Below Deckhas dominated Bravo for years, and while villains are an important facet of the franchise, there are some cast members who should retreat from the spotlight in 2025. Every season has heroes and villains, but manyiconicBelow Deckvillainshave overstayed their welcomes. Whether facing sexual misconduct allegations or stirring up trouble onboard, these villains have done too much damage to stay.
Below Deckvillains, including Gary King, exhibit bad behavior, although they typically add shock value, which is sometimes entertaining. That being said, some villain edits are controversial, likeDaisy Kelliher being painted as a producer plantinBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5. While not everyone will agree, these cast members would be better off exploring new career opporunities in 2025.
8Ben Willoughby
Below Deck
Captain Kerry Titheradge would probably agree that it’s time for Deckhand-turned-Bosun Ben Willoughby to exit the franchise. After Captain Kerry fired former Bosun Jared Woodin onBelow Deck, he grudgingly promoted Ben to the position. However, he quickly butted heads with his Captain, questioning his leadership and complaining about micromanagement.
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Captain Kerry is likely returning toBelow Deckseason 12, meaning audiences should be free of the irritating Bosun. While he was painted as a villain for his treatment of Marie “Sunny” Marquis during the season,Ben and Sunny surprised everyone by staying togetherafter the show. Nevertheless, calling his ex, Camille Lamb, and posting her on his Instagram story during the series cemented him as a villain.Ben’s not fun enough to keep around, and he should go away in 2025.
7Elena “Ellie” Dubaich
Below Deck Mediterranean
Elena “Ellie” Dubiach’s villainous antics onBelow Deck Mediterraneanwere fun for a while, but it’s time for her to pull away from the series. The Second Stew surfaced as an enemy to Third Stew Bri Muller and Chief Stew Aesha Scott in the most recent season of the popularBelow Deckspin-off. While her complaints regarding Bri were sometimes legitimate, her constant nagging about rank and competition for Lead Deckhand Joe Bradley’s heart became tiresome.
Ellie became a more interesting villain when she began to question Aesha’s leadership onboard, prompting a feud between the pair. Aesha’s known for her cool-headed management style, but she was at her wit’s end by the end of the season. There might be interesting drama if she antagonizes Aesha further, but overall,Ellie doesn’t add a lot of value on the show. Captain Sandy Yawn would be better off hiring a more intriguing person.
6Cloyce Martin
Below Deck Sailing Yacht
Chef Cloyce Martin has been a polarizing presence on the hitBravospinoff, as per the YouTube clip shown above. He first appeared as an overly confident young chef in the series premiere ofBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5. As his cooking suffered, Chef Cloyce stepped up his game. However, his strange obsession with getting yelled at by Daisy is a little off-putting. He has also acted unprofessionally in his interactions with stews Danni Warren and Diana Cruz, directly criticizing Daisy, their superior.
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Chef Cloyce’s villain status is yet to be determined, but he always seems like he’s right on the edge, ready to become the bad guy. He decided to hang out with the guests instead of preparing their food early in the season, and shows open disdain when given orders by Daisy. While he’s not theworstBelow Deckchefever, he might not be the right fit.
5Bri Muller
While it could be argued that Bri wasn’t really a villain but rather a victim of Ellie’s behavior, Captain Sandy’s clear favoritism pushed Bri into shaky territory. Captain Sandy is a noted advocate for women in yachting, but she gave Bri way too much leeway when it came to her mistakes. Bri made countless errors in the laundry, even keeping a sort of “burn book” to call out Ellie for those blunders. She seemed to weaponize her incompetence at a certain point, bursting into tears when her abilities were called into question.
Captain Sandy tried to motivate Bri to improve. However, it’s time for the veteran yachtie to move on. Bri was an unskilled employee. Furthermore, she caused too much drama onboard due to her unresolved boatmance with Joe. This triggered her initial feud with Ellie. There might be more capable people who could take her place.
4Danni Warren
Danni came out of the gate as an easy target because of her flirtatious nature and outspoken opinions regarding Daisy, who is likable. The stew, new to season 5, doesn’t seem to like working. Additionally, her crush on Keith Allen was ill-received as he prioritized professionalism in the workplace. He didn’t want to flirt in front of the guests. Luckily for Danni, she was able to share a drunken kiss with bad boy Gary King after a charter, but he put the brakes on something more intense.
Production is obviously making Danni the scapegoat of the season to distract from Gary’s misdeeds, but she’s still not the right fit for the franchise.
Now that Chase Lemacks has returned to replace Emma Crouch on deck, Danni and Diana Cruz are in a feud over their crush on the handsome Southerner. Diana is much more shy, andDanni’s extroverted personality won Chase over. While she was entertaining at first, she’s too chaotic to continue on the show. Daisy probably wouldn’t want to work with her again, which means she should go.
3Diana Cruz
Unfortunately for Daisy, both of her Stews have been duds this season. At least Danni provides drama and entertainment value. Diana may be beautiful, but she’s a boring cast member. Her only dramatic moments involve pushing back against Daisy. For example, Daisy asked Danni and Diana to make cocktails for the crew because their bartending skills were lacking. She threw a fit and refused to participate after one drink.
Now, Diana is in a feud with Danni because of her crush on Chase. Diana is a little more reserved and wanted to play the long game with Chase. Unfortunately, Danni and Chase hit it off during their rosé mission, and Diana missed her opportunity. She needs to step it up either professionally or personally to warrant another season on the show. Otherwise, it’s time to move on.
2Fraser Olender
Fraser Olender is an extraordinarily polarizingBelow Deckfranchise cast member. He’s grown a lot during his tenure on the show and seems to have a positive relationship with Captain Kerry. However, he’s also exhibited some red flag behavior. He and Xandi Olivier infamously ganged up on Third Stew Barbie Pascual last season, but she was incompetent and entitled. Additionally, his flirtation with a guest bordered on unprofessionalism.
Unfortunately forBelow Deckfans, it seems likeFraser will return toBelow Deckseason 12. While it’s not confirmed, Fraser was seen in a bootleg video taken earlier this year. It showed the yacht docking in the harbor. Captain Kerry and Fraser were clearly present in the clip, and it’s possible that Sunny was seen as well. Fraser should be replaced, but viewers may be stuck with him again in 2025.
1Gary King
It’s time for Bravo to finally fire Gary. While he’s been a staple onBelow Deck Sailing Yacht, he’s caused too many problems to remain on the show. Gary’s drunkeness has gotten him into sticky situations, most recently a sexual misconduct incident while filming season 4. Bravo barely admonished the First Mate, simply uninviting him from BravoCon in 2023, and allegedly shrinking his role inBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5.
Gary causes drama with his coworkers, exhibits sexist behavior, and becomes a different person when he’s drinking. He denied all sexual misconduct allegations, but it’s unclear what actually occurred. There are plenty of other deserving yachties out there, and Captain Glenn Shephard will be able to findsomeone to replace Gary. He doesn’t deserve to come back to theBelow Deckfranchise.
Below Deck Sailing Yachtairs on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Peacock.
