S07.E01: Man Down!

[esco1822]

Pardon my ignorance but, full scholarships to law school, is that a real thing?? 

[The Ringo Kidd]

17 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

I know Kate is beloved, but there's this weird narrative that acts like Hannah is incapable of doing anything to a similar standard as Kate. 

Kate is another very overrated performer much like Ben. I realize that they are stacking the deck with incompetence with these stews. In fact I can barely understand one in three words that the South African says as her accent is impenetrable. But Kate has never had a smooth charter as she always “others” one of the stews and plays her mean girl reindeer games. She even did it to Amy who was a sweetheart and my candidate to be the new chief stew.

Hannah is a mess but for a whole different bunch of reasons.

It appears that the producers what to simulate a modicum of continuity in the cast by having the same Captain and Chief Stew. In this franchise they seemed to also do that with the bosun but Eddie blew it by banging Rocky. It’s time to shake it up and bring I. Some new people.

[TexasGal]

13 minutes ago, esco1822 said:

Pardon my ignorance but, full scholarships to law school, is that a real thing?? 

Yep.  I was the recipient of one.

11 minutes ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

 In fact I can barely understand one in three words that the South African says as her accent is impenetrable.

Accents are funny things.  I had no trouble with Simone, but BD Med Jack was always a challenge for me.  I had to stop and really listen if I wanted to understand what he was saying.  I figured out by the end I didn't really care.

[dleighg]

11 minutes ago, esco1822 said:

Pardon my ignorance but, full scholarships to law school, is that a real thing?? 

I didn't know this either, but my daughter's friend in college got at least a very large scholarship at Duke. Now he did go to Yale UG so...

[The Ringo Kidd]

12 minutes ago, TexasGal said:

Yep.  I was the recipient of one.

Accents are funny things.  I had no trouble with Simone, but BD Med Jack was always a challenge for me.  I had to stop and really listen if I wanted to understand what he was saying.  I figured out by the end I didn't really care.

I agree. I couldn’t understand half of what Aesha said either while I have no problem with Jack. It is all with how we hear it. Simone just talks really fast and as a New Yorker that is very strange for mean to say.

[dleighg]

That only child one (Courtney?) who said she doesn't like "servitude"? Seriously girl you are in the wrong business.

[4N6MAL]

3 hours ago, RoxiP said:

Only if you consider Mila a real chef.

So there are two crew members on board that are not part of the Below Decks cast?  I haven't been watching the show(s) up until last year although I have caught up on past seasons, but I had never seen the engineer and whomever that other person was until Captain Lee showed them last night.  Is that unusual or have I just missed those episodes?

They are always there and are usually introduced in episode one.

[jmcd44]

32 minutes ago, 4N6MAL said:

They are always there and are usually introduced in episode one.

On BD Med, they definitely showed one doing Russian twists on the deck while the alarm just blared inside!

Courtney gives me Casey from Med vibes, but that might be the inability to learn how to make common drinks when you work in a service industry with a strong emphasis on making drinks.  

I know people have a lot of opinions on her but I'll always love Kate-she's just very witty and I love how calm she stays when people are freaking out about stuff.  I do this at work.  

[Kiss my mutt]

I have a love hate relationship with Kate in the same way I do Bethenny from RHNYC. 

I would love to see a season where Hannah worked under Captain Lee and Kate worked under Captain Sandy and a season where the stews came with basic life skills. 

[biakbiak]

Based on her personality I am surprised that Courtney is any person’s favorite even if she is only child. 
 

[Carolina Girl]

6 hours ago, laprin said:

I read that they did not invite Josiah back.

Kate adored Josiah and the two of them knocked it out of the park when that twit Caroline (?) proved to be worthless.  I fully expected him to return.  But then I notice with the exception of Amy, they've never had repeats on the junior stews, have they?  

And as bad as some think Kate is, she's still got some distance on that jerk Adrienne and her officious asshattery from Season 1 (followed up with her Jerk 2.0 appearance on Season 2).  Loved it when Ben said "don't give me orders - I outrank you."
 

[Carolina Girl]

6 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

I could.  This is the network that  brought us, along with many other offensive scenes over the years,  an OC housewife milking the lactating breast of another at the dinner table last week.

Suddenly taking that show off my DVR appears to have been an even better idea than I originally thought.

[BodhiGurl]

6 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

Oprah of the Ocean (Sandy) is always giving career advice when nobody asked for it.*

LMAO - ha ha - thanks for this! I friggen loathe Sandy. I stopped watching BDM towards the end of this season because I just couldn't with her anymore. I'm so salty that Bravo clearly loves her camera hungry/attention hoo-re personality, as she's in some of the ads for that cash cab show. Blah. I'm passing on next season of BDM. Now - back to the OG, Below Deck. It didn't escape me how we only saw Captain Lee at the very beginning of the episode, and not again until the end, when they were looking for meds for Chef Poopy. What a relief (ha ha, pun intended?!?)... So happy to have Lee back vs that gawd awful Sandy... She makes me stabby... lol

ETA - Abbi and that HAIR! Why in the heck does she not have it pulled back? That massive amount of hair seems like it would not only be ridiculously hot to wear down, but a serious danger given the tasks she has to do. I can see it getting caught up in a rope or something... yikes!

Edited October 8, 2019 by BodhiGurl
add'l thought

[Diane Mars]

Only thing to say here : Kate was WRONG regarding the request of Kevin for the boxes labelling ! Give him a Sharpie, at least, but it IS essential in a kitchen...

Edited October 8, 2019 by Diane Mars

[dleighg]

Just now, Diane Mars said:

Only thing to say here : Kate was WRONG regarding the request of Kevin regarding the boxes labelling ! Give him a Sharpie, at least, but it IS essential in a kitchen...

That was clearly out of line, and he was more gracious than I would have been.

[scrb]

24 minutes ago, Carolina Girl said:

Kate adored Josiah and the two of them knocked it out of the park when that twit Caroline (?) proved to be worthless.  I fully expected him to return.  But then I notice with the exception of Amy, they've never had repeats on the junior stews, have they?  

And as bad as some think Kate is, she's still got some distance on that jerk Adrienne and her officious asshattery from Season 1 (followed up with her Jerk 2.0 appearance on Season 2).  Loved it when Ben said "don't give me orders - I outrank you."
 

He doesn't bring enough drama, other than ganging up with Kate to play mean girls against the third girl.

But they might also have preferred to get a couple of females, to match up with the deck crew, for hookup and drama potential.

[HunterHunted]

1 hour ago, BodhiGurl said:

LMAO - ha ha - thanks for this! I friggen loathe Sandy. I stopped watching BDM towards the end of this season because I just couldn't with her anymore. I'm so salty that Bravo clearly loves her camera hungry/attention hoo-re personality, as she's in some of the ads for that cash cab show. Blah. I'm passing on next season of BDM. Now - back to the OG, Below Deck. It didn't escape me how we only saw Captain Lee at the very beginning of the episode, and not again until the end, when they were looking for meds for Chef Poopy. What a relief (ha ha, pun intended?!?)... So happy to have Lee back vs that gawd awful Sandy... She makes me stabby... lol

2 hours ago, Kiss my mutt said:

I have a love hate relationship with Kate in the same way I do Bethenny from RHNYC. 

I would love to see a season where Hannah worked under Captain Lee and Kate worked under Captain Sandy and a season where the stews came with basic life skills. 

The fact that we only see Lee when he's actually doing something is the reason Sandy is dead last in the rankings of the 3 captains and I didn't even like Mark. She's constantly lurking and mugging for the camera. And it's so constant and persistent that it almost makes you wonder if she was a child actor 'cause this is the kind of shit that stage moms teach their kids to do. "They can't cut you out if you're in the background of every scene. You should have a funny catchphrase to say even if you don't have any lines and it doesn't make much sense. Mommy put your wake up powder in your juice so drink up. We need big smiles and lots of energy."

If Sandy wasn't so aware of the cameras and the audience, I truly would like to see a swap. I just don't trust Sandy to fairly evaluate Kate.

As much as the freaking tablescape issue dominated the last quarter of the season especially the dumb brunch one, Kate's stews are constantly working on the tablescapes up until a second before the meal is served. The no plates set for the lunch service is something that should make Sandy apoplectic, but I have a sneaking suspicion that she'd just ignore it because she'd rather be popular with the viewers than accuse Kate of not being capable of Sandy's standard of service.

Quote

ETA - Abbi and that HAIR! Why in the heck does she not have it pulled back? That massive amount of hair seems like it would not only be ridiculously hot to wear down, but a serious danger given the tasks she has to do. I can see it getting caught up in a rope or something... yikes!

Abbi is clearly planning on Isadora Duncan-ing herself sometime this season. This is not what we mean when we talk about getting your wig snatched.

[oakville]

On 10/7/2019 at 5:30 PM, Shannah Banana said:

Yes!!!  I use to hate Kate until I met Hannah, and now there is no comparison.  Ouch.  And for me, there is absolutely no comparison to Captain Lee and Sandy.  Double ouch.  I read where people are speculating that Captain Lee went "Hollywood" and I hope not.  I really do.  I don't really mind considering him the stud of the sea, as long as he is one 🙂

I am so excited or the new season !

I prefer Captain Lee & Kate's no BS attitude to Sandy &   Hannah.

[oakville]

23 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

The scenery porn is going to be over the top this season. Dang it’s beautiful. 

I love the scenery of Thailand!

[howiveaddict]

8 hours ago, TexasGal said:

Yep.  I was the recipient of one.

Accents are funny things.  I had no trouble with Simone, but BD Med Jack was always a challenge for me.  I had to stop and really listen if I wanted to understand what he was saying.  I figured out by the end I didn't really care.

That's why I always have my closed caption on. Also, I watch a lot of British shows on PBS and Amazon.

[Petunia13]

They’re lucky they’re on the open seas rather than US handling food when you have diarrhea or vomiting is a serious health code violation. And really fucked up to do. Signed someone with a food safety certification who works in kitchens and serving. 

[Psycho Suzy]

I'm so happy the original is back on. I have always loved case, she was probably my favorite bravo personality. She is so funny and sarcastic and quick-witted and she also kicks ass at her job. I also adore Captain Lee, he is my stud of the sea. I didn't even watch this most recent below deck med, because I don't care for Hannah and I absolutely loathe Capt. Sandy. I think I watched about 15 minutes of episode 1 and then removed it from my DVR. I adored Ashton so I'm happy to see him back. I was home hoping to see Josiah back, he was so good at his job and such a sweet kind personality. I also would love to see Connie back is a deckhand, she's one of my all-time favorites too. Right now most everyone seems okay, but the chef is going to be problematic. I love that they keep going to new locations, Thailand looks gorgeous.

[Kiss my mutt]

The reason Courtney is an only child is after she came her parents were afraid they’d end up with another just like her. 

[txhorns79]

3 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

 

ETA - Abbi and that HAIR! Why in the heck does she not have it pulled back? That massive amount of hair seems like it would not only be ridiculously hot to wear down, but a serious danger given the tasks she has to do. I can see it getting caught up in a rope or something... yikes!

I can't even with her hair.  It's just so wildly impractical for the climate, and the job she has.  I'm honestly surprised it isn't a requirement that women or men on the deck crew with long hair have to wear it pulled back.     

[spunky]

12 hours ago, RoxiP said:

Only if you consider Mila a real chef.

So there are two crew members on board that are not part of the Below Decks cast?  I haven't been watching the show(s) up until last year although I have caught up on past seasons, but I had never seen the engineer and whomever that other person was until Captain Lee showed them last night.  Is that unusual or have I just missed those episodes?

Valid point about Mila. They usually introduce the engineer and first mate during the first episode. We don’t see them because they weren’t cast by Bravo.

[Petunia13]

Kate made extremely valid points serving food “family style” doesn’t exactly scream 5 star and creates way more work for the servers portioning it out and explaining what is being left on side boards and twice as many dishes and utensils for them to wash. Of course Chef doesn’t give AF. That’ll bite him in the ass later. That he’s so callous over work created for the others and cutting corners to make his job easier. That’s he’s so capricious about running from a toilet blasting his bowels our then hand sanitizing and handling shit people eat is high key disgusting too. The fumes and germs blow up on your face and arms or could even be airborne in you if you have a virus. 🤮 

[luvthepros]

7 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I can't even with her hair.  It's just so wildly impractical for the climate, and the job she has.  I'm honestly surprised it isn't a requirement that women or men on the deck crew with long hair have to wear it pulled back.     

Wasn't it Capt. Sandy who ordered Jack to keep his hair pulled back when on duty?

Edited October 9, 2019 by luvthepros

[HunterHunted]

6 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

Kate made extremely valid points serving food “family style” doesn’t exactly scream 5 star and creates way more work for the servers portioning it out and explaining what is being left on side boards and twice as many dishes and utensils for them to wash. Of course Chef doesn’t give AF. That’ll bite him in the ass later. That he’s so callous over work created for the others and cutting corners to make his job easier. That’s he’s so capricious about running from a toilet blasting his bowels our then hand sanitizing and handling shit people eat is high key disgusting too. The fumes and germs blow up on your face and arms or could even be airborne in you if you have a virus. 🤮 

Pun intended? The taste of how the land or soil impact the taste of wine is called terroir. Maybe he uses the full Latin name in hopes that the guests won't notice. Thai inspired dish with a dusting of escherichia coli. 

[Jsage]

14 hours ago, Carolina Girl said:

Kate adored Josiah and the two of them knocked it out of the park when that twit Caroline (?) proved to be worthless.  I fully expected him to return.  But then I notice with the exception of Amy, they've never had repeats on the junior stews, have they?

Kat Held was second stew on both Seasons 1 and 2. Season 1 was when Adrienne was chief stew and then Kate came in Season 2. Kat's the only returning stew I can think of.

[Mr. Miner]

14 hours ago, Diane Mars said:

Only thing to say here : Kate was WRONG regarding the request of Kevin for the boxes labelling ! Give him a Sharpie, at least, but it IS essential in a kitchen...

You would think Chef Anal would have his very own label maker. Fuck him! I hate him already.

[SunnyBeBe]

Kate's lip work distracts me.  She looked absolutely wonderful back in Season 4.  Such a shame. 

[RedHawk]

I read a lot of your comments about Chef Kevin’s intestinal disaster and was fully prepared to be disgusted and fast-forward through it all. Then I actually watched the episode and found it freaking hilarious! LOL’d at Kate musing to Captain Lee about whether Chef needed medicine to “speed it up or slow it down” and Captain Lee’s perplexed “I don’t know”. Then we got Chef’s own exasperated running commentary intercut with groans and bodily noises. I must be a 13-year-old boy — I rewound it and laughed all over again. Thanks for the belly laughs over your bellyache, Kevin! However, I sincerely hope in episode 2 we don’t see the guests getting sick due to contamination. I feel for them when they see what was actually happening “below deck”: their meal prep coinciding with a colonoscopy prep.

Is Chef Kevin “OC”, “anal”, or organized?  I’m like him and prefer to do a lot of work up front so that I know where everything is or can find it easily when the heat is on. When I manage projects I explain to my “crew” that this is my style and that if you do certain upfront prep and planning then things tend to go better if (almost always WHEN) there is a crunch or a crisis later. After a couple of projects are completed they usually agree that my way works well and is less stressful. 

That said, I know that some people prefer to work under pressure and in chaos, and I think Kate is that type. I’m not being judgmental; I like how Kate gets things done. Sometimes you’re thrown in and don’t get to do the upfront prep, and we see that she usually is and rises to the challenge. Chaos and/or pressure can be exciting and make you think creatively, and sometimes I enjoy it. Yet some people get worn down by the stress and have to find ways to combat it. She and Chef Kevin just have two different styles and personalities — which it looks like will be in conflict this season.

Edited October 9, 2019 by RedHawk
Spelling

[ghoulina]

On 10/8/2019 at 10:19 AM, laprin said:

I read that they did not invite Josiah back. This is proof that the producers prefer to torture Kate with inept stews for drama. They could have given her one seasoned competent stew. I don't enjoy drama derived from people not being able to do their jobs. Just give us people with overblown egos that know how to do their jobs well.  That's the drama I can get behind. 

I prefer the drama of guests vs staff, as opposed to staff v staff. Some of the latter is tolerable, but I'd much rather see the crew pulling together and dealing with entitled asshole guests. 

I really would have loved Josiah back. He was a great stew and it was nice to see Kate with such a good friend.

[ghoulina]

20 hours ago, Diane Mars said:

Only thing to say here : Kate was WRONG regarding the request of Kevin for the boxes labelling ! Give him a Sharpie, at least, but it IS essential in a kitchen...

Yea, but the things he wanted to label were already labeled. He wanted to take spices from their existing containers and put them in little tupperwares and label them. I thought it was fucking ridiculous and wasteful. If I were Kate, I probably wouldn't have called him out, as it IS his kitchen. But I can see why she was like, "We have 4568496894 deliveries to put away and you're rehoming your spices???"

[Yours Truly]

Did anyone catch Kate's "New Season, who dis?" right before she went to meet the stews? I don't know why that made me laugh probably harder than I should have. LOL. 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Yours Truly
cause she said new season not new crew...

[The Ringo Kidd]

1 hour ago, ghoulina said:

Yea, but the things he wanted to label were already labeled. He wanted to take spices from their existing containers and put them in little tupperwares and label them. I thought it was fucking ridiculous and wasteful. If I were Kate, I probably wouldn't have called him out, as it IS his kitchen. But I can see why she was like, "We have 4568496894 deliveries to put away and you're rehoming your spices???"

The jars and spices come in all sort of different sizes and shapes and are normally shoved in a jumble on a shelf where a disorganized jerk like Ben would be rooting around like a maniac while preparing a meal. How many times on Med did we see Ben looking for something and having to scream for Anastasia because everything was in a  disorganized mess? These boxes put everything in the same size and shaped containers making food prep much less chaotic.

As I understand it the Chef and the Chief stew are equals and Kevin was simply asking for something that would make his life easier not for Kate’s direction on how to run his galley.

Maybe she should concentrate on putting plates on the table before service. She has no excuse since she knew it was family style as she was bitching enough about it. Why not do your job instead of telling the chef how to do his?

It looks like Kevin is not putting up with her entitled bullshit and there was a preview of Ashton telling her that the whole crew agrees and Kate walks off into the sunset with the music from “The Incredible Hulk” playing in the background.

The only thing I can compare it to is the fall of Ceaușescu.

Edited October 9, 2019 by The Ringo Kidd

[Mindthinkr]

9 minutes ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

Ceaușescu

The last Romanian communist party leader. Hmmm....then I see war between Kate and him. My bet is on Kate for the win. She may quit and leave (based on the preview), but to save face she’ll have to get something in order to return. It could be a stalemate as well. 

[The Ringo Kidd]

I just wonder if the serfs.....err....stews will get together and pull down Kate’s statue? That would be a great photo opp for Bravo! 

[biakbiak]

1 minute ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

I just wonder if the serfs.....err....stews will get together and pull down Kate’s statue? That would be a great photo opp for Bravo! 

Complaining about the “servitude” part of the job you willingly took doesn’t make you a serf it makes you an asshole who thinks you too good to the basic job requirements of your job. 

[The Ringo Kidd]

Kate’s treats everyone likes serfs including the Chef.

But I guess that is fine because unlike the Chef some think that Kate’s shit don’t stink.

Edited October 9, 2019 by The Ringo Kidd

[jumper sage]

On 10/8/2019 at 2:17 PM, 4N6MAL said:

They are always there and are usually introduced in episode one.

And get part of the tip.

1 hour ago, The Ringo Kidd said:

These boxes put everything in the same size and shaped containers making food prep much less chaotic.

I have to disagree.  Having them in glass makes more sense to the durability, especially in extreme climates.  The plastic containers won't work.  Having everything the same size and shape won't help either.  Shouldn't he have asked for the label gun BEFORE he wasted time?

Does anyone still have a label maker?

[Nancybeth]

Amy (Kelley's sister) was a returning stew from S2 to S3. She and Kate didn't get along well in S2 and then managed to repair the relationship in S3.

[The Ringo Kidd]

27 minutes ago, jumper sage said:

And get part of the tip.

I have to disagree.  Having them in glass makes more sense to the durability, especially in extreme climates.  The plastic containers won't work.  Having everything the same size and shape won't help either.  Shouldn't he have asked for the label gun BEFORE he wasted time?

Does anyone still have a label maker?

The thing is this place isn’t for long term storage and the look like the more expensive air tight ones.

And yes my wife has a label maker.

[spunky]

On 10/8/2019 at 10:25 PM, Kiss my mutt said:

The reason Courtney is an only child is after she came her parents were afraid they’d end up with another just like her. 

Courtney is out here trying to give us only millennial children a bad name. I have student loans to pay too. I would gladly switch places with her, and take her bravo salary and tips  while serving the guests with a smile on my face. Without all her whining. Rant over.

Edited October 10, 2019 by spunky
Typo

[dleighg]

9 minutes ago, spunky said:

Without all her whining

walking across sand carrying a couple drinks IN TAHITI WHILE GETTING PAID and all she can do is bitch. High Maintenance indeed.

[biakbiak]

Courtney is apparently Canadian proving that entitled assholes can be from anywhere. 

[spunky]

53 minutes ago, dleighg said:

walking across sand carrying a couple drinks IN TAHITI WHILE GETTING PAID and all she can do is bitch. High Maintenance indeed.

She’s going to be annoying 

[snarts]

37 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Courtney is apparently Canadian proving that entitled assholes can be from anywhere. 

Wasn't the "check yourself" 3rd stew from last season also Canadian? She hooked up with Ashton.  Was it Laura?  In any case, I am sensing a trend.

Kate seems just as burnt out and over it.  I do wonder where she (& Hannah) would be career-wise were not for the show.  Likely requisitioning or acting as a yacht charter.  I could see Hannah in a concierge role at a Saint-Tropez hotel. 

The heat is going to be a killer. They all looked a hot mess after only a few minutes.  Bad season to be a deckhand. 

[dleighg]

2 minutes ago, snarts said:

The heat is going to be a killer. They all looked a hot mess after only a few minutes.  Bad season to be a deckhand. 

a bit off-topic but I was in Hong Kong in early August. I don't know when they filmed this but oh man, the heat/humidity was more than I've ever experienced. It certainly can wear you down.

[scrb]

27 minutes ago, snarts said:

Wasn't the "check yourself" 3rd stew from last season also Canadian? She hooked up with Ashton.  Was it Laura?  In any case, I am sensing a trend.

Kate seems just as burnt out and over it.  I do wonder where she (& Hannah) would be career-wise were not for the show.  Likely requisitioning or acting as a yacht charter.  I could see Hannah in a concierge role at a Saint-Tropez hotel. 

The heat is going to be a killer. They all looked a hot mess after only a few minutes.  Bad season to be a deckhand. 

They always tease some member of the crew being fired or leaving.  So it seems to happen at least once every season on both shows?

Well if Courtney is going to leave or be booted, let's hope at least she's filmed in swimsuit while she's still on the show.