BosunWihan Du Toit is getting a villain editonBelow Deck Down Underseason 3, but I think the accusations are unfair as he’s still doing his job.Below Deck Down Underseason 3has been full of twists and turns so far, with the Bosun kissing Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph and pursuing Stew Marina Marcondes de Barros before professing hislove via letter to Deckhand/Stew Adair Werley. However, he’s still running the deck crew just fine; some yachties have just decided that they hate him.
CaptainJason Chambers is also getting a villain edit, but his is even more perplexing. The Australian Captain has been one of the more popular cast members in the Bravo franchise, but without former Chief Stew Aesha Scott to flirt with, some fans have soured on Captain Jason. Despite the criticism, I don’t think either Wihan or Captain Jason are doing anything particularly wrong, and their villain edits are just another attempt by production to create drama. Luckily, there seems to be plenty of drama afoot, regardless of manufactured bad guys.
Wihan Du Toit Has Ample Experience
He Knows What He’s Doing
Wihan may be new to theBelow Deckfranchise, but he has ample experience that proves he’s the right man for the job. With over nine years of hands-on experience in the maritime industry, Wihan brings a level of expertise and professionalism that seems to be ignored on the show. He began his yachting career in 2011 and worked his way up from Junior Deckhand to Captain, which doesn’t sound to me like a small feat in such a competitive industry.
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Wihan’s skills eventually led him to launch his own company, Yacht One International, in 2022. The company offers bespoke yachting experiences tailored to high-end clientele… pretty much exactly what he’s doing onBelow Deck Down Under.Chief Stew Lara Rigby makes it look like Wihan is a clueless, bumbling dude who has no idea what he’s doing, but he’s an effective leader with plenty of knowledge in the industry.
InBelow Deck Down Underseason 3, Wihan was tasked with managing the deck as Bosun on the Katina. At first, Deckhands Harry Van Vilet, Johnny Arvanitis, and Adair seemed to work well together, but as the charter season continued, Harry grew tired of Wihan’s more relaxed leadership style. His opinion was likely antagonized by Lara’s obvious hatred of the Bosun and Chef Tzarina’s frustrations. Interestingly, Chef Tzarina didn’t seem to have any problem with Wihan until after he rejected her in favor of Marina and later Adair.
Lara and Wihan’s leadership styles are different, but that doesn’t mean that Wihan is a terrible Bosun.
Lara latched on to having a new ally against her onboard nemesis, whose leadership greatly varies from her own. The British Chief Stew runs her interior crew with an iron fist, similar to former Chief Stews Hannah Ferrier and Kate Chastain. Aesha, in contrast, was much more fun-loving and goofy as a leader, though she was still always effective.It’s only natural that Lara and Wihan would butt heads because of their different outlooks, but I don’t think that automatically designates Wihan as a villain.
The Jet Ski Accidents Weren’t Wihan’s Fault
It Was An Unfortunate Event
It’s unfair to assign all the jet ski accident blame to Wihan. While Captain Jason and other crew members were quick to pin all the blame on him, there was a lot more going on than just negligence. The first accident occurred when Harry suffered a painful injury during what should’ve been a routine task: lifting a jet ski back onto the yacht. Unfortunately, the jet ski shifted suddenly because of ocean waves, crushing Harry’s thumb between the jet ski and its cradle. This was an unfortunate event, but it wasn’t caused by Wihan.
Production made it look like Wihan doesn’t prioritize guest safety, but if he thought there was a real issue, he wouldn’t have let the jet skis go out on the water.
Later, Deckhand Johnny Arvanitis and charter guest India ended up stranded in open water due to a jet ski mishap.Adair expressed concerns about a possible leak in the jet ski, but Wihan dismissed them, saying it wasn’t a big deal. Not long after, the jet ski capsized with Johnny and India onboard.
Johnny did a great job keeping India calm and getting them back to safety. However, he did allow her to drive the jet ski, and she didn’t know what she was doing. Wihan suggested there may have been some operator error at play that didn’t have anything to do with a leak.
Gary Has Behaved Way Worse On Below Deck Sailing Yacht
How Is Wihan A Villain In Comparison?
The idea that Wihan is a villain at all when the franchise has lifted up Gary King for years is laughable to me. Gary’s actions have veered into territory that raises serious questions about crew safety and sexual misconduct. Wihan might be in love with every woman aboard the Katina, but everything he’s engaged in has been appropriate and consensual, if not heavy-handed.
Gary has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct.
Off-camera, Gary has faced serious allegations of sexual misconduct. In 2022, former Bravo makeup artist Samantha Suarez accused him of forcibly restraining her in his hotel room, only letting her go when another crew member intervened. Despite reporting the incident to Bravo and the production company, Gary allegedly received only a warning and was given a slap on the wrist by getting uninvited to BravoCon 2023.
That same night, according to Samantha’s then-boyfriend Grey Duddleston, Gary was seen untying bikini tops of two female crew members without their consent. Both Samantha and Grey were eventually fired from the show, while Gary remained a main character. If he’s not a true villain, then I don’t know what is.
On-screen, Gary’s behavior hasn’t exactly redeemed him. His frequent drinking and poor judgment have created multiple HR nightmares, from throwing an object at Chief Engineer Davide Morosi causing injury to disobeying Captain Glenn Shephard’s two-drink limit. His toxic flirtation triangle with Daisy Kelliher and Colin MacRae dominated season 4 and ultimately ruined their relationship.
Will Wihan Get Fired?
He’s The Most Likely Candidate
Between Chief Stew Lara, Chef Tzarina, and Bosun Wihan, he’s the most likely to get the ax onBelow Deck Down Underseason 3. The preview for the season showed Captain Jason about to fire one of them, and unless something changes, it’s going to be Wihan. Harry openly hates his management style, he’s flirting with many of the women onboard, and he’s combative with Chef Tzarina and Lara. I think some of his criticism is excessive, but after getting a villain edit,it’s become increasingly likely that Wihan will get firedonBelow Deck Down Underseason 3.
Below Deck Down Underseason 3 airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo and streams the next day on Peacock.
