Below Deck Season 12: Where Do Bárbara, Jess & Solène Stand After That Onboard Love Triangle?

Below Deck Season 12 gave us a love triangle that belonged on a different show, and not in a good way. Now that the cameras are off, we finally have answers about where Bárbara Kulaif, Jess Theron, and Solène Favreau ended up — straight from Bárbara on Watch What Happens Live. Spoiler: it is messy, and not remotely surprising.

How this triangle actually unfolded

• Episode 6: Jess kissed Solène. Complication: Solène was already kissing deckhand Kyle Stillie.
• Bárbara told Jess she was into her, and Jess pivoted hard to Bárbara.
• Then, during a stay at a private villa, Jess slipped into Solène’s secluded bathroom and hooked up with her anyway.
• After that, Solène kept flirting with Kyle, kissed Fraser Olender just because, and later deckie Damo Yorg also tried to win her over in the final stretch of the season.
• Watching Solène bounce around made Jess rethink that fling, so Jess asked Bárbara for a second chance. Bárbara said yes, and the two made it official on charter. It was frustrating TV all around.

Where they landed after filming

Bárbara told Andy Cohen that she and Jess are not together anymore. They split once production wrapped, and she now fully regrets giving Jess that second chance. She also says she has met Jess’s current girlfriend — the one Jess has been with for well over a year — and called that woman the best part of that relationship. In a particularly sharp aside, Bárbara added that Jess and Solène actually make more sense together, because in her words, they both still need to grow up.

Bárbara also says she has blocked both Jess and Solène. Why? Because of what went down right after they stopped filming in Saint Martin.

'Jess and Solène, they f*cked up with me after filming.'

Here is the post-season story as Bárbara tells it: after they wrapped, the cast was holed up at a hotel. Bárbara went to Jess’s room — they were supposedly together at this point — and they argued because Bárbara suspected Jess and Solène still had something going on. She left it there. The next morning, as everyone was getting ready to head to the airport in sprinter vans, Jess opened her hotel room door… and inside, Bárbara saw a very naked Solène. End of discussion.

Are Bárbara and Solène still friends?

Nope. They are acquaintances now, at best. Bárbara says Solène still does not understand that she messed up, which is exactly the kind of stubborn obliviousness that killed their friendship.

The vibe on WWHL

Andy kept it cheeky about the whole thing, and Bárbara did not hold back. She admitted she was not attracted to Jess when filming began and does not think Jess has much game. She seemed completely over the triangle, which — same. By the time Season 12 wrapped, Jess looked happy, Solène was still floating through life, and Bárbara was done with both of them.

Sidebar: Bárbara deserved a different edit

Bárbara worked hard this season and was surprisingly patient guiding a very green stew in Solène, often kinder than Solène earned. She had all the makings of a strong returnee. Instead, the love triangle hijacked her rookie run and turned Below Deck into a bargain-bin Love Boat for a few episodes. Unfortunate.

Below Deck is streaming on Peacock and on Hayu in the UK and Ireland.