Who Will Embark on 'Below Deck' Season 3?

It has only been a week since Season 2 of Below Deck wrapped, and I am already reeling (ha) from the Ohana-sized void it has left in my heart. Where else can I learn how to fold a "rocket ship" blanket, how to inflate a gargantuan slide in about 17 hours, and cook a mean, Taco Bell-worthy quesadilla all in one place? Nowhere, that is where. But sadly, this is a feeling I'm going to have to get used to. Though Below Deck is definitely returning for Season 3, we do not know exactly when that will be. It's actually likely that will be some time late next summer or early fall. Nearly a whole year without Captain Lee in my life? What oh what will I do? The only thing that could possibly keep me going is to speculate about who will return for Below Deck Season 3.

A girl's gotta have something to look forward to, right? Unfortunately, Bravo has made no official announcement regarding casting for next season just yet. But let's look on the bright side and also look for clues about the Season 3 cast from what we do know from the past and through social media.

According to a tweet from cast member Amy Johnson, the cast of Season 3 won't know if they've been chosen until late November or early December. And even then, it is unlikely that Bravo will make any formal announcements regarding the cast until after the season has been filmed and the network is getting ready to air it.

Just four cast members from Season 1 climbed aboard for another voyage on Season 2 of Below Deck, and this included steward Kat Held, bosun Eddie Lucas, chef Ben Robinson, and Captain Lee Rosbach. Neither Kat nor Eddie have said anything about the possibility of their return for Season 3, but judging from all of the drama Kat brings, the fact that everyone loves Eddie, and that they both came back for Season 2, it seems like there is a very good chance of their return for another season of Below Deck.

Ben kind of responded to some tweets hoping he would come back for Season 3, but it was mostly with a "cheers." Since that Britishspeak seems to have a variety of meanings, who knows if he actually revealed any casting news? And I can't even imagine Below Deck without Captain Lee, so I won't allow my mind to go there. If Captain Lee survived the craziness of Season 1 and still chose to return for Season 2, he's got to enjoy being on the show. Plus, he recently had this to say on Twitter:

Clearly, Captain Lee is excited for Season 3, and it sounds like if Bravo decides to have him back, he will return. I think there's a good chance our fearless leader will be back next season.

Most of the newbies haven't really been forthcoming with any information about next season either. Amy tweeted that she's not sure if she'll return next season. Jennice Ontiveros tweeted that she "Can't confirm, can't deny" her return. There's also no information about the fate of Kate Chastain or Logan Reese.

However, Kelley seems pretty adamant about not returning next season.

He did have a rough time more than most on the Ohana this season, butting heads with Captain Lee, getting caught up in his feelings for Jennice, and ultimately having a nasty and public breakup with his castmate. It might be a good idea for Kelley and his sanity to take a break from the cameras for a while.

I would say that Kate and Amy have the best chances of returning for another season out of Season 2's new cast members. Not only did they have entertaining personalities, but they also brought the drama. Plus, don't we all want to see what Amy's like when her brother Kelley isn't around? As much as it pains me to say it, Jennice's storyline is kind of irrelevant now that she is no longer with Kelley. We won't even be able to get a little tension between the two since Kelley says he's not coming back. And Logan, sweet, sweet Logan. You were a savior for the crew and an all-around goofy guy, but you didn't really bring much else to the table. Bravo, we can do better.

And I think we all know that Adrienne will probably return again in Season 3. Her 15 minutes is not quite up yet.

Images: Tommy Garcia/Bravo; bricesander/Tumblr