Entertainment
'Below Deck' Season 2 Returns Soon & Here Are 12 Things To Know Before it Sets Sail
If you somehow missed the first season of Below Deck , which premiered in July 2013, I don't know how you could have possibly had a good summer. At the time of its premiere, it seemed like Bravo quietly cast this little gem out into the vast ocean of television programming, and I took the bait, hook, line, and sinker. (Sorry, had to do it.) The only thing better than watching all of the drinking, drama, and deck-swabbing Below Deck has to offer is actually being a guest on the multi-million dollar yacht the crew works on each episode.
Thankfully, all is right with the world, and Season 2 of Below Deck will be hitting our shores (I just can't stop) on Tuesday, Aug. 12, which is plenty of time to catch up on the first season whether you watched it last year or not. But in case you need any more convincing to watch this reality TV masterpiece, take a look at what we know is going down next season. Water you waiting for? (Okay, I'm done.)
Image: Tommy Garcia/Bravo
A New Boat and Location
Say goodbye to the Honor. The crew will board a yacht named Ohana this season and will cruise around the British Virgin Islands. As we all learned from Lilo & Stitch, ”Ohana means family,” and the name of the yacht is sort of fitting for the Below Deck crew, who is like a family — a very dysfunctional one, but a family nonetheless.
Image: Bravo
Ben is Still Ben
As the chef on board the Ohana, Ben is isolated from most of what the rest of the crew does, which makes him feel like he’s in a league of his own. He loves having total control of the menu, so when guests opt for simple dishes over Ben’s customized, experimental, gourmet meals, he’s not happy and is prone to throwing things. Ben may heat things up with newbie Kate, and we’ll have to see how that affects him and Kat, who he hooked up with last season. It sure sounds like Ben is going to have a lot on his plate.
Image: Tommy Garcia/Bravo
Kelley is a New Recruit
Kelley joined the Marine Corps when he was 18 years old and was part of the operation to rescue Captain Richard Phillips. After his tour of duty and working in the corporate world, Kelley was encouraged to get into yachting by his sister Amy, who is also part of the Ohana crew. Kelley says working in tight quarters and with women are new challenges for him, but it’s not all bad since it looks like he’s going to be hooking up with fellow crew member Jennice.
Image: Tommy Garcia/Bravo
Kat is Looking for a Fresh Start
Last season, Kat partied way too hard, got into trouble with Captain Lee on several occasions, and was an all-around hot mess. As 2nd steward on the yacht this season, Kat is thankful that Captain Lee is giving her a second chance. But is Kat just a boring old teetotaler now? “The fun side of me is still the same,” Kat says in the season preview. “I’m just not fall-down drunk. I’m just drunk.” I guess that answers the question.
Image: Tommy Garcia/Bravo
Watch Out for Kate
Kate is the HBIC as the chief steward with a self-proclaimed “bitchy resting face.” As the “Paris Hilton” of her hometown of Melbourne Beach, Florida, Kate got into yachting because she wanted to find a rich husband. She’ll be sharing a room with Ben, who we know likes to have a bit of fun with his roommates, and indeed, Kate will get friendly with him this season. This will of course make Kat, who hooked up with Ben last season, jealous. No matter what happens, Kate isn’t so much into Ben as she is just winning the guy. Something tells me Kat may wish that Season 1’s Adrienne was still her superior after all.
Image: Tommy Garcia/Bravo
Eddie is in Charge Now
After spending last season as a deckhand, Eddie is moving on up as the bosun of the yacht, which means he gets to do less doing and more delegating to other members of the crew this season. His dream is to eventually become Captain, and it seems like he has a pretty solid relationship with Captain Lee, so it’s likely he’s somewhat of a mentor to him. Let’s just hope some drama with Kat (there’s always drama with Kat, isn’t there?) doesn’t derail his plans.
Image: Tommy Garcia/Bravo
Adrienne Will Return
Adrienne, the chief steward everyone loved to hate, will thankfully not be returning to Below Deck this season… as a full-time cast member, that is. Adrienne will still pop up on the show, and it’s not quite a happy reunion for her and Kat, who accuses Adrienne of saying nasty things about her behind her back. Adrienne is barely on the show, and she’s still tormenting Kat. You have to admit that’s impressive.
Image: Heidi Gutman/Bravo
Amy Has a Hidden Wild Side
As a former pageant queen from Texas, Amy is the 3rd steward on the yacht who works hard and always has a smile on her face. She left her job as a sales representative at the country’s top-selling Cadillac dealership to find more adventure with a career in yachting. However, Kat thinks she knows the real Amy, who she worked with before. They basically went from friends to enemies, as these things usually do on reality TV. “She did something you should never do to a friend,” Amy says in the season preview. Of course, we’re going to have to wait all season to find out what actually happened.
Image: Tommy Garcia/Bravo
Captain Lee Will Lay Down the Law
It’s Captain Lee’s world, and we’re all just living in it. Captain Lee mostly keeps to himself on the ship, but when something really crazy happens, he’s always there to set things right. He’ll bring his tough exterior and discipline to keep us all in line this season.
Image: Tommy Garcia/Bravo
Jennice is Trying to Break Into the Boys' Club
Jennice is the only female deckhand on the boat and also the only one she knows. In a physically demanding job, it’s not going to be easy for Jennice to get the credit she deserves as her male coworkers sometimes don’t think she can keep up with them. However, it looks like she’ll get some positive attention from Kelley in the form of kisses and cuddles.
Image: Tommy Garcia/Bravo
Andrew is Clueless
New cast member Andrew is a deckhand on the yacht, which shows, because he kind of doesn’t know what he’s doing. “Andrew is excellent at screwing up,” Kat says in the season preview. In the process, it looks like he’s going to make Kelley, Eddie, and Captain Lee kind of hate him, and you won’t like Captain Lee when he’s angry.
Image: Tommy Garcia/Bravo
The Guests Will Still Be Crazy
Below Deck is an amazing show not only because the crew is so outlandish but also because the guests on the yacht are often demanding, over-the-top, and raucous individuals in their own right. It looks like the guests will be no different on Season 2, ordering burgers instead of Ben’s planned gourmet fare, partying up a storm on deck, and even leaving, shall we say, a present for the crew as they clean up one of the bathrooms. The crew’s pain in dealing with these high-maintenance guests is certainly our gain.
Image: Bravo
