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‘Below Deck’ Bosun Slams Captain Kerry for Mistreating Production Staff

May 21, 2024


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Captain Kerry Titheradge has adopted a stricter approach with the crew on the final charter of Below Deck Season 11, a change that has puzzled fans, and seemingly one bosun in particular, Ben Willoughby.

In a response to a question on Instagram asking if room inspections were historically always a thing, Willoughby responded by saying yes, and continuing to address the captain’s behavior with a lengthy response on his story:

“Captain Kerry treated behind-the-scenes staff and production poorly, so I had had enough by then. To add the amount of micromanaging I had endured since Jarred’s departure, I had reached a breaking point. One scene failed to mention was I was threatened with a written warning as my team had not put away and charged correctly the EFoil board in which Captain was solely using himself. This is why I will never work for Captain Kerry in the future.”

Below Deck Season 11
A promotional image for Bravo’s series ‘Below Deck’. Season 11 bosun Ben Willoughby slammed his captain on social media saying he mistreated staff behind-the-scenes.

Below Deck/Bravo

The post is seemingly a response to the May 20 episode of the reality show where Captain Kerry conducted a walkthrough and criticized Willoughby for inadequate cleaning of the jetskis and the exterior of the boat. He also initiated random crew cabin checks, expressing frustration when the bosun and deckhand Kyle Stillie left their room untidy.

Ben Willoughby
A screenshot of Ben Willoughby’s May 20 Instagram story. Willoughby calls out Captain Kelly for his behavior and how he treated staff behind-the-scenes.

Ben Willoughby/Instagram

“What the hell’s going on in here?” the captain shouted. “Didn’t even take it seriously? It f–king disrespectful. I’m f–king beside myself.” He later explained in a confessional why he was so offended, stating, “No attempt to make it clean, it’s like a bomb’s gone off,” he noted. “I’m very old school, there is hierarchy. You don’t have to understand why a crew makes a decision, you just gotta do it. There’s no bigger f–k you to a captain than to go against what he says.”

The captain’s behavior shift prompted fans to question his motives on Reddit. One user commented, “While I’m happy to watch Ben get yelled at, I’m confused at the cabin check during the last charter.” Another fan speculated that the checks might have been a production decision to add drama.

Captain Kerry’s strictness appears to be a response to ensuring the crew’s diligence as the season winds down and exhaustion sets in.