Summary
- Fraser Olender breaks his own rule and hooks up with a guest, which is causing excitement and nerves for him.
- Captain Kerry Titheradge gave Fraser permission to pursue the guest, breaking the usual “no crew-guest” hookup rule.
- Ben Willoughby, another crew member, is also involved in a potential boatmance with a fellow deckhand, which is a new experience for him.
Ahead of Below Deck season 11, Fraser Olender is warning fans that they should look out for a big moment in which he breaks a huge rule. Below Deck is undergoing some major changes after the very first captain of the franchise, Lee Rosbach, departed following 10 seasons of being at the helm. Kerry Titheradge, who helmed Mercury on Below Deck Adventures in 2022, is replacing the longtime captain on the flagship series. Chief stew Fraser Olender and deckhand Ben Willoughby are returning cast members. Chef Anthony Iracane; stews Cat Baugh, Xandi Olivier and Barbie Pascual; deckhands Sunny Marquis and Kyle Stillie; and bosun Jared Woodin are joining them for Below Deck season 11.
There’s always plenty of drama and hookups in this franchise, and Below Deck season 11 will be no different. Some of that scandalous behavior will come from none other than Fraser, who just divulged to E! News that at some point during the upcoming charter season, he hooks up with Steven, who’s one of the guests. “I do break one of my number one rules, actually, and I end up getting with the guest,” he admitted. “We’ll see what happens there.” Fraser called this storyline “an exciting part of the season,” but he’s also “a bit nervous for everyone to see” it unfold.
Captain Kerry Gives Fraser Olender The “Green Light”
A crew member hooking up with a charter guest should be a big no-no, but apparently Fraser’s only breaking his own rule because Captain Kerry actually gave him the “green light” to pursue Steven. As he explained, “I was beyond respectful and I asked [the] captain way before things got physical…so I felt like I could do a home run and I did.” Interestingly, Fraser remained tight-lipped over whether he’s still with Steven, only saying that he’s “in a relationship at the moment.” He teased that fans will just have to “stay tuned” to find out.
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Ben actually knows Fraser’s current boyfriend. He told E! News that he “was friends with his boyfriend before he knew him and started dating him.” He thinks “they’re a great match for one another“ and are “very cheeky” together. Ben will also have a “boatmance” during Below Deck season 11. He said, “I’ve never had a working romance with someone in the same department, so that’s definitely a new learning curve for me.” He seemed to be hinting at a hookup with fellow deckhand Sunny.
It wouldn’t be Below Deck without some hookups throughout the season. It’s very intriguing that Fraser decided to break his own self-imposed rule of not romantically pursuing a charter guest and even more interesting that Captain Kerry was all for it. It’s possible nothing actually happened between Fraser and Steven while the latter was on board the St. David. Maybe they exchanged numbers and then started striking up a connection after the trip was over. If it turns out to be an onboard romance, that would be quite scandalous, but if Captain Kerry’s fine with it, that could set a precedent for future crew members to do the same.
Below Deck season 11 premieres February 5 at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.
Sources: E! News, Below Deck/Instagram
Below Deck
Below Deck is a Reality television series and franchise that has seen many spinoffs since its creation in 2013. The original series follows the lives of a crew that lives on a Superyacht called Honor and chronicles their experiences during “charter season.”