Uncharted waters. Over the years, stars from the Below Deck franchise have made the decision to skip out on their reunions following onscreen drama.
After her time on Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Ashley Marti announced that she would not be rehashing the events from season 3 with her fellow costars. “I appreciate all of the support I have received along the way which is why I’m giving my followers a chance to ask me questions about the season which I will answer live,” she wrote via Instagram in June 2022. “I’m sorry for anyone who was looking forward to it, however I hope you will respect my decision.”
Ashley’s decision came after viewers voiced their concerns about her hookup with Gary King. Following a season of flirting, Ashley and Gary had sex while the first officer was too drunk to remember the encounter.
Shortly after the episode aired, Gary broke his silence on the controversial moment between him and Ashley. “I didn’t think much of it then, and right now, I don’t think much of it too,” he said during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in June 2022. “I just think that people on social media blew it up bigger than what it actually was.”
The South Africa native said he appreciated others “looking out” for him, but noted that he didn’t consider the interaction to be an “assault.”
“Yeah, I could see how they saw that, but in the first place, I did hook up with Ashley prior to that happening. I just wish I wasn’t that drunk,” he added. “I think it boils down to hooking up with Ashley was a mistake in the first place, and it shouldn’t have happened from the get-go, really.”
He continued: “No, I don’t [feel assaulted]. I don’t, and I appreciate everyone standing up for me, but I’ve got a voice of my own and I could use it if I felt I was assaulted.”
During the reunion, Gary came to Ashley’s defense after fans questioned her absence. “I don’t think there was anything of it, and I think people are being very harsh to her,” he said about the hookup in July 2022. “I thank everyone for sticking up for me but there was nothing to it, and I feel that everyone should leave Ashley alone on that circumstance because it wasn’t how it seemed.”
At the time, Gary noted that he “personally wouldn’t do” what Ashley did but he didn’t agree with the rude comments about her. “I can’t stress this enough: I’d just like people to leave Ashley alone,” he continued, adding that he reached out to Ashley. “I just sent her a message saying, ‘From the messages I’m getting, I can only imagine what you’re receiving, so I just want to apologize for that, and I just want you to not think about it. Don’t take it too hard.'”
Following the reunion, Ashley took to social media to clap back about the fact that she was mentioned in the reunion. “Just want to thank @BravoWWHL for all the free [OnlyFans] publicity!” she tweeted that same month. “I love waking up and seeing that in a couple hours, I’ve made more money than #Bravo paid me for 6 weeks.”
Scroll down for all of the Below Deck reunion absences through the years:
The Below Deck season 3 alum was a no-show at the reunion after Captain Lee replaced him with Ben Robinson following a kitchen fire. Courtesy Leon Walker/Twitter
During season 3 of Below Deck, Dane's drunk behavior on crew nights out concerned his costars. Captain Lee let the deckhand go, and he was seemingly not invited to the reunion. Courtesy Dane Jackson/Instagram
Following his season 5 firing, Chris opted out of attending the Below Deck reunion. He later addressed his departure with former coworker Kate Chastain. "I don't think I was given the tools to succeed and I just kind of ended up taking the fall for you know a couple other, a lot of other, shortcomings on the boat," the deckhand explained during an episode of the "After Deck with Kate Chastain" podcast in October 2017. Courtesy Chris Brown/Instagram
The third stew was not part of the Below Deck season 6 reunion after a difficult departure amid issues with Kate and Josiah Carter. “I would love to be welcome at the reunion,” Caroline told Showbiz Cheat Sheet in 2018, claiming, “The reason the producers gave me for not being invited was that I wouldn’t be able to handle it or be happy with the result and it will further exacerbate my emotional unrest.” Courtesy Caroline Bedol/Instagram
After Chandler struggled to lead the deck team throughout most of season 6, he was ultimately let go by Captain Lee. The bosun didn't appear during the reunion and later started dating Jamie Jason from Below Deck Mediterranean. YouTube
The Below Deck Med alum was not invited to attend the season 5 reunion after he was fired for posting an offensive meme that featured a Black woman in shackles. "A little over 3 months ago, someone sent me a meme on social media and I thoughtlessly reposted it. I now realize how painful the imagery and symbolism is and, upon deeper consideration, I realize that the implicit bias that exists in the brief text written in the meme is offensive," the deckhand wrote via Instagram in June 2020 amid his termination. “To all those I have hurt and offended, please know that I am genuinely sorry. I have always supported equal rights and equal opportunities for ALL people. Be safe, stay well, and always think before you post. With love, Pete.” YouTube
During season 6 of Below Deck Med, Lexi was let go following several disputes with various coworkers. The former reality star later said she was “too busy” to address the events on the reunion, writing via Instagram in August 2021, “I’m extremely busy with important things in my life!” YouTube
After his brief appearance in season 8 of Below Deck, Rob explained that bad weather prevented him from being able to call into the virtual reunion. “There was an attempt, hiding behind a palm tree with a satellite phone to call into the #belowdeck reunion,” he wrote via Instagram in a since-deleted post. "As we board up for the second cyclone of the season you already have to choose what side of town you’re on. Rivers are flooded, bridges are being shut and the network is up and down. The kids who have to cross rivers every day to get to school and the markets have been swimming across muddy rapids since the last Cyclone.” Courtesy Rob Phillips/Instagram
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