No rest for the wicked! Or for the Bravoholic, apparently. Peacock blessed us by dropping three episodes the day Below Deck Down Under premiered. And here we are at the third and final act of the triple feature. A trilogy that might as well be known as “The Saga of Benny Crawley,” if the closing moments of the episode are to be believed. Though there’s always the possibility that production is pulling a bait and switch on us. But, of course, only time will tell. Let’s back up a bit first, though. To the moment where Benny’s denouncing the very idea of taking orders during the crew’s first night out.
What started as Benny actually thanking Jamie Sayed for his patience during the first charter somehow took a left turn. Because now the bosun and deckhand are caught in a rather tense exchange over respect, compliance and following orders. It’s obviously that Benny has chafed under Jamie’s more regimented management style. And he’s perceptive enough to recognize the bosun’s past experience as a police officer, which he calls out at the table. Benny doesn’t need a drill sergeant. In his own words, he needs “positive reinforcement” and “mutual respect.” The pair shake hands, but this surely won’t be the end of it between them.
Back on the boat, the crew is ready to really let loose. And that usually only means one thing: a party in the hot tub. Jamie happily takes the opportunity to turn his flirting with Magda Ziomek up another notch. And the two spend most of their time in the hot tub dancing — letting Magda’s inner Latina out and getting a little too touchy-feely for Tumi Mhlongo‘s liking. So when Magda doesn’t say anything, she takes it upon herself to inform Jamie that the third stew has a very real boyfriend back in Poland.
This is news the bosun certainly love hearing. But he makes the situation that much worse by going on a rant about how the only girl he’s attracted to on the boat isn’t available. And in the process rather rudely puts down Tumi and Brittini Burton, both of whom happen to be single. And while his intent to not do anything inappropriate may be in the right place, his verbal rampage certainly ends the night on a dour note.
The next morning, the crew only had a few hours to prepare for charter number two. And Captain Jason Chambers is appalled to discover Thalassa has been thrashed during the hard-partying night prior. Everything’s a complete mess and yet no one seems to be that bothered by it. In fact, Magda is literally doing a full yoga routine amid the empty bottles and beer cans. And everyone else seems to be taking their sweet time getting the morning into gear. So, the captain decides some motivation is in order and sets off a general alarm, sending the entire crew rushing to the main deck aft. Where they promptly receive a stern talking to like naughty school kids from Captain Jason about picking up after themselves. And keeping their radios with them at all times. Message received, Cap.
While the rest of the crew cleans, Captain Jason holds a preference sheet meeting with Jamie, Aesha Scott and Chef Ryan McKeown. The next round of charter guests are a far cry from a squad of TikTok-loving millennials. No, the co-primaries for the second charter are Australian rock guitarist Randall Waller and his wife Suzie. And they’re bringing along an entourage that’s much more R-rated than the last group. Including a married pair of exotic dancers who were Australia’s reigning male and female stripper of the year in 2020. And also the female director of a Melbourne adult entertainment agency. So expect lots of sex, nudity and rock ‘n’ roll to go along with the vow renewal and pirate-themed party the guests have requested for this charter.
However, the struggles begin even before the guests arrive. Benny, who can’t seem to do any part of his job description calmly or quietly, struggles with the grunting of He-Man, if not the strength, to tie the tender to the port side of the yacht. All while Jamie, Brittini and Culver Bradbury laugh at his latest over-the-top display from on deck. In the interior, Aesha and Ryan once again can’t see eye to eye on how a basic lunch service should work. And by the time the guests’ water taxi is pulling up alongside the boat, half the crew aren’t even ready for their arrival.
To say this group of rock stars and strippers arrive ready to party is…and understatement. And while Chef Ryan controls the timing of lunch by BBQing chicken skewers in front of the guests, Captain Jason gets in on the hazing of Benny, purposely drenching the deckhand with a wave out on the bow. But when the guests decide to go snorkeling after lunch, both Benny and Magda find themselves in hot water. The former for loudly feeding into the guests’ rather NSFW banter as he’s blowing up water toys. And the latter for wearing a bikini bottom when Captain Jason invites her to join the guests on their underwater excursion. Never mind that stews don’t have swim shorts as part of their uniform. Or that it wasn’t Magda was specifically given the chance to go snorkeling. By the captain himself. But OK…
Benny misses Jamie‘s radio call about an impromptu deck crew meeting. Because he’s getting ready in the bathroom after being sprayed (again) with a hose by Captain Jason. And unsurprisingly, Chef Ryan takes umbrage with the guests telling Aesha they’d like dinner “around 8-sh.” He starts plating his Singaporean street noodles at precisely 8:03 p.m. Without asking Aesha if the guests are even ready. And then throws a tantrum when only two of them have slathered themselves with body oil and made their way to the lounge. This ongoing problem seems fixable. If the chef would put his ego aside, practice some rudimentary communication and get it through his head that he’s there to serve the guests. But judging by what we’ve seen so far, that seems…highly unlikely.
The meal inadvertently ends up being a perfect choice, because it turns out the primary proposed to his wife in Singapore, at the top of the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel. And that leads right into the surprise the crew has cooked up on the sun deck: a vow renewal ceremony to celebrate Randall and Suzie’s 21st anniversary. Captain Jason officiates the ceremony, referencing Thalassa, the ancient Greek goddess of the sea. The entire crew gets in their feelings about falling in love and getting married. And the night ends on a sweetly perfect note. For the guests, at least…
Benny has spent the whole day feeling bullied and picked on. By Captain Jason in particular, not to mention the rest of his deck team. So he’s already feeling a bit down in the dumps as he goes to bed. And that’s when, at 1:30 in the morning, his toilet decides to start overflowing. Sending sewage water seeping into his cabin. Fecal water is the last straw for the deckhand. And, after sloshing through his room to hurriedly put on clothes, he knocks on the captain’s door. Benny’s officially over this experience. He’s ready to quit.
TELL US – SHOULD MAGDA HAVE TOLD JAMIE SHE HAD A BOYFRIEND? IS BENNY BEING UNFAIRLY PICKED ON BY CAPTAIN JASON? DO YOU THINK HE’LL REALLY QUIT?
[Photo Credit: Peacock]
