The crew on Below Deck is always hustling for the tip at the end of a charter. But that drive became even more important in Season 12, Episode 12 after mechanical problems left St. David stuck at the dock during the sixth charter of the season, much to the dismay of the guests.
“It is kind of pathetic that we come and spend 60,000 bucks and this boat doesn’t move,” the primary guest, Ron, complained on the final morning of the three-day charter.
The crew sensed that their tip was in jeopardy, and stew Rainbeau de Roos predicted the tip “is gonna be s—t.”
There was a moment of hope when Ron declared “you were all A plus, plus, plus, plus” as he got off the yacht. He also called chef Anthony Iracane’s food “unbelievable” and told chief stew Fraser Olender “you epitomize customer service.”
But then Captain Kerry Titheradge revealed bad news during the crew’s tip meeting.
“Unfortunately, the guests, in their mind, they have punished us for the boat not moving,” he admitted. “Which I don’t think is fair. $19,000. Which I think is well short. So that’s $1,461 each.”
Stew Bárbara Kulaif declared “the tip was s—t,” and Rainbeau called the charter guests “cheapos.” But deckhand Kyle Stillie had a different outlook on the tip situation.
“I wouldn’t have tipped,” he confessed. “The boat didn’t do what it was meant to do. So, $19K for nothing? Thank you very much guys, I appreciate it wholeheartedly.”
Inside the Below Deck crew’s charter struggles while stuck at the dock
Earlier in the episode, Anthony knew the pressure was on him to deliver after the crew and guests received the news they were stuck at the dock.
“We’re not a boat anymore, we’re like a restaurant hotel,” he described in his confessional. “Daddy’s going to work harder, because now they’re going to eat all day. If I f—k it up, the tip is really going down. Let’s make the magic happen with those French fingers.”
Although he delivered incredible dishes like octopus with Spanish rice and saffron, and pasta carbonara with black truffle, Captain Kerry worried it wouldn’t be enough, especially after the part to fix St. David was delayed multiple times.
RELATED: Rainbeau de Roos makes surprising declaration to a producer about the crew’s $27.5k tip
“We’re not gonna be going anywhere. We’ve gotta do something good today,” Kerry told bosun Hugo Ortega and Fraser. “Water sports and snorkeling, come back to the boat for lunch?”
The primary’s wife also made a request on her preference sheet, and despite the mechanical issues, Kerry was determined to see it happen.
“She wants to jump into the water with her wedding dress off the tender. If we pull that off, it’s going to save the charter,” Kerry said hopefully.
The primary charter guest warns Captain Kerry about a low tip
Despite the crew’s best efforts, the guests were unhappy with their vacation on the final morning of the charter, and considered doing something almost unheard of in the Below Deck universe.
“No tip is not a reflection of our group,” one of the guests told the primary, Ron. “It’s a reflection of the circumstances.”
When Ron pulled Captain Kerry aside, Kerry understood that the tip was an issue.
“You guys have been great, by the way,” Ron told Kerry. “We’ve been completely happy. But, I think normally when something is significantly wrong—I mean, the boat doesn’t leave—that’s like not a small matter.”
Ron acknowledged that “there’s the standard gratuitity” but admitted: “I don’t know that the group’s going to be happy about doing that.”
Kerry tried to defend himself and the crew.
“End of the day, it is a service industry,” Kerry told Ron. “If the house makes a mistake, the staff shouldn’t suffer.”
The result wasn’t no tip, but it was a lower tip.
The Below Deck crew deals with their third “low” tip of the season
The St. David crew’s dismal tip was actually their second low tip in a row. During Episode 11, the guests left a $22,000 tip after one of the guests became so intoxicated and disruptive she was forced to leave the boat.
“They were so high maintenance. Like, beach picnic, eight-course meal, and the crazy b—h you brought with you? Yeah,” Rainbeau said on the August 11 episode.
RELATED: What happened with Below Deck guest Kelly after “out of control” charter?
The sixth charter also marked the crew’s second tip of the season around $19,000. During Episodes 3 and 4, the crew managed a five-day charter with eight guests, and came away with $1,500 each. Captain Kerry called that tip “pathetic” and deckhand Damo Yorg declared: “We got shafted.”
Tips weren’t the only problem facing the crew on Below Deck Season 12. Catch up on if Kyle actually got fired after a shocking hookup claim.
