10 Memorable Below Deck Franchise Moments From 2023 Ranked

Below Deck and its spin-offs have featured many explosive moments in 2023, some more entertaining than others. The adventurous reality TV series has entertained countless viewers and yacht enthusiasts over the last decade. However, 2023 stood out because five different Below Deck spin-offs were on TV this year. In early 2023, viewers saw Below Deck season 10, where Captain Lee Rosbach gave an emotional speech ahead of his impending retirement. Fans must tune into the show to learn if the popular yacht captain returns for season 11.

Below Deck Adventure was also on TV in early 2023. The new spin-off got fairly high ratings and should return to TV sometime in Q1 2024. Similarly, Below Deck Sailing Yacht was one of the year’s most entertaining spin-offs. The show featured double love triangles and resulted in some broken friendships. First Officer Gary King was expected to get fired after his actions in season 4, and it will be interesting to see if he returns to season 5. Unexpectedly, Below Deck Down Under season 2 stunned viewers the most with on-screen drama. The spin-off featured numerous firings, scandals, and controversies that will likely continue in season 3.

10 Luke Jones’ Nasty Misconduct

Below Deck Down Under Season 2

One of the most shocking Below Deck franchise moments happened in Below Deck Down Under season 2. The spin-off featured various new names, two of whom were fired unceremoniously for their misconduct. Since Laura Bileskaline didn’t respect her co-workers’ boundaries, Captain Jason Chambers had to kick her off the yacht. Likewise, bosun Luke Jones crossed the line when he got naked and forced himself into bed with stewardess Margot Sisson. He was let go for one of the nastiest sexual misconducts in the history of the Below Deck franchise.

9 Captain Sandy Yawn Taking Over For Captain Lee

Below Deck Season 10

Another one of the most shocking moments happened on Below Deck season 10, when Captain Lee had to make a tough decision and step away from his duties to focus on his health. At the time, Below Deck Mediterranean’s Captain Sandy Yawn took charge and decided to help her fellow Captain out. However, the massive change didn’t go well with viewers, who concluded that she made the on-screen drama worse. According to a Reddit thread by Automoderator, many fans thought Captain Sandy’s transition wasn’t as smooth since she fired crew members and created drama with the chief stew.

8 Culver Bradbury Asking Jaimee Neale To be His Girlfriend

Below Deck Down Under Season 2

Culver Bradbury became the villain of Below Deck Down Under season 2, and even his romance didn’t make fans feel good. During season 2, the Maryland native was in a love triangle with the second stew, Jaimee Neale, and chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph. He played both women and asked Jaimee to be his girlfriend. At the time, he had only known the new stew for a few days and didn’t understand her well. As expected, his proposal was quite cringeworthy and corny. While Jaimee did say yes, things quickly got ugly, and Culver moved on.

7 The Return of Tumi

Below Deck Med Season 8

Sadly, Tumi Mhlongo was one of the most forgettable parts of Below Deck Down Under. Therefore, seeing her return to the spin-off as the chief stewardess on Below Deck Mediterranean season 8 was shocking. However, Tumi’s comeback was explosive from start to end. The South African woman joined the show and immediately butted heads with temporary chief stew Natalya “Nat” Scudder. Their mutual tension worsened because second steward Kyle Viljoen kept provoking them to fight against each other for his benefit. Ultimately, Tumi’s return became one of the most entertaining and dramatic parts of this year’s Below Deck Mediterranean.

6 Ruan Forging His Boat Documents

Below Deck Med Season 8

A few controversial crew members boarded the Below Deck yachts in 2023. One such name was Ruan Irving, who was supposed to be the bosun of Below Deck Mediterranean season 8’s motoryacht Mustique. The South African man seemed like a fairly normal guy initially. However, he tarnished his image by lying to the crew about his qualifications. During episode 1, Captain Sandy learned that Ruan had forged his paperwork. She realized his medical license wasn’t certified, and his Yachtmaster certificate wasn’t authentic. As expected, she had to let Ruan go in the premiere episode, which gave Luka Brunton a chance to shine as the new bosun.

5 The Return Of Joao

Below Deck Down Under Season 2

One of the most surprising Below Deck returns was part of Below Deck Down Under season 2. When Captain Jason fired Luke for sexual misconduct, he had to call for someone professional who could handle the job of being a bosun. Unexpectedly, he hired controversial star João Franco, who had pre-existing feuds with Tzarina and Aesha Scott. Viewers were initially concerned about the Zimbabwe native’s return, but he proved he changed. João showed a brand-new attitude, didn’t rely on alcohol, handled the team well, and demonstrated that he had grown over the years.

4 Natalya Leaving The Boat

Below Deck Med Season 8

Natalya’s journey on Below Deck Mediterranean season 7 was chaotic. She fought with Natasha Webb, collided with Kyle, and wasn’t the best team member. When the young stew returned to Below Deck Mediterranean season 8, fans expected her to have improved her attitude. However, she returned to being her old self and started a feud with the new chief stew, Tumi. In mid-season, Natalya had enough of the drama and decided to quit the show. She talked to Captain Sandy about her toxic working environment, and the Captain let her walk away.

3 Kyle Screaming At Natalya Before She Left

Below Deck Med Season 8

Natalya’s exit may have given viewers some of the most chaotic Below Deck moments in 2023. Before Natalya left the yacht, Kyle gave her a piece of his mind by screaming at her. He told her to focus on her “own f***ed up life” and called her a “fake-a** b**ch.” From the beginning of the season, Kyle was the catalyst in Natalya and Tumi’s feud. He was also the perpetrator and the instigator of the issues which affected Natalya’s mental health. Kyle should’ve been apologetic but showed his true colors by shouting.

2 Captain Sandy Yawn Almost Firing Kyle

Below Deck Med Season 8

Captain Sandy almost fired Kyle following Natalya’s exit. The yacht’s leader liked Natalya and didn’t want her to go. Therefore, she was deeply saddened and couldn’t help but realize how Kyle led to all the issues. Captain Sandy felt what Kyle did was “bullying.” She said, “I am not condoning Kyle’s behavior. Just the way she described everything, Kyle’s bullying is unacceptable.” Sandy told Kyle she’d never bring him back because he couldn’t control his emotions. She added, “I don’t want a person like you on board.”

1 Daisy’s Love Triangle With Gary & Colin

Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 4

Below Deck Sailing Yacht’s double love triangles were one of the most shocking parts of season 4. Gary was involved with his former best friend Daisy Kelliher, who liked chief engineer Colin Macrae more. At the same time, Gary was also into new junior stew Mads Herrera, who was into the curly-haired deckhand Alex Propson. The double love triangles were cringeworthy to watch from start to end. Viewers probably didn’t enjoy the former friends feeling that way for each other, and the hook-ups only made that feeling worse. Neither Gary nor Colin came out looking better after the latest season of the Below Deck spin-off.