Below Deck’s Ben Willoughby Might Have Broken The Law During First Departure As Bosun

Summary

• Ben Willoughby may have broken the law when he helped the St. David depart during the most recent Below Deck episode.
• Below Deck season 11 is expected to feature a record number of firings, with Jared Woodin being the first.
• Emotions ran high during the longest charter of the season, causing drama that Ben wouldn’t want to experience again.

Below Deck cast member Ben Willoughby admitted he might have committed an illegal act when he became the bosun. Below Deck season 11 is expected to feature a record number of firings. In the most recent episode, Captain Kerry Titheradge fired Jared Woodin after he caused a hostile situation with the rest of the cast. He also didn’t fit in well with his position or with his fellow crew members. Once he left the St. David, Captain Kerry asked Ben to step up and become the new bosun after being the lead deckhand.

“I don’t even know if it’s legal, to be honest.”

After a drama-filled episode of Below Deck season 11, Ben spoke with Us Weekly to give his honest reactions to everything that went down. He believed he could handle stepping into the bosun position after Jared’s firing. However, Ben revealed that he might have inadvertently broken the law when he helped the St. David depart during that charter. He admitted, “It’s unheard of [though when we] first [are] coming off the dock. You’ve got two deck members while Sunny [Marquis] is on the tender. You wouldn’t do that. I don’t even know if it’s legal, to be honest.”

Ben Willoughby Almost Quit Below Deck Season 11

Ben Willoughby Was Frustrated After Being Denied Bosun Position

Emotions were “running high” during that charter for all sorts of reasons, not the least of which was that they were working on their longest charter of the season. Having both Jared and Cat Baugh leave prematurely made the situation even worse than it already was. As a result, “it’s just not an equal playing field.” It was quite a hectic experience for everyone on board the St. David during that charter, and Ben “wouldn’t want to do that again.” Despite this ordeal, they still needed to provide a five-star experience for their guests without letting the drama become public knowledge.

“I’ve got to bite my tongue a bit here and see what kind of circus this person’s running.”

When Below Deck season 11 began, Ben found his lack of a promotion very frustrating. Before the current season started, he worked as a bosun on some other ships. Unfortunately, returning to Below Deck meant he was downgraded from bosun back down to lead deckhand. He said, “I was like…’I’ve got to bite my tongue a bit here and see what kind of circus this person’s running.” When it became clear that Jared wasn’t up to the task, Ben was ready to quit, explaining, “I was like, ‘If we’re going to keep going with this, I’m going to walk off this boat.’“

Despite those frustrations, Ben managed to stick around long enough for Jared to be fired, which resulted in him finally receiving his promotion. So far, Ben seems to be handling his duties well. There are still plenty more charters left in the season, so Ben will have to keep proving himself to Captain Kerry so that he doesn’t end up fired as well. After all, Jared’s departure was just the first of what is expected to be many firings during Below Deck season 11, and everyone needs to be on their best behavior to ensure the remainder of the charter season is smooth sailing.

Below Deck

airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo.

Source: Us Weekly