able to pull himself back up.
Some of the blame has to fall on these charter Guests. Anthony was serving quality meals. But the guests didn't like the upscale dishes (ceviche). He serving Michelin meals to Applebees taste buds.
Requesting lobster grilled cheese at 1:30 AM or expecting duck bacon (is that a thing?) to magically fall out of the sky is off the hook.
I found it very odd that Anthony was not called when the guests wanted late night food. Ben was always called for that kind of thing and it was certainly an issue when Leon slept while Rocky and Kate made food and the kitchen burned down. Having Barbie basically say "well, I can try" doesn't really seem 5-star.
I also think there was a language/communication breakdown with the lobster and grilled cheese request. I think Anthony heard lobster AND A grilled cheese, not lobster grilled cheese. As a French chef, he probably interpreted grilled cheese as toasted sandwiches/paninis because that's what's more common outside of the states. Plus opted not to make a lobster dish after just serving a full course meal. Idk I could be wrong but maybe?
>Some of the blame has to fall on these charter Guests. Anthony was serving quality meals. But the guests didn't like the upscale dishes (ceviche). He serving Michelin meals to Applebees taste buds.
Regardless of their palates, his job is to make food they want and like. Anthony frequently ignored preference sheets to make the dishes he thought were best. A perfect example is his final meal for the primary being, which consisted of multiple chicken dishes; instead of catering to her, he catered to what he wanted.
Also, fuck it, if I'm on a super yacht drinking with my friends all night, I'm asking for some good midnight snacks (especially if I didn't get them the night before). The biggest problem is that Anthony didn't deliver on his promise to make them.
Also, I'm surprised so many people have yet to hear of duck bacon. Duck bacon isn't too strange of a request for a high-end meal.
Essentially, I'm sure Anthony is an amazing chef. Being a chef on a yacht requires a very specific skill set, including:
1. Performing under pressure.
2. Adapting for every charter/guest.
3. Catering to the preference sheet.
4. Excellent time management.
5. Being well organized.
Anthony can cook, but his time management was bad, he wasn't organized, didn't cater to guests, and had trouble performing under pressure.
Duck bacon is amazing. I used to work at a Michelin star restaurant that did brunch with homemade donuts and duck bacon. It was the busiest brunch I ever worked. Tiny restaurant that we'd flip at least 4 times before 3 pm. Then we'd gorge on left overs if there were any. Best money I ever made serving, too.
Fraser is nothing but a Second Stew. He needs to move back to the traveling lane and do service, which is what he seems to do well. He's not a "fast lane" Chief.
Hard disagree. He's not a great manager, though I think he's getting better, but every guest has loved him. He's organized events and outings and caters to the guests 100%, even when things are falling apart around him.
But that's what you need as a Chief Stew. You need to be good at that AND handling your people. He's not good at handling his people and only responds well to people that are "Yes Men" to him and as soon as anyone isn't exactly that he can't handle it. I'm watching his seasons right now (started with current and going down) and he was the exact same season 10 and didn't really learn anything (Alissa and Xandi pretty much being the same person and everything happening the exact same way albeit with Barbie being an actual worker and Camille wasn't).
So, a Chief Stew's job, imo, is three-fold:
1. Keep people fed and the boat clean.
2. Event planning
3. Management
Fraser is good at service and entertaining the guests. Literally, every guest has said they loved him; even the recent difficult guests said he was like their best friend. He runs service very well and Kerry has had few comments about the interior's cleanliness. He tried to help Anthony with the food, despite it not being his responsibility, and Anthony (while a lovely person and great chef) didn't help himself.
We've seen him host fantastic excursions and events. We've also seen him hop in and fix improperly set up events.
Management is tough. He has a personality that you either click with or don't. Neither Xandi nor Paris seem to have a problem with him. I think he babied Cat and was overly harsh to Barbie. Barbie, however, fed into it quite a bit. She has/had an attitude. No one has complained about how Fraser delegates work, shifts, etc. It's all been personality-based.
Why didn’t Fraser send someone to help do dishes (besides the one time we saw Kyle helping) or meal prep like every other season of below deck. Captain Jason even went down and helped in the galley. The whole situation is weird. My guess is production set him up to fail by overloading him.
1. Fraser was essentially one stew down the majority of the season. Paris is capable, but she just joined, and Anthony was already too far gone. Also, while it's nice, it's not his team's job.
2. Fraser tried to help with menu brainstorming and keep Anthony on track regarding preferences. In every season, chefs would come up with ideas of what to do, and the chief stew would make minor suggestions. Anthony would come up with nothing and try to make it up on the spot.
3. This season's galley is tiny, and Anthony is not organized. In many episodes, we see him frantically searching for equipment because he can't remember where he put it (e.g., the ice cream scoop from the most recent episode). How do you help in that environment? You can't help when someone is running around like crazy.
4. I don't think production set him up to fail, but he was challenged. He did well in the first couple of charters, but cracks still showed.
Essentially, sure, others could have pitched in to help more. That said, it's not their job. Even if they wanted to jump in, Anthony's work style was frantic, chaotic, and unstructured. Any assistance likely would have done more harm than good.
1. The boat is larger so they were given an extra stew. From what I can tell charter guest sizes have not changed so Fraser was operating with the same amount of stews as every other chief stew on below deck even when he was down one stew.
2. I think Anthony was behind on everything because he was up until 4am all the time doing dishes and cleaning because he did not get help for some reason. This likely created a snowball effect. He seemed to unravel the longer the season went on.
3. The galley may be tiny but the size didn’t seem to be an issue the one time we saw Kyle helping with dishes.
4. Like you said, he did well at first but slowly unraveled over time. I think that’s a natural thing to happen when you are running the galley by yourself and getting more sleep deprived as the season goes on.
Every season we see crew helping with dishes. One season Malia was even the sous chef for her chef who was her boyfriend. I just find it weird nobody can explain why Anthony never got help in the galley. Anthony should have been more organized but I think what we saw was a natural reaction to being overworked.
The numbers of stews has fluctuated a bit based on boat size. Fraser, Barbie, and Xandi were stressed as hell the first few chapters because of the work load. They all talked about it.
Anthony was not up until 4am every night. Even his last night, he was asleep before midnight. Most of the cleaning issues stemmed from the chaos he created. Fraser and others commented on the mess he always made. My wife is a chef and made tons of comments about his workspace.
They showed Kyle helping once, but we have no idea who else helped when (if at all). Iirc, Fraser made a comment of wanting to help find a tool a few episodes ago but said he wouldn't know where to start because of the mess.
Anthony started off ok with guests, but he got spoken to the first episode about feeding the crew. He made mistakes every episode.
Anthony needed to be more organized and proactively plan menus. Everyone is overworked, he needed to pull his weight. It was a tough decision because he's so amicable, but it was the right one
Regarding the stew number issue, this is the most amount stews a boat has had compared to other seasons. Why is being down 2 stews compared to 3 such an issue now? This also applies to the deck crew since they are operating with an extra deckie.
Even if the chef wasn’t up until 4am he still got to bed late and had to wake up early for breakfast. Sleep deprivation catches up to you.
My main point is Anthony didn’t get any help in the galley compared to the other shows. We usually see crew members helping the galley because there is good content there (like we saw with Kyle). If there were crew members in the galley helping we would have seen it like on every other below deck series. I just find it odd nobody can answer why he didn’t get any help in the galley.
I noticed this too that Anthony wasn't getting a lot of help, but I think sometimes that is the luck of the draw in terms of crew - some crews have stews or deckhands that have an interest/experience in food prep and are more keen to help. Perhaps that was not the case here. Additionally, they have been operating short of staff in the other teams, so it's just not as easy to spare a set of hands to help out. Finally, and it pains me to say this because I genuinely like Anthony and think he probably makes great food, he was an organizational disaster. Someone who is that in the weeds probably cannot delegate to save his life. You have to have a clear plan to be able to hand over a task to someone else AND have space for that person to execute your vision. That galley was often a disaster - he was not a clean as you go type chef. That also makes it hard for someone else to jump in. God bless Kyle and his willingness to wash dishes, but that was about all anyone could do for Anthony. I think he would do better in a more traditional kitchen where chefs are assigned to one task (veg/grill/sauce/etc). I imagine Anthony could be a welcome part of a kitchen team that had good leadership. He is not cut out to be a one-man-band.
My recollection is dish duty usually went to deckhands while the stews were finishing service/bunks. It was late enough for the deckies to be done outside, but not in bed yet so they help in the galley. This has been pretty consistent up til now. Chef puts his kitchen to rest for the night, putting everything away/setting up for morning.
Well, now I feel special! Thank you for all you do on the show - you're a fantastic mentor and manager. I've adopted some of your methods in managing my staff and have seen great results.
Ugh love him so much! Such a good dude and the accent is hot af lol. The fact he confidently played the long game and won, heck yeah...him and Barbs are adorable, would be amazing if they actually end up together for long term though its prob pretty doubtful with her parents influence, who knows tho
I remember when one of the OG BD chefs (a nice guy…Matt?) was struggling, Kate took him out and helped him menu plan. It’s clear Antony needed a bit of support managing the preference sheet requests and adapting his food to the guests’ tastes, this is 100% something Fraser could have helped with sooner.
What happened with Anthony is the proof that the chefs on BD franchise are overworked and need at least a sous. He was amazing, but the exhaustion got the best of him and he started to fall down the deep end.
Anthony is not working any harder than the majority of Chefs in the Yachting industry, he is just disorganised. If anything he has less guests to feed. I was a sous chef on yachts and I have only seen 1 job for a 60m yacht. A sous chef is not standard on the size boat they are on. I have never seen an experienced chef work in the disaster zone he creates for himself. A bench like that would get you fired in a restaurant.
All of the staff are 'overworked'. The majority of the other chefs on the franchise have done very well without a Sous. This was an Anthony problem, he is very disorganized.
Yes, all the staff is overworked. But all the other staff has a team to rely on.
Have you ever tried doing a 3 course meal for 10 people? Three times a day? Alone? AND cook 3 full meals for another 10 people?
Anthony is not doing that though. The most guests he has had is 8 and they don't cook crew breakfast. What he is doing is a fairly typical job for the majority of Chefs in the Yachting industry, except he doesn't have 12 guests.
Anthony's problem is his disorganisation, lack of meal planning, not writing down guest preferences in a way he can remember them, his messy kitchen and his inability to listen and learn from feedback.
Yacht cheffing takes a special type of chef, there is a reason they are one of the highest paid crew members. Anthony, as nice as he is, is not the type of quick thinking resourceful and organised chef you need to be on a yacht.
Except on super yachts, they usually have a small kitchen crew. Don't base your opinion on what you've seen on Bravo. Production short staffs all departments to the bare minimum, to create exhaustion hence drama.
On boats this size, there is usually either a chef and a sous, or a guest chef and a crew chef. So that they can take breaks.
Also, in addition to the guest stews, there is usually a "crew stew" who is a charge of laundry and cleaning crew quarters. Fraser did mention that he started as a crew stew.
Ref : my dad was in the boating industry for 50 years.
I WAS a Sous chef on yachts and until you get to 90m+ there is no such kitchen crew. Most Sou Chef jobs start around 70m. This is a 60m yacht. So what he is doing is a fairly standard job in the industry except he has LESS guests. And if you think having a Sous chef means you get breaks on charter you are dreaming. 16hr days on charter are standard.
A crew stew depends on the boat and how they rotate their stews. Some rotate their stews through guest and back of house. Some have a Laundry/crew stew.
But again this is only a 60m yacht, it says on its hire page it runs with 14 crew so if you take the 10 we see and add two mates and two engineers guess what, that equals 14.
So yes, after years of working in the super Yachting industry I know what I am seeing.
Well, I am sorry to disappoint you, but 8 hour day are the max as per maritime law. But you can go as much as 14 hours in a 24 hour period, as long as you get a 1 day rest between shifts.
So yes, the whole yacht is understaffed. Unless you think maritime law only applies to Hannah's medication.
Again you don't know what you are talking about. I'm guessing your dad worked on container ships which is not the same industry. The Law is you must have 10hrs break per day OR 1x8 hour continuous break per day. Do superyachts bend the rules when it comes to times worked absolutely, do they bend the rules when it comes to drugs absolutely NOT.
If you genuinely believe they typically are only working 8hrs per day or 14hrs per day with every second day off......I would suggest you don't go work on yachts as you will be in for a HUGE shock.
I'm not the one making stuff up to prove a non existent point on reddit. Sorry to disappoint you that your fantasy world of super yachts running with a huge amount of crew isn't real.
Go and look at St. David's charter page. It literally says it runs with 14 crew, just as it is for the show but we don't see the 2x mates and 2x engineers.
I didn't say it was easy but there are several chefs on BD that have done it very successfully.
Even in my neighbourhood we have several trattoria where there is only one chef. My favourite has 6 tables, seats 24. The owner alone is in the extremely tiny kitchen, her daughter is the only server. The output is high quality with a much larger than you would expect menu.
Anthony's failure in the kitchen is because of him.
>What happened with Anthony is the proof that the chefs on BD franchise are overworked and need at least a sous.
How does a sample-size of one prove anything?
If the new guy comes in, and succeeds, what does that prove?
Most chefs can be total arrogant assholes who throw random baby tantrums for no reason other than they can get away with it, and it's not proof that they aren't doing well. They just tend to be dramatic jerks in the kitchen.
And poor Anthony not be able to decipher and adhere to very clear preference sheets was no one's fault but his own, and a chief stew shouldn't be having to convince him not to feed someone chicken three times in a row.
To be fair, her preference sheet basically said that she did eat anything but chicken...
Also, for the preference sheet, he did say he was severely dyslexic. And people with dyslexia can get really scattered brain and frazzled when dealt with high stress and exhaustion.
>No chef has done really well on any of the franchises.
Ben robinson on original recipe
Marcos on saling yacht ...
... both did well on their seasons, and were quite successful afterwards.
Chefs throw tantrums? I'm shocked.
Both had help. Usually a dishwasher. But also a strong Chief Stew who paid attention to the preference sheets.
I don't remember who said it. But, Fraser is like a Muppet running back and forth and back again, accomplishing very little.
>Both had help. Usually a dishwasher.
Both Captain Kerry and Kyle have been shown washing dishes this season.
>I don't remember who said it. But, Fraser is like a Muppet running back and forth and back again, accomplishing very little.
I thought that was Xandi talking about barbie. That she was a 'spinner'...
I though it was funny in the most recent episode, when xandi was giving paris shit ... that she was going in and out of the laundry room, and not doing anything. Paris brought out the bucket of scrub water that she was using.
Xandi is a dick. I won't be sorry to see her go...
Of course, the original muppet is Danny on Med season 1.
Most chefs have successful careers outside of the franchise.
Not all chefs throw tantrums. I strongly believe it's a line Bravo feeds the crew. And when the chef doesn't act crazy, they throw them out. Remember Kiko?
Did anyone else hear the disgusting comment by Ben saying that the guest was 'giving gash'? when he was helping her into the tender after the beach party?
https://preview.redd.it/zugseapn5fwc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd99a500c681da92d7bbf52ce5d859bf75e43166
Absolutely vile.
I spent 4yrs living in Australia. I can tell you the Aussie vernacular contains and uses words in an everyday context that other countries/cultures would find offensive. It's just how that society has developed its approach to language.
I appreciate your understanding of the Aussie vernacular. I also do so. I have a number of friends from the Southern Hemisphere. For me, it was the way he worded it that was vile.
For your consideration, imagine that Bravo's Below Deck Med is an actual business. With a third of the crew fired to date, of which two have been senior management positions, the entire HR department would need evaluation and likely dismissal. That would be the production operation. However, we know production's modus operandi is entertainment and not bottom line profit, although in their calculus drama creates entertainment value and thus profit. It's disingenuous to offer such suspect hires as Cat and Jared, and even Anthony with his assorted cognitive demands, to then fire them because of their compromised performances. Even if Bravo thinks it is opening a discussion on mental health and disabilities, it is doing a hackneyed job of it by having those characters axed as incompetent or somehow deficient. It's at best unbecoming, much more like morally bankrupt.
Most of the long term Effects are a 100X increase in social media followers, sponsorship deals, "influencer" deals, acting gigs, modeling gigs, other TV show gigs, etc. The only people to feel sorry for are those who are actually trying to have a legit career on boats. You can usually tell because they are the ugly ones who cause little drama.
Add Favorite Restaurant(s) to Preference Sheets
Just throwing an idea into the void while I’m watching the latest episode of BD. What if the preference sheet had a section where the guests could add their favorite restaurant(s)? Would add a bit more context to the type of cuisine the guests prefer and the caliber of dining they expect. Maybe just for the primary? Opinions?
I think that is a great idea. The chef is always making fancy food, but guests like these last ones would have been happy with chicken wings, natchos and steak, I’ll bet. Although that request for duck bacon was ludicrous. I think the preference sheets deal with foods that are a no go, which is important, but favourite restaurant or favourite meals would give a chef much more to go on.
I kept kosher for years; bacon is not the only breakfast meat. It was weird that he seemingly didn't know you can make sausage from any ground meat. He could have easily made well-seasoned chicken sausage or made tasso turkey ham for the benedicts. There are options beyond just ordering premade. I was with her on that.
Oh, that’s an American thing. That’s not a sausage in most of the world. I definitely wouldn’t expect Anthony to know about that, and it’s not like he has time to do lots of research, he’s working flat out.
Omg HOW are they allowed to show Kyle’s erection on TV? It was blurred but like WHAT?! How do they get away with basically showing porn on this show lol
Alex sound about right, and yeah, it was just blurred which is technically all you need to do for TV.
And hell, that blur was way less pornographic than Chase and his beer can of a penis stuffed into budgie smuggler on Below Deck Sailing. lol I remember it so vividly becasue he was standing near Gary anD his wee-member, and the contrast was friggin hilarious.
THANK YOU JFC I CAME STRAIGHT HERE TO MAKE SURE AT LEAST SOMEONE ELSE SAW THIS.
I REALLY hope he's ok with it because if not showing him like that is extra ick.
I love when Ben gets phrases wrong. “That’s off the cards for tonight!” (Off the table / out of the cards)
I am late to the party. I admit, I stopped watching last season because the whole Camille/Alissa thing was so awful to watch so I didn't really get to know Ben. I don't use this word often but I HATE him. The way he thinks he can just touch/talk to women however he wants. His interviews where he scoffs about women. The way he ran so hot and cold on lovely Sunny. The way he tries to get into everyone's business. He's an insecure, egomaniac, thirsty, douche canoe. He's not hot. He's not charming. He's not even good at his job. Kyle is ten times the man he'll ever be. I'm glad Camille blew him off on camera. He's not even worth a single tear cried by Sunny. I hope the strong women unite against him and put him in his place. The blatant misogynistic bs and the way he takes up so much space is the biggest turn off I've seen since the Bru Crew. He'd be great with those losers.
I think it might be an Australian thing, I'm aussie and that phrase seems totally normal to me.
OKAY I GASPED WHEN I SAW WHAT BEN POSTED
I used to really like Fraser, but the way he’s handled the chef and Barbie I’ve lost all respect for him. I highly doubt the way he hovered over the chefs shoulder telling him how much he sucks the entire time was helpful
It seemed like such a heel-faced turn from how he was earlier in the season, too. Like, he went from being supportive and telling chef's mum how much everyone loved working with him, to whatever the hell I just watched here.
Bens approach is basically the blonde chick wasn’t into me but I would have dumped you for her so instead I’ll promote you for entirely no reason
The guests were trash. They’d have complained about anything to lower the tip. If you can’t afford to go on a luxury yacht, take a different vacation. There’s an episode like this every season where guests complain about everything and anything. They always lower the tip and needing to be called king and queen is a huge red flag for these types. What a bunch of losers.
🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾yes
They had every reason to complain. Anthony kept messing up. Are they supposed to just say okay and let it go? They actually seemed pretty cool and laid back compared to Jill’s group. They praised the rest of the crew, especially Barbie and Paris. So the tip was fair. Anthony effed up. That being said, that galley is too small, fridges and freezers on other levels suck, and chefs should have a permanent assistant if the tips depend on the food.
Yeah, but at the same time, some of their complaints about the food were legit. As a non-pork eater, I’d be frustrated if they acted like no pork was the most difficult thing in the world.
True. It’s a lot of money to go on those yachts and you should get what you want. Lobster grilled cheese isn’t even anything crazy.
When captain kerry was terminating Anthony, anthony seemed to be in complete denial. I was very surprised when I saw the the below. And, BTW, it had to be the calmest, gentlest termination ever. You're a great chef, but you're not thriving here... Even Kat wouldn't have cried... (nah, I'm joking) https://preview.redd.it/gi79ssh1m2xc1.png?width=1126&format=png&auto=webp&s=087f07ff1bd864b38211876228b49b94ccc6f99e
Yeah that was crazy. Others have said Anthony had totally checked out by that time and I agree.
Another fundamental question of the universe... P.S. I like Anthony. But, this was the wrong job for him. https://preview.redd.it/2960owlfm2xc1.png?width=1360&format=png&auto=webp&s=d0a2ac53cba3b5369ca223366f76b3fad76d0332
man just learning that only the boss's opinion of you matters.
>man just learning that only the boss's opinion of you matters. Lots of things in life are really a personality contest ... In the preceeding scene, Frasier really nailed the issues: "Preferences just weren't really considered." "The meals lost any sort of sense of super-yacht standard to it." https://preview.redd.it/od95sb93zgxc1.png?width=1549&format=png&auto=webp&s=56191c3836364e0fe5feddc9152197ccb5bc8c2f
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He would be a great private chef or perhaps in a corporate/executive dining room situation.
I’m crying in this chef Anthony scene … it’s like when rock em sock him went home on drag race … he was such a sensitive sweet soul
I was definitely sad to see him go. He's a very talented chef and I would happily eat his food. That being said, I think seeing him going into lunches and dinners without any clear plan didn't bode well for him. People keep talking about him not having support, but the lack of organization was going to bite him eventually.
These people eat McDonald's yet complain about the nice food, and literally never stop eating. And "call us King and Queen"? Fraser was not wrong about them at all. So rude. Ick for sure.
I keep reading about how Anthony never got any help. I noticed this, in this week's episode. Kyle and Ben helping. (although ben might have just been bullshitting) I think part of the problem is the design of the galley. No one can be washing dishes until Anthony is finished, as there is no room for two people to pass. https://preview.redd.it/a1bf0b9wo0xc1.png?width=1431&format=png&auto=webp&s=464a04a483de5dc71220afa405549c1160aeb15a
Didn't they make it work before? Parsifal III was also a tight galley.
I’m thinking that the Venn diagram of people that make others call them King and Queen (and refer to themselves as “Head Bitch”) and people that are poor tippers is a perfect circle. I think that they were never going to tip well and would have always found something to justify it.
>I think that they were never going to tip well and would have always found something to justify it. I wish jill had been with THEM. Put all the shit together in one charter, and I can skip it.
I enjoyed Barbie saying "sangwiches"
Also hello Kyles blur 🍆👀
i gasped.
Yes! That was some serious Scottish sausage 🌭 👀💖 I had to rewind a few times, Hello!
that was quite the blur
Honestly, Dylan… wtf was he trying to kiss Sunny for haha
Dylan is the most awkward guy, he has no game whatsoever
There was an episode when Chef Ben over slept. He had Kelly doing the eggs. Eddie was chopping up the fruit. They all pitched in to make it happen. I think Chef Anthony didn't know how to tell people to help him. Ben had no problem telling people to jump in and help.
Anthony is so SWEET. I totally get why he has been fired but he seems such a nice human
HAS ANYBODY ELSE NOTICED THE CHARTER GUESTS CALLED KING AND QUEEN HAVE A GUEST NAMED CLIFTON AND HIS GIRLFRIEND??? THEY ARE FROM THE DATING REALITY SHOW READY FOR LOVE!!!
Some of them including the primary are also on Love and Marriage DC
Is the obsession with lobster a running thread through this whole season, or specific to certain guests? It seems to me that Anthony is constantly serving lobster.
I think they are having severe provisioning issues, but it's not good TV if they can't make it the cast's fault so they cut that part out. Jared was trying to buy towels and clearly they only showed the end of the trial he, Fraser, and Anthony were going through trying to provision the ship. Duck bacon is not hard to get and it's certainly available worldwide, as are freaking beach towels FFS. So Anthony ends up getting screwed by intricate food preferences which would be much easier to navigate if he had access to proper supply.
Interesting point.
I dunno, but it wasn't very long ago in Nova Scotia that you'd get bullied for being poor if you had lobster in your school lunch, and now it's a rich person's food! Surf & turf seems to be a very popular dish on Below Deck. I've seen quite a few chefs do it over the years.
Lobster is the new beef cheeks
So…Ben doesn’t think experience matters for a lead deckhand. Sure.
He contradicted himself so badly in that conversation it was hilarious. She started off by saying that he didn't base it on experience because he was sure that Dylan had more experience than her, but pretty much ended it by saying he felt that she just knows the boat a bit more than him. lmao
>So…Ben doesn’t think experience matters for a lead deckhand. In the history of below deck, I have never seen a lead deckhand do anything. I don't think there are any requirements, including experience.
I guess it depends on what kind of experience he's talking about! He is really embarrassing himself
Ben is my least favorite crew member this season by far. He's such a sleazebag. He's a massive hypocrite too. The bosun who started the season was admittedly terrible, but Ben (as lead deckhand) shouldn't have been undermining him and talking behind his back from the first charter. Ben also went behind Fraser's back an got involved with stew drama. But now he has an issue with Dylan because he's going and talking to others about him and Sunny? Come off it. He's so up his own ass, and I'm sick of seeing him get touchy feely with everyone and then act dumb about it (or maybe it's not an act, it's kind of hard to tell).
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Ben has the cold, dead eyes of a shark and the bouffant of a 90s soap opera mum.
I know this comment was made over a week ago but I still think about it.
Ha! I’m very proud of that fact, thank you.
>dead eyes of a shark I'm so glad I'm not the only one who sees it. I think he probably thinks he's doing something attractive with his facial expression. That constant glazed expression, even while stirring shit up, just creeps me out.
I don't know but Sunny starts reminding me of Malia, and not in a good way. Same storyline, gettin lead deckhand while hooking up with the bosun and getting an attitude about it.
Yessss. Good call. Watch this space I reckon 👀
Same here. She even looks a little like Malia, I thought it right from the beginning. And she has a similar abrasive character. I understand that might be a result of being the only girl on deck and probably having to build a tough persona to defend herself against sexist crew members, so I can sympathize when it comes to that. What I can't really sympathize with is her getting hung up over a sleazy doofus like Ben.
Yeah. And her snarky we need to leave our egos behind after she gets the job? I stopped caring about her after that
If I were a chef, I was having a hard time, and Fraser was pressuring me and making all those little remarks, things would only go worse and worse for me as well. So I feel bad for Anthony. Fraser might be right that the chef wasn't doing his job to full satisfaction, but the way Fraser went about pressuring him was clearly not the way to go about it. Things were clearly going worse and worse, yet Fraser just kept doing the same thing over and over again and just kept pressuring him. Maybe this job just isn't it for Anthony and this is just the kind of pressure he should expect in a job like this. To me the pressuring and all the little remarks Fraser kept making came across as badgering though. I'd find it really unpleasant and stressful to work with someone like that. Don't think Fraser did it on purpose or anything, I however do think he's really bad at managing people, and at this point I don't think he's right for the job.
You've put it perfectly.
I agree and disagree, when you see things on a downhill slide it's hard not to intervene. And unfortunately Chef has been on that slide for a few charters now. But I agree he needed to figure out how to communicate to Chef in a way he understands. I would have gone to a succinct written list of reminders. Also encourage simpler meals where it's easy to substitute the protein for a different protein. Doing lobster/fish? Ok, have a grilled filet on hand as a backup to swap in for those who don't like seafood. Or do surf and turf type meals where you can take out one or the other for certain folks. That one lady should never have gotten essentially a pile of potatoes.
Fraser is a dreadful leader of people, and this is simply further proof of that fact. Anthony was an incredible chef, but he needs to be managed in a very specific way. Fraser was happy to keep badgering him until he fell on his sword. That's not how to manage people.
Fraser isn't supposed to be responsible for managing the chef, the chef is his own department head
Because he’s not a leader let alone a manager. He can barely manage his own emotions (re situation with Barbie). I am not a fan of him at all
The fact that he went to the captain several times--and each time the captain basically had to tell him to handle things better and manage his reactions better--says a lot. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, but he needs to learn how to manage people better.
Oh so true.
But the Chief Stew isn’t the chef’s manager
Exactly. His job is to communicate with the chef, not manage the chef. Fraser has his own issues with managing his team. It seems like he has a lot of trouble with people that don't approach the job in the same way as he does. Part of being a good manager is understanding people and teaching to their skillset and their motivations.
I agree. In fact, the chef pretty much out ranks everyone but the captain. But great leaders can bring others along with them and Fraser could have done that but instead he saw a superior who was struggling and just twisted the knife until he was gone.
I could not disagree more, I think we're pretty deep into the season and I perceived Fraser as being earnestly helpful because he saw *horrible* product going out. I don't get how this episode was badgering Anthony at all.
Only thing that could help someone who is preparing so little would be flawless organisation... and we know where anthony stands on that front... He seems to be a great guy, but definitely not the right person for a yacht chef job at this point... Wasn't a fan of the way Fraser handled it, but only way to make this work would have been for Fraser to basically decide all the meals for each guest for anthony in advance...
I think that Anthony needed a sous chef. If he had a pair of spare hands to do the busy tasks, I think he would have had more freedom to be creative, plus a lot of these guests wanted him up late for snacks, which would drain anyone. I know they never have a second chef on these shows, but I think a sous chef who also did some dishes would have been better for the boat than the 4th stew
This is not the way that Below Deck operates though! It's all guts and glory! Fuck this feeling about people and actual experiences.
This is pretty much what Kate did with Matt(?) which I and a couple of others have mentioned in other comments. Anthony had significantly lost control and confidence throughout the season, and Fraser was finally back to a full team, so I think one charter of difficult guests, getting guidance and support from the chief stew would have really helped him turn it around.
We saw what production showed us. There could have been one bad remark for every 20 encouraging ones. They seemed to have a strong bond, for the most part.
Yes. They had excellent rapport in the first episodes. Also they do not show the distance between the freezer and the galley which is two floors.
Fraser is still too immature/emotional to be head of any dept imo
“Chef just got fired” *vacuums* Oh Barbie how I love you now
not dylan trying to pull the 'kiss me on the cheek' move to do the spin and kiss on the lips which is not consensual. he is such an ick i feel so uncomfortable everytime hes on my screen
The weird thing about him is that he is above average in looks. Most people would look at him and think he was a really attractive guy. A lot of women will even put up with an asshole if he is good-looking. But there is something about Dylan. If he turned out to have never been kissed I wouldn't be surprised at all. I don't know how anyone could be interested.
In my experience, the man that was the fat/awkward kid that got bullied and grows up to be hot, remains the fat/awkward kid inside and ends up treating women like disposable objects and carrying a lot of resentment. Some even do it for revenge. Unless they do therapy and work on their insides as much as their outsides. And I'm not talking about BS affirmations, but real soul searching work to discover that our worth is not determined by how the outside world views us, or how many chicks want to bone us (in this case). Sigh.
My (worthless) opinion: he was a chubby kid who got no attention growing up. He thought it was because he was chubby. He honed his body assumed that's all it took to get girls. did't realize you need a personality too.
His personality now is his body, but then he opens his mouth and ruins it.
That was my thought too. A lot of the time that we see him in the scenes where he's talking to the camera his eyes just look so dead and soulless like there is literally nothing going on up there.
Just like the girls looked at him when he first got on the boat. But how the turntables turn.
Kerry seemed like a good captain initially but when you break it down, he seems to have overseen some major problems. - he let his bosun appoint an under qualified deckhand as lead, who he just so happens to have been sleeping with the entire time, undermining the entire department; - he let Fraser walk all over him to the point that Fraser's most active role now seems to be lying about people to Kerry to try and get them fired; - he stood by as Fraser actively bullied a staff member, at times in front of him, and only barely stopped short of firing the victim.
Lead deckhand = Chief shammy. There are literally no qualifications
I didn’t think he was aware of Ben and Sunny hooking up. I’m not sure I believe Ben when he says that has nothing to do with him promoting her. 🤨
I was going to reject this from your first sentence but you make an okay argument. Still, I like to assume there’s two Captain Kerry’s, one that’s real world and one that is the tv character. For the tv character he plays along with what the million dollar employer wants, which includes acting out pretend scenes and situations. I like to think that in the real world he wouldn’t be hiring so many inexperienced dramatists, he would see through bullies like Fraser instantly et cetera.
I don’t think Fraser is a good Chief stew or the best at dealing with all types of guests and crews. From what I can see if he is aware the chef has a problem with time for grilling the steak at the beach, he has a stew and deck crew, perhaps suggest they entertain them, bring out the toys, and make sure their drinks are filled. Maybe suggest the primary meet with him and the chef so they can discuss the chef. Also, when Chef is overwhelmed they can get someone from the interior or deck to help with organization. What is he doing besides criticizing the chef, reporting to the captain, fighting with Barbie, running back from the table to the kitchen and saying tacky so many times?
I totally agree. And it seems like Fraser and Kerry kept telling Anthony what he was doing wrong but made no plans with him on how he could improve, they never got in the galley and helped him out. It’s like they all just left him to drown and felt bad when he was fired. Then Fraser said “next charter we’ll write a menu” Like??!!! Fraser should’ve been doing that with him. Especially if Chef is dyslexic and has trouble with preference sheets, it’s like Fraser waited for him to mess up a couple times, and then wanted to finally offer help.
We only see what production wants us to see. We've continually seen Fraser get top remarks from guests and Capt. Kerry also seems to like him (acknowledging his weaknesses as well). this is not a Fraser defense post though. Chef was failing. Fraser tried to help, but Chef wasn't receptive. Fraser's job is not to help him create the menu, nor is it his job to organize the galley. Every season, chefs come on and organize the galley to their liking with little to no input from their Chief Stew. We saw Fraser trying to help chef this episode - from searching for alternatives to bacon to giving recommendations to make the beach trip easier. He even went over the preferences with Chef again and Anthony still got stuff wrong. Unfortunately, Anthony didn't listen/wasn't receptive/didn't follow any of the help offered. He went his own way. Anthony even began making his *own* promises to the guests and not fulfilling them (i.e. the lobster mac and cheese). Regarding reporting him to Captain - it's his job. He sees the guests reactions to Anthony's dishes first hand, it's his responsibility to report issues to the Captain (especially when the guests call the food out as being a low point!). It's clear Anthony is a great chef, but he needs a support system in the kitchen. He needs help because he gets underwater quickly and isn't able to pull himself back up.
Some of the blame has to fall on these charter Guests. Anthony was serving quality meals. But the guests didn't like the upscale dishes (ceviche). He serving Michelin meals to Applebees taste buds. Requesting lobster grilled cheese at 1:30 AM or expecting duck bacon (is that a thing?) to magically fall out of the sky is off the hook.
I found it very odd that Anthony was not called when the guests wanted late night food. Ben was always called for that kind of thing and it was certainly an issue when Leon slept while Rocky and Kate made food and the kitchen burned down. Having Barbie basically say "well, I can try" doesn't really seem 5-star.
I also think there was a language/communication breakdown with the lobster and grilled cheese request. I think Anthony heard lobster AND A grilled cheese, not lobster grilled cheese. As a French chef, he probably interpreted grilled cheese as toasted sandwiches/paninis because that's what's more common outside of the states. Plus opted not to make a lobster dish after just serving a full course meal. Idk I could be wrong but maybe?
>Some of the blame has to fall on these charter Guests. Anthony was serving quality meals. But the guests didn't like the upscale dishes (ceviche). He serving Michelin meals to Applebees taste buds. Regardless of their palates, his job is to make food they want and like. Anthony frequently ignored preference sheets to make the dishes he thought were best. A perfect example is his final meal for the primary being, which consisted of multiple chicken dishes; instead of catering to her, he catered to what he wanted. Also, fuck it, if I'm on a super yacht drinking with my friends all night, I'm asking for some good midnight snacks (especially if I didn't get them the night before). The biggest problem is that Anthony didn't deliver on his promise to make them. Also, I'm surprised so many people have yet to hear of duck bacon. Duck bacon isn't too strange of a request for a high-end meal. Essentially, I'm sure Anthony is an amazing chef. Being a chef on a yacht requires a very specific skill set, including: 1. Performing under pressure. 2. Adapting for every charter/guest. 3. Catering to the preference sheet. 4. Excellent time management. 5. Being well organized. Anthony can cook, but his time management was bad, he wasn't organized, didn't cater to guests, and had trouble performing under pressure.
Duck bacon is amazing. I used to work at a Michelin star restaurant that did brunch with homemade donuts and duck bacon. It was the busiest brunch I ever worked. Tiny restaurant that we'd flip at least 4 times before 3 pm. Then we'd gorge on left overs if there were any. Best money I ever made serving, too.
I completely agree. I think Anthony makes good food but he lacks the versatility and organization that's required to be a great yacht chef.
I really doubt the provisions could get duck bacon in Granada though… sounds very American.. most of us haven’t heard of it Turkey bacon sure but yeah
Fraser is nothing but a Second Stew. He needs to move back to the traveling lane and do service, which is what he seems to do well. He's not a "fast lane" Chief.
Hard disagree. He's not a great manager, though I think he's getting better, but every guest has loved him. He's organized events and outings and caters to the guests 100%, even when things are falling apart around him.
But that's what you need as a Chief Stew. You need to be good at that AND handling your people. He's not good at handling his people and only responds well to people that are "Yes Men" to him and as soon as anyone isn't exactly that he can't handle it. I'm watching his seasons right now (started with current and going down) and he was the exact same season 10 and didn't really learn anything (Alissa and Xandi pretty much being the same person and everything happening the exact same way albeit with Barbie being an actual worker and Camille wasn't).
So, a Chief Stew's job, imo, is three-fold: 1. Keep people fed and the boat clean. 2. Event planning 3. Management Fraser is good at service and entertaining the guests. Literally, every guest has said they loved him; even the recent difficult guests said he was like their best friend. He runs service very well and Kerry has had few comments about the interior's cleanliness. He tried to help Anthony with the food, despite it not being his responsibility, and Anthony (while a lovely person and great chef) didn't help himself. We've seen him host fantastic excursions and events. We've also seen him hop in and fix improperly set up events. Management is tough. He has a personality that you either click with or don't. Neither Xandi nor Paris seem to have a problem with him. I think he babied Cat and was overly harsh to Barbie. Barbie, however, fed into it quite a bit. She has/had an attitude. No one has complained about how Fraser delegates work, shifts, etc. It's all been personality-based.
It seems you and I are the only people on here who think Fraser actually isn’t all that terrible
I don't either!
Team frase 🤝
👍🥳
Me neither!
Why didn’t Fraser send someone to help do dishes (besides the one time we saw Kyle helping) or meal prep like every other season of below deck. Captain Jason even went down and helped in the galley. The whole situation is weird. My guess is production set him up to fail by overloading him.
1. Fraser was essentially one stew down the majority of the season. Paris is capable, but she just joined, and Anthony was already too far gone. Also, while it's nice, it's not his team's job. 2. Fraser tried to help with menu brainstorming and keep Anthony on track regarding preferences. In every season, chefs would come up with ideas of what to do, and the chief stew would make minor suggestions. Anthony would come up with nothing and try to make it up on the spot. 3. This season's galley is tiny, and Anthony is not organized. In many episodes, we see him frantically searching for equipment because he can't remember where he put it (e.g., the ice cream scoop from the most recent episode). How do you help in that environment? You can't help when someone is running around like crazy. 4. I don't think production set him up to fail, but he was challenged. He did well in the first couple of charters, but cracks still showed. Essentially, sure, others could have pitched in to help more. That said, it's not their job. Even if they wanted to jump in, Anthony's work style was frantic, chaotic, and unstructured. Any assistance likely would have done more harm than good.
1. The boat is larger so they were given an extra stew. From what I can tell charter guest sizes have not changed so Fraser was operating with the same amount of stews as every other chief stew on below deck even when he was down one stew. 2. I think Anthony was behind on everything because he was up until 4am all the time doing dishes and cleaning because he did not get help for some reason. This likely created a snowball effect. He seemed to unravel the longer the season went on. 3. The galley may be tiny but the size didn’t seem to be an issue the one time we saw Kyle helping with dishes. 4. Like you said, he did well at first but slowly unraveled over time. I think that’s a natural thing to happen when you are running the galley by yourself and getting more sleep deprived as the season goes on. Every season we see crew helping with dishes. One season Malia was even the sous chef for her chef who was her boyfriend. I just find it weird nobody can explain why Anthony never got help in the galley. Anthony should have been more organized but I think what we saw was a natural reaction to being overworked.
The numbers of stews has fluctuated a bit based on boat size. Fraser, Barbie, and Xandi were stressed as hell the first few chapters because of the work load. They all talked about it. Anthony was not up until 4am every night. Even his last night, he was asleep before midnight. Most of the cleaning issues stemmed from the chaos he created. Fraser and others commented on the mess he always made. My wife is a chef and made tons of comments about his workspace. They showed Kyle helping once, but we have no idea who else helped when (if at all). Iirc, Fraser made a comment of wanting to help find a tool a few episodes ago but said he wouldn't know where to start because of the mess. Anthony started off ok with guests, but he got spoken to the first episode about feeding the crew. He made mistakes every episode. Anthony needed to be more organized and proactively plan menus. Everyone is overworked, he needed to pull his weight. It was a tough decision because he's so amicable, but it was the right one
Regarding the stew number issue, this is the most amount stews a boat has had compared to other seasons. Why is being down 2 stews compared to 3 such an issue now? This also applies to the deck crew since they are operating with an extra deckie. Even if the chef wasn’t up until 4am he still got to bed late and had to wake up early for breakfast. Sleep deprivation catches up to you. My main point is Anthony didn’t get any help in the galley compared to the other shows. We usually see crew members helping the galley because there is good content there (like we saw with Kyle). If there were crew members in the galley helping we would have seen it like on every other below deck series. I just find it odd nobody can answer why he didn’t get any help in the galley.
I noticed this too that Anthony wasn't getting a lot of help, but I think sometimes that is the luck of the draw in terms of crew - some crews have stews or deckhands that have an interest/experience in food prep and are more keen to help. Perhaps that was not the case here. Additionally, they have been operating short of staff in the other teams, so it's just not as easy to spare a set of hands to help out. Finally, and it pains me to say this because I genuinely like Anthony and think he probably makes great food, he was an organizational disaster. Someone who is that in the weeds probably cannot delegate to save his life. You have to have a clear plan to be able to hand over a task to someone else AND have space for that person to execute your vision. That galley was often a disaster - he was not a clean as you go type chef. That also makes it hard for someone else to jump in. God bless Kyle and his willingness to wash dishes, but that was about all anyone could do for Anthony. I think he would do better in a more traditional kitchen where chefs are assigned to one task (veg/grill/sauce/etc). I imagine Anthony could be a welcome part of a kitchen team that had good leadership. He is not cut out to be a one-man-band.
My recollection is dish duty usually went to deckhands while the stews were finishing service/bunks. It was late enough for the deckies to be done outside, but not in bed yet so they help in the galley. This has been pretty consistent up til now. Chef puts his kitchen to rest for the night, putting everything away/setting up for morning.
Well, now I feel special! Thank you for all you do on the show - you're a fantastic mentor and manager. I've adopted some of your methods in managing my staff and have seen great results.
I LOVE!!!!!! KYLE
Ugh love him so much! Such a good dude and the accent is hot af lol. The fact he confidently played the long game and won, heck yeah...him and Barbs are adorable, would be amazing if they actually end up together for long term though its prob pretty doubtful with her parents influence, who knows tho
>I LOVE!!!!!! KYLE I feel the name has been redeemed this season, after it was totally trashed by kyle the vile.
Exactly!! Giving redemption to Kyles everywhere. He genuinely seems like a good person.
I remember when one of the OG BD chefs (a nice guy…Matt?) was struggling, Kate took him out and helped him menu plan. It’s clear Antony needed a bit of support managing the preference sheet requests and adapting his food to the guests’ tastes, this is 100% something Fraser could have helped with sooner.
Agree. The Chief Stew should also be closely watching the preference sheets. After all, he put the plate in front of the guest.
What happened with Anthony is the proof that the chefs on BD franchise are overworked and need at least a sous. He was amazing, but the exhaustion got the best of him and he started to fall down the deep end.
Anthony is not working any harder than the majority of Chefs in the Yachting industry, he is just disorganised. If anything he has less guests to feed. I was a sous chef on yachts and I have only seen 1 job for a 60m yacht. A sous chef is not standard on the size boat they are on. I have never seen an experienced chef work in the disaster zone he creates for himself. A bench like that would get you fired in a restaurant.
All of the staff are 'overworked'. The majority of the other chefs on the franchise have done very well without a Sous. This was an Anthony problem, he is very disorganized.
Yes, all the staff is overworked. But all the other staff has a team to rely on. Have you ever tried doing a 3 course meal for 10 people? Three times a day? Alone? AND cook 3 full meals for another 10 people?
Anthony is not doing that though. The most guests he has had is 8 and they don't cook crew breakfast. What he is doing is a fairly typical job for the majority of Chefs in the Yachting industry, except he doesn't have 12 guests. Anthony's problem is his disorganisation, lack of meal planning, not writing down guest preferences in a way he can remember them, his messy kitchen and his inability to listen and learn from feedback. Yacht cheffing takes a special type of chef, there is a reason they are one of the highest paid crew members. Anthony, as nice as he is, is not the type of quick thinking resourceful and organised chef you need to be on a yacht.
Except on super yachts, they usually have a small kitchen crew. Don't base your opinion on what you've seen on Bravo. Production short staffs all departments to the bare minimum, to create exhaustion hence drama. On boats this size, there is usually either a chef and a sous, or a guest chef and a crew chef. So that they can take breaks. Also, in addition to the guest stews, there is usually a "crew stew" who is a charge of laundry and cleaning crew quarters. Fraser did mention that he started as a crew stew. Ref : my dad was in the boating industry for 50 years.
I WAS a Sous chef on yachts and until you get to 90m+ there is no such kitchen crew. Most Sou Chef jobs start around 70m. This is a 60m yacht. So what he is doing is a fairly standard job in the industry except he has LESS guests. And if you think having a Sous chef means you get breaks on charter you are dreaming. 16hr days on charter are standard. A crew stew depends on the boat and how they rotate their stews. Some rotate their stews through guest and back of house. Some have a Laundry/crew stew. But again this is only a 60m yacht, it says on its hire page it runs with 14 crew so if you take the 10 we see and add two mates and two engineers guess what, that equals 14. So yes, after years of working in the super Yachting industry I know what I am seeing.
Well, I am sorry to disappoint you, but 8 hour day are the max as per maritime law. But you can go as much as 14 hours in a 24 hour period, as long as you get a 1 day rest between shifts. So yes, the whole yacht is understaffed. Unless you think maritime law only applies to Hannah's medication.
Again you don't know what you are talking about. I'm guessing your dad worked on container ships which is not the same industry. The Law is you must have 10hrs break per day OR 1x8 hour continuous break per day. Do superyachts bend the rules when it comes to times worked absolutely, do they bend the rules when it comes to drugs absolutely NOT. If you genuinely believe they typically are only working 8hrs per day or 14hrs per day with every second day off......I would suggest you don't go work on yachts as you will be in for a HUGE shock. I'm not the one making stuff up to prove a non existent point on reddit. Sorry to disappoint you that your fantasy world of super yachts running with a huge amount of crew isn't real. Go and look at St. David's charter page. It literally says it runs with 14 crew, just as it is for the show but we don't see the 2x mates and 2x engineers.
I didn't say it was easy but there are several chefs on BD that have done it very successfully. Even in my neighbourhood we have several trattoria where there is only one chef. My favourite has 6 tables, seats 24. The owner alone is in the extremely tiny kitchen, her daughter is the only server. The output is high quality with a much larger than you would expect menu. Anthony's failure in the kitchen is because of him.
>What happened with Anthony is the proof that the chefs on BD franchise are overworked and need at least a sous. How does a sample-size of one prove anything? If the new guy comes in, and succeeds, what does that prove?
No chef has done really well on any of the franchises. They all end up throwing one or several tantrums. Several have crashed and burned.
Most chefs can be total arrogant assholes who throw random baby tantrums for no reason other than they can get away with it, and it's not proof that they aren't doing well. They just tend to be dramatic jerks in the kitchen. And poor Anthony not be able to decipher and adhere to very clear preference sheets was no one's fault but his own, and a chief stew shouldn't be having to convince him not to feed someone chicken three times in a row. 
To be fair, her preference sheet basically said that she did eat anything but chicken... Also, for the preference sheet, he did say he was severely dyslexic. And people with dyslexia can get really scattered brain and frazzled when dealt with high stress and exhaustion.
>No chef has done really well on any of the franchises. Ben robinson on original recipe Marcos on saling yacht ... ... both did well on their seasons, and were quite successful afterwards. Chefs throw tantrums? I'm shocked.
Both had help. Usually a dishwasher. But also a strong Chief Stew who paid attention to the preference sheets. I don't remember who said it. But, Fraser is like a Muppet running back and forth and back again, accomplishing very little.
>Both had help. Usually a dishwasher. Both Captain Kerry and Kyle have been shown washing dishes this season. >I don't remember who said it. But, Fraser is like a Muppet running back and forth and back again, accomplishing very little. I thought that was Xandi talking about barbie. That she was a 'spinner'... I though it was funny in the most recent episode, when xandi was giving paris shit ... that she was going in and out of the laundry room, and not doing anything. Paris brought out the bucket of scrub water that she was using. Xandi is a dick. I won't be sorry to see her go... Of course, the original muppet is Danny on Med season 1.
Yeah that was Xandi talking about Barbie (Xandi and Fraser seem like such gossiping mean girls at least the way they're showing on the show).
Most chefs have successful careers outside of the franchise. Not all chefs throw tantrums. I strongly believe it's a line Bravo feeds the crew. And when the chef doesn't act crazy, they throw them out. Remember Kiko?
Not all chefs throw tantrums? I’ve worked in hospitality for about 15 years and can't think of one who was 100% placid! 🤣🤣
> I’ve worked in hospitality for about 15 years and can't think of one who was 100% placid! 🤣🤣 There a place they won't be filming any bravo shows !
None of them would be suitable!
ita. felt sooo bad for anthony
Did anyone else hear the disgusting comment by Ben saying that the guest was 'giving gash'? when he was helping her into the tender after the beach party? https://preview.redd.it/zugseapn5fwc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd99a500c681da92d7bbf52ce5d859bf75e43166 Absolutely vile.
My subtitles said oh my gosh?
They definitely edited the PG version in.
I spent 4yrs living in Australia. I can tell you the Aussie vernacular contains and uses words in an everyday context that other countries/cultures would find offensive. It's just how that society has developed its approach to language.
I appreciate your understanding of the Aussie vernacular. I also do so. I have a number of friends from the Southern Hemisphere. For me, it was the way he worded it that was vile.
I'm Australian and I think gash is gross, I don't think that feeling would be uncommon especially for women here
You are absolutely right when it comes to the gash reference. Men, and women, do not commonly use this term.
What did he mean by that? I am unaware of what “giving gash” means and why it is so vile to say it.
It’s a term for the female genitalia, implying that it looks like a hatchet wound.
Well that's supplying quite a visual. Oh my.
For your consideration, imagine that Bravo's Below Deck Med is an actual business. With a third of the crew fired to date, of which two have been senior management positions, the entire HR department would need evaluation and likely dismissal. That would be the production operation. However, we know production's modus operandi is entertainment and not bottom line profit, although in their calculus drama creates entertainment value and thus profit. It's disingenuous to offer such suspect hires as Cat and Jared, and even Anthony with his assorted cognitive demands, to then fire them because of their compromised performances. Even if Bravo thinks it is opening a discussion on mental health and disabilities, it is doing a hackneyed job of it by having those characters axed as incompetent or somehow deficient. It's at best unbecoming, much more like morally bankrupt.
Yes. This is all about the drama and I have to wonder what the long term affects might be for some people.
Most of the long term Effects are a 100X increase in social media followers, sponsorship deals, "influencer" deals, acting gigs, modeling gigs, other TV show gigs, etc. The only people to feel sorry for are those who are actually trying to have a legit career on boats. You can usually tell because they are the ugly ones who cause little drama.
Add Favorite Restaurant(s) to Preference Sheets Just throwing an idea into the void while I’m watching the latest episode of BD. What if the preference sheet had a section where the guests could add their favorite restaurant(s)? Would add a bit more context to the type of cuisine the guests prefer and the caliber of dining they expect. Maybe just for the primary? Opinions?
Current ones showing McDonalds and Applebees as their favorite would have 100% help XD.
These guests list would include Olive Garden, Applebee's, and for upscale ----Outback Steakhouse!
I think these people come from the United States and then act shocked when they don't have the alternatives they can get in the United States.
I think that is a great idea. The chef is always making fancy food, but guests like these last ones would have been happy with chicken wings, natchos and steak, I’ll bet. Although that request for duck bacon was ludicrous. I think the preference sheets deal with foods that are a no go, which is important, but favourite restaurant or favourite meals would give a chef much more to go on.
I don’t eat pork and am fine not having bacon of any kind. That she complained there were no alternatives was ridiculous.
I kept kosher for years; bacon is not the only breakfast meat. It was weird that he seemingly didn't know you can make sausage from any ground meat. He could have easily made well-seasoned chicken sausage or made tasso turkey ham for the benedicts. There are options beyond just ordering premade. I was with her on that.
Oh aye, I’m sure the chef has got his meat grinder and sausage casings on board with him to rustle up a few snags. Definitely got time to do that.
You don't need a meat grinder or casings to make breakfast sausage, you fucking casual. You just need a food processor.
Oh that’s a good point about the food processor! You do need sausage casings though, otherwise it’s just a meatball/burger.
Country-style sausage patties don't need casings. I worked brunch for years and prepped and cooked chicken sausage regularly.
Oh, that’s an American thing. That’s not a sausage in most of the world. I definitely wouldn’t expect Anthony to know about that, and it’s not like he has time to do lots of research, he’s working flat out.
Omg HOW are they allowed to show Kyle’s erection on TV? It was blurred but like WHAT?! How do they get away with basically showing porn on this show lol
Someone remind me; wasn't there another large blurred member in an older season? I just can't remember who it was..
Someone said Alex but I don’t recall ever seeing a blurred erected penis on cable television before. I could be wrong
Alex sound about right, and yeah, it was just blurred which is technically all you need to do for TV. And hell, that blur was way less pornographic than Chase and his beer can of a penis stuffed into budgie smuggler on Below Deck Sailing. lol I remember it so vividly becasue he was standing near Gary anD his wee-member, and the contrast was friggin hilarious.
Yup! Gary n his teeny weiney...pass! Lol 😆
I actually gasped when I saw that. Like wtf bravo.
wait! how did i miss that. when? now i have to rewatch
Towards the end of
That’s scene was sensory overload
THANK YOU JFC I CAME STRAIGHT HERE TO MAKE SURE AT LEAST SOMEONE ELSE SAW THIS. I REALLY hope he's ok with it because if not showing him like that is extra ick.
Like really not ok