Below Deck Down Underseason 3 welcomed Bosun Wihan Du Toit to the crew, but after seeing his performance throughout the season,many are ready to see Wihan fired and anotherBelow Deckalum brought in to take his placeon Katina’s crew. ThroughoutBelow Deck Down Underseason 3, viewers have been struggling with Wihan and his propensity for bringing drama aboard Katina, even though she’s been decent in his role. While Wihan has the skills to be successful, he’s had a hard time managing his crew and understanding the boat’s dynamics well enough to keep things running smoothly.
AsWihan has moved through the season, it’s become clear that his style as Bosun isn’t working with the rest of his team. Wihan may have the skills to keep things moving, but his personality isn’t fitting well with the rest of the crew, and his penchant for drama is stirring things up in ways that aren’t enjoyable forBelow Deck Down Underviewers. While some were hoping for a Bosun similar toBelow Deck Med’sMalia White orBelow Deck’sEddie Lucas,Wihan is a bit more irresponsible with his personal decisions, and a bit flakier aboard the superyacht.
Although not allBelow Deckcrew are created equal,Wihan’s behavior is surprising after hearing his qualificationsprior to the season getting started. As a well-versed superyacht crew member who works in yachting both on board and behind-the-scenes,the way Wihan comes across on screen leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, he’s struggling so much in audience perception that many are wondering if it’s possible Wihan will be fired and replaced with anotherBelow Deckalumni in the coming weeks. Throughout the season,Below Deckfans have been searching for an adequate replacement for the difficult new Bosun.
While some alumni would work for the show, others wouldn’t be a suitable fit onBelow Deck Down Under,which has a very specific energy. After the drama ofBelow Deck Down Underseason 2, which created difficulties for the production team behind the show whenLuke Jones was sexually inappropriate towards Margot Sissonand got terminated by Captain Jason Chambers, there are a lot more restrictions surrounding the Aussie iteration of the series. With someBelow Deckexterior team members more sensitive to issues than others,there are a few yachties I think would work well onDown Under.
6Gary King
Below Deck Sailing Yacht
Although Gary King is one the most divisive cast members inBelow Deckhistory, I think he might actually be helpful onBelow Deck Down Under.Now, the issue ofGary continuing on aBelow Deckshowaside, his skill set would be vastly helpful aboard Captain Jason’s superyacht. Gary knows his way around a ship, and working the exterior is something he’s been doing for years. With Gary on board, the crew would have no choice but to shape up, andGary would have a crew of yachties who were capable of holding their ownaboard a deck crew.
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I hesitate to say that Gary would be a good fit for the morale of the superyacht or the deck team, but I’ll give him one accolade:if his crew is able to work well, he can be a motivating manager. Gary struggles to manage his yachties when they’re openly struggling in their roles, but when he has a well-oiled machine with a crew that knows how to work hard, he can be wonderful at what he does. The current version of Gary,sexual misconduct allegations and lawsuit included, wouldn’t be the right fit, but in theory he could work.
5Ben Willoughby
Below Deck
Although Ben Willoughby, who appeared onBelow Deckseason 10 and 11, has vowed never to return to the original series while Captain Kerry Titheradge is part of the show, he’s never said anything about the spin-offs. Ben, who joinedBelow Deckseason 10 with enough yachting experience to make him a good deckhand, learned a lot throughout his seasons on the series. Moving into the lead deckhand role onBelow Deckseason 11,Ben was able to keep himself moving forward in his career, even as the other exterior team members struggled in their day-to-day tasks aboard St. David.
Aftertaking over the Bosun role from Jared Woodinafter his termination, Ben was able to learn even more from Captain Kerry throughout the rest of the season. Though the pair eventually butted heads to a degree that left both unhappy with each other, Ben and Captain Kerry seem to have a mutual respect for each other’s level of knowledge. With Ben working hard in his role aboard St. David, it’s clear thathe’d be able to handle the pressures of Captain Jason’s crew on Katina. Ben would be able to take over for Wihan onDown Underwith ease.
4Eddie Lucas
As one of the earliest Bosuns in theBelow Deckfranchise,Eddie Lucas would easily be ableto take over for Wihan if he were to be fired onBelow Deck Down Underseason 3.Eddie’s abilities speak for themselvesas he’s moved from being a deckhand duringBelow Deckseason 1 to being a captain in his own right after leaving the show behind. While I think Eddie is, at this point, probably too far in his career to turn back toBelow Deckas a Bosun, I do think he’d be willing to help out in a pinch.
ThoughEddie has spoken about his disinterest in returningtoBelow Deckin the past, I think seeing where he is now and seeing his skills would be fascinating for viewers, especially in an entirely new setting like Captain Jason’s Aussie crew. After exclusively working with formerBelow Deckcaptain Lee Rosbach,Eddie coming back to a different show in the franchise to help out in a bind would be a fun return. Though Eddie may not want to return toBelow Deck,he’s never commented about appearing on the otherBelow Deckspin-offs, likeBelow Deck Down Under.
3João Franco
Below Deck Mediterranean & Below Deck Down Under
Although he’s typically been more of a villain for viewers, I think João Franco has developed a particularly great way of navigating through difficult crews during his time onBelow Deck MediterraneanandBelow Deck Down Under.WhileJoão originally came off as a villainduring his time onBelow Deck Mediterranean,his behavior where work was concerned was impeccable. Understanding how to move from position to position,João has been able to seamlessly perform tasks within each role of the exterior team, making it clear his expertise is readily available no matter what’s happening on board at any time.
While his personal life left something to be desired during his early years onBelow Deck Mediterranean,when João returned to the franchise onBelow Deck Down Underseason 2, he appeared to have matured considerably. Already having experience working with Captain Jason, João would be able to fit into the crew in an easier way than most. Despite the fact that he would be coming in to take over a role in the middle of the charter season,João’s prior experience would make it easier for him to move through the difficulties of being a replacement Bosunfor Wihan.
2Luka Brunton
Below Deck Down Under
Luka Brunton,who was originally part ofBelow Deck Down Underseason 2, has the ability to work through issues and ensure that the crew is moving through its responsibilities with ease. Having already experienced coming into a season mid-way through, Luka was a replacement for Adam Kordra during the last season of the series, which means he wouldn’t find it disruptive to come into a ready-made crew with a pre-existing dynamic. Instead,Luka would thrive in a very familiar environment with some of the people he’s already gotten to knowin past seasons, likeBelow Deck’sCaptain Jason Chambers.
Although Luka ran into some issues of his own duringBelow Deck Down Underseason 2 in terms of the quality of his work, I think he’d be a good fit to replace Wihan as Bosun after proving himself in the past. Luka’s abilities are strong, and his rapport with his fellow deckhands,like deckhand Harry Van Vliet, would be easy to build. Throughout his time in theBelow Deckfranchise, viewers enjoyed getting to know Luka and felt that he was an asset to the crew as a whole.Luka may be the most attainable yachtie to replace Wihan.
1Malia White
Below Deck Mediterranean
Although Malia White may be one of the more difficult yachties to get on board, it would be interesting to see her return toBelow Deckon a new show, with a new crew.Malia’s experiences onBelow Deck Mediterraneanwere incredible to watch, and though it was clear that she had to work twice as hard to make the same level of impact as male yachties,Malia knew that she was making history by doing her joband doing it well. Malia’s time onBelow Deck Mediterraneanpaved the way for other female exterior crew members to shine.
Malia’s been one of the most intense yachties that theBelow Deckfranchise has ever seen, andhaving her come into the crew onBelow Deck Down Underto take over and ensure the exterior team is running smoothly would be interesting to watch. While Malia has an intensity to her, she’s also always been good at dealing with a crew of her own, especially if they need to be taken down a peg. Bringing Malia toBelow Deck Down Underto replace Wihan could be an exciting way to shake up the current season.
Below Deck Down Underairs Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on Bravo.
