Below Deck's Sandy Is Quickly Becoming the Show's Most Annoying Star
The popular reality show is rapidly losing viewers as a new captain is sucking all the joy out of it.
A reality show detailing the lives and struggles of a crew aboard a superyacht during a busy charter season may not seem like a particularly entertaining idea for anyone except hard-core superyacht nerds, but Bravo TV's Below Deck was a smashing hit as soon as it was released. People enjoyed watching the relationships between the captain, the crew and the guests as all sorts of issues cropped up during a voyage.
Many said Below Deck was a perfect comfort viewing for them, but things suddenly took a turn for the worse in season 10.
The season started out with the crew and popular captain Lee Rosbach taking the reins of the superyacht St David. Unfortunately, just four episodes in, Lee Rosbach left the show due to health problems and another captain, Sandy Yawn, was brought in, an experienced sailor and capable leader. At least, that's what everyone thought at the beginning.
Sandy made a good impression on arrival, delighting the crew and audiences with her sense of humour, but some warning signs were in evidence almost immediately.
First of all, everybody hated the way Sandy tried to micromanage everything, insulting and bullying the crew in the process. A good captain should tell their crew what needs to be done and leave it up to them how they do it. Fans are convinced Sandy's constant micromanagement has negatively impacted the crew's overall performance.
People also hate Sandy's vindictiveness: she will seemingly stop at nothing to ruin the voyage for head steward Fraser Olender. She's constantly mispronouncing his name, presenting it as a joke and making sure to double-check and second-guess everything he does.
And Sandy's only doing it to get back at Fraser for standing up to her on behalf of the crew. When Fraser did that, the show's fans loved him even more, while Sandy's whining about insubordination made people lose whatever residual respect they may have had for her.
If Bravo TV wants to save the show, ditching Sandy and getting a new captain would be a good start.
Episode 13 premiered on 20 February 2023.