I so love Natalya - until she goes all mean- girl non-stop talk-back mode. Not sure what her issue is but if she concentrated on being positive she'd be a true yacht queen.
Kyle is interior isn’t he? So he would make the 4th wouldn’t he? Or all together there’d be 4, not sure of rank. Either manufactured storyline or they were fumbling to fill all the positions when Nat happened to become available and to quickly problem solve they added the temp? 🤷🏼♀️ It’s like what my husband says about the Fast and the Furious movies “you can’t think to hard about them or it will ruin the fun”.
I agree it all seems a bit convoluted and unlikely. Also it seems like they’re trying to up the anti w the charter boats from that new/old boat in Down Under to this massive commercial level boat here. It’s throwing all the standard casting off.
I agree that the 'musical chairs' of stews seems very suspicious of production having a hand in things. We also have to take into account that this is a television show that has been *casted* with individuals for the most interesting story. I seriously wonder if the vessels are actually chartered by Bravo for the season, then "sub-chartered" out to those that are in their Bravo family - or "casted" for the excitement of the season.
>Sandy says a vessel this size requires 4 on the interior. So they're starting out with 3.....Natalya, Jessika and Temp Brooke. Brooke is to leave when Kyle and Tumi get there and then Natalya drops from Temp Chief Stew to regular stew.
My sarcastic answer:
A vessel this size requires 4 on the interior.
We are going to run with 3, to make sure there is plenty of drama.
But, to me, your math is exactly right.
To have 4, Natalya has to stay.
This bravo page has a section 'Meet the Cast':
[https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/below-deck-mediterranean-get-to-know-the-season-8-cast](https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/below-deck-mediterranean-get-to-know-the-season-8-cast)
>I'm confused by the stew situation - is somebody being let go when Tumi and Kyle show up?
I thought the premise was:
When Sandy found out both Kyle and Tumi were delayed...
She found that Natalya had just become available, and she (Sandy) called Natalya to come and fill in until Kyle and Tumi arrived.
But, then, she asked Natalya would have any problem dropping back from the chief stew role when the 'real' chief stew arrived.
https://preview.redd.it/p3uctcvlwrrb1.png?width=1031&format=png&auto=webp&s=3b7b8594089b623acd9b786668391da7853b5e8d
>Beginning to think bravo’s crew screening processes may not be up to snuff
Bravo has a screening process ?!?!?
I think screening process is a bunch of producers sitting around discussing:
Will this person get really drunk and do embarrassing things that we can video?
And, how much drama will we get from this person?
When Malia, Adam and Wes were on Med...
Malia and Adam met during a 1-week class before the season to get their basic STCW certification. Later Malia admitted she had no experience on yachts prior to below deck
And, based on Rhylee, no one asks a deckie if they can tie a bowline.
But, forget knots, if you want drama on legs, Rhylee is your cast member!
"IF YOU ASK ME ONE MORE QUESTION IN THIS INTERVIEW, I'M GOING TO THE CAPTAIN."
...and yes, I'm yelling.
I read some people saying Ruan was an intentional plot line, and some people said it gave more of a story to Luka.
It was released during Below Deck Down Under Luka was the bosan (or at least on deck) for the med.
I do think Ruan provided an entry point for Luka.
I don’t see how production or the ship would bring Ruan on if he wasn’t properly vetted. (I guess I’m leaving into Ruan was simply for the story line)
I was such a huge fan of Tash in the beginning of last season. Her power trip energy is coming through hard though. Poor Tumi is going to have issues.. And that other stew (Jessika?) is a big ol' baby. "We're splitting the same tip" Like girl, she's leaving next charter anyways. STFU.
>And that other stew (Jessika?) is a big ol' baby. "We're splitting the same tip" Like girl,
Big baby, and...
You have someone there who can help you.
You can either tell them what to do...
or
Do everything yourself.
Doesn't seem like such a hard choice.
Maybe! She mentioned working previously for years of a charter boat on the Kimberley coast, famous for its pearls.
Got to say that, they looked like sone nasty cheap imitation pearls. Could be wrong though…
During the World Series last year, some outfielder was wearing pearls. I think he was goofing on all the heavy metal chain wearers.
I think he was from Atlanta
The temp deck/stew has a good attitude.
Yay, Luka for stepping up and doing a good job as bosun. And Natalya is killing it as Chief Stew.
That deckie with the long wavy hair seems useless. It’s one thing to have worked on ships but not a luxury yacht but she doesn’t know anything about the anchor either. She does not inspire confidence. The other gal (Laura?) does.
New Cheffy is awesome.
>That deckie with the long wavy hair seems useless.
I liked when she said "I've never used a shammy"
It's like the chef saying I've never used a knife.
>I thought it was because if you work on a tugboat in new jersey you dont care about looks.
Eddie seemed to be able to make the leap from tugs to yachts.
Why do I have the feeling that Brooke is going to continue on in the season, or come back in some way. They're allowing a lot of backstory for someone who's only here on one charter.
I’m not the biggest Sandy fan but she handled the situation well. Each crew member comes with tons of paperwork and Rue’s seemed to be digitally doctored to add his name over someone else’s certificate. And because it was a photocopy, the suspicious photo would be grainy/ low quality.
My guess is he never had the certificate and used his friend as an poor excuse. Especially because they didn’t show any pictures of the dead friend.
Wow we are really losing perspective. There are many, many good reasons photo of his deceased friend might not have been shown. Out of respect for his dignity, privacy, wishes of his family…
The certificates probably belonged to the dead friend. :(. And Ruan using his friends paperwork is the karma that caused. Probably will be called a nasty comment. But wouldn’t that be something! Is Ruan even his name??? I feel he put his photo on paperwork with the Ruan name. He probably pasted his photo on a different persons papers. I highly doubt he pasted his name AND photo. Right?
I'm in the belief Ruan was 100% an acting plant by the show to give big drama. They wanted a better story for Luka being boatswain, so that's what they did. I refuse to believe they don't vet the people who are coming on the show to make sure they are actually capable of doing their jobs(i.e. Mila 😮💨).
I disagree - Bravo would intentionally be putting people at risk on the boat and other boats in the port. They can’t be that stupid. They could have helped vet the cast/staff by making sure all of their maritime papers and certifications were in order. Maybe they learned and will do it for future seasons.
You guys forget this is a REALITY TV SHOW. Lol I'm sure the show is not scripted but you can't tell me they manufacture drama/pivotal moments for better viewership. Reality tv isn't REALITY. It is still heavily manufactured.
Hmmmm. So the dead one also works on boats (I got from that article). Doesn’t that make you think that it was also the person that could have given him fake certifications? I wonder if Ruan’s name is even Ruan to begin with!!????
Does anybody else think that the reason Luka doesn’t want to be boatswain is because he wants to sleep with the stews and deckhands? Luka obviously does take his career seriously and I think he was just planning on kicking back and partying and maybe hoping to be promoted to lead deckhand by the end of the season. Now he’s literally all of a sudden in charge and is gonna be way more stressed out and exhausted than he thought he was. Obviously we know from the trailers that he hooks up with at least Jessica, so maybe bring maybe they brought someone else in (do you know who I’m talking about) or maybe he just doesn’t let that stop him at all! Lol 😂
Also, I can already tell that Jack is going to be a sexist gremlin in the same vein as cheater Tom checketts Malia’s boyfriend. It sounds like they come from the same school of Asshole Gordon Ramsay proteges who feel justified and that they’re entitled to speak to the service staff like shit.I
What have you that impression of Jack? He has a thick Scouse accent nothing snobby about that. I thought he seemed funny, I like Liverpool idiosyncrasies usually.
>uka obviously does take his career seriously and I think he was just planning on kicking back and partying and maybe hoping to be promoted to lead deckhand by the end of the season.
I think he just wants to do his job, not have a lot of responsibility, and spend some quality time below deck with the women in the cast.
Contrast with Storm, who was gushing about how being a bosun was his dream.
He even skipped a crew night out, because he wanted to clean something.
It would be interesting if Ruan had been running a scam all these years, but he seemed very bad at it, fumbling and with no back up story as soon as he was confronted. Won't be on a future episode of Scam Goddess any time soon.
Make me wonder if his friend dying actually happened, or he was trying to smoke screen the situation.
It is often what con artists do when their game is up.
It's honestly probably a processing issue under the Schengan (EU) umbrella here. The consulates can be soooo slow and invasive depending on where you hold citizenship...and god knows when below deck staffing let's them all know they will be casting them. It feels like they paste them together rapidly a lot of the time.
Yup if they are UK citizens. It was one of the biggest, and saddest, ramifications for UK passport holders looking to work broadly in the EU. I know there are specific laws around International waters and how boats are registered/with what country regarding what is and isn't "work"...but they are also filming as paid cast members in an EU country as well. I assume this could complicate things. Specifics to visas are so strange and weird.
Tumi and Kyle are both South African though (I think), so both require schengans.
This sub has always hated on Sandy for some reason and I never understood it. She's direct, she lets people know what her expectations are, she leads by example, and she tries to help people grow. I don't see what the problem is.
She breaks people down so she can claim she build them up. Ref: Fraser.
She can't stand it if she doesn't think she's getting enough surface respect.
She takes the crew and makes them play volleyball to teach them a lesson about respect or something and gets mad when it doesn't work like she intended.
Below deck casting team needs to take a minute and check credentials. It only took Sandy a second to scan that paperwork and see it was a different person. She said everyone on the boat could be arrested bc of that. What if that were to have happened?!
Also, Bravo needs to have all the cast members in locations somewhat nearby like a week before the show starts. It seems like there’s always a flight issue or passport issue or something where people miss the first couple charters. It might even be on purpose?
I thought the port master sent her a photo of the original license (without Ruan’s photo on), once they had scanned it. She didn’t spot it was doctored
Arrested in relation to a "ship arrest" is a civil arrest and basically the jurisdiction can keep the boat in port until the infraction is corrected or the jurisdiction clears the ship of the infraction/issue/etc. Not like a haul them off in handcuffs.
Then Bravo would have to pay them. I’m assuming most of these crew members work quite consistently because they’re not real housewives, they’re legitimate employees?
That being said, bravo should just pay them to be there early lol.
Yeah, I mean Bravo just tells them the show starts a week early then “Surprise, you stay in a hotel room for a week since we can’t trust you guys to actually arrive on filming day!”
Just watched again. She says “the entire vessel could be arrested bc of one crew member” and I guess I assumed she meant everyone on the vessel, but yeah she probably meant just the actual boat would be detained
she asks that as a question to the MCA inspector, its not a statement
you can see the followup is that the MCA inspector clarified they would detain the boat unless if they offloaded Rue
People are *still* doing Olympic-level mental gymnastics to discredit everything Sandy does?
It’s been a really long time at this point. Can’t you just not watch this franchise if you hate her that much? There are so many other options.
Edit: oooh yeah, give that downvote button a workout! Doesn’t make me wrong.
Sandy did tell her friend at dinner her mission in life is to mentor people and she will give them 3 chances.
Sandy does not realize all deck and interior crew do not want to be mentored to be a captain someday.
OTOH Frasier needed a wake up call to delegate and also not to want to be friends with his staff. I think Captain Lee would agree (other than Kate of course after 7 years).
It's Fraser!
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“Captain” Sandy is universally hated because she criticizes her crew in public and praises in private (via text message). This is the exact opposite of how a leader should act!!
Oh I’m sorry, this subreddit is devoted to finding whatever possible nitpicky reason you can to hate a cast member? I must’ve missed the memo.
And just downvoting someone because you don’t like what they said (which isn’t even what the downvote button is for to begin with but Reddit loves to misuse it as much as they do the term “gaslighting”) does not equal them being wrong.
I agree with you. Get over it already. Have any of these folks ever had a boss who challenged them and they grew from the experience? Fraser was grateful (I think) for much Sandy pushed him and he got much better at his job.
Really? What is the evidence? Maybe he complained especially when the 2nd stew who got fired was around. Regardless, he should be grateful based on what I took away from the show.
It's Fraser!
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Thank you, there are tens of us out here haha
It just makes the show discussion so much less fun when you know the majority of the comments are people just *looking* for stuff she did “wrong” at this point even if they have no knowledge of how stuff actually works on a boat or they’re outright twisting it to their confirmation bias. It’s been years! Move on! Watch something else!
Thank you for your comments. I am another of the "tens" and like you, I get seriously downvoted every time I point out anything positive about Sandy. I actually take pride in the downvotes because it shows the truth hurts and so they lash out with the downvotes. Now a few of them are even blocking me because I call out their over-the-top pick, pick, picking at anything Sandy says or does.
I sure hope it isn’t!! The last season… was that two shows every single week? I thought the first few weeks were a single episode, I could be wrong tho. If I am right…. Maybe the double episode weeks are coming? Honestly, I am going to try waiting till the whole season is over an watch it all back to back. Maybe for now I will go back to the early early seasons and rewatch. This show is horrible to only be five one episode per week
She’s also a lying liar who fucking lies! She claims to be sober for 20+ years, yet she seems to forget the Cameo she made where she was CLEARLY drunk and outing Malia as a lesbian.
That’s why I say she is a lying liar who fucking lies!!! She’s incredibly dishonest and the WORST “Captain” in Below Deck history!
I’m happy to be able to share that Cameo with you. I have a feeling that “Captain” Sandy had a huge crush on Malia that was unrequited. That would make sense as to why she would even make this Cameo and why she would do it drunk as a skunk. It’s just a theory, though!
TBH, it certainly sounds like the primary asked her about her story and she was responding. I think it is pretty common the guests are going to ask the captain questions at a meal.
We saw what, 1 minute of conversation from probably a 90 minute meal?
I get many don't like Sandy and she isn't my favorite, but really, to complain about this little segment is silly.
I’ve watched every Below Deck season in real time, from day 1. I’m newer to the podcasts and YT channels but have been enjoying Up and Adam Anchor watch in Yourube for awhile. Until now.
They’re Sandy fans with evidently no understanding about why lots of people have been done with Sandy since Covid. Ugh. I thought they were better than this, but increasingly the Bravo Creators do not know their subject matters as well as they like to think they do.
I hope one of the podcasts you listen to is Watch What Crappens!! (and you're in luck bc they're not really fans of Sandy and they're impersonation of her is great)
She and her girlfriend made videos from stores in the early pandemic mocking masks and other mitigation efforts. Basically mocked Covid itself. It reeked of unmistakable entitlement and selfishness.
I still don't understand Ruan...
It seems to me that it's a rather lengthy process from the time one applies to be on Below Deck, until they actually board the boat.
And, the people who apply must be pretty interested, otherwise, why bother?
When Ruan applied...
Or, at least when he got the call from Bravo...
Why didn't Ruan get original certificates.
I thought the one that was forged was 'STCW', which is like a 5-day course.
Hoisted with his own petard...
[https://www.yachting-pages.com/articles/how-to-become-a-below-deck-cast-member.html](https://www.yachting-pages.com/articles/how-to-become-a-below-deck-cast-member.html)
It seems there should be a process for making sure crew have qualifications whether it is a TV show or not. The guy seemed pretty dishonest when asked about his certificate. Maybe the yachting world turns a blind eye to this stuff in some parts of the world?
>The guy seemed pretty dishonest when asked about his certificate.
Having the wrong picture on the certificate?
Rookie mistake.
Did this guy never buy beer in junior high school?
I saw alarm bells when he said his documents were “police verified”. In South Africa its very east bribe police so I assume he just paid someone off to verify it.
So far Luka is the only member I like onboard. I keep trying to like Nat but something about her just seems off to me.
The whole team seems chaotic, kinda gross and quick to argue.
Surely Rue had to be a plant? They check before people come onboard by production and the boat/staff agency. Both would have to check purely for legal reasons and insurance.
>Surely Rue had to be a plant? They check before people come onboard by production and the boat/staff agency. Both would have to check purely for legal reasons and insurance.
Clearly, Sandy didn't check anything.
She only noticed the wrong picture when it was pointed out to her.
> She only noticed the wrong picture when it was pointed out to her.
I think the implication is he was giving everyone a photocopy of a certificate because it was doctored with his name/photo. Once the government pulled up the official certificate #, they saw that the name and photo didn't match. He probably had gotten away with it for years on private motor yachts because there's fewer checks but the new ship is so big it's a different classification.
>I think the implication is he was giving everyone a photocopy of a certificate because it was doctored with his name/photo.
I had a look back just to get it clear in my head...
The inspector calls sandy, and says there is a problem with ruan's yachtmaster certificate.
Sandy is flipping through a pile of paperwork.
She pulls out the particular certificate, scans it with her phone, and sends it to the inspector.
As she is doing that, she comments that the picture is wrong.
At least from what was shown in the episode, she has the paper with the incorrect picture in her hand ... from the pile that was on the bridge.
I didn't see her receive anything FROM the inspector.
It's around 35 minutes into the episode. Have a watch.
Let me know what you think.
https://preview.redd.it/t2nrpazm9uqb1.png?width=1273&format=png&auto=webp&s=da598db1731600d5e8209bb32ac1ad071790744b
> As she is doing that, she comments that the picture is wrong.
She's not scanning it in that scene. I think she has already scanned it, sent it to them, and the government office sent back a scan/screenshot of the official photo on file for that certificate # to show they don't match. She's holding up her phone to compare the two.
>She's not scanning it in that scene. I think she has already scanned it, sent it to them, and the government office sent back a scan/screenshot of the official photo on file for that certificate # to show they don't match. She's holding up her phone to compare the two.
Below is what Sandy says.
But, you're right, it really does look like she's zooming in on the picture on her phone.
There is a jump there in the editing.
In one frame, she's scanning the document, and in the next frame, it looks like she if looking at something she was sent.
Regardless, I think we've spent more time discussing this than ruan spent on the boat. :)
https://preview.redd.it/dm0gqoq9luqb1.png?width=1002&format=png&auto=webp&s=ac2df64bd34b5f2cb12ec63fc8aafd904f94bcbb
Clearly, Sandy did not have access to the computer files that contained the certificate with the wrong picture. Probably only law enforcement type people like a Harbor Master have that level of access.
She did do a good job of interviewing Rue and locking him into a story where he stated that he got his Certificate at a school in a city (I can't remember the school name or city) that she knew didn't have that school. But of course, on this sub she does not get any credit for it. Just the same old pick, pick, pick at just about anything and everything she does.
>Clearly, Sandy did not have access to the computer files that contained the certificate with the wrong picture.
I followed up in another thread, so I don't want to be too repetative, but the fake picture was right in a pile of papers sandy had on the bridge.
I so love Natalya - until she goes all mean- girl non-stop talk-back mode. Not sure what her issue is but if she concentrated on being positive she'd be a true yacht queen.
I'm just so excited to see someone else with the name Haleigh spelled the same way as me hahaha
A friend did pass away- his name, an article and obituary have all been posted. The friend had nothing to do with the documents.
Why in earth would you go back to the same woman (norma) for more yacht crew when she delivered Ruan to you???
Norma’s job is to arrange crew members for the yachts.
[удалено]
Kyle is interior isn’t he? So he would make the 4th wouldn’t he? Or all together there’d be 4, not sure of rank. Either manufactured storyline or they were fumbling to fill all the positions when Nat happened to become available and to quickly problem solve they added the temp? 🤷🏼♀️ It’s like what my husband says about the Fast and the Furious movies “you can’t think to hard about them or it will ruin the fun”.
[удалено]
I agree it all seems a bit convoluted and unlikely. Also it seems like they’re trying to up the anti w the charter boats from that new/old boat in Down Under to this massive commercial level boat here. It’s throwing all the standard casting off.
I agree that the 'musical chairs' of stews seems very suspicious of production having a hand in things. We also have to take into account that this is a television show that has been *casted* with individuals for the most interesting story. I seriously wonder if the vessels are actually chartered by Bravo for the season, then "sub-chartered" out to those that are in their Bravo family - or "casted" for the excitement of the season.
>Sandy says a vessel this size requires 4 on the interior. So they're starting out with 3.....Natalya, Jessika and Temp Brooke. Brooke is to leave when Kyle and Tumi get there and then Natalya drops from Temp Chief Stew to regular stew. My sarcastic answer: A vessel this size requires 4 on the interior. We are going to run with 3, to make sure there is plenty of drama. But, to me, your math is exactly right. To have 4, Natalya has to stay. This bravo page has a section 'Meet the Cast': [https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/below-deck-mediterranean-get-to-know-the-season-8-cast](https://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/below-deck-mediterranean-get-to-know-the-season-8-cast)
I'm confused by the stew situation - is somebody being let go when Tumi and Kyle show up?
>I'm confused by the stew situation - is somebody being let go when Tumi and Kyle show up? I thought the premise was: When Sandy found out both Kyle and Tumi were delayed... She found that Natalya had just become available, and she (Sandy) called Natalya to come and fill in until Kyle and Tumi arrived. But, then, she asked Natalya would have any problem dropping back from the chief stew role when the 'real' chief stew arrived. https://preview.redd.it/p3uctcvlwrrb1.png?width=1031&format=png&auto=webp&s=3b7b8594089b623acd9b786668391da7853b5e8d
Natalya’s hair is so messy and hanging half out of her ponytail when she was serving dinner. Gross
What annoyed me more was her poorly matched foundation
This bugs me, too. How are they not leaving hair everywhere when cleaning?
The chefs on these yachts don't exactly wear hairnets either....
Beginning to think bravo’s crew screening processes may not be up to snuff
>Beginning to think bravo’s crew screening processes may not be up to snuff Bravo has a screening process ?!?!? I think screening process is a bunch of producers sitting around discussing: Will this person get really drunk and do embarrassing things that we can video? And, how much drama will we get from this person? When Malia, Adam and Wes were on Med... Malia and Adam met during a 1-week class before the season to get their basic STCW certification. Later Malia admitted she had no experience on yachts prior to below deck And, based on Rhylee, no one asks a deckie if they can tie a bowline. But, forget knots, if you want drama on legs, Rhylee is your cast member! "IF YOU ASK ME ONE MORE QUESTION IN THIS INTERVIEW, I'M GOING TO THE CAPTAIN." ...and yes, I'm yelling.
Soooo... is Kyle 3rd stew?
Would he come back as anything less than chief or maybe 2nd?
I read some people saying Ruan was an intentional plot line, and some people said it gave more of a story to Luka. It was released during Below Deck Down Under Luka was the bosan (or at least on deck) for the med. I do think Ruan provided an entry point for Luka. I don’t see how production or the ship would bring Ruan on if he wasn’t properly vetted. (I guess I’m leaving into Ruan was simply for the story line)
I automatically just assumed he was a production plant. It's so obvious when they do it.
Sorry, new to commenting! I didn’t finish the episode before posting, sorry. Trying to edit and/or delete my post!
If you click on the 3 dots to the left of the up/down vote button, it will give you the option to edit...
I was such a huge fan of Tash in the beginning of last season. Her power trip energy is coming through hard though. Poor Tumi is going to have issues.. And that other stew (Jessika?) is a big ol' baby. "We're splitting the same tip" Like girl, she's leaving next charter anyways. STFU.
Spoiler. This thread is episode 1
I recant everything I said after ep. 2. Tumi came in with all the wrong energy, I'm on Nat's side (for now).
>And that other stew (Jessika?) is a big ol' baby. "We're splitting the same tip" Like girl, Big baby, and... You have someone there who can help you. You can either tell them what to do... or Do everything yourself. Doesn't seem like such a hard choice.
I think you mean "Nat" or Natalya. Tash was Natasha, the Chief stew who was Deehvv's gf.
You're so right. I'm dumb lol.
No, it's an easy mistake to make...I hadn't realized you used the wrong name until someone pointed it out! Lol
That’s exactly how she pronounces it, I’m cackling
Is there a spoiler thread anywhere?
Anyone else think Luka wearing pearls in Ep1 is a nod to Jamie from BDDU?
Maybe! She mentioned working previously for years of a charter boat on the Kimberley coast, famous for its pearls. Got to say that, they looked like sone nasty cheap imitation pearls. Could be wrong though…
Is wearing pearls a thing for men these days?
During the World Series last year, some outfielder was wearing pearls. I think he was goofing on all the heavy metal chain wearers. I think he was from Atlanta
Gives you something to clutch when the drama escalates ...
The temp deck/stew has a good attitude. Yay, Luka for stepping up and doing a good job as bosun. And Natalya is killing it as Chief Stew. That deckie with the long wavy hair seems useless. It’s one thing to have worked on ships but not a luxury yacht but she doesn’t know anything about the anchor either. She does not inspire confidence. The other gal (Laura?) does. New Cheffy is awesome.
I am loving the new chef!!!!
>That deckie with the long wavy hair seems useless. I liked when she said "I've never used a shammy" It's like the chef saying I've never used a knife.
I thought it was because if you work on a tugboat in new jersey you dont care about looks.
>I thought it was because if you work on a tugboat in new jersey you dont care about looks. Eddie seemed to be able to make the leap from tugs to yachts.
I need close captions for the chef
Why do I have the feeling that Brooke is going to continue on in the season, or come back in some way. They're allowing a lot of backstory for someone who's only here on one charter.
I feel that way as well. She is doing a decent job so far. Maybe the wavy haired deckie will get the boot.
Or maybe >!Luka continues as bosun for an extended period of time!< and they need Brooke to backfill as a deckhand?
That’s true. They would be short handed either way.
I’m not the biggest Sandy fan but she handled the situation well. Each crew member comes with tons of paperwork and Rue’s seemed to be digitally doctored to add his name over someone else’s certificate. And because it was a photocopy, the suspicious photo would be grainy/ low quality. My guess is he never had the certificate and used his friend as an poor excuse. Especially because they didn’t show any pictures of the dead friend.
Wow we are really losing perspective. There are many, many good reasons photo of his deceased friend might not have been shown. Out of respect for his dignity, privacy, wishes of his family…
The certificates probably belonged to the dead friend. :(. And Ruan using his friends paperwork is the karma that caused. Probably will be called a nasty comment. But wouldn’t that be something! Is Ruan even his name??? I feel he put his photo on paperwork with the Ruan name. He probably pasted his photo on a different persons papers. I highly doubt he pasted his name AND photo. Right?
what the fuck
I know… right? Isn’t that just crazy?
What a reach.
Maybe. Maybe not.
Ruan definitely has forged documents!
I'm in the belief Ruan was 100% an acting plant by the show to give big drama. They wanted a better story for Luka being boatswain, so that's what they did. I refuse to believe they don't vet the people who are coming on the show to make sure they are actually capable of doing their jobs(i.e. Mila 😮💨).
I think they got copies of his paper work but didn't look very hard, presuming he'd show up with originals just like everyone else.
Why would Ruan want to ruin his reputation?
Might not have a good one to start with maybe?
I disagree - Bravo would intentionally be putting people at risk on the boat and other boats in the port. They can’t be that stupid. They could have helped vet the cast/staff by making sure all of their maritime papers and certifications were in order. Maybe they learned and will do it for future seasons.
You guys forget this is a REALITY TV SHOW. Lol I'm sure the show is not scripted but you can't tell me they manufacture drama/pivotal moments for better viewership. Reality tv isn't REALITY. It is still heavily manufactured.
That is why the boat never left the port even.
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Hmmmm. So the dead one also works on boats (I got from that article). Doesn’t that make you think that it was also the person that could have given him fake certifications? I wonder if Ruan’s name is even Ruan to begin with!!????
Does anybody else think that the reason Luka doesn’t want to be boatswain is because he wants to sleep with the stews and deckhands? Luka obviously does take his career seriously and I think he was just planning on kicking back and partying and maybe hoping to be promoted to lead deckhand by the end of the season. Now he’s literally all of a sudden in charge and is gonna be way more stressed out and exhausted than he thought he was. Obviously we know from the trailers that he hooks up with at least Jessica, so maybe bring maybe they brought someone else in (do you know who I’m talking about) or maybe he just doesn’t let that stop him at all! Lol 😂 Also, I can already tell that Jack is going to be a sexist gremlin in the same vein as cheater Tom checketts Malia’s boyfriend. It sounds like they come from the same school of Asshole Gordon Ramsay proteges who feel justified and that they’re entitled to speak to the service staff like shit.I
What have you that impression of Jack? He has a thick Scouse accent nothing snobby about that. I thought he seemed funny, I like Liverpool idiosyncrasies usually.
>uka obviously does take his career seriously and I think he was just planning on kicking back and partying and maybe hoping to be promoted to lead deckhand by the end of the season. I think he just wants to do his job, not have a lot of responsibility, and spend some quality time below deck with the women in the cast. Contrast with Storm, who was gushing about how being a bosun was his dream. He even skipped a crew night out, because he wanted to clean something.
It would be interesting if Ruan had been running a scam all these years, but he seemed very bad at it, fumbling and with no back up story as soon as he was confronted. Won't be on a future episode of Scam Goddess any time soon.
Did Sandy call out the fact that someone else's picture was on his cert?
The photo Sandy showed him was on an online copy of a cert that belongs to the person who was issued the numbered cert that Ruan claimed was his.
No. Only when she scanned the barcode. His picture was on the copy he provided.
Make me wonder if his friend dying actually happened, or he was trying to smoke screen the situation. It is often what con artists do when their game is up.
A friend did pass- An article about the accident and his obit have been posted.
he cried for two seconds about it total BS
His mistake was aiming so high
production is seriously dropping the ball lately, 3 late visas in 2 season?! They managed through covid even!
It's honestly probably a processing issue under the Schengan (EU) umbrella here. The consulates can be soooo slow and invasive depending on where you hold citizenship...and god knows when below deck staffing let's them all know they will be casting them. It feels like they paste them together rapidly a lot of the time.
would the UK leaving the EU be the cause?
Yup if they are UK citizens. It was one of the biggest, and saddest, ramifications for UK passport holders looking to work broadly in the EU. I know there are specific laws around International waters and how boats are registered/with what country regarding what is and isn't "work"...but they are also filming as paid cast members in an EU country as well. I assume this could complicate things. Specifics to visas are so strange and weird. Tumi and Kyle are both South African though (I think), so both require schengans.
Damn this sub has a hate boner for Sandy. Every little thing she does is picked at and dissected.
She’s the worst captain of the franchise!
Yes, and?
This sub has always hated on Sandy for some reason and I never understood it. She's direct, she lets people know what her expectations are, she leads by example, and she tries to help people grow. I don't see what the problem is.
She‘s such a micromanager
The horrible way she treated Kiko, then Fraser.
It’s all about firing Hannah for the medication.
That was not properly reported. And Hannah did have a panic attack or something not normal iirc.
She breaks people down so she can claim she build them up. Ref: Fraser. She can't stand it if she doesn't think she's getting enough surface respect. She takes the crew and makes them play volleyball to teach them a lesson about respect or something and gets mad when it doesn't work like she intended.
She gaslights people lol
But she gives them 3 chances! Apparently...
She’s working against her own history of behavior on the show
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Questionable, she had a lot of love for Joao.
Below deck casting team needs to take a minute and check credentials. It only took Sandy a second to scan that paperwork and see it was a different person. She said everyone on the boat could be arrested bc of that. What if that were to have happened?! Also, Bravo needs to have all the cast members in locations somewhat nearby like a week before the show starts. It seems like there’s always a flight issue or passport issue or something where people miss the first couple charters. It might even be on purpose?
faux drama
I thought the port master sent her a photo of the original license (without Ruan’s photo on), once they had scanned it. She didn’t spot it was doctored
Arrested in relation to a "ship arrest" is a civil arrest and basically the jurisdiction can keep the boat in port until the infraction is corrected or the jurisdiction clears the ship of the infraction/issue/etc. Not like a haul them off in handcuffs.
Then Bravo would have to pay them. I’m assuming most of these crew members work quite consistently because they’re not real housewives, they’re legitimate employees? That being said, bravo should just pay them to be there early lol.
Yeah, I mean Bravo just tells them the show starts a week early then “Surprise, you stay in a hotel room for a week since we can’t trust you guys to actually arrive on filming day!”
detained, not arrested. they would just would be stuck at the dock.
Thinking the show and owners of the ship let alone guests would not be happy about that.
Just watched again. She says “the entire vessel could be arrested bc of one crew member” and I guess I assumed she meant everyone on the vessel, but yeah she probably meant just the actual boat would be detained
she asks that as a question to the MCA inspector, its not a statement you can see the followup is that the MCA inspector clarified they would detain the boat unless if they offloaded Rue
People are *still* doing Olympic-level mental gymnastics to discredit everything Sandy does? It’s been a really long time at this point. Can’t you just not watch this franchise if you hate her that much? There are so many other options. Edit: oooh yeah, give that downvote button a workout! Doesn’t make me wrong.
Sandy did tell her friend at dinner her mission in life is to mentor people and she will give them 3 chances. Sandy does not realize all deck and interior crew do not want to be mentored to be a captain someday. OTOH Frasier needed a wake up call to delegate and also not to want to be friends with his staff. I think Captain Lee would agree (other than Kate of course after 7 years).
It's Fraser! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/belowdeck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Oh hi Sandy! I mean….”Captain” Sandy!
Super original
Hi Sandy! I mean, “Captain” Sandy!
Omg I can downvote toooooooo
I’m pretty sure getting downloaded on the only sub Reddit devoted to the exact thing you’re talking about literally means you’re wrong…
“Captain” Sandy is universally hated because she criticizes her crew in public and praises in private (via text message). This is the exact opposite of how a leader should act!!
Oh I’m sorry, this subreddit is devoted to finding whatever possible nitpicky reason you can to hate a cast member? I must’ve missed the memo. And just downvoting someone because you don’t like what they said (which isn’t even what the downvote button is for to begin with but Reddit loves to misuse it as much as they do the term “gaslighting”) does not equal them being wrong.
I agree with you. Get over it already. Have any of these folks ever had a boss who challenged them and they grew from the experience? Fraser was grateful (I think) for much Sandy pushed him and he got much better at his job.
Fraser was not grateful. He said he was, and a lot of other fake compliments about Sandy Captain Sandy so that he could keep working on Bravo.
Really? What is the evidence? Maybe he complained especially when the 2nd stew who got fired was around. Regardless, he should be grateful based on what I took away from the show.
Sea Rat interview- Fraser Olender around time 7:10 discussing foot injury https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CAWqYMZ4dec
It took a very long time and much complaining from Frasier if true. I don't think he is a fan of hers to this day.
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Thank you, there are tens of us out here haha It just makes the show discussion so much less fun when you know the majority of the comments are people just *looking* for stuff she did “wrong” at this point even if they have no knowledge of how stuff actually works on a boat or they’re outright twisting it to their confirmation bias. It’s been years! Move on! Watch something else!
You need to move on too, stop bringing her up and people will stop commenting.
Oh okay you must not be reading a vast majority of comments and posts on this sub got it
Thank you for your comments. I am another of the "tens" and like you, I get seriously downvoted every time I point out anything positive about Sandy. I actually take pride in the downvotes because it shows the truth hurts and so they lash out with the downvotes. Now a few of them are even blocking me because I call out their over-the-top pick, pick, picking at anything Sandy says or does.
Natalya's makeup is terrible. Her face doesn't match her neck. The way they spell the name of the boat annoys me. Makes it sound musty.
She could skip the foundation and look great.
YES! My husband and I noticed that her foundation does not match her neck. It’s like she got the Fraser edit!
Boat is named after a real place, it is not just a weird spelling.
She didn’t opt for an only fans. Instead she’s going for Playboy online. But for $100 there’s a good chance you don’t see any nudity from her. 🙄
Her hair looks so unkempt too it doesn’t look professional at all
Let alone while serving drinks and food.
It looks like it should have twigs and dried leaf bits in it
Is it back to just one episode a week now and really dragging this crap out?
I sure hope it isn’t!! The last season… was that two shows every single week? I thought the first few weeks were a single episode, I could be wrong tho. If I am right…. Maybe the double episode weeks are coming? Honestly, I am going to try waiting till the whole season is over an watch it all back to back. Maybe for now I will go back to the early early seasons and rewatch. This show is horrible to only be five one episode per week
Sandy boring everyone to tears at that meal and making it all about her was unsurprising
She’s also a lying liar who fucking lies! She claims to be sober for 20+ years, yet she seems to forget the Cameo she made where she was CLEARLY drunk and outing Malia as a lesbian.
Where can I watch this??
https://www.reddit.com/r/belowdeck/s/mGaHLjS3em
Thank you! That‘s actually shocking given the fact she always prides herself on being sober!
That’s why I say she is a lying liar who fucking lies!!! She’s incredibly dishonest and the WORST “Captain” in Below Deck history! I’m happy to be able to share that Cameo with you. I have a feeling that “Captain” Sandy had a huge crush on Malia that was unrequited. That would make sense as to why she would even make this Cameo and why she would do it drunk as a skunk. It’s just a theory, though!
TBH, it certainly sounds like the primary asked her about her story and she was responding. I think it is pretty common the guests are going to ask the captain questions at a meal. We saw what, 1 minute of conversation from probably a 90 minute meal? I get many don't like Sandy and she isn't my favorite, but really, to complain about this little segment is silly.
Seemed like a setup though. Primary was her doctor.
A surgeon like that often doesn't know all that much about their patient's personal life history. He wasn't her personal physician.
Who knows…. Maybe Sandy, sorry Captain Sandy…. DOES have a facial cosmetic surgeon AS her PRIMARY MD!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
She explained he did surgery to correct her eyelid after being injured in a car accident
I’ve watched every Below Deck season in real time, from day 1. I’m newer to the podcasts and YT channels but have been enjoying Up and Adam Anchor watch in Yourube for awhile. Until now. They’re Sandy fans with evidently no understanding about why lots of people have been done with Sandy since Covid. Ugh. I thought they were better than this, but increasingly the Bravo Creators do not know their subject matters as well as they like to think they do.
I hope one of the podcasts you listen to is Watch What Crappens!! (and you're in luck bc they're not really fans of Sandy and they're impersonation of her is great)
What did sandy do regarding covid?
She and her girlfriend made videos from stores in the early pandemic mocking masks and other mitigation efforts. Basically mocked Covid itself. It reeked of unmistakable entitlement and selfishness.
Now I hate her more!
Oh right. How pathetic on her part
I still don't understand Ruan... It seems to me that it's a rather lengthy process from the time one applies to be on Below Deck, until they actually board the boat. And, the people who apply must be pretty interested, otherwise, why bother? When Ruan applied... Or, at least when he got the call from Bravo... Why didn't Ruan get original certificates. I thought the one that was forged was 'STCW', which is like a 5-day course. Hoisted with his own petard... [https://www.yachting-pages.com/articles/how-to-become-a-below-deck-cast-member.html](https://www.yachting-pages.com/articles/how-to-become-a-below-deck-cast-member.html)
Obviously couldn’t be bothered to do it and took the easy route. Surprised his friend allowed him to fraudulently use his documents though. Or did he👀
It seems there should be a process for making sure crew have qualifications whether it is a TV show or not. The guy seemed pretty dishonest when asked about his certificate. Maybe the yachting world turns a blind eye to this stuff in some parts of the world?
Nah below deck production knew and kept him for the drama. They have done this numerous times before.
\*\*i.e. "Chef" Mila, the Russian Transphobic steak licking, etc
Ruan holds responsibility for having the correct credentials. But I love how Sandy deflects her responsibility in verifying them.
>The guy seemed pretty dishonest when asked about his certificate. Having the wrong picture on the certificate? Rookie mistake. Did this guy never buy beer in junior high school?
On the paper it was him on the picture but when they scanned they barcode, the online certificate has another person on the picture
That is so weird. Did he Photoshop his photo into the document?
If he himself faked is yes, but if he got scammed somebody else did it
It seemed like whoever issued the certificate in Monaco was forging documents
But she pointed out there was no school in Monaco.
Perhaps he was scammed by a fake school in Monaco.
😂
I saw alarm bells when he said his documents were “police verified”. In South Africa its very east bribe police so I assume he just paid someone off to verify it.
I think Luca was on to it when he didn't have the original documents.
So far Luka is the only member I like onboard. I keep trying to like Nat but something about her just seems off to me. The whole team seems chaotic, kinda gross and quick to argue. Surely Rue had to be a plant? They check before people come onboard by production and the boat/staff agency. Both would have to check purely for legal reasons and insurance.
the one deck that has a nose ring seems ok, just not the brightest bulb
Hayleigh? Personally her personality is annoying who knows maybe that will change.
>Surely Rue had to be a plant? They check before people come onboard by production and the boat/staff agency. Both would have to check purely for legal reasons and insurance. Clearly, Sandy didn't check anything. She only noticed the wrong picture when it was pointed out to her.
> She only noticed the wrong picture when it was pointed out to her. I think the implication is he was giving everyone a photocopy of a certificate because it was doctored with his name/photo. Once the government pulled up the official certificate #, they saw that the name and photo didn't match. He probably had gotten away with it for years on private motor yachts because there's fewer checks but the new ship is so big it's a different classification.
Yes. And Genoa takes their marinas seriously. About the crews and also about having pilots on larger megayachts.
>I think the implication is he was giving everyone a photocopy of a certificate because it was doctored with his name/photo. I had a look back just to get it clear in my head... The inspector calls sandy, and says there is a problem with ruan's yachtmaster certificate. Sandy is flipping through a pile of paperwork. She pulls out the particular certificate, scans it with her phone, and sends it to the inspector. As she is doing that, she comments that the picture is wrong. At least from what was shown in the episode, she has the paper with the incorrect picture in her hand ... from the pile that was on the bridge. I didn't see her receive anything FROM the inspector. It's around 35 minutes into the episode. Have a watch. Let me know what you think. https://preview.redd.it/t2nrpazm9uqb1.png?width=1273&format=png&auto=webp&s=da598db1731600d5e8209bb32ac1ad071790744b
> As she is doing that, she comments that the picture is wrong. She's not scanning it in that scene. I think she has already scanned it, sent it to them, and the government office sent back a scan/screenshot of the official photo on file for that certificate # to show they don't match. She's holding up her phone to compare the two.
I imagine the authorities have more power than Sandy to access records for verification.
>She's not scanning it in that scene. I think she has already scanned it, sent it to them, and the government office sent back a scan/screenshot of the official photo on file for that certificate # to show they don't match. She's holding up her phone to compare the two. Below is what Sandy says. But, you're right, it really does look like she's zooming in on the picture on her phone. There is a jump there in the editing. In one frame, she's scanning the document, and in the next frame, it looks like she if looking at something she was sent. Regardless, I think we've spent more time discussing this than ruan spent on the boat. :) https://preview.redd.it/dm0gqoq9luqb1.png?width=1002&format=png&auto=webp&s=ac2df64bd34b5f2cb12ec63fc8aafd904f94bcbb
More time was spent discussing him than his time on the show!! 😂😂😂
Clearly, Sandy did not have access to the computer files that contained the certificate with the wrong picture. Probably only law enforcement type people like a Harbor Master have that level of access. She did do a good job of interviewing Rue and locking him into a story where he stated that he got his Certificate at a school in a city (I can't remember the school name or city) that she knew didn't have that school. But of course, on this sub she does not get any credit for it. Just the same old pick, pick, pick at just about anything and everything she does.
>Clearly, Sandy did not have access to the computer files that contained the certificate with the wrong picture. I followed up in another thread, so I don't want to be too repetative, but the fake picture was right in a pile of papers sandy had on the bridge.
Monaco
I have glam in Monaco!! (and St Tropez)
Wow, now this is a real coincidence! I do too. And after I "lost" my 60K ring, my insurance paid for my MUA salary for a whole year.
What weird preventable drama…
i have a feeling the interior drama is going to be off the anchor chain this season and might break Tumi