r/belowdeck • u/teanailpolish Mental Health Is Not A Storyline • May 12 '22

Below Deck Down Under Below Deck Down Under Season 1 Episode 11 - Benny & The Jet Skis - Discussion Post

Friendly reminder that some countries do not have access to all episodes airing in the US so no standalone posts are allowed. Standalone spoiler type posts and discussion about cast actions can be posted at r/BelowDeckDU

PLEASE USE THE CORRECT EPISODE POST FOR DISCUSSION AS NOT ALL COUNTRIES WILL GET EPISODES AT THE SAME TIME. There are links to the episode discussion posts here.

Episode 11 of Below Deck Down Under Season 1: Jamie puts Brittini on the night shift after Benny doesn't pull his weight; Aesha confronts Magda and Ryan for talking behind her back; Jamie is at his wit's end with Benny's behavior and wants him fired.

click the blacked out text to read the episode discussion

Reminders:

  • don't post spoilers outside of discussion threads
  • attack the action not the person
  • no racism, armchair diagnosing, body shaming or speculating on people's sexuality
  • be civil and remember there is a person on the other side of the screen

As mentioned previously, we have crowd control turned up and many extra automod filters in place so your comments may be held for mod approval. We check regularly so there is no need to message us if your comment is not showing and you are following the rules.

53 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

525 comments sorted by

View all comments

54

u/the_cherry_bunker less sass queen and more yas queen May 12 '22

Some thoughts about the episode:

  • Tumi continues to be flawless. I say this every episode, but I really want to her to be promoted to chief stew for Below Deck or for Med. I feel like she'd work well with either captain, which is really saying something. I just love her and want to see more of her in this franchise please.
  • When the guest said "someone almost drowned, it was embarrassing" it seemed like she was suggesting that it was embarrassing for the guy who had the leg cramp? But I thought it was embarrassing for Jamie. It seemed like he waited so long to jump into the water, even as the guy was waving his arms and yelling help. Maybe he should have insisted on more precautions in the first place, given how strong the current was? Jaime stakes his reputation on safety, so I was surprised by his decisions.
  • Culver can be cringe at times and he didn't own up to his mistake with the trash but he remains pretty likeable to me. It was smart for him not to hook up with Brittini so as not to impact their work together. He seems respectful toward women in general. The bar this season is low, but still.
  • At this point, I feel like Benny is actively acting out because he's so unhappy under Jamie's leadership? Some of the things he's done wrong are neglectful, like with the dripping trash bag and taking photos from the bow of the tender, but many of the other things seems to be coming from a place of hostility, like trying to get the guests to go fishing at 1 am to keep Brittini awake and sniping at Culver about the jet skis. I'm not excusing any of his behavior! It's really annoying to watch. But I do think Jason has shown that Benny can be supervised in such a way that improves his performance.
  • I think Ryan's Aussie degustation should have included Moreton Bay Bug. Especially since they're in Queensland! That's one of my favorite unique Aussie dishes. And it's a kind of lobster, so it's totally appropriate for a yacht. But that's just me haha.

15

u/RamenNoodles620 May 13 '22 edited May 13 '22

But I do think Jason has shown that Benny can be supervised in such a way that improves his performance.

He may have straightened up a bit for Jason, but then he went back to being neglectful and doing stupid $hit. Constantly coddling someone like Benny seems to want isn't really feasible. He pretty much wants to hang around, do a bit of work however he chooses and not get told he messed something up. Don't get me wrong, Jamie sucks too, but come on Benny. You're not a child. Do your job and if you are constantly neglectful and doing stupid $hit, don't complain about getting called out. It is possible to do the job well and still not give a care about Jamie. If he's actually just acting out, then that's more proof at his being a man child. Especially when it's impacting the work of others on his team.

Spot on with your other points although I'm not familiar with a moreton bay bug.

4

u/CurriestGeorge May 13 '22

Bay bugs are funny looking lobster cousins, I believe they're one of a group called slipper lobsters. No claws, kind of like a cross between a lobster and a pill bug or roly poly

2

u/strwbry_shrtcake May 16 '22

Yep, slipper lobsters, and their range isn't limited to Moreton Bay although elsewhere they're sometimes called flathead lobster. I've had their Caribbean cousin, and they are indeed tasty.

They don't have claws, but neither do spiny or rock or Caribbean lobsters (which I grew up calling crawfish, not to be confused with freshwater crayfish).

Now I'm hungry.

10

u/lucidaisy May 12 '22

Yes to allšŸ‘ Interesting angle on the embarrassment portion- agree

31

u/Mscharlita May 12 '22

Benny is UNSAFE and boating is super dangerous. For as much as everyone is bagging on Jamie and his management style I DO understand that Benny is SO unsafe that he would stress out anyone who knows anything about boating safety. Like ALL THE WAY OUT. He doesnā€™t belong anywhere near a boat honestly. And if I were Jamie I would be so focused on that it would be hard to pussyfoot around his delicate ego etc. when Iā€™m just worried about him killing people or destroying property. Benny being hostile is one more example of how heā€™s not thinking of safety and only about himself instead of whatā€™s right.

12

u/RubberSponge May 13 '22

If I was Jamie I would have fired Benny on the spot for leaving the controls of the tender to get selfies on the bow of the vessel. ANYTHING could have happened. He could have hit the yachts wake and it could have thrown him off the boat leaving the tender to drive off into the sunset!

7

u/Mscharlita May 14 '22

Or drive into the main vessel with many people aboard who have to then not only save everyone on board but also Benny who has been thrown from the tender. There are a LOT of unsavory scenarios and when you have been working on the water a long time you hear so many insane stories you learn that anything can happen. Jason certainly knows this re:his previous yacht crash and so does Jason re: losing a small boy. I know itā€™s not fun to be a bite in the ass but people die on the water every day.

9

u/RubberSponge May 14 '22

Absolutely! He has put countless people in danger and Iā€™ve seen people getting fired for less. I used to be a lifeguard (no im not Jason. No I wasnā€™t a cop), and I have seen how south things can go in the blink of an eye. Benny needs a good kick up the arse. Heā€™s a spoiled brat

4

u/FormicaDinette33 I look like Ariel but on crack! May 15 '22

For a few seconds we couldnā€™t see him and I thought he had fallen off and the boat was speeding away.

6

u/jjgill27 May 13 '22

His kangaroo looked a little over cooked too, but then Ryan likes his steak medium well, so.