NBCUniversal/Heavy Below Deck season 11
Season 11 of “Below Deck” premiered on February 5 and according to returning stars Fraser Olender and Ben Willoughby, the season promises to be drama-filled, especially regarding changes to the crew members.
“There’s a significant turnover this year,” Olender told E! News. Although the new Captain Kerry Titheradge has seemingly decided to fire many crew members, the chief stew confirmed, “I don’t go anywhere though, so thank God for that.”
Willoughby agreed with the chief stew, telling the publication, “You’re probably gonna see more [firings] than season 10.” During season 10, stews Alissa Humber and Camille Lamb were both let go by Captain Lee Rosbach’s temporary replacement Captain Sandy Yawn, prompting some tense exchanges between the two captains online.
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Fraser Olender & Ben Willoughby Clashed at Times During This Season, They Both Shared
Although Olender and Willoughby said there will be some crew members exiting the season, those departures apparently opened the door for the return of past “Below Deck” stars. “You’re in for seeing a few more familiar faces,” Willoughby revealed. “One a little bit more familiar than you would expect. But I’ll leave that for you guys to decipher.”
Among the cast members already announced for the season, Fraser teased that his biggest issues were with Barbie Pascual, as he said he “definitely found it tricky at times to work” with the stew. As for Willoughby, he struggled working for bosun Jared Woodin.
It also wasn’t all smooth sailing for the two returning cast members. “I think Ben kind of felt like he kind of enjoyed tormenting me this year,” Olender spilled. “Working so close with each other as heads of departments, you’re going to have your differences. We work through those but there’s definitely some tension there.” Willoughby agreed but said, “We’re brothers and brothers are very competitive. There’s always one brother that wants to be a bit more center of attention. I think we were just fighting for that the whole season.”
Fraser Olender Teased That Viewers Will See Him Hookup With a Charter Guest This Season
It’s not the first time Olender has given hints about what’s to come during season 11. In an interview with E! News, he admitted that he ended up breaking one of the main rules of working on yachts and hooked up with a charter guest.
However, he said the rule break took place with the captain’s go-ahead, as he wanted to proceed in the most respectful way possible. In fact, Olender revealed that his romance, with a charter guest named Steven, is an “exciting” part of the season and viewers would be able to see it develop.
As for Willoughby, he confirmed to the publication that his relationship with Lamb ended after season 10. He explained that he felt he was a lot more interested in pursuing a relationship than she’d been. He also claimed that after he flew from Australia to Florida to see her, he “decided she wasn’t faithful.” The deckhand concluded that the two are no longer in contact.
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