S10.E03: The Muff-Truff Experience

[TexasGal]

Quote

An essential missing ingredient sets up Rachel's multicourse dinner for disaster; Fraser realizes he needs a different approach to his management style after witnessing an embarrassing spat between his interior team.

Airdate: 12.05.2022

[65mickey]

Doesn't look like there is much interest in this season. 

[Mr. Miner]

56 minutes ago, 65mickey said:

Doesn't look like there is much interest in this season. 

I’m losing what little bit I have. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Tanukisan]

Like a viewer who’s hoping that something happens during the episode to help stay awake, these comments are in the order of the episode scenes broadcast.

I’ve seen episodes stretched out before, but up to the first commercial break there’s literally nothing going on.  Well, Katie is late for work, Fraser is easily frightened by linen, Rachel is chastising herself for performance to date, etc., but that’s about it.  Fraser is delusional if the thinks his team is “getting along”.  Tony apparently hasn’t discovered what plates are for yet.  Chav Hayley likes to talk and chew with mouth wide open – at the same time.  And we get Camille gratuitously twerking in the laundry room.

Fraser mistakes the doctors for nurses – there’s 5% off the tip (no pun intended, Rachel).  (:

Although this is the second episode title we can attribute to a Rachel quip.

The we get more fake drama as we go to another commercial break – will the boat collide with the dock?  Strewth!  I’m betting, since we’ve seen this setup dozens of times before…. No.   And back from commercial – everything’s fine. 

OK, now I take it all back – it was worth it to see the wig almost get pulled of the “classy doctor”, whose language is more at home with the sailors than real doctors.  Oh, I need to rewind that a few times.

So… all this warning and planning for a truffle dinner and Rachel can’t find the truffle?  Methinks to call “shenanigans”.  Amusing, though, the “Emperor’s New Clothes” moment when the guests don’t even realise there’s no real truffle in the truffle tasting menu.

I’m not sure which I find more annoying – Camille’s substandard work ethic or Alissa’s constant complaining about Camille’s substandard work ethic.

I predicted with the first episode that sharing a crew member between the deck and the interior wasn’t going to work out – looks like a collision course ahead.

And now there’s cooler-gate.  No one can find them – they’re more interested in avoiding or placing blame.  Will “cooler” heads prevail?

What will happen next week?  Will the guests start mysteriously disappearing one by one?  Will Katie get up on time?  Will Rachel find her truffle?  Stay tuned – unless you have anything else to do.

[heatherchandler]

14 minutes ago, Tanukisan said:

OK, now I take it all back – it was worth it to see the wig almost get pulled of the “classy doctor”, whose language is more at home with the sailors than real doctors.  Oh, I need to rewind that a few times.

Hahaha seriously I rewound it a few times.  She’s really classy!  Wow she will not let this go.  Throw her overboard please.  Annoying.

Alissa is on my last nerve- she’s not Camille’s boss, stop picking on her.  Fill up the fridge fill up the fridge fill up the fridge fill up the fridge fill up the fridge fill up the fridge fill up the fridge… SHUT UP!

[65mickey]

Oh yes the proverbial missing coolers again.  Didn't we just see this last week on BD Adventure? But somehow they turn up in the nick of time. 

[Baltimore Betty]

7 hours ago, Tanukisan said:

And now there’s cooler-gate.

For a cooler that was holding ALL the guests waters, champagne, sodas, seltzers, juices, plasma, severed fingers, etc...that was a very small cooler.

In past seasons I remember the deck crew packing the beverage coolers, are they not doing that anymore?

Big Red would be comfortable being a full time bartender and would be very good at it.

Once, just once I would like to see the interior staffed with middle aged women, there would be no drama, everything would be clean and organized, lists would be made, everyone would do their jobs, nobody would ever over sleep, nobody would be bitching about who was flirting with which boy. 

[nokat]

47 minutes ago, Baltimore Betty said:

Once, just once I would like to see the interior staffed with middle aged women, there would be no drama, everything would be clean and organized, lists would be made, everyone would do their jobs, nobody would ever over sleep, nobody would be bitching about who was flirting with which boy. 

I agree, but what kind of drama would there be? I'll take that back, we've seen enough middle aged women acting like asshats. Also it depends on how hungry for air time you are. The people who take the job seriously aren't on the show.

8 hours ago, Tanukisan said:

Fraser mistakes the doctors for nurses – there’s 5% off the tip (no pun intended, Rachel).  (:

Fraser lost points with me just there.

[snarts]

Based on the previews, I see that Alissa is indeed "that girl". Makes sense now why I took an instant dislike to her and found myself siding with Camille when typically I root for the hardest worker. Alissa constant nitpicking would drive anyone mad and her desperate need to be prettiest girl at the prom will mean she has no friends. 

Fraser calling the women nurses was just so cringeworthy. As was the white woman pulling off the black woman's wig. 

Captain Lee looks terrible. When we heard the sounds of Tony was working out on deck before they actually showed him, I thought that was Captain Lee grunting/moaning in pain. Also, why does he continue to call Fraser Mr. Oleander?

Edited December 6, 2022 by snarts

[Baltimore Betty]

Are any of the doctors on board this charter orthopeds or spinal neuro docs because Capt. Lee could use a professional opinion right about now.

[BusyOctober]

8 hours ago, Tanukisan said:

So… all this warning and planning for a truffle dinner and Rachel can’t find the truffle?  Methinks to call “shenanigans”.  Amusing, though, the “Emperor’s New Clothes” moment when the guests don’t even realise there’s no real truffle in the truffle tasting menu.

LOL, I said the same thing, on both counts.  The missing truffles were hidden for dramatics.  And a little truffle oil goes a long way…Rachel only had to add the essence of truffle to fool those guest.  Toss in a few mushroom varietals, a splash of truffle oil or powder, and ta-dah! Truf-faux risotto.  

Is Katie considered “hot” by anyone other than herself?  She has average looks IMO…cute, petite, but I just don’t see the same level of attractiveness as Katie sees.

Tony and Ben look like they could be brothers!  I like both of them.  How old is Ross?  In some scenes, he looks 28-32, the other times he looks 45.  Whatever his age, he is definitely old enough to know better than to get romantically involved with one of his subordinates.  
 

[SemiCharmedLife]

2 hours ago, Baltimore Betty said:

Are any of the doctors on board this charter orthopeds or spinal neuro docs because Capt. Lee could use a professional opinion right about now.

THIS!!  Now, that would make an interesting episode!

[iMonrey]

Under other circumstances I think I would sympathize with Camille, because she does have two jobs. But the deck crew hasn't really asked her to do that much. She's helped with the docking a couple of times and that's it. She's not out there swabbing the decks or cleaning the windows or wiping down the sides of the boat or doing any of the other deck crew work. Last week she decided she was going to go for a swim in the middle of her shift and this week we find her lying down on one of the boat toys in the middle of her shift. Once again we have some Gen Z slacker who doesn't seem to understand what work is and resents being told what to do. 

Ben and Tony both have interesting genetic backgrounds. When Ben said he was Indigenous Australian I wondered if he meant Aboriginal so I had to look it up. Apparently you're not supposed to say that anymore because of its racist connotations. There are also Torres Strait Islanders who are considered Indeginous. Strange, they showed a picture of his parents and what I assumed to be a sibling, and he didn't look like any of them. Both his parents just appeared to be Caucasian. 

I laughed at the dumb guest who said "I don't know how to say Thank You in Australian."

It sounded to me like Ross kept calling Katie "Casey." "Is Casey up? I'm going to go wake up Casey."

They have Dominoes Pizza in St. Lucia? Geez, they're everywhere aren't they?

[Snarky McSnarky]

5 hours ago, Baltimore Betty said:

Are any of the doctors on board this charter orthopeds or spinal neuro docs because Capt. Lee could use a professional opinion right about now.

The primary is an osteopath, so maybe.  At least three of the others are MDs who specialize in emergency medicine from what I can glean from Google.

Edited December 6, 2022 by Snarky McSnarky

[sugarbaker design]

8 hours ago, Baltimore Betty said:

Big Red would be comfortable being a full time bartender and would be very good at it.

Totally agree, she got the skills, temperament and personality.

7 hours ago, snarts said:

Also, why does he continue to call Fraser Mr. Oleander?

I'm assuming to avoid any chance of mispronouncing Fraser.

I'm not a big sports person, so does a basketball have wrinkles?

Edited December 6, 2022 by sugarbaker design

[aghst]

5 hours ago, Snarky McSnarky said:

The primary is an osteopath, so maybe.  At least three of the others are MDs who specialize in emergency medicine from what I can glean from Google.

Are all of them doctors?  Some are just identified as friend of the primary.

If they're all doctors, some of them must have horrible bedside manners, especially that woman who was ready to "go ghetto" at that other woman who pulled her wig.

Why are they dressing up and shoving their cleavage up in front of the cameras of a TV show?  I'd be suspicious of seeing any doctor who'd appear on reality TV.

Yeah how many times is Alissa going to show Camille how to load the refrigerator completely full?  Clearly these two don't like each other probably because they compete for male attention.  Camille twerking when she's alone, to practice or what?  They showed a picture of her when she was younger, didn't have the bleached hair or the clown makeup.  Looked better, but apparently she went for a look and an act that gets her a lot of attention, like her remark about wanting something large and hard in her face.

Total class.

Katie says she's bummed to be chastised by the guy she's crushing on -- not her boss -- for sleeping in late.  Previews show her sobbing because Ross gave someone else attention.  Bravo must get a lot of applications from young women with low self-esteem.

Producers must be absolutely delighted to show Lee grunting and struggling to move around, complain that he can't feel his left leg.  Easy way to fill time for the episode/season, make Lee's physical struggles a story.  Did they consider that maybe Lee was in no condition to do this season?

Maybe for a second.

[SemiCharmedLife]

2 hours ago, aghst said:

Are all of them doctors?  Some are just identified as friend of the primary.

If they're all doctors, some of them must have horrible bedside manners, especially that woman who was ready to "go ghetto" at that other woman who pulled her wig.

Why are they dressing up and shoving their cleavage up in front of the cameras of a TV show?  I'd be suspicious of seeing any doctor who'd appear on reality TV.

From the quick look at the preference sheet meeting, I gathered that they are all doctors (though there may be a few friends along) who did their residencies together, but now work in various ERs.

I think the wig pulling is a very disrespectful thing to do, and should not be taken as a joke.  I agree that after a heartfelt apology, the Dr. should let it go, but it is even more embarrassing that the viewing audience witnessed it, too.

[maggiemae]

I tend to see a frantic Fraser in past epis, or at least thinking he needs to do something....and never really doing much.

But he went to the preference meeting and should have known they were doctors...not nurses.

[Chatty Cake]

Was Fraser on last season? I remember him but not who he worked with. The seasons are all blending together. 
The lady with the wig had a right to be pissed but she overdid it. 
Alissa is kind of an ass with a teeny bit of power. She’d do better if she got along with lazy Camille rather than antagonize her. 
 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Chatty Cake

[mytmo]

Was that woman nuts for tugging on another woman's wig?!  I learned from RHOA who did an actual season on a wig tug incident that you NEVER tug another woman's wig.  Never.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Was Fraser on last season? I remember him but not who he worked with. 5e seasons are all blending together. 
 

Yes he was on last season, the chief stew was Heather. The whole season was overshadowed by the incident with Heather repeating the "N" word to Rayna, as you may recall.

Quote

Alissa is kind of an ass with a teeny bit of power. She’d do better if she got along with lazy Camille rather than antagonize her. 

Alissa has twice brought this up to Fraser and he still has not addressed it. Even though he keeps saying he needs to be more strict. Another chief stew afraid of confrontation. Fraser did in fact tell Alissa she needed to help take charge of the other stews. He needs to sit down with Camille and clarify their positions if Camille is going around snotting that Alissa isn't her boss.

[Baltimore Betty]

47 minutes ago, mytmo said:

Was that woman nuts for tugging on another woman's wig?!  I learned from RHOA who did an actual season on a wig tug incident that you NEVER tug another woman's wig.  Never.

Didn't Sheree and Kim Z. teach us that, the wig shift heard around the world!

I actually was more worried about that same woman's extremely low cut dress she wore while embarking, it was the closest thing to a nip slip without being an actual nip slip I have ever seen.

Fraser needs to explain the chain of command to Camille, yes Alissa whether she is an ass or not can and will tell Camille what to do, has Fraser had that conversation with her? Has Fraser seen Alissa in action? Will Camille last the entire season? So many questions.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Will Camille last the entire season? So many questions.

They deliberately look for these entitled slackers during the casting process. I can just imagine the audition questions: "Hey, you just want to have fun, right? I mean what's the point of being on a yacht if you're not going to have some fun, right? You don't care about work that much, right? You lookin' to hook up with some hot babes? Yes? You're hired!"

[aghst]

6 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

They deliberately look for these entitled slackers during the casting process. I can just imagine the audition questions: "Hey, you just want to have fun, right? I mean what's the point of being on a yacht if you're not going to have some fun, right? You don't care about work that much, right? You lookin' to hook up with some hot babes? Yes? You're hired!"

That and the ambitious ones will want to make a splash, make sure their scenes make the air, instead of their presence on the show slowly receding away because they're not doing things to draw attention.

So outlandish behavior is reinforced.

If they've watched previous seasons, they see which cast members got the most air time and how they got it.

[snarts]

Fraser should observe and understand the dynamic happening within the interior team. Nautical strips denote both experience and hierarchy.  While 2nd stew comes with an additional stripe, it doesn't always change the chain of command. I don't understand why Fraser can't manage a 2.5 person team himself. The bosun is doing fine with it and we've seen many a Chief Stew manage their entire interior team directly, even with designated 2nd/3rd stews.

It also makes absolutely no sense why Fraser would name Alissa 2nd based solely on her CV and before ever working with her. Even the bosuns wait until mid to end of season.

The specific issue I have with Alissa (aside from her uber competitive flirting) is her condescending. snotty ass management style.  We've seen what, almost 20 seasons of Below Deck now?  When has there ever been two stews on lates up until after 2am?  She was lording her power over Camille keeping her from bed doing busywork. Twice now, we've seen Camille up past 1am and then back on duty at 8am.  That's not the typical 8 hours of rest we've seen throughout the seasons. 

Haven't we all been in situations where you feel someone's just giving you meaningless crap to do? Alissa did that on day one. Why? My guess it's because she was competitive with Camille (and now seemingly Katie too) for male attention. I don't blame Camille for questioning "who's this bitch and why am I taking orders from her"?  Until I see her act like that with Fraser or the bosun, I'm not prepared to write her off as lazy. So far, when they've given her direction, she's been helpful & responsive. 

Finally, yes, she & Ben took a quick dip during the beach setup. Didn't we just see the other deckhand do the same?  I don't believe the guests were anywhere near the beach when it happened as editing tried to make it look because her hair was dry when the guests were on the beach.  I even wondered if the actual dip happened after the guests left and they were cleaning up because the editing was so choppy. 

[tvfanatic13]

I dislike both Alyssa and Camille. Two things can be true (TM Ginger Rose)...

[iMonrey]

Quote

It also makes absolutely no sense why Fraser would name Alissa 2nd based solely on her CV and before ever working with her. Even the bosuns wait until mid to end of season.

In the past, the chief stew usually does assign second and third positions at the start of the season, based on experience. It's only recently we've had a few instances where the chief didn't want to assign second and third, either because both stews had equal experience, or because they just wanted to wait and see.

[snarts]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

In the past, the chief stew usually does assign second and third positions at the start of the season, based on experience. It's only recently we've had a few instances where the chief didn't want to assign second and third, either because both stews had equal experience, or because they just wanted to wait and see.

In earlier seasons, they'd cast one experienced stew (most already with two stripes) and one relative newbie to yachting. Think Kat/Samantha, Amy/Rocky, Josiah/Caroline. Only recently have they started bringing in two relatively inexperienced stews (often only on day charters). At least twice Kate waited to award 2nd stripes late in charter seasons, Kat & Courtney.

Like you've mentioned, when stews come in with similar experience levels, they often alternate roles each charter to get experience in both service & housekeeping and to allow the chief to observe them in action. My point was that Fraser would've been much better off doing the same here before giving Alissa authority to direct others. Even her Bravo profile, which is typically vague, details that she has only 2 years working as a stew on temporary yacht jobs. 

Edited December 9, 2022 by snarts
damn link

[RoseAllDay]

* There would be no way in HELL I would let Camille anywhere near the docking lines. Chick can’t even get laundry straight. Katie took advantage of Ross by deliberately mishearing her wake-up time, but that’s why you don’t flirt with your subordinates. They think they can get away with shit.

* Damn, I REALLY don’t like Camille. Fraser best be paying attention. Telling her that Alissa will tell her what to do is a clear sign nothing will get done. Her attitude fucking SUCKS, because she just doesn’t care. 

* They really need to get Rachel help. She loses precious time fetching stuff. She has even more reason this season to walk off.

* Getting REALLY tired of the men being used as virtual sex toys. BD is getting worse with this every week. Objectifying either sex is NOT OK. But Tony should not have had his shirt off. (See CJ, season one.)

* BD Standard Plot Device #600 — Cooler for the beach picnic left behind. Check. Have we covered everything now? But the difference here is, I think it was left behind on purpose, and Camille needs to have her ass handed to her over it. Have I mentioned how much I really don’t like her?

* Sounds like Lee makes his decision next week, and I’m scared who they may bring on as a substitute.

[PaperTree]

Way back in 1999, for my 40th birthday, I did a weeklong 20 passenger yacht trip to the Galapagos.  Awesome!  Crew was stellar. They drug us off to an island to critter watch daily at 6AM.  Back for lunch. Food was amazing (Chef Raoul) and out for a PM excursion.  Our cabins were the size of the crew bunks on Below Deck😎  Cash bar.

Fraser is such a bad manager.  I know I would be bad at it so never went there.  Easier being a grunt.

I'm sort of on team Camille because Alyssa is such a nasty (word that might get me in trouble)

[chenoa333]

On 12/5/2022 at 8:33 PM, Tanukisan said:

all this warning and planning for a truffle dinner and Rachel can’t find the truffle? 

Yes. This is all producer driven bull$hit. We know Rachel is excellent at putting out 5 star unique meals. And so far, she's had nothing but problems in the kitchen. Not buying this crap Bravo. 

[Welshman in Ca]

17 hours ago, chenoa333 said:

Yes. This is all producer driven bull$hit. We know Rachel is excellent at putting out 5 star unique meals. And so far, she's had nothing but problems in the kitchen. Not buying this crap Bravo. 

Seems like the problems arise from having to find ingredients from all over the boat rather than her cooking skills. She needs someone to help with the running around so she can concentrate on cooking.

[sugarbaker design]

On 12/11/2022 at 10:54 AM, PaperTree said:

They drug us off to an island to critter watch daily at 6AM. 

I totally misunderstood this sentence at first.  I thought you may have been pirated!