They'll be joined by Chef Lawrence Snowden, Bosun Caio Poltronieri, deckhands Jess Theron and Damo Yorg and stews Barbara Kulaif, Rainbeau de Roos and Solène Favreau. The flagship of the popular Bravo franchise pulls into port with a 75-minute supersized premiere on June 2.
The first episode of the new season sets the tone for the what's to come, teasing delicious drama, love triangles, wild charter guests and lots of island hopping. Here Titheradge checks in to brief us on rough waters ahead on the high seas.
Judging by the upcoming premiere, it looks like you approach things a little differently when it comes to heads of department.
Captain Kerry Titheradge: I'm really big on growth. Not only with my crew, but myself. Every head of department needs to be managed differently. During last season, we saw Anthony [Iracane] just spiraling out of control. This year Lawrence, I went over and above from the start to help him out. I was back there, running things for him, really spending a lot of time with him to encourage him to be the best he could be. Fraser and I worked together in the past. He had a lot of growth as well. My management of Fraser reflected on his growth. Safety is very important to me. And as you see in that preview, that bridge is no piece of cake to get through. I wasn't in a situation where I was willing to put all that pressure on the bosun on the very first day by having him have to deal with going through that bridge without having gone through it before. I did it for him, but I also did it for myself.
That bridge near port looks to be a regular problem this season where things get a little dicey with the vessel.
Every time going through was like that. If it didn't look dicey one time, it was because you got used to me going through there. I think I went through before filming and after, it may have been 17 or 19 times. Every time I went through that bridge someone would say, "You've got it. Now it should be easy." No mate, every time I don't hit the bridge with the law of averages, is the next time twice as much for it to happen.
Chef Lawrence has some internal struggles in the beginning. Getting used to having cameras and a film crew are among the issues he faces. What can you say about how he manages all that and how you help him?
It's this fourth wall. The chef has a lot of pressure. I think after me, the chef has the most amount of pressure. When things are getting really stressful, that's when the cameraman gets closer to us. You can use that person as the reason for your stress. It takes a lot to not do that. Lawrence, I was really trying to coach him through. That it will get better. It's just a hump. Everyone has this hump when they film. Some of us get that hump, and then it's okay you've got it. When I shot Below Deck Adventure, I don't think I got the hump. I was always on the hump. It can be hard for these guys. I have a lot of compassion for them.
Kyle is coming back this season. There is a lot of teasing what might happen with him. He looks to be getting into his share of trouble.
Kyle was influenced by the bosun in the previous season and acted out. It wasn't really him. It was by association really. He brings a lot to the team. There is nothing he won't do. That is a problem in this situation where the question is: did he do?
Deckhand Jess stands out as a strong-willed person among the new faces.
Yes, Jess was and is incredible. She is one of those people who is just where she needs to be the entire time. She has this deep perception and is just there. She undervalues what she brings to the table. She brings an immense amount to the table.
What has been great is we've seen more women on deck, roles that are often male-dominated. How is it for you to see that reflected in the show?
It's incredible. Right now, I'm in Turkey. I flew out for the boat show. They put me up for a panel. I had a Jordanian captain beside me, a Turkish female captain and an Italian female captain. It was incredible. It really does reflect how the industry has changed. The amount of ladies I've met while here who already were in the deck department and want to be captains and talk about it openly. It shows how much the industry has changed. We're treating everyone as people, equals. People have roles to do. Whether they succeed or fail has nothing to do with gender or sexual orientation.
There looks to be some especially wild charter guests this season. What can you tell us about that?
It has been a while since we filmed, so there may be some I've forgot. Or maybe I wanted to [laughs]. Maybe I compartmentalized it. Nobody is going to walk out of the room to grab a cup of coffee or tea or beer when this show is on, I'll tell you that. You're not going to want to miss anything. The diversity of guests we have from some who maybe shouldn't have been there to ones who didn't want to leave. We had the whole spectrum. So many personalities. We made many friends of charter guests this season, more than I've ever had in the past.
Crew members have a lot of challenges and sometimes this leads to personnel changes. Take us through how you decide if someone needs to be let go.
The show has really made me a much better captain because it's given me a chance to reflect on myself and see how I'm communicating with people. We all think we're talking a certain way, but I get a chance to really see how I've spoken to someone in the good and bad. It's something you can reflect on. It really encourages learning. When the decision is made to let someone go, it's always with a heavy heart. All the crew is there is because they made the cut. It's up to them to see if they can survive.
Not everyone is cut out to do what we do on TV. It's a very fine few who can handle it. There are those who need the encouragement to keep going. I had that last season with Barbie [Pascual]. She would have been gone with the first few charters, but I was able to help her through the season. After the show, I kept talking to the crew I let go like Jared [Woodin]. He has become a good friend. Same with Chef Anthony. A very good friend. These are people who I have let go. As a captain outside of Below Deck, you let someone go, and there isn't much of a friendship after. I foster that friendship and have compassion for them.
Once again boatmances look to be at the center of a lot of the drama this season. Is it surprising to you that people come on the show, enter into a relationship and don't know this will most likely end badly?
It happens all the time. It really does. Below Deck is no different than any other boat or yacht when it comes to that. Maybe we have a few more going on than I've seen at once. This year especially. This season is absolutely wild. I had a bit of an idea what was going on, but not to the extent as I found out on the trailer. It's always fun for me when I get to see what happened. That goes back to when I manage people when I get a chance to see what is going on after I spoken to them on the bridge and walking around and seeing how it affected them. That made me aware of how much weight I have with what I say in that sense.
You're this relationship counselor on top of everything else. You wear many hats.
Absolutely. Relationship counselor, motivator, personal well-being person. I feel my biggest job on that boat is benign a mentor for my crew.
What do you want to say to people before watching?