Below Deck Captain Lee Rosbach has expressed his opinion on the ‘despicable’ behavior of recently fired Below Deck Down Under stars Luke Jones and Laura Bileskalne.
Rosbach, who helmed the original Below Deck reality series before being let go ahead of the show’s eleventh season, admitted he was “mortified” after watching the episode in question while speaking to Us weekly.
“Their behavior was despicable,” said the 73-year-old captain, after Lower Deck Mediterranean captain Sandy Yawn spoke approvingly of the resolution of the conflict. ‘Both. And I’m sure they will pay the price for it for a long time to come. As it should.’
On Monday, back-to-back episodes of the reality series, which follows the crew and guests aboard a superyacht cruising Australia, featured disturbing scenes in which Luke, the boatswain, stripped naked and slept in 3rd’s bed. flight attendant Margot Sisson climbed while drunk after the boat’s power went out.
The reality show producers then intervened and he was subsequently fired, while Laura also got the boot after defending him.
Horrific: Former Below Deck star Captain Lee Rosbach told Us Weekly that he was “mortified” by Luke Jones and Laura Bileskane’s sexual misconduct on Below Deck Down Under; pictured in 2018
Shocking: The final episodes contain disturbing scenes where Luke, the boatswain, stripped naked and climbed into the bed of sleeping 3rd flight attendant Margot Sisson while drunk after the boat’s power went out
Her defense led Chief Stewardess Aesha Scott to claim that Laura had made unwanted advances towards Adam Kodra, and after Captain Jason Chambers questioned him, he confirmed that Laura had made him feel uncomfortable.
Chambers then also fired Laura, who then apologized to both Adam and Margot.
After watching the dramatic episodes, Captain Lee said he was “impressed” with Captain Jason and Aesha’s behavior, as well as the way the show’s producers intervened after the sexual misconduct was observed.
He praised the two leaders for “not getting upset” and “calmly” defusing the situation and meting out punishment.
As far as Captain Lee is concerned, Captain Jason “definitely” made the right call, though he wondered if he could have kept his cool if he had been in the same situation.
“I don’t know if I would have had the means to remain as calm as Captain Jason, but he sure stepped up to the plate and did a good job,” he said approvingly.
Captain Lee also claimed that he had never witnessed his crew members engage in non-consensual sexual conduct, which he said he was “grateful for.”
“It’s a tough place to be in,” he continued. “When you have the captain, you are responsible for everything that happens. Jason handled it brilliantly.’
Exclaimed: “Their behavior was despicable,” said the 73-year-old captain. ‘Both. And I’m sure they will pay the price for it for a long time to come. As it should’
She’s gone: Laura was later fired after defending Luke, only for Chief Stew Aesha Scott to claim she pushed Adam Kodra’s boundaries with a non-consensual massage. He agreed and she was fired
Captain Lee completely agreed with fans praising Aesha and Captain Jason, saying the response was “justified.”
“They all stepped up to the plate and did the right thing at the right time and didn’t get carried away by anything,” he said. “Not put on the backburner, not glossed over. They just handled it nicely.’
He also shared his “best wishes” with Margot and Adam after they were put in difficult positions.
“I have nothing but respect for (them) and I certainly feel sorry for both of them because neither of them deserved to be put in that position.”
Monday’s shocking episode featured a naked Luke climbing on top of Margot — without her permission — as she slept in bed.
“Luke, we need to get you down,” a member of the production crew pleaded as they interrupted him. “I have to get you out of here because she wants to go to bed.”
The drunken Luke then became enraged and yelled, “Can you fuck off?”
Once he realized the camera crew wouldn’t back down, he marched to his own room and locked himself in.
Aesha sprang into action and checked in with Margot before notifying the captain.
After Captain Jason was made aware of the situation, he unlocked Luke’s cabin and kicked him off the boat to spend the night in a hotel before firing him the next morning.
Laura did herself a disservice when she spoke to Margot later that morning and tried to defend Luke.
Thumbs up: Captain Lee completely agreed with fans praising Aesha and Captain Jason (pictured), saying the reaction was “justified.” “They all stepped up to the plate and did the right thing at the right time and didn’t get carried away by anything,” he said
Out of here: After producers confronted a drunken Luke, he was kicked off the yacht and sent to a hotel before being fired the next morning. Laura was fired later that day
In one distasteful moment, she even joked that she wished he had appeared naked in her bed, though she seemed to ignore Margot’s lack of consent.
When news of the interaction reached Captain Jason, he also fired her, as she had also tried to give Adam a massage despite asking her not to.
While Laura publicly apologized to both Margot and Adam, Luke was much more defiant in a since-deleted social media post.
He wrote that he “didn’t care” what viewers thought of him and the situation, as he suggested that what was being aired on TV was the result of manipulative editing and “not the truth.”