Below Deck: Why Captain Lee handled a similar situation so much better

Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean have a lot of similarities, but one major difference when it comes to leadership on the boat.

In moments like this, leadership is so important to help show the rest of the crew the proper way to handle a situation.  On the first season of regular Below Deck, Captain Lee Rosbach faced a similar situation during season one with Kat Held.  After dealing with some unruly guests, Kat took some medication and the crew noticed.

The chief stew, Adrienne Gang, tried to throw Kat under the bus, much like Malia White did.  However, when Kat went to Captain Lee to tell him that she was embarrassed about the night before, but she was prescribed medication for her anxiety, he had a much different reaction.  “It’s prescribed medication?”  Kat confirmed that it was, and they all had a discussion about it.

Captain Lee didn’t further embarrass Kat by calling them “her drugs,” he didn’t follow her off the boat to remind her that he could have fired her, and…he didn’t fire her.  He was empathetic to the situation and handled it in a professional manner.  It also showed that he respected mental health issues and the well being of his crew.

Former cast member Anastasia Surmava posted a clip of this on Twitter after this week’s episode of Below Deck Mediterranean.  The general response from viewers was outrage and disappointment.  Disappointment at how Captain Sandy Yawn treated Hannah, how Malia snitched on Hannah when she didn’t get her way, and how mental health issues were portrayed so poorly.

Of course, their answer to the prescription drugs on board was that it was against Maritime law and they could all lose their licenses.  Captain Lee didn’t seem too worried, and Kat was obviously taking her medication while on a charter with guests onboard.  It seems to come down to respect.  Captain Lee respects his crew and their health, while Sandy does not.

Hannah seems fine with closing that chapter of her book, but it would have been nice to leave in a more positive fashion.  She seems to have the support of fans and her growing family, so what’s done is done.  We hope Malia enjoys her time bunking with Tom Checketts while it lasts.

Below Deck Mediterranean is on Bravo Monday nights at 9 PM ET!