Well well well, it looks like I was right. Last August, I spent a few hours online, sleuthing and ignoring my life’s responsibilities. In the aftermath, I made a few predictions for Below Deck Season 11. One of my guesses included a possible deckhand named Dylan Piérre De Villiers.
When Dylan didn’t show up in Episode 1, I silently accepted my inaccurate take. But now, Bosun Jared Woodin just got fired, and whaddya know, my man Dylan’s coming on board in Episode 8! However, Dylan will not be taking Jared’s place. That honor is going to Ben Willoughby, who Captain Kerry Titheradge recently promoted in Episode 7.
With Ben rising up, that leaves Kyle Stillie and Sunny Marquis as the main deckhands. Therefore, Dylan will be joining these two, hopefully, “oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling” the decks, shirtless, in every scene. Also, if any of his costars quote Squints from Sandlot in his presence, they’ll immediately jump up the ranks, becoming my new favorite yachtie. But in all seriousness, if you’re looking for some real rock-hard abs facts about this new deckhand, here’s what I’ve gathered.
Dylan’s background basics
According to his bio, Dylan hails from Cape Town, which is a pretty common breeding ground for this series. He’ll be coming on board with four years of experience, which is great because green deckhands are sometimes stressful to watch. In terms of his familiarity with the other yachties in this now massive franchise, Dylan says that he has never met any of the other Below Deck alums. I like this because it means that Dylan won’t be coming on board with any preconceived notions about his current costars.
When he’s not working over international waters, Dylan’s got a slew of hobbies. These include “Eating protein powder, benching 225 pounds, working on my cars, building stuff, helping kids get better habits, making videos on YouTube, [and] exploring the world.” Likewise, he can also “do some really cool kicks,” as he “did kickboxing for 6 years.”
In terms of how he’ll integrate with this mostly bonded cast, Dylan states that he knows “how to connect with people.” This trait will serve him well with his often exhausted crew members. Luckily, if anything onboard should break, Dylan’s got this covered as well. “I can fix anything mechanical — just show me once,” he says.
Oh yeah, he also explained that he “can drive boats and cars quite well.” Overall, Dylan sounds like he’s going to be a man with many useful talents. He’s also got a pretty interesting YouTube channel, where he uploads everything from his fitness routines to his time spent working on super yachts. Now, on to the clear elephant in the room…
His obvious exterior qualities
In a world where we really need to be making every attempt to look inward, sometimes, a person’s physical traits just simply cannot be avoided. Enter in Dylan. Not shockingly, his appearance is what his costars all first noticed. In a sneak peek for this week’s episode, we see Dylan arriving at the yacht via a tender, where he is met by a very stunned Sunny.
In a confessional, Sunny gushes “Wow, my jaw is on the floor.” Several beats later, in the galley, Ben even admits the obvious. We can see Ben facing Barbie Pascual and Fraser Olender, asking “He is gorgeous, hey?” In response, Barbie stresses “I’m just a little flabbergasted.”
Cue Fraser, jokingly asking his stew “Are you turned on?” Naturally, Barbie replies “Yes.” At this, a smoldering Dylan enters into the galley, and the sneak peek cuts off. Bravo hates us.
What Dylan’s said about his time on BD
Towards the bottom of his already mentioned bio, Dylan gives us a few glimpses into his time spent on BD. For example, when asked about who his best friend onboard is, Dylan answers “Chef Anthony [Iracane].” In response to what his first impression of St. David was, Dylan jokes “Well, the name is basically STD. So I mean, hey you love it in the moment and hate it after.”
Interesting. Even more intriguing, Dylan was asked to sum up Below Deck Season 11 in just three words. His answer of “Incompetence, Ego & Hilarious” has me now highly wondering exactly who he might be butting heads with onboard. On his socials, Dylan even went a step further, revealing that there is “Soooo much bullshit that I need to comment on.”
He also jokes that “We’re all going to cry, laugh as well as probably lose a few brain cells. BUT it will all be worth it.” I’m ready Dylan. Bring it all on.
TELL US – WHO DO YOU THINK DYLAN WILL CLASH WITH ON BELOW DECK SEASON 11? WILL HE MAKE IT THROUGH THE ENTIRE SEASON?
