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Ashton Pienaar nearly died in a drowning accident as he gets shown going overboard on Below Deck in Tahiti. Viewers, as well as crew members, watched in horror as Pienaar’s leg got caught in the megayacht’s tow line and pulled him off the boat, under the water. The accident brought Captain Lee to tears as he recalled what happened.
Last week, on Watch What Happens Live, Lee seemed to imply that Pienaar could have lost a limb and he definitely beat death. As tonight’s show airs, we will continue to update you with Pienaar’s injuries. In addition, Pienaar will appear on WWHL tonight to give his account of the scary incident. Read on for our live recap and additional details below.
Pienaar was pulled overboard by the tow line and fellow crew member Rhylee alerted the Captain and crew calmly, yet promptly. Fortunately, Pienaar soon made it to the surface and all was well. Rhylee said the tow line wrapped around Pienaar’s ankle quickly and she said it was a cameraman named Brent who saved Pienaar’s life. Brent immediately put the camera down and grabbed the line to help Pienaar survive the incident.
Captain Lee was overcome with emotion over the incident, saying he would never want to have to call someone’s family to tell them their son is dead. Bosun Ross also appeared to break down crying in the bathroom as he washed his face after the accident.
The guests on the yacht were also very concerned about the incident.
After the situation was put to bed, Pienaar said that his ankle would need some attention. Pienaar made his way back onto the boat and Ross greeted him with a long embrace.
Pienaar limped his way back to his cabin and revealed a swelling ankle. Pienaar became emotional and called it the scariest moment of his life. He said he thought that his foot was going to be ripped off and that he would bleed out in the water. Pienaar voiced how thankful he was for Brent to grab the tow line and save him. He laid on the floor of his cabin as the Captain and Chef Adrian went to check on him. Pienaar was clearly shaken. New third stewardess Laura also checked in on Pienaar.
Pienaar said the accident was completely his fault because he should have never been on that side of the line.
When Pienaar was on WWHL, he said that at first, he realized that cameraman Brent had a hand in helping him. After the incident, Pienaar said he just gave Brent a huge hug. He also said that when he was dragged off the boat, when he felt the tension of the line tightening he became aware of what could happen and said that he made peace with the fact that his foot would most likely be torn off.
After the incident, each of the crew members tended to Pienaar and he made it a point to thank everyone at their next tip meeting. Because Pienaar was unable to work, he wanted to forfeit his tip to the rest of his crew mates, but Captain Lee insisted he keep the tip.