After the Below Deck crew ended a very memorable charter season during Season 12, Episode 16, Captain Kerry Titheradge and his crew are now reflecting on the guests who made the biggest impact.
In the service industry, the saying might go “the customer is always right,” but that all changed when Kerry was pushed well past his limit. Although “extremely drunk” charter guest Kelly made quite the impression during her brief stay on St. David, she wasn’t the only guest with whom the crew had an issue.
“We had some amazing guests this year who came onboard with the right energy,” Kerry told The Daily Dish via email. “They respected the crew, and really embraced the fun, and those trips are always the highlight. As for the tougher charters… I won’t call anyone out, but you definitely feel it when guests forget that the crew are people too. Respect goes a long way on board.”
Bosun Hugo Ortega told The Daily Dish his “least favorite” guests of the season “were the rude strip club owners.” Respect for the crew was tested in Episode 6 when that group came on board. One guest called the crew’s performance “unacceptable” and criticized Fraser Olender for having a fork “out of place.” Another told chef Anthony Iracane he needed to “practice” his cooking, and another told stewardess Rainbeau de Roos she was on her “s—t list” after demands for alcoholic drinks.
“If anybody doesn’t have respect, you have no time on my boat,” Kerry warned in a confessional during that charter. “I don’t give a sh—t who you are.”
While deckhand Kyle Stillie didn’t name names, he said his “least favorite” guests were “quite a clear winner for everyone this season.”
But the crew also had many good times with guests at sea, including the Rashid family in the first charter of the season. The primary infamously packed a “blacklight” in his suitcase, and checked over the crew’s work.
“It’s crazy, but it’s really funny,” stew Bárbara Kulaif commented in the season premiere. Bárbara recently told The Daily Dish they were among her favorite guests of the season.
Another charter highlight for both Bárbara and deckhand Damo Yorg was Darlene Finn and her family, who left a generous $27,500 tip in Episode 7. Damo called the family “so lovely and fun” in an interview with The Daily Dish.
He added, “My favorite guests are the ones who use the boat to the max, and enjoy their time on the sea.”
Although Kelly was kicked off the boat during her charter, another guest from her group made Kyle’s “favorite” list: Frankie.
“That guy is an absolute legend, and if you get the chance to grab a beer—more likely a wine—with that guy, then do it!” Kyle told The Daily Dish.
Keep reading to take a look back at the most memorable charter guests of Season 12.
Inside charter guest Kelly’s drama on Below Deck Season 12, Episodes 9 and 10
Arguably the most memorable charter guest of the season for both viewers and the crew was Kelly. Not long after she boarded St. David, Fraser commented that she could “barely hold her glass” of champagne. Kerry was forced to get involved when Kelly refused to wear a life vest on the banana boat, and jumped into the ocean.’
When Kelly was unable to calm down, he decided to call the French police to escort her to shore. “She was having a hard time, so we took care of her the best we could on the boat,” he told The Daily Dish.
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Kerry said he had no choice but to remove her from St. David. As he put it, “I really wanted things to calm down for her, but she wasn’t in the right head space.”
Kerry and Kelly reunited in August, and Kerry shared Kelly “apologized for the way she acted.”
“She explained to me that she was on a different charter in the past and was seasick, and she couldn’t use the boat or use anything, so she was like partying like it’s 1999,” the captain added at the time. “And she had some things going on.”
Kerry reflected on Kelly’s behavior as like that of “a wounded animal.” He explained, “She was going through something serious, and I was just the person that she was aiming at.”
Eight “spicy” women come on board on Below Deck Season 12, Episodes 15 and 16
Both Damo and Hugo named one of their favorite charters of Season 12 as the “lovely ladies” in the final charter of the season. The eight women came on board in Episode 15, and Damo immediately told a producer, “These charter guests look like they’re gonna be trouble.”
Kyle, who was nearly fired after he made confusing statements on a rumored hookup with a guest, admitted the ladies of the final charter were a problem for him.
“Temptation is everywhere right now,” he declared in the Sept. 8 episode.
At one point, Damo told Hugo, “These guests are spicy,” and the bosun responded, “Well, you know the rules: don’t get caught.”
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The group, who declared there were “three single ladies” among them, also did their part to tempt the men on board. They demanded that both Damo and Kyle remove their shirts for a ride on the banana boat.
In a confessional, Kerry commented, “I’m loving the energy of these girls. They’re flirty, they’re fun. I don’t see them crossing the line. If I didn’t have a dad bod, my shirt would be off too.”
A five-day charter ended with a disappointing tip on Below Deck Season 12, Episode 4
Rainbeau had complicated feelings about a lively group of eight who ended up leaving a tip that disappointed the crew.
“My favorite charter guests were Skyy and his fabulous squad of divas!” Rainbeau told The Daily Dish via email. They brought such amazing energy on board, and honestly that’s one of the things I love most about yachting. You meet people you never would’ve crossed paths with in your old life.”
“My least favorite? Definitely still the divas,” she continued. “As divas usually are, they were super high-maintenance, and it ended up being one of the longest, hardest-working charters of the season… and then the tip did not match the effort we put in. Let’s just say it was memorable!”
Why guests were stuck at the dock on Below Deck Season 12, Episode 12
It was understandably a huge disappointment for the guests during the sixth charter of the season when there were mechanical issues on the St. David that kept boat stuck at the dock for the entire trip.
“I totally feel for these guys,” Kerry confessed in the August 18 episode, and later added, “It’s up to the charter company to give them a discount on the trip. But that’s out of my control. All I can do is provide them an epic experience on the boat. Have the crew put extra effort in. We gotta make lemonade out of lemons. Somehow.”
Anthony knew the pressure was on him “because now they’re going to eat all day.” He added he had to “make the magic happen” to save the crew’s tip. Kerry, Hugo and Fraser also worked hard to make water sports, snorkeling and even a sunset tender cruise happen for the guests.
Still, the primary guest pulled Kerry aside to address the tip. The primary acknowledged that “there’s the standard gratuity” 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, telling the guest: “End of the day, it is a service industry. If the house makes a mistake, the staff shouldn’t suffer.”
But the charter guests didn’t feel the same way.
“Unfortunately, the guests, in their mind, they have punished us for the boat not moving,” Kerry announced to the crew in the tip meeting. “Which I don’t think is fair. $19,000. Which I think is well short. So that’s $1,461 each.”
Read more on how much tip money the Below Deck hauled in by the end of Season 12.
