Below Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5 is well underway, butnew Deckhand Emma Crouchcould get fired before the end of the charter season. The 35-year-old deckhand from London is seasoned in the yachting industry and as an instructor with the Paper Boat Yacht Academy, where she trains aspiring yacht crew members and conducts classes internationally, including in Greece, New York, and the Dominican Republic. However, it seems she may have less experience than First Officer Gary King expected inBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5.
TheBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5 castis a bit of a mess so far. Emma has struggled to fit in with Gary and Deckhand Keith Allen. Meanwhile,Chief Stew Daisy Kelliherhas her hands full with Danni Warren and Diana Cruz, neither of whom seems to respect her authority. Chef Cloyce Martin cares more about hanging out with guests than serving them food, and Captain Glenn Shephard is just trying to keep the crew together. Will Emma eventually get fired?
1Emma Is Lazy
She Wants To Do As Little Work As Possible
Emma has proven numerous times onBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5 that she’s lazy, and with such a small deck crew, it could lead to her firing. Early in the season,Emma made an unfortunate mistake with the bow line, allowing the tender boat to bump against the main yacht, Parsifal III. This was an understandable mistake, but it was revealed that her laziness and potential incompetence led to the mistake. Gary confronted her about it, expressing frustration at her inattentiveness, as she seemed distracted during the incident.
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This mishap was compounded by other moments where her work style clashed with the team’s expectations. Gary found her folding towels instead of handling essential deck tasks, which added to his exasperation and concerns over her work ethic. Paired with Emma’s seemingly passive attitude, it seems painfully obvious that Emma doesn’t want to do her job.
2Emma Damaged A Tender
She’s Careless With Important Tasks
Emma proved her incompetency early on in the season with the tender incident. Ironically, Gary also damaged a tender in the season premiere, but his professional mistakes are few and far between.For Emma, it seemed to establish a pattern in her workas a deckhand aboard the Parsifal III. While securing the tender to the yacht, Emma mistakenly left the bow line loose, causing it to drift away from the boat.
Gary’s made mistakes in the past, but he seems to be right about Emma: she doesn’t know how to do her job.
This led the tender to knock repeatedly against the hull, which worried Gary, as this could create noise and visible scratches that might upset the guests. Gary quickly addressed the situation by reattaching the tender himself, then showed Emma the correct way to secure it to avoid further mishaps. Captain Glenn was concerned that if the tender had drifted further or suffered hull damage, it could have cost the crew time and resources to repair the vessel’s engine, potentially costing up to 180,000 Euros.
3Emma Doesn’t Take Feedback Well
She Breaks Down And Continues To Make Mistakes
Emma seems unable to take feedback well, which could eventually lead to her firing. Early in the season, her inability to fix her mistakes became a red flag for Gary. Emma struggled with tasks like tying up lines, which frustrated Gary, who expected more from someone with her alleged experience. This frustration boiled over when Emma, feeling demotivated, either didn’t execute tasks fully or left mid-discussion, prompting Gary to express doubts about her work ethic and ability to improve at all.
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London, England
Emma’s reluctance to take constructive criticismled Gary to attempt to lead by example, hoping Emma would eventually adapt. Despite these efforts, the lack of progress is concerning. Especially with such a small crew, Emma needs to step up her game to prevent Keith and Gary from cleaning up her mistakes. However, she seems to shut down when receiving criticism and makes more mistakes.
4Emma Is Too Sensitive
She Shuts Down Easily
Emma might be too sensitive for her position aboard the Parsifal III. She questioned her relationship with Diana and Danni on a drunken night out, and while not a fireable offense, it offered some insight into her psyche. Emma felt insecure about her friendships on board and proceeded to cry to her friends that she felt wronged her. It seems her sensitivity extends to her position as Deckhand onBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5. This sensitivity has especially come through in her struggle with anxiety and a sense of inadequacy on board.
Emma’s struggles with anxiety are valid and should be brought into consideration regarding her job performance and how to deliver criticism.
Emma had been open about feeling pressured by the demandsof the job, leading to moments of self-doubt. During an anchor watch, for instance, she became overwhelmed and ended up falling asleep, which led to a delay in her duties and criticism from her crew mates for the wet deck the following morning. The more criticism Emma receives, the worse her job performance gets. While her reaction is understandable, she might not have the mental toughness necessary for her position.
5Gary Doesn’t Like Emma
He’s Her Direct Superior
Gary clearly can’t stand Emma, and as her direct superior, he could have the upper hand in getting her fired. While Gary isn’t always the most sympathetic character, he tries to be patient with Emma in previous episodes. However, that patience won’t last forever. Emma’s early struggles, including incidents like letting a tender hit the yacht and falling asleep during her duties, frustrated both Gary and Captain Glenn. Gary confronted her about her inattentiveness, expressing annoyance over the damage caused by her mistake.
Gary’s assessment of Emma’s work ethic might be accurate, but it doesn’t excuse his past behavior.
Despite Gary’s efforts to mentor Emma, she hasn’t improved thus far.Emma’s struggles with her performance and team dynamics make it increasingly likely that she’ll be let gobefore the charter season ends. Gary might not be the best guy in the world, but it seems like he’s trying with Emma. He’s sure to complain to Captain Glenn if she doesn’t improve.
6Gary’s Treatment Of Emma Gives Him A Villain Edit
Bravo Might Want To Redeem Him
Gary is being forced to remain critical of Emma, which could eventually give him a villain edit onBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5.Production would have good reason to want to avoid this given the criticism Bravo received over sweeping Gary’s sexual misconduct allegationsunder the rug. Gary’s frustrations began early in the season, and she hasn’t improved. He criticized her publicly, frustrated by her inattention, especially as he had made a similar mistake earlier in the season that he barely owned up to. It was a little hypocritical, but the situations were markedly different.
Gary’s handling of Emma’s errors has also been compounded by his confessional comments, where he implied she lacked any work ethic and hoped she’d improve if he led by example. However, Gary could be perceived as an evil or even sexist boss if the pattern continues. Emma might be better off leaving sooner rather than later in the eyes of production.
7Keith Is Critical Of Emma
He Has To Clean Up After Her Mistakes
Keith isn’t in charge of the deck crew, but his input will certainly matter as the season continues. He seems to be a kind and understanding person, but even Keith is getting impatient with Emma’s work ethic and abilities as Deckhand. Emma appears to avoid certain tasks or respond in ways that make Keith upset, as is forces him to pick up her slack.Gary and Keith discovered water on the deck after guests woke up, an unacceptable neglect of duties from Emma.
Gary is in charge of the deck crew, but it’s only made up of himself, Keith, and Emma. If Emma isn’t performing up to yacht standards, it leaves only two people, Gary and Keith, to do all of her extra work and fix her mistakes. Keith is trying to remain pragmatic, but it’s clear he’s getting frustrated. If he complains to Gary, the First Mate will feel more emboldened to go to Captain Glenn about her firing.
8Captain Glenn Will Run Out Of Patience
He Can Only Give So Many Chances
Eventually,Captain Glenn will run out of patience with Emmaand replace her with someone more competent. He likes to give crew members chances to improve and learn, but she’s already proven she’s incapable of growth. Every time Gary criticizes Emma, no matter how gently, she shuts down and makes more mistakes. Additionally, she seems lazy and careless with her jobs onboard, as evidenced by the wet deck and the tender incident. Those mistakes are unacceptable.
Captain Glenn will follow Gary’s lead, and the more he complains about Emma, the more evident it will become that Captain Glenn needs to let her go. Emma may be a skilled yachtie, but she hasn’t shown her competence thus far onBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5. She’s likely to get fired before the charter season’s end.
Below Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5 airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo and streams the next day on Peacock.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht
Cast
Below Deck Sailing Yacht is a spin-off of the Below Deck reality television series. Premiering on Bravo, the show follows the life of a Yacht crew as they attempt to navigate a busy Charter season in which many customers make use of a 177-foot sailing yacht. Over the first three seasons, the yacht has been to Greece, Croatia, and Spain.
