S01.E12: Crazy Rich Charter Guests

[TexasGal]

Quote

Tension grows higher as the season gets shorter on Mercury when Faye and Jess disagree on how much food should be packed for the horseback riding adventure.

Airdate: 01.24.2023

[Tanukisan]

Like an audience member trying to stay awake, these comments are in the order of the episode broadcast.

If you have some paint drying somewhere, it would be far more interesting to watch that instead of the first half of this episode.

Seth versus Nathan – really?  Love the way Nathan shut down Seth and his self-inflated nonsense.

So we have the advance drama setting things up between Chav Faye and Jess.  Another picnic?  How many picnics can there be?

Dwarf Lewis goes after Oriana by saying she has “horse energy”?  Really?  At least she can take things off tall shelves for him.

Hey Seth – Karma much?  Don’t be surprised if people don’t like you that they snap a picture of you sleeping on the job. (Thank you for the pic, Kelsie!)

So… dinner late, who’s to blame?  If the guests show up late 2 hours to dinner, does Jess have a right to be cheesed off, or is the customer always right?  Usually, in the past, when dinner is served late while the guests are waiting for it, how much slack is there for the chef?  In this particular case, it’s hard for me to have sympathy for either party – Jess is often too temperamental, but the guests don’t seem to have much consideration either.

Still, Jess has another meltdown and this one, for drama purposes or not, looks more serious than most.  Is there no one who can cook and be mentally stable?

I call shenanigans and FPN (Fake Producer Nonsense) regarding the “sudden” call from the primary guest for models for her dresses – and of course the crew is called upon to fill the bill.  And of course, Chave faye says “I have the curves for a Playboy model, not a runway model.”  Really?

What will happen next week?  Will Nathan throw Seth overboard (or vice versa)?  Will Captain Clueless drive Chef Jess from the boat?  Will Oriana and Kelsie be the very models of a modern major general?  Stay tuned for the big finale, if you can suspend disbelief…

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Tanukisan

[Baltimore Betty]

I am not liking Capt. Kerry so much, he mansplained why Jess had to buck up and finish the job and just saying things like "calm down," does not work.  I do not like Faye giving him the play by play every time Jess looked sideways at her, most of what she has said seems like she wants to instigate something rather than help the situation.

Seth, ick. 

The guests so far have been okay, I didn't get a vibe on why most of the groups decided on Norway.

I guess a good yacht chef would know not to make something like a souffle since guests tend to be very late for dinner but Jess should not have taken it personally when it did happen.

None of the picnics look good, it is always cold, damp, rainy and grey.  

I have seen those little horses in Iceland, they have a strange little gait and I want one for my backyard, lol.

 

 

[maggiemae]

It seems to me on an adventure cruise you would be doing those activities on land and expect a meal after your adventure.

Jess, the fabulous chef, should be able to deal with that, and make a fabulous lunch outdoors. 

Does she think they need to be onboard on an adventure cruise?

And what does Cap Kerry even care about this?

[rur]

I think the guest complaints after the horse excursion were producer driven. If I were coming back from an outing, I would like something to eat or drink, but I wouldn't necessarily expect a meal, if I hadn't been told I'd have one. I would think returning to a barn, after what was apparently several hours, would make it rather clear that there were no facilities to prepare and present a full hot meal. I put some blame on Faye for this and some on Jess for her refusal to provide anything, but I don't think it would have been as much of an issue if the guests hadn't been instructed to complain. 

Also, they're in Norway! Do they not sell thermoses there? While I'd never turn down a well-made Bloody Mary, I'd probably also welcome a warm drink after trotting around the cold countryside on a horse. 

[aghst]

The snacks Faye prepared were not welcomed by the guests.  Crackers and some nuts?  Oh but she had the crisps!

How long did eating those snacks and drinking the Bloody Mary's delay their return to the yacht?  30 minutes?  Maybe 60 minutes or more?

Maybe those women really took 2-3 hours to get ready.  Or maybe the producers had them wait before coming out.  They sure didn't look like they really spent 2-3 hours of getting made up and dressing up.

Now the cave picnic and then the whole photo shoot.  Doubtful the guests demanded those.  Seems like there have been picnics or some demand to take food to some outing off the boat for the last 3 or 4 charters.

I wouldn't put it past Bravo producers, once they found out making food to take off the boat really annoyed Jess and was the cause of friction with Faye, to add picnics and other outings to the preference sheets.

So in the case of the late dinner, she could have microwaved the food rather than re-heat on the skillet, tell them dinner was suppose to be at 8 PM, not 11 PM.  But that wouldn't be "5-star service."🙄

If they were really paying tens of thousands including tip for these fake TV charters, yes she should be standing by as late as it takes, though with that kind of money, they could have more than one chef to make all the food for the guests and staff.

In any event, it appears she says "take this job and shove it."  What they show on screen is friction between the cast, including Kerry.  But really the ones who are stirring up the shit are the producers.

The producers don't care if Jess walks off the boat.  That will show the crew even more stressed so there could be even more drama.

 

[nokat]

3 hours ago, Baltimore Betty said:

I am not liking Capt. Kerry so much, he mansplained why Jess had to buck up and finish the job and just saying things like "calm down," does not work.  I do not like Faye giving him the play by play every time Jess looked sideways at her, most of what she has said seems like she wants to instigate something rather than help the situation.

Seth, ick. 

The guests so far have been okay, I didn't get a vibe on why most of the groups decided on Norway.

I guess a good yacht chef would know not to make something like a souffle since guests tend to be very late for dinner but Jess should not have taken it personally when it did happen.

None of the picnics look good, it is always cold, damp, rainy and grey.  

I have seen those little horses in Iceland, they have a strange little gait and I want one for my backyard, lol.

 

 

I see I'm not the only one not liking Capt. Kerry.  You and me with the little horses.

[nokat]

I see I was wrong about the guests not wanting a meal after riding. All of the snarking about snacks.

Faye is such a twat. She is full on going at Jess.

[Baltimore Betty]

The guests had a pretty healthy looking charcuterie board and a Bloody Mary bar, it was around 6:30ish when they got back to the barn with the horses and the guests while eating kept saying something about lunch and how they were hungry, they had tons of nibbles in front of them, they were going back to the boat for dinner, WTF did they want? 

It is not like they all burned a ton of calories horseback rididng, they did not tack up the horses or anything physical, they rode on a trail led by the barn person, they rode in a van, no long walking, they had a snack before they left the boat, maybe production told them to complain about the food/lunch/snacks.

I have never understood telling the chef I wanted to have dinner at 8pm and not showing up until 10? Some of that food that was prepared for an 8pm service might not be so good at 10pm. Also, it is rude.

The guest wanting models for the shoot, not having a photographer and asking the crew to hire one (not all photographers are fashion photographers), you would think the designer would be a bit more picky about how her creations (oy, what will they look like?), are featured.  Faye is not exactly a fresh face and her staff are not exactly camera ready either if you know what I mean.

 

[rur]

53 minutes ago, Baltimore Betty said:

The guests had a pretty healthy looking charcuterie board and a Bloody Mary bar, it was around 6:30ish when they got back to the barn with the horses and the guests while eating kept saying something about lunch and how they were hungry, they had tons of nibbles in front of them, they were going back to the boat for dinner, WTF did they want? 

This is why I think the complaints were producer driven. If they were so hungry that they were complaining about not having. meal, why the heck were they two hours late when food was being served?

And, if the dresses fit the the stews, which I imagine they will, will the Norwegian alterations specialist get any credit?😉

[psychoticstate]

Maybe I missed something -- and I probably did -- but if the horseback riding began around 4:30, why the eff didn't the guests have lunch BEFORE they left?  In my part of the world, lunch is usually around noon.  4:30 is an early dinner.  

And while Faye can be annoying, I do tend to side with her over Jess on this -- and I like Jess as a chef.  There should have at least been wraps/sandwiches/salads, something that was a little more filling than snackies to tide them over -- especially since the women were more than two hours late for dinner.  That is unforgivable in my book.  Rude to absolutely everyone involved.  Your fellow dinner guests, the chef, the stews and the deck crew, who make their schedules around the time the charter guests have said they are going to have dinner.  

I understand that Jess is tired and burnt out, but you have two more days.  Suck it up.  

Seth was nice to look at when he first showed up but Nathan is right -- dickhead.  Although, unless the editing monkeys are at work, if Nathan is indeed turning on lights, opening doors, etc. while Seth is trying to sleep because he has the late shift, it is pretty effing rude.  

To be honest, just about everyone in this crew acts like children throwing tantrums.  

I was laughing over Lewis showing Seth the photo of Seth asleep in the crew mess and adding that someone sent it to him but he wasn't going to say who.  It's not like you have a crew of dozens.  Easy enough to figure out it was Kacie.  Lewis should have just shown Seth the photo and said don't sleep in the crew mess.  Enough said.  But we must have DRAMAH.  

I'm not much for jumping off cliffs or climbing up the cliffs or falling into freezing water but the horseback riding would be heaven in my book.  Norway's scenery is just gorgeous.  The caves for next week are stunning.  And it looks like they are equipped to allow for a full meal to be prepared -- although Jess will likely still have a meltdown.  

As emotional as Jess is, she does seem to turn out good food.  Have there been any complaints from anyone about the actual food?  The only thing I can remember is the hair, and that wasn't anything about the food.  

And as annoying as I found Faye to be in the beginning, she does seem very focused on giving the guests a good experience and she does try to communicate with the chef so I'll give her props for that.  

Wonder if there will be a reunion? 

[iMonrey]

My main takeaway this season will be that the "adventure" aspect of the show simply didn't work very well. It always feels obligatory and poorly planned, something that had to be tacked on just to differentiate this version of the show. Nothing will convince me this group of charter guests requested horseback riding. It seems like the show picked an activity these guests would best be able to tolerate. They sure as hell wouldn't have gone parasailing or rock climbing. One of them couldn't even handle riding the tiny little horse that wasn't much bigger than a pony. Plus, if you're chartering a luxury yacht for only 24 hours would you really want to spend 8 of them riding horses?

Jess wanted to blame Faye for how long the horse back riding excursion took, something Faye had no control over whatsoever. Clearly nobody told anyone how long this would take. This is typical of Jess. If her meals don't go exactly as planned she has to blame someone. On the last episode, Faye radioed Jess that the guests were seated for breakfast. Meanwhile in the galley, Jess was bitching that nobody was communicating with her, and when Jess came down and told her she radioed, and asked where her radio was, it was off to the side and Jess simply wasn't listening to it. Did she apologize and own up it was her fault? No. She got snotty about it and when Faye asked if she was ready to take egg orders she snapped "Do I look like I'm ready to take egg orders? Use your brain!"

Jess is just not cut out for this type of work. She's clearly a good cook, the guests enjoy her food, but she needs a more structured environment. I'm not even sure she'd do any better in a regular restaurant. She has to lash out every time something doesn't go exactly her way.

Quote

Dwarf Lewis goes after Oriana by saying she has “horse energy”? 

We're not supposed to say "dwarf" anymore. They're called little people. 😉

[aghst]

I think people are confusing two different sets of guests.

The first part of the episode, it was the guests from the previous episodes, for a 24-hour charter, who went horseback riding.  They got on the boat in the afternoon and they were the ones who said they wanted pizza before leaving the yacht.  They showed Jess making the pizza but not the guests really eating it.

Then they ate Faye's little snack spread, came back and had a meal.  That snack probably delayed them returning to the boat by an hour or so.

Yeah under Faye's plan, there could have been cold sandwiches there or something which couldn't be reheated.

Then the new guests, the Singaporeans, came on board and those were the ones who came to lunch late.  They spent time on board, drinking in the hot tub.  Then they dressed up for 8 PM dinner but the women didn't come out of the rooms until 10 PM and then they spent about an hour having pre-dinner drinks.  They didn't sit until 11 PM.  Again, I suspect the producers screwed with that schedule too.

 

 

[psychoticstate]

33 minutes ago, aghst said:

I think people are confusing two different sets of guests.

The first part of the episode, it was the guests from the previous episodes, for a 24-hour charter, who went horseback riding.  They got on the boat in the afternoon and they were the ones who said they wanted pizza before leaving the yacht.  They showed Jess making the pizza but not the guests really eating it.

Then they ate Faye's little snack spread, came back and had a meal.  That snack probably delayed them returning to the boat by an hour or so.

Yeah under Faye's plan, there could have been cold sandwiches there or something which couldn't be reheated.

Then the new guests, the Singaporeans, came on board and those were the ones who came to lunch late.  They spent time on board, drinking in the hot tub.  Then they dressed up for 8 PM dinner but the women didn't come out of the rooms until 10 PM and then they spent about an hour having pre-dinner drinks.  They didn't sit until 11 PM.  Again, I suspect the producers screwed with that schedule too.

 

 

You are right.  I completely confused the guests.  Thank you!  

[tvfanatic13]

1 hour ago, psychoticstate said:

Maybe I missed something -- and I probably did -- but if the horseback riding began around 4:30, why the eff didn't the guests have lunch BEFORE they left?  In my part of the world, lunch is usually around noon.  4:30 is an early dinner.  

And while Faye can be annoying, I do tend to side with her over Jess on this -- and I like Jess as a chef.  There should have at least been wraps/sandwiches/salads, something that was a little more filling than snackies to tide them over -- especially since the women were more than two hours late for dinner.  That is unforgivable in my book.  Rude to absolutely everyone involved.  Your fellow dinner guests, the chef, the stews and the deck crew, who make their schedules around the time the charter guests have said they are going to have dinner.  

I understand that Jess is tired and burnt out, but you have two more days.  Suck it up.  

Seth was nice to look at when he first showed up but Nathan is right -- dickhead.  Although, unless the editing monkeys are at work, if Nathan is indeed turning on lights, opening doors, etc. while Seth is trying to sleep because he has the late shift, it is pretty effing rude.  

To be honest, just about everyone in this crew acts like children throwing tantrums.  

I was laughing over Lewis showing Seth the photo of Seth asleep in the crew mess and adding that someone sent it to him but he wasn't going to say who.  It's not like you have a crew of dozens.  Easy enough to figure out it was Kacie.  Lewis should have just shown Seth the photo and said don't sleep in the crew mess.  Enough said.  But we must have DRAMAH.  

I'm not much for jumping off cliffs or climbing up the cliffs or falling into freezing water but the horseback riding would be heaven in my book.  Norway's scenery is just gorgeous.  The caves for next week are stunning.  And it looks like they are equipped to allow for a full meal to be prepared -- although Jess will likely still have a meltdown.  

As emotional as Jess is, she does seem to turn out good food.  Have there been any complaints from anyone about the actual food?  The only thing I can remember is the hair, and that wasn't anything about the food.  

And as annoying as I found Faye to be in the beginning, she does seem very focused on giving the guests a good experience and she does try to communicate with the chef so I'll give her props for that.  

Wonder if there will be a reunion? 

So is Nathan just supposed to bang into everything trying to get ready for bed in the dark? Opening the door and turning on the lights is nothing new when they are on different shifts.

[Cheezwiz]

Out of all the people on this show, I like Nathan the best. He seems to put in the most effort, is great with the guests, tries his hardest and even when he gets called on the carpet, it's not always entirely his fault. I feel like he really gets shafted by his crew mates a lot of the time.

I liked Jess in the beginning, but she is clearly not suited for the stress of this kind of work. Faye is annoying as all get-out. I don't mind Kacie, but the rest? Meh. And that includes the Captain. Glad a bit of karma caught up with big-headed Seth.

The tiny horse excursion is the only one I could picture myself participating in. Norway is stunning, and wound up being the true star of this series.

[rur]

I watched this episode again, and want to thank @aghst for pointing out the late diners were not the horseback riders. (which means that group basically took a boat to go horseback riding) But on second watch, Jess turned out to be the bigger jerk, IMO. I still think the guest complaints about the food were producer driven since Faye told them snacks at the barn then lunch on the boat, but perhaps Jess could have been convinced to make some food for the excursion, since that is her job, if someone had bothered to find out how long the horsie adventure would take.

Edited January 25, 2023 by rur

[MyMaui]

I honestly find Faye to be one of the worst chief stews.  She expects everyone around her to work for her and do what she wants to be done. I see her several times tasting the alcoholic drinks she makes.  I haven't seen any other stew on any other show do this.  When she was preparing the snacks for after the horse ride, Faye tells Mike not to each while she is shoving a cracker in her mouth.

 

I'm not even a chef but I find when they are eating while she is preparing food so annoying. If I was a chef I would throw them out.  It' doesn't matter if they are eating something that is not being served..

I thought it was weird they used that tiny barn to have snacks. Why not put them in cars and have them to eat the pizza on board.  That place they had wouldn't have been good for anything but snacks and not a lunch. That's not to say Jess doesn't cause her own drama too.  She does but I think Faye does more.

Captain Kerry - is he related to Capt Sandy?  I found how he told Jess he would talk to Faye and then it was time we see him tell Faye he would be down in the galley to keep an eye on things.  That is something Sandy from BDM would do.   The way he acted with the chef, I thought, was completely wrong.  I would have quit too and I hope she did. 

Seth and Faye deserve each other.  I hope they revamp this show next season with an entirely new crew.  New captain, new stews, new deck.

 

[aghst]

I don't know, I wouldn't be surprised if they re-cast Faye again, along with Kerry.

[MyMaui]

Ugh I hope not Faye again  along with Kerry.  That would be horrible.  I wouldn't watch.  There has only been one captain who was a one and done though on the franchise right?  

[Jobiska]

I get why people don't like Faye, and I'm not all that keen on her, but my personal tolerance for whining and nagging is a lot higher than my personal tolerance for gaslighting.  Jess literally said she wouldn't make food for Faye to take to the horse expedition, more than once, acted snotty and put-upon about it, Faye made the best of it and created a Bloody Mary bar and a charcuterie spread and all, and then when she came back she said the guests had complained (when Jess asked how it went!) and then Jess acted like Faye had never asked and she didn't know what Faye was talking about blah blah blah.  

[rur]

3 hours ago, MyMaui said:

 

Captain Kerry - is he related to Capt Sandy?  I found how he told Jess he would talk to Faye and then it was time we see him tell Faye he would be down in the galley to keep an eye on things.  That is something Sandy from BDM would do.   The way he acted with the chef, I thought, was completely wrong.  I would have quit too and I hope she did. 

Actually, Captain Lee did it once when there were issues between the chef and the chief stew.(I don't remember which season, but it was probably Kate and someone.) He sat next to the galley all during service and was very clear about why he was doing it. I will give props to Captain Kerry for helping with the washing up, but I have issues with him telling Faye things in the galley were "hectic." I don't think that word means what he thinks it means. What he said to Jess about the way she was treating some of the others was pretty accurate, though. Maybe he pays more attention than it seems. 

[sasywt ch]

1 hour ago, rur said:

Actually, Captain Lee did it once when there were issues between the chef and the chief stew.(I don't remember which season, but it was probably Kate and someone.) He sat next to the galley all during service and was very clear about why he was doing it. I will give props to Captain Kerry for helping with the washing up, but I have issues with him telling Faye things in the galley were "hectic." I don't think that word means what he thinks it means. What he said to Jess about the way she was treating some of the others was pretty accurate, though. Maybe he pays more attention than it seems. 

I can't remember the chef's name but he was the dark haired guy that kept making the same thing over and over.  His sous chef was Bruno.  Captain Lee found out Bruno was acting as a sous chef instead of deckhand.

[kayak]

This may have been covered previously, but I’ve not seen it mentioned. What the hell is with the huge white gloves the crew wear to greet the guests and upon their departure? I’m confused.

[Daisychain]

sasywt ch,  was that Leon?  The chef who kept making beef cheeks?  To this day, I've still not braised beef cheeks.  For Top Chef fans, Stephanie Izard's first restaurant in Chicago is Girl and a Goat - and they make wonderful "pig face" breakfast dish - it's like pig cheeks, tongue, sunny side up eggs, and I don't know what else.  But yeah, Leon?

 

[65mickey]

 I would agree it was Leon. Leon's food was liked by  all of the guests but he had a real attitude with Kate and Lee listened in on the way he communicated or did not communicate with Kate. Leon was the one who was responsible for the kitchen fire. 

[65mickey]

Chef Matt was on Below Deck season 5. He struggled with the menus but he got along with everyone. I think he was set up with a lot of guests who complained about everything. On one of the final charters Kate helped him develope a killer menu and finally he got praise for his food.  Bruno helped him a lot and I think Lee was wrong to stop him from helping out. It was working why "fix"it?  He didn't do anything more than Malia who on Below Deck Med. practically moved into the galley to keep her boyfriend chef  happy. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by 65mickey

[Jobiska]

13 hours ago, kayak said:

This may have been covered previously, but I’ve not seen it mentioned. What the hell is with the huge white gloves the crew wear to greet the guests and upon their departure? I’m confused.

I think they think it's classy.  I vaguely recall that on BDM at some point Bugsy wanted to wear gloves like that and Hannah said no, they looked like Mickey Mouse and...she's not wrong.

[65mickey]

I believe it was Aesha on Below Deck Med who wanted to wear white gloves while serving the food. But you are correct that Hannah shut that down. I think wearing white gloves to greet the guests is almost insulting. Sort of like no I don't want to touch your hands. Plus like you said they look like Mickey Mouse. 

[MyMaui]

On 1/25/2023 at 9:05 PM, Jobiska said:

 Jess literally said she wouldn't make food for Faye to take to the horse expedition, more than once, acted snotty and put-upon about it, Faye made the best of it and created a Bloody Mary bar and a charcuterie spread and all, and then when she came back she said the guests had complained (when Jess asked how it went!) and then Jess acted like Faye had never asked and she didn't know what Faye was talking about blah blah blah.  

Why not bring them on board for their pizza meal?  I thought they wanted pizza.  There is no way the pizza would have traveled well. It was a small space where they were. too  Just travel to the boat for food.  That's what makes me crazy with Faye.  Why make them stay there in that small space when they wanted a lunch.  That barn  was not equipped for a lunch just snacks.  Give them a drink they want, what if someone didn't want a bloody mary?

[rur]

On 1/28/2023 at 5:01 PM, MyMaui said:

Why not bring them on board for their pizza meal?  I thought they wanted pizza.  There is no way the pizza would have traveled well. It was a small space where they were. too  Just travel to the boat for food.  That's what makes me crazy with Faye.  Why make them stay there in that small space when they wanted a lunch.  That barn  was not equipped for a lunch just snacks.  Give them a drink they want, what if someone didn't want a bloody mary?

I understand wanting a little something before going back to the boat for lunch, so I can't fault Faye for that, and I'd guess that Bloody Marys are a pretty safe drink to offer, but she did say there was also cider and beer. If someone had bothered to find out how long the horse trip was going to take, things might have gone better. (Faye, looking at you.)

[aghst]

So obvious they wanted as much friction between Faye and Jess as possible.

They  tried to start something with Faye and Oriana about rank or stripes but that fizzled.

So they scheduled all these outings and got it into Faye's head that there must be food for each and every one of them, even if it means serving cold sandwiches in an uncovered bench in the middle of nowhere.

[Grrarrggh]

There is something seriously wrong with a professional chef who doesn't like to feed people.

[janiema]

19 hours ago, rur said:

I understand wanting a little something before going back to the boat for lunch, so I can't fault Faye for that, and I'd guess that Bloody Marys are a pretty safe drink to offer, but she did say there was also cider and beer. If someone had bothered to find out how long the horse trip was going to take, things might have gone better. (Faye, looking at you.)

The horse trip may have taken longer than expected since one of the guests got off her horse and insisted on walking.