Emile Is 'Below Deck's Resident Flirt

The best part about a new season of Below Deck is the bringing in of fresh blood on Captain Lee's crew, like Below Deck newcomer Emile Kotze. First of all, it's continually shocking that there are all these people who know about the yachting life for the young-and-ready-to-work that had never come onto my radar until this Bravo show put them there. But, mostly, the fresh blood is great because they just improve on the cast that came before them: Amy is a much more pleasant Sam; they took Adrienne's uptight stiffness and turned it into Kate's uptight hilarity; Connie seems like she'll be a much more interesting Jennice; and my personal hope is that Emile, Season 3's chiseled new addition, will by the dreamboat CJ wished he was.

Here's what we know about Emile: He's 23, he grew up in South Africa, and he's going to be a deckhand on Season 3's yacht, the Eros. Every boat needs a babe — and from what Below Deck has taught me, every yacht needs a piece of man-candy for its charter guests. Looks like Emile is that babe, and he seems to take that mantle gladly. In Below Deck's preview package, he makes sure to reiterate that he "likes American girls," but he also loves yachting, so, "If I do have to be a deckhand, I will try to be the best deckhand." Here's what else you can expect out of Emile in Season 3...

Hard Work

Emile may "know [he's] a good-looking guy," but it also sounds like he knows his place on the Eros. He's been yachting for two years, and knows that as the deckhand he is, in fact, more like "the boat bitch."

Love For The Sea

Emile is open about the emotional way by which he came to yachting: He had a rough life growing up and says that, because his house was a toxic environment, he got into boating to get away from it all. That's bound to make him work hard and appreciate this (televised) opportunity he's been given. But...

Flirty McFlirterson

...that doesn't mean it's all work and no play. In fact, if the brief glimpse of him feeding strawberries to Claudia Jordan from The Real Housewives of Atlanta is anything to go on, there will be plenty of play for Emile. It looks like he might be getting his flirt on with fellow new castmember, Rocky, in Season 3, and other newbie Connie says he's hot like a Ken doll, "but as soon as he opens his mouth, he's a freaking idiot." Well, that puts this into context...

The Biggest Mistake In Below Deck History

What's that mistake you ask? According to the preview clip released by the Bravo website, Rocky and Emile decide to go up on the mast to take a few choice selfies. As Eddie helpfully points out, if the boat is rocking one foot at the base, it's rocking five feet on the mast, so one misstep and they're overboard, potentially without anyone knowing. Oh, and have I mentioned that the "radars" are on the mast, which are basically like spinning helicopter propellers threatening to knock them off every two seconds? Kate says she's never even heard of a crew member doing something like that, "because that's how stupid it is."

So, look out for Emile in Season 3 of Below Deck; he'll be the handsome one who's probably getting fired.

Images: Virginia Sherwood, Screengrab (2)/Bravo