S03.E07: Storm's A-Comin'

[yourmomiseasy]

I'm so sick of hearing Rocky talk about how she needs a man, not a boy, and preferably James Bond.  Because her annoying crazy ass is exactly what James Bond, let alone any together, non-crazy, mature man wants.  Good luck with that, Raquel.  

[autumnh]

I always see the crew in their dress whites or uniforms...Leon should be held to the same standard. I just think he is so unapproachable and well, unwatchable for me. Ben at least had a cheeky sense of humor and a personality.

[phoenix780]

I hated that Joe person.  What a pretentious douche.  He wanted the menus printed, really asshole?  What's he going to do with them when he gets home?  I bet he'll keep them for awhile and then throw them in the trash, unless he's a crazy hoarder and has a room for all his menus or something.  I thought I'd save my menus from the QM2 and within a few months they went right in the bin.

I thought he said his wife liked to have them, in which case I think he's kind of sweet (or at least smart) for making sure they were made, although I agree that in general he was a douche.  

[Neurochick]

I thought he said his wife liked to have them, in which case I think he's kind of sweet (or at least smart) for making sure they were made, although I agree that in general he was a douche.  

 

I bet his wife doesn't save them forever, unless she's a hoarder.  I mean you save them and then what?  You take them out, look at them and think, "oh, I remember that wine we had with that food."  That charter was creepy.  Kate was right, you couldn't tell who was married to whom.  What were they, a brother and sister, their SO's and the sister's daughter?  At first I thought it was a Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice situation.

[wovenloaf]

I hated that Joe person.  What a pretentious douche.  He wanted the menus printed, really asshole?  What's he going to do with them when he gets home?  I bet he'll keep them for awhile and then throw them in the trash, unless he's a crazy hoarder and has a room for all his menus or something.    I thought I'd save my menus from the QM2 and within a few months they went right in the bin.

 

Hahaha, well his wife might have a pantry full, because "she really loves tasting menus." I'm going to imagine that means she enjoys quietly sitting at a table sampling exotic varieties of card stock, because Joe-wife eating a small plate of frog legs paid for by Bravo on a boat paid for by Bravo while simultaneously sneering about the lack of wine paid for by Bravo isn't actually interesting at this point! 

[Mars7]

Leon is being a jerk but... I'm calling Kate a hypocrite regarding the chef's jacket. Ben rarely wore a chef's jacket. And I distinctly recall him talking to guests before, during and after meals in a polo shirt. Kate never said anything about it to Ben. She needs to pick her battles. Lol. Now that I'm watching previews, Ben has a chef's coat on in one upcoming scene. Must be a new rule. Leon is a pain in the ass but I'm not giving Kate a pass for her snotty attitude.

I'm wary of Kate after her WWHL appearance and over the top Rocky bashing/hate. Girl is annoying but Kate isn't a saint. The way Kate spoke of her team member on live TV was beyond unprofessional.

 

Exactly!  Leon was wearing an Eros polo shirt when he spoke to the guests and leaving the area.  Not defending Leon, but judging by his negative attitude, I think he lost control because of Kate.  Sad to say, this Kate character got under his skin.  From the first episode, it looks as though ol' Leon really doesn't give a shit anymore. That Kate is an instigator and has a low self-esteem judging by her antics with past and present crew members.  Her attacks with Amy was a good example since she is a down-to-earth, good person.  

 

These crew members are not in the right to complain about the chartered guests.  Granted, it is human nature to bitch and moan, but these guests are paying a lot of money for their chartered trip.  They sure as hell enjoy getting that tip at the end of the charter.  I could see if the guests were verbally abusing the crew then they'd have a right to complain.  If these people want frog legs and rabbit, you get it. If they want goat's balls, you get them for the guests.  

Edited October 7, 2015 by Mars7

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

'I'm Happy No One Died'
The Below Deck-ers battle squalls and each other as figurative storm clouds loom on their horizon.

[Liberty]

Always interesting to hear the crew berate the passengers who are paying their salary.  It must be a herd instinct or something.

 

Was it Amy who played with the frog legs, which were her guests dinner?  Yeah, bet she does not want to eat food that the server, who also cleans rooms, has played with.  

[Mars7]

The frogs legs would have been washed anyways.  No harm, no foul in playing with the frog legs.  Everybody did the same in high school biology class.   

Edited October 7, 2015 by Mars7

[wovenloaf]

Formaldehyde-ridden biology class frogs are not for consumption... so that's a completely different scenario than the cleaning lady waltzing in the kitchen and putting her hands all over the food people are about to eat. I was surprised Leon didn't say anything about it. She better have washed her hands before doing that, else I find that pretty gross!

[HumblePi]

The frogs legs would have been washed anyways.  No harm, no foul in playing with the frog legs.  Everybody did the same in high school biology class.   

But did the biology class have to eat what they dissected? I found it a little unsanitary also not to mention the frog smeggie left on the counter top.

 

Leon did not plan accordingly when he got the list of the requests for the guests. He knew they wanted a sampler dinner matched with appropriate wines. What's so difficult about that? Leon should have planned ahead right then when he read that they're foodies and ordered his meat, seafood and foie gras ahead of the departure. Poor planning on his part, Kate was right about that. Like the old saying 'we don't plan to fail, we fail to plan' and he did. I read over the menu a couple of times and all I can say is that it would not be to my taste. 'truffled cauliflower soup', even I could make that and it wouldn't be for a special occasion either. None of the sampler plates looked like anything to rave about.

 

I still like Amy and Kate, both are very professional and don't engage in the silly high-jinx that Connie and Rocky have been up to. The new guy drinking up the ships stash of Royal Crown was like watching a frat brother tie one on alone. He seems like a nice enough person, but he's just very immature.

Edited October 7, 2015 by HumblePi

[Mars7]

Formaldehyde-ridden biology class frogs are not for consumption... so that's a completely different scenario than the cleaning lady waltzing in the kitchen and putting her hands all over the food people are about to eat. I was surprised Leon didn't say anything about it. She better have washed her hands before doing that, else I find that pretty gross!

They eat frog legs raw?  Really?  She was just trying to be funny.  How many frog legs have you eaten?  How many times have you actually touched frog legs in your lifetime?  Exactly, in high school biology class. 

[wovenloaf]

They eat frog legs raw?  Really?  She was just trying to be funny.  How many frog legs have you eaten?  How many times have you actually touched frog legs in your lifetime?  Exactly, in high school biology class. 

Wow. There was no offense meant to be taken by my comment. I simply have a different opinion about it. Just because meat I order in a restaurant is cooked doesn't mean I want the prep cook not bothering to wash his hands after he's done mopping the floor. Maybe she washed her hands first, great. It's an observation about a reality show, no big deal. 

[Mars7]

Wow. There was no offense meant to be taken by my comment. I simply have a different opinion about it. Just because meat I order in a restaurant is cooked doesn't mean I want the prep cook not bothering to wash his hands after he's done mopping the floor. Maybe she washed her hands first, great. It's an observation about a reality show, no big deal. 

Thanks for catching it. Amy had been working in the kitchen in preparing, I think, for salads or something to that effect.  She probably had washed her hands prior to playing with the frog legs.  I think my comment was aimed towards the other poster whom posted after you.  Sorry.  

I defend Amy because she appears to be the only sound person for that entire reality show.       

[forum4idiots]

the connecticut joke between eddie and kate went over my head.  anyone care to explain?

[yourmomiseasy]

Exactly!  Leon was wearing an Eros polo shirt when he spoke to the guests and leaving the area. 

 

I didn't DVR the episode, so I can't go back and check, but I'm pretty sure he was wearing a t-shirt, not a polo shirt.  When he was arguing with Kate after talking to the guests it looked like he was wearing a t-shirt to me.  I actually looked to see if he was at least wearing a polo due to her saying something about a t-shirt.

 

the connecticut joke between eddie and kate went over my head.  anyone care to explain?

 

I think they were just making fun of WASPy stereotypes.  

[ava111]

And Kate, go away and inject your face with more botox, soon she'll look her real age (probably 41, at least). What a sour faced witch she is. Why did Amy ask her if she was okay when Leon told her off? What, Kate's scared of Leon now, because he's so..."big" OMG, Is Kate going to play "Little Eva" victim now? Kate didn't care if Amy was okay last season. I had to agree with Rocky on that one.

I think Kate screwed up by mentioning she worked on 17 different yachts. I doubt she would be 31 unless she started in high school LOL

OTT: do you post on TSTO forum? I noticed you by the same avatar ;) Just go pirate Kang in my primary, hundred away in secondary town.

Edited October 8, 2015 by ava111

[RemoteControlFreak]

Since the guest supplied his own wine, I thought perhaps he was in the business and preferred to drink his own stock, but a search for Mark Froehlich from CT didn't turn up anything. 

It's spelled Froelick.

 

Here's his Facebook page with ample promotion of his appearance on Below Deck:  https://www.facebook.com/mark.froelick/

 

He's not in the wine business. He's the president of Congress Tools, a company founded, apparently, by his mother.  Traci also runs the business (per the preference sheet shown on Below Deck). He lives in a nice condo on the course at TPC River Highlands, site of the Travelers Championship for all of you PGA fans. In 2010 Traci went on a yacht in Singapore.  No evidence that it sank.

 

More info in these links:

 

http://connvoters.com/by_number/0030/07397_mark_froelick.html

 

http://www.tigermarinecharter.com/testimonial/traci-froelick/

 

http://patch.com/connecticut/naugatuck/obituary-constance-m-stauffer-froelick-dies-at-age-74

 

https://www.congresstools.com/

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/mark-froelick/82/ba5/783

 

No evidence that he's in the wine business.

Edited October 8, 2015 by RemoteControlFreak

[Mars7]

I didn't DVR the episode, so I can't go back and check, but I'm pretty sure he was wearing a t-shirt, not a polo shirt.  When he was arguing with Kate after talking to the guests it looked like he was wearing a t-shirt to me.  I actually looked to see if he was at least wearing a polo due to her saying something about a t-shirt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nope, polo shirt at 28:42 when he spoke to the guests.  The scene in which Leon and Kate were arguing is when he had his Eros t-shirt on.    

[ryebread]

Another vote for Leon should've been wearing his chef jacket.

 

A chef in a 5 star restaurant would never visit a table without his or hers, so why does Leon think he's above the dress code and also the traditions of a yacht crew?  See how they all wear their formal whites when the guests arrive and then immediately change into their khakis and polos for day service?  Then at night they all wear formal dress for dinner.  All of them in black - not polos or t shirts - the girls in dresses or skirts.  Even the deck hands wear formal shirts with epaulets for dinner service. 

 

Except Leon.  Fricking Leon in his Eros polo shirt and khaki shorts.  Putz.  I'm not sure he's ever worked on a boat before.  Even the chef on a Carnival cruise wears a coat for dinner.  Especially to visit the dining room.

 

I know this probably doesn't seem like a big deal, but it's tradition.  It's code. There are probably some charter yacht owners who have a more relaxed view of how their crews can dress but I'll bet Lee noticed Leon wasn't wearing a coat and took note.

[Belowdeckchatter]

The problem is control.

 

Kate wants to be the Queen Admiral of the charter.

 

It wasn't her job to punish Rocky for playing on the radar and it wasn't her job to tell Leon what to wear. Those are the jobs of the captain.

 

Leon is the head of the galley and I think it is his department to run. If there are problems between the stews and the galley, it would be nice if Leon were mature enough to listen to other opinions. He is not a team player which is another problem.

[Mars7]

 

 

Another vote for Leon should've been wearing his chef jacket.

A chef in a 5 star restaurant would never visit a table without his or hers, so why does Leon think he's above the dress code and also the traditions of a yacht crew?  See how they all wear their formal whites when the guests arrive and then immediately change into their khakis and polos for day service?  Then at night they all wear formal dress for dinner.  All of them in black - not polos or t shirts - the girls in dresses or skirts.  Even the deck hands wear formal shirts with epaulets for dinner service.

 

 

 

And who's fault is it?  I certainly wouldn't blame Eddie or Kate.  I wear polo shirts all the time but not for formal dinners.  Perhaps the management with EROS should have a mandatory dress code for their employees, crew and chefs.  Apparently,  the charter for Episode 7 was a success per comments provided to the yacht's owner(s).   What I've noticed for this show's private yacht charter is that the food served is the most important area for the guests. .   

Edited October 8, 2015 by Mars7

[Mars7]

The problem is control.

 

Kate wants to be the Queen Admiral of the charter.

 

It wasn't her job to punish Rocky for playing on the radar and it wasn't her job to tell Leon what to wear. Those are the jobs of the captain.

 

Leon is the head of the galley and I think it is his department to run. If there are problems between the stews and the galley, it would be nice if Leon were mature enough to listen to other opinions. He is not a team player which is another problem.

Bingo!  

 

Hard to say if Leon is a team player or not since he obviously has been under duress because of Kate.  The true test would be to put Amy in Kate's place and determine if Leon is the problem or Kate's the problem. 

[biakbiak]

I hated that Joe person. What a pretentious douche. He wanted the menus printed, really asshole? What's he going to do with them when he gets home? I bet he'll keep them for awhile and then throw them in the trash, unless he's a crazy hoarder and has a room for all his menus or something. I thought I'd save my menus from the QM2 and within a few months they went right in the bin.

I thought he said his wife liked to have them, in which case I think he's kind of sweet (or at least smart) for making sure they were made, although I agree that in general he was a douche.

He said his sister, the co head charter guest, liked them and it was a multicourse tasting menu I doubt anyone planned on keeping them it's just nice to know when your on course number 2 what number 5 will be. Edited October 8, 2015 by biakbiak

[AttackTurtle]

If Rocky screws up, then it's going to be on Kate so I disagree that it wasn't Kate's responsibility to discipline Rocky for climbing up on the radar.

Kate is by no means perfect, but Leon was not nice to her from day one. Reading Rocky's blog, she clearly came in with a preconceived notion of Kate from what she viewed last year on t.v.. I don't think it's far fetched to think Leon did as well. Kate and Amy seemed to work their issues out and in all honesty, what has she really done that was supposedly so terrible to Rocky? She told her to do her job and stuck to her to make sure she did it. She then praised Rocky when she started improving.

Kate & Leon have both been wrong, but he seems to really hate her; whereas at the end of the day I think she could brush it off. I don't see any chance of those two working things out, because he fails to understand the importance of them being able to communicate & he also seems to think that when push comes to shove, that she would be canned before him. That is faulty thinking on his part. I was especially irritated that he he mocked her for looking at Captain Lee when he was going off on her, when it was Leon who went behind her back last week to Captain Lee to bitch about Kate.

Personally I think they all owe their tips to Amy because that girl seems to work her butt off and the guests always seem to hug her goodbye, but b/t Leon & Kate, I side with Kate.

[breezy424]

I thought he said his wife liked to have them, in which case I think he's kind of sweet (or at least smart) for making sure they were made, although I agree that in general he was a douche.  

 

Yes she did and if that's what he wanted and if you're paying over 20 grand a day, that's what you do.  And I agree with you, biabiak, that it's nice to know what you're going to be eating.  And if someone likes to keep the menus, so what?  People collect all sorts of things from vacations and places they've been.  My husband has an album of match books.  And no, he never smoked.  I collect spoons.  Some people scrapbook.  So, if that's what she likes to do, who is anyone to criticize.... Just sayin.

[RedHawk]

Many "foodies" collect the menus from restaurants they visit. High-end places where the menu is set and printed daily, with the date and often the guests' names at the top.

[biakbiak]

In this case the menu was just literally a listing of the course quickly typed up so I doubt they saved it. I actually have a few menus from meals at Chez Panisse framed in my kitchen though that's because they are pretty woodcuts.

[ryebread]

Perhaps the management with EROS should have a mandatory dress code for their employees, crew and chefs.  

 

Clearly, they already do.  The management/owners are the ones who provide the dress whites for arrivals/departures.  The identical navy polos and khaki daytime uniforms.  The identical black dresses/skirts for dinner service.  The identical black button downs with epaulets for the captain and other crew during dinner service.  All these identical uniforms are provided for uniformity (Ha!) and because it's tradition and dress code in the charter yacht industry.

 

But there apparently IS no uniform for Chef Leon!  He gets to wear his daytime work clothes even during dinner service!  The owners must either love him or not know or care that Leon is a slub.  Imo, they don't know.  Yet. 

 

But I think they find out and Leon gets his plane ticket in the near future.  He slipped under the radar to help the team earn their shore leave but his assholishness was bound to catch up with him sooner or later.

Personally I think they all owe their tips to Amy because that girl seems to work her butt off and the guests always seem to hug her goodbye, but b/t Leon & Kate, I side with Kate.

 

Captain Lee makes it quite known in his blog that he loooooves Amy.

[AttackTurtle]

Clearly, they already do.  The management/owners are the ones who provide the dress whites for arrivals/departures.  The identical navy polos and khaki daytime uniforms.  The identical black dresses/skirts for dinner service.  The identical black button downs with epaulets for the captain and other crew during dinner service.  All these identical uniforms are provided for uniformity (Ha!) and because it's tradition and dress code in the charter yacht industry.

 

But there apparently IS no uniform for Chef Leon!  He gets to wear his daytime work clothes even during dinner service!  The owners must either love him or not know or care that Leon is a slub.  Imo, they don't know.  Yet. 

 

But I think they find out and Leon gets his plane ticket in the near future.  He slipped under the radar to help the team earn their shore leave but his assholishness was bound to catch up with him sooner or later.

 

Captain Lee makes it quite known in his blog that he loooooves Amy.

Amy doesn't bring a lot of drama, but I liked her last season & I like her this season. I would love to see her be the one to meet someone that really makes her happy. I don't miss Kat at all, but would welcome Ben back. He can be testy, but not like Leon. I'm hoping that Leon just really misses his family and that he's not always so abrasive.

[Tunia]

I actually have a few menus from meals at Chez Panisse framed in my kitchen though that's because they are pretty woodcuts.

Mmmmmmm - I just read through their menu and restaurant description, and I'm salivating.  Now I soooooooo want to go there!  Thanks!

[candall]

Well, that was really not very interesting--watching everyone bitch at everyone else.

 

I believe the producers create 75% of the stories on this show.   I re-watched the meeting going over the preference sheet.  Yes, they indicated they loved fine dining and wanted a tasting menu--to which Leon THs "This time I want to make sure I know what the guests really want. . . I need to see the guests."  Sounds good.

 

So are we to believe Leon met with the primary immediately upon boarding, discussed the various dishes and then just blew off ordering the food until the mood hit him, oh. . . sometime the next day. . . from the "deep anchor" spot in the middle of the Caribbean?

 

I'm a big Captain Lee fan, but I think it's weird for him to blog about Leon "missing the hint" about the importance of luxe food.  My impression was that Leon was looking forward to showing off his best stuff.  Did the Captain say, "They're getting here early, at 11:00, so everyone drop what you're doing and spend the next three hours scouring the home port to gather up all the fresh conch and grouper and sea urchin and skate wing we can get our hands on"? 

 

He did not.  Because apparently the items on the preference sheet have been ordered well in advance (so that "first look" business is bullshit.)  And extra supplies can be obtained if the chef consults with the guests and wants to make special arrangements, a la Tequila 1942.

 

Something happened with the timing that we're not being shown, besides Leon dozing off at the wheel.

 

All that being said, there's no argument to be made on Leon's behalf for going upstairs as The Casual Chef.  Ye gods, man!  The whole crew gets their "whites" washed and ironed for the sake of a classic shipshape presentation during the initial meet 'n greet and that only lasts ten minutes!  Of course you go full regalia!

(And of course Kate steps up to discuss this lapse after the deed is done.)

 

********************

I thought "No drinking onboard during a charter" was the first rule of Below Deck.  Why is everyone watching Dane swig away?

 

[biakbiak]

They weren't on charter when Dane got drunk.

[Irritable]

I remember Ben as usually wearing a black chef's jacket during charters, sometimes wearing white when he came out where the guests would see him.  He did his talking head interviews and downtime in a polo shirt.  When I googled him, there are lots of photos of Ben in a chef's jacket, so I don't think it's a new rule.  Also, this was the fancy dinner night, not a barbeque lunch.  When the chef comes out to greet the high paying clients after The Big Special Tasting Meal, he shouldn't be wearing the same clothes as the deck hands.  But hey, he "didn't feel like" wearing appropriate attire, and the man should never be expected to do things he doesn't feel like doing!

 

His argument with Kate went way too far, and the way he would constantly talk over her, speak condescendingly, wink at her in such a smug bastard way, issuing a vague threat - it all came across like bullying to me, even though I am loathe to use that overused term.  And to continue berating her afterward in the kitchen, to make sure she was very, very clear on the fact that he doesn't like her at all, in front of the staff...wow.  He's supposed to be a grown up?  I appreciate that Kate is able to take that kind of thing in stride, because I cannot, and I would have been pretty shaken up after all that.  I wish I had her ability to just shrug off people like Leon, whose words ultimately don't matter.

 

I thought that Eddie had basically told his girlfriend at the end of the last episode that they were done, but of course he would still be upset, and you know what they say, the fastest way to get over someone is to get under someone else.  Considering the options, I am telling myself that he likes and respects Amy too much to just use her as a booty call, he's Connie's supervisor, he and Kate don't have an attraction to each other...that leaves Rocky, who has made it clear she's DTF, and who likes to expose her beef cheeks a lot.  I'm going to extend him this one misstep, if in fact he really did start texting Rocky flirtatiously out of nowhere as the editors would have us believe, because he's not thinking straight right now, and his choices are limited.

 

I would never dive into the ocean with my tits covered in peanut butter because I would be afraid it would attract fish to come nibble my nipples.  No thank you!

 

I loved the discussion that showed the clear difference between the kind of woman Amy is vs. Rocky.  When Rocky said she wanted a man to come sweep her off her feet and spoil her (which goes along with the whole "I deserve to be treated like a special-snowflake princess" mentality), and Amy said she wants to give love and be loved in return...in a nutshell you could see which one is the higher quality person.

 

Dane sitting there getting shitfaced and heckling people as they walked by was so freaking weird and icky.  But at least his hair looked clean, for the first time that I can think of since he showed up.

 

The coffee drinks Amy brought to the guests while they were in the hot tub looked divine.  Sometimes I think all I really need in life to be happy is for someone to just bring me fancy drinks when I ask for them.  If I ever become disgustingly rich, I will probably hire myself a professional drink maker.  Not a bartender - I don't really drink alcohol aside from the rare glass of wine - but someone to whip me up smoothies, cappuccinos, ice cream floats, Italian sodas, etc..  I could just ring a bell when I want more ... that's what this week's obnoxiously snobby charter guest taught me about how the wealthy and demanding like to order more things!

Edited October 8, 2015 by Irritable

[yourmomiseasy]

The problem is control.

 

Kate wants to be the Queen Admiral of the charter.

 

It wasn't her job to punish Rocky for playing on the radar and it wasn't her job to tell Leon what to wear. Those are the jobs of the captain.

 

Leon is the head of the galley and I think it is his department to run. If there are problems between the stews and the galley, it would be nice if Leon were mature enough to listen to other opinions. He is not a team player which is another problem.

 

As Rocky's direct supervisor it actually is Kate's job to reprimand and correct her when she is doing something as ridiculous as dancing on the radar.  

[Mars7]

Clearly, they already do.  The management/owners are the ones who provide the dress whites for arrivals/departures.  The identical navy polos and khaki daytime uniforms.  The identical black dresses/skirts for dinner service.  The identical black button downs with epaulets for the captain and other crew during dinner service.  All these identical uniforms are provided for uniformity (Ha!) and because it's tradition and dress code in the charter yacht industry.

 

But there apparently IS no uniform for Chef Leon!  He gets to wear his daytime work clothes even during dinner service!  The owners must either love him or not know or care that Leon is a slub.  Imo, they don't know.  Yet. 

 

But I think they find out and Leon gets his plane ticket in the near future.  He slipped under the radar to help the team earn their shore leave but his assholishness was bound to catch up with him sooner or later.

 

Captain Lee makes it quite known in his blog that he loooooves Amy.

And clearly some really don't follow those dress codes.  As Belowdeckchatter said, the Captain should be telling him to dress professionally.  The responsibility falls on the Captain. 

[leighroda]

I mean, I worked at California pizza kitchen, and if the head chef ever had to go to a table he was wearing a white coat... So I feel like it's fairly common knowledge that Leon should have put it on. I also think it's incredibly tacky that he made a point of telling the guests he was going to bed... I felt like that was code for "no sliders or brownies tonight" when you are providing that level of service you give the guest the illusion that you don't sleep, you just float around to cater their every whim.

[Diane Mars]

The dress code on a yacht is the same than in the army... So, yes, you put your "show" clothes on when the protocol needs it. No interpretation here.

 

Regarding Leon, one again, as a Chef and a restaurateur's wife, he would have been fired after the 2nd charter !

 

And I still think that he's a one trick pony... And that's the reason why he can't stand Kate... He knows that she knows it.

[Rebecca]

I can't wait for Leon to goooo. As Sarah said in the recap, 'kick rocks, bento box' - he sucks.

I'm withholding my judgement of one, Eddie the bosun, until at least next week when we get more info. Rocky? Hell no! Say it ain't so, Eddie!

Amy lost me there with the frog legs and I thought it was gross for multiple reasons but she's mostly non offensive so whatever.

I'd rather have Dane than Don but I want Dave more than either so hopefully Dane gets fired and Eddie and Lee end up convincing comparatively completely competent Dave to return? We did see him in the preview, right?

I always liked Ben too. Yes, he's crazy too but more entertaining to me, less repugnant and I find his food way more interesting to observe.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Rebecca

[pasdetrois]

 

From the first episode, it looks as though ol' Leon really doesn't give a shit anymore.

Agreed. I think he expected his Eros/Bravo experience to be one thing, and when it became clear he would be producer- and Kate-manipulated, and that he would be thrown to the editing wolves, he became angry and started acting out. On this last episode it was as if he was daring production to get rid of him. I think he deliberately failed to place the food order in a timely way, or production hampered his efforts to do it on time.

 

Also, I think that normally the captain would have intervened in many of these incidents, such as Dane drinking or leaving anchor watch, or the Kate-Leon fights, but Captain Lee understands this is a scripted drama-intensive show, not an ordinary charter. The captain is dutifully earning his reality TV paycheck.

 

Connie's bizarre food-smeared breasts are just annoying.

 

Dane is clearly a wannabe, not a true deck hand, with production pushing him into a variety of scenarios, hoping for reality TV gold. I could almost see production standing nearby during anchor watch, saying to Dane: "Leave the wheel house, even though you're not supposed to, and wander down to the galley, ask pointless questions, then return to the wheel house. Someone will probably yell at you and tell you to go back to your post."

[BogoGog24]

I've gotten the sense production is kind of messing with Dane too- like when he almost went in the hot tub with the last guests. I think he isn't sure what to do, if he's supposed to do what production says or do his real job. We don't see people like Amy, Kate, or usually Eddie or Connie get roped into that kind of thing, he probably has the option to just buckle down and do his job if he wants. But I don't think Dane is all that intelligent, so I could see where his confusion comes from.

[ryebread]

And clearly some really don't follow those dress codes.  As Belowdeckchatter said, the Captain should be telling him to dress professionally.  The responsibility falls on the Captain. 

 

The responsibility should fall on Leon.  Because he's 'supposedly' worked on charter yachts before and that's just the way it is.  I didn't hear Kate tell Leon to put on his coat.  She seemed taken aback, as she should be, that he wasn't wearing it to the table and said so to Amy.  But no one should have to remind grown-ass Leon how to dress for din-din. 

 

When the chef comes out to greet the high paying clients after The Big Special Tasting Meal, he shouldn't be wearing the same clothes as the deck hands.  But hey, he "didn't feel like" wearing appropriate attire, and the man should never be expected to do things he doesn't feel like doing!

 

If ONLY he'd been in the same clothes as the deck hands. Black, short sleeved dress shirts w/ epaulets and black shorts.  Would've been an improvement.  He came in to that formal tasting looking like he'd just played volleyball.  And the Captain was irked about that, as he mentioned it in his blog.

[Neurochick]

The dress code on a yacht is the same than in the army... So, yes, you put your "show" clothes on when the protocol needs it. No interpretation here.

 

Regarding Leon, one again, as a Chef and a restaurateur's wife, he would have been fired after the 2nd charter !

 

And I still think that he's a one trick pony... And that's the reason why he can't stand Kate... He knows that she knows it.

 

Maybe he can't stand Kate because she's a nasty witch with a frozen botoxed RBF.  

[Mars7]

The responsibility should fall on Leon.  Because he's 'supposedly' worked on charter yachts before and that's just the way it is.  I didn't hear Kate tell Leon to put on his coat.  She seemed taken aback, as she should be, that he wasn't wearing it to the table and said so to Amy.  But no one should have to remind grown-ass Leon how to dress for din-din. 

 

 

If ONLY he'd been in the same clothes as the deck hands. Black, short sleeved dress shirts w/ epaulets and black shorts.  Would've been an improvement.  He came in to that formal tasting looking like he'd just played volleyball.  And the Captain was irked about that, as he mentioned it in his blog.

But it's the responsibility of the Captain to tell him to correct the problem.  The Captain let it go because the guests loved their meal.  Still falls on the Captain especially if he was irked by Leon's attire. .  

Edited October 8, 2015 by Mars7

[ryebread]

His argument with Kate went way too far, and the way he would constantly talk over her, speak condescendingly, wink at her in such a smug bastard way, issuing a vague threat - it all came across like bullying to me, even though I am loathe to use that overused term.  And to continue berating her afterward in the kitchen, to make sure she was very, very clear on the fact that he doesn't like her at all, in front of the staff...wow. 

 

This is why I don't think it's just Kate that brings out the worst in Leon.  His behavior is not something that was borne from cabin fever and a couple weeks of dealing with a woman with an attitude and a resting bitch face.  The way he spoke, his mannerisms, his facial expressions have been cultivated over years. 

 

He reminds me of someone with 'roid rage.

 

I'll bet he'd be a blast to work for at his restaurant.  IF his restaurant was still open.  Apparently, "Wink ll" has been permanently closed.  (But if you follow the link for Wink ll that is posted on his resumes, it leads to a website for male strippers. WTH?)

[wovenloaf]

Apparently, "Wink ll" has been permanently closed.  (But if you follow the link for Wink ll that is posted on his resumes, it leads to a website for male strippers. WTH?)

Hahaha, classic. Where did you find his resume? I'd like to see it!

[ryebread]

But it's the responsibility of the Captain to tell him to correct the problem.  The Captain let it go because the guests loved their meal.  Still falls on the Captain especially if he was irked by Leon's attire. .  

 

I agree with that - that it is the Captain's responsibility in the end if Leon can't figure it out for himself or just decided he didn't care.  Lee did address it in his blog:

 

What was the reason you didn’t wear a chef’s coat when you came out to address the guests? You told Kate you didn’t feel like it, and it depends on how you feel, right? But that is not how charter work goes. You don’t want to make midnight snacks for the guests, you make muffins out of a mix, and give everyone a hard time all while espousing how you don’t care. That certainly is a newsflash to me.

 

Bolding mine.  I took that to mean that the Captain wasn't aware of how bad Leon's attitude was.  When they were on the bridge before the guests arrived, and Lee said this charter was all about the food, Leon was all, I got this!  Let's have fun with the food!  I think Lee was still confident in Leon's skills at that time.

 

And I have to add, if the foodies loved those muffins from a box, I have to wonder how discerning their tastes really are.

 

Kate's hair.  I think should also be subject to the dress code.  Always looks like a rat's nest.  Somewhere on that big boat is a brush.

[ryebread]

Hahaha, classic. Where did you find his resume? I'd like to see it!

 

There are a couple articles about him and his restaurant - when it was open.  The restaurant's Face Book page and twitter have all been locked but here's a link that lists his background.  Read the Web References. He sounds impressive on paper.  Wonder where he's employed now?  And why did the males strippers take over his restaurant's exact web domain?  And they're aussies, too.

 

http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Leon-Walker/13948643

[kassa]

I don't like Leon much, but I can't really see why it was so wretchedly horrible to everyone that he didn't just happen to have rabbit meat and frog legs lying around when no one asked for it.

 

Did they request those things, or are those just the “impressive” things Leon happens to have recipes for and he was paralyzed until he had them in hand?  I think Kate’s point was that if he had provisioned in anything but fucking beef cheeks, he could have improvised with all sorts of things.  Pork loin meant for sandwiches at lunch the next day, or veggies meant for the next day’s chopped salad could have been repurposed for an early course in the tasting menu, and a CHEF would have done that on the fly. It’s almost the whole premise of most cooking competition shows – here are the ingredients on hand, now GO!  

 

Seems to me like Leon came on board with a list of favorite recipes, and from all appearances they’re winners... but he’s either the world’s laziest chef, or a cook in chef’s clothing when it comes to improvisation.

Just because meat I order in a restaurant is cooked doesn't mean I want the prep cook not bothering to wash his hands after he's done mopping the floor.

 

 

She also handled their drinking glasses, napkins and their plates as she set them down before them, and that’s a lot more direct contact than raw food which will be cooked.  (Frankly, I’m astonished by the amount of touching of COOKED food that goes on in restaurant shows – testing for doneness, etc.  Bare finger on cooked food.  “Yup, medium rare – send it out!”)

[Mars7]

I agree with that - that it is the Captain's responsibility in the end if Leon can't figure it out for himself or just decided he didn't care.  Lee did address it in his blog:

 

 

Bolding mine.  I took that to mean that the Captain wasn't aware of how bad Leon's attitude was.  When they were on the bridge before the guests arrived, and Lee said this charter was all about the food, Leon was all, I got this!  Let's have fun with the food!  I think Lee was still confident in Leon's skills at that time.

 

And I have to add, if the foodies loved those muffins from a box, I have to wonder how discerning their tastes really are.

 

Kate's hair.  I think should also be subject to the dress code.  Always looks like a rat's nest.  Somewhere on that big boat is a brush.

I don't care how good of a chef he may be but if he has a bad attitude for whatever reason, he should be terminated.   I suppose the feedback from the guests have a lot to do with him still being EROS' chef.  

 

Kate: Another one you probably wouldn't be able to say anything too in order to correct the problem.

 

If I had a company dealing in customer service -- I would hire Amy in a heartbeat.  The rest (including the Captain), I would employ them on fishing boats for the reality show "Deadliest Catch."  

Edited October 8, 2015 by Mars7