After Captain Kerry Titheradge fired Caio Poltronieri for his “schoolboy errors” on Below Deck Season 12, St. David officially has a new bosun: Hugo Ortega.
After giving Caio a proper sendoff at the top of Episode 6, Captain Kerry explained in a confessional, “When I started to see the guy spiral, I knew I needed to find another backup.”
A flashback showed that he had contacted Hugo via video call two days earlier, telling him he was searching for someone who had experience “with bigger boats.” During the chat, he told Captain Kerry that he’s “really good at leading teams by example” and “going in and showing them how to do” something.
Afterwards, St. David‘s captain shared that he had “a lot of confidence in Hugo, just off paper,” adding that he “way surpasses the experience” of his previous bosun. “I’m very excited about Hugo’s resume,” Kerry elaborated. “He’s already worked from deckhand up to second officer on much larger vessels than ours.”
RELATED: Why Captain Kerry Titheradge Really Fired Caio on Below Deck
After coming aboard, Hugo introduced himself to his new deck team — Jess Theron, Kyle Stillie, and Damo Yorg — and shared some quick biographical info, including that he’d been in the yachting industry since about 2015.
“It’s just really, really freeing,” he added in his first confessional. “I grew up in the Bronx in a pretty religious household. My father’s from Honduras and my mother’s from Dominican Republic. They definitely had expectations of what they wanted me to do. But I always knew that I wanted to get out. When I first started yachting, it was like going from seeing in black and white and then you finally see in color.”
Expect Hugo to run a tight ship, too: “I don’t like lax programs where there are no rules,” he continued. “At the end of the day, we’re here to do a job, and putting the boat first is the most important thing. Full stop.”
As the newbie gets his sea legs on St. David, here’s everything else to know about Hugo.
Who is Hugo Ortega? Details on the Below Deck Season 12 bosun
Hometown: Bronx, New York City
Birth date: July 1
Zodiac sign: Cancer
Years of experience in the yachting industry: 10
Favorite off boat activities: “Eating my way through Southeast Asia.”
Special skills: “Speaking languages, yacht captain, writing, coaching.”
Do you know any other Below Deck franchise yachties? “Wes Walton, João Franco, Malia White, Jean-Luc [Cerza-Lanaux].”
What Bravo shows do you watch? “Summer House, my Bravolebrity dream is to meet Kyle Cook.”
What do you do in your time off the boat? “Recruit and train yacht crew.”
Who is your best friend on St. David? “Damo Yorg and I have a special love for Barbara [Kulaif].”
Who do you miss most from home when you’re traveling for work? “My partner, Bee, or my cousin, Fabian.”
What was your first impression of St. David? “What a s–t hole, this yacht is trashed! I’ve got work to do!”
Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled? “On Charter — Norway. Off — Japan.”
What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people? “Dealing with the crew is way worse than guests.”
Sum up this season in three words! “Incest, Madness, Laughs.”
Is Hugo Ortega dating anyone on Below Deck Season 12?
At the end of Hugo’s second day on the job, Damo asked if anyone had “caught [his] eye” yet, to which replied, “Yeah. I’m in a relationship, but it’s an open relationship.”
In a confessional, Hugo described Bee, his partner of more than four years, as “really funny and smart.”
“We’re not really interested in situationships,” he explained of their arrangement. “We know that we’re both really committed to each other. So, we talk about the people that we’ve been with; we talk about what we like, what we didn’t like. And we’re very free flow with it.”
He concluded, “Having the option and the freedom, that’s what works for us, and I couldn’t be any happier.”
Back in the galley with Damo, Hugo also shared that when it comes to dating other people, “If there was some huge red flag, we said we’d give each other a veto.”
RELATED: Fraser Olender Sheds New Light On His Breakup: “Very Unhappy In Our Situationship” (EXCLUSIVE)
The Below Deck cast shares their first impressions of Hugo Ortega
Prior to their candid one-on-one moment, though, Damo was instantly skeptical of how he’d get along with Hugo, after the new bosun instructed the deckhands get lids for their coffee cups so they don’t “spill that s–t” on the vessel.
After privately venting that he’s old enough to know how to not spill his coffee, Damo told a producer, “I don’t really enjoy a leader that comes in and makes changes immediately. I’m still gonna wait to make any big decisions on whether or not this guy’s gonna be a pain in my ass or the savior of the deck team.”
Later, Captain Kerry praised Hugo and his crew’s “really, really good calling” after they helped him seamlessly clear a narrow passageway.
That was enough to impress Stillie, who said, “I feel so much more confident already with Hugo at the back here.”
Expressing his preference for Hugo’s calmness over Caio’s “panicked manner,” he added, “I think that’s how a leader should be.”
Find out more about Caio’s multiple mistakes that created a vacancy for Hugo on Below Deck Season 12.
