Two of the most popular captains from the Below Deck franchise are Captain Glenn from Below Deck: Sailing Yachts and Captain Lee from the original Below Deck. Both captains have their fans and their detractors. There’s no denying that they have their different styles. While they are both great captains, Captain Glenn of Sailing Yachts seems to come across as a slightly better leader on the show than Captain Lee.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected the two Below Deck shows in very different ways. When Captain Lee’s yacht, My Seanna, left port, things seemed normal. But it wasn’t too long before Captain Lee had to break the news to his crew that their charter season was being cut short. On the other hand, Captain Glenn and his crew were able to film an entire season during the pandemic due to careful planning from the producers. Every detail, from what the crew was allowed to do to the filming location, was arranged to keep everyone involved safe.
All things considered, the fans believe that Captain Lee is more of a hands-off captain. He expects his crew to do their jobs, and if they don’t, it is his decision if a crew member is fired or not. But rather than check in on the crew members himself, he depends on his chief stew to ensure that everyone is working hard and let him know in advance about any problems. Because Captain Lee commands motorized yachts, the crew is mostly there to clean the yacht and to serve guests. On the other hand, Captain Glenn commands sailing yachts, which require the crew to be involved in more technical aspects of the ship and its sails. Captain Glenn has to be more in touch with his crew in order to keep the yacht running.
Different leadership styles work better in different situations, and work is hard for both captains given that they aren’t the ones picking their crew. For the sake of the show, it is up to producers to make those decisions. But overall, Captain Glenn is perceived as being more hands-on, such as a captain who would help to carry supplies on deck. He balances that with giving people the space to succeed without him holding their hand. He told E! News, “I consider myself a macromanager rather than a micromanager.” In contrast, Captain Lee has been accused of being too uninvolved with his crew, even allowing chief stew Francesca Rubi to fire Elizabeth Frankini.
The Below Deck franchise seems to be going strong. Viewers are sure to see much more of Captain Glenn and Captain Lee, along with Captain Sandy from Below Deck: Mediterranean. With all of their decades of experience, each captain has developed a management system that works for them. Captain Lee may have eight TV seasons under his belt, but in only two seasons of the spin-off, Captain Glenn has managed to impress a lot of Below Deck fans.
Source: E! News