When Mike Durrant’s “big personality” landed him in hot water on Below Deck Down Under, Captain Jason Chambers was not involved in the discussion about the possibility of him getting fired — but he certainly had an opinion on the matter.
After Daisy Kelliher and João Franco sat Mike down for a frank conversation about his job performance during Season 4, Episode 6, Captain Jason weighed in on the Below Deck Down Under After Show.
With 25 years of yachting experience to his credit, Jason said he was well accustomed to managing personalities, so to speak. That’s why seeing Mike rely on his charm in times when his skills might be lacking was a familiar scenario for the M/Y Katina captain.
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As Jason remarked on the After Show, “I always say that about doing these charter seasons. People come in with a facade or a persona that they want to portray or they want to hold onto, and very quickly, it falls away, you know?”
Referencing the “fatigue” that accompanies the demanding schedule, coupled with still finding time for a personal life, he added, “You can’t cover things up.”
How Daisy Kelliher and João Franco managed Mike Durrant’s personality
Elsewhere on the Below Deck Down Under After Show, Daisy and João both unpacked their approach to managing “big personalities” like Mike’s, as a producer put it. First, Daisy joked that she felt like she was “being a mommy” to the deckhand/stew and having to tell him to “cut the s–t and grow up.”
“You know, Mike’s in his 30s … which is pretty shocking,” she said, before referencing the “very young behavior” she observed in him. “It was annoying because here’s Mike genuinely acting like I would expect this sort of behavior in middle school.”
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Daisy added that Alesia Harris, who’d clashed with Mike on Below Deck Down Under‘s March 9 episode, “needed to be prepared for getting criticism from her behavior as well.” However, the chief stew noted that she believed Mike’s criticism of Alesia’s personal life “was very unjustified.”
Second Officer João, for his part, separately chimed in, “Well, I think I give him his own leeway to do what he likes. And bear in mind, I’m not here to control a personality. I’m here to control work. If your personality interferes with the way you work, then we have to try and control that.”
Seated next to João, Mike spoke for himself, admitting that he had been “released from a lot of jobs” in the past, but had learned from the experiences. He elaborated, “It’s about having to use that personality as a benefit, rather than a downfall.”
Mike Durrant’s warning about getting “fired,” explained
During Episode 6, Alesia had grown frustrated that Mike seemed to be doing more talking than working. The drama eventually came to a head when she happened upon him gossiping with the deck team about her apparent love triangle involving Eddy Hounsell and Jenna Woudberg.
As Mike continued to give his opinion on Alesia’s love life, the confrontation that ensued grew loud enough for Daisy to hear. After assessing the situation, Daisy and João eventually called a meeting with Mike.
“Here’s the thing: We enjoy your banter,” João told him. “You know that. There’s no doubt about it. The main reason we’re here is to work.”
When Mike confessed to being “not very good at the work,” Daisy added, “You’re not being fast enough and you’re not being efficient. And the girls, they’re getting frustrated because they’re having to micromanage.”
That’s when she brought up “the gossip,” and João told Mike, “It’s all fun and games until it’s not anymore. You’ve gotta understand that you could, at any stage if anyone’s not happy with you in particular, you will be fired.”
Daisy ended the sit-down by saying, “We want you to know that this is serious.”
In a confessional, Mike declared, “I really do not want to lose this job.” After running down a list of his past failed career attempts — including everything from the military to OnlyFans and even trying out for a dating show — he concluded, “None of them stuck. I know I do have a big personality, but I really do want to make this yachting career work.”
In the meantime, find out how the Below Deck Down Under crew reacted to negative guest feedback after the second charter of Season 4.
