Below Deck season 7 was one of the most problematic of the franchise, and it was largely due to the Brü Crew. Season 6 deckhand Ashton Pienaar returned as a bosun for season 7, which Captain Lee Rosbach felt was well deserved. During season 6, Ashton proved himself to be a strong deckhand after his ankle got tangled up in a line and was pulled into the water. Captain Lee welcomed Ashton back for season 7 as the bosun, along with chief stew Kate Chastain. Brian de Saint Pern, Tanner Sterback, and Abbi Murphy were new Below Deck faces that made up the deck team. Kevin Dobson came in as the chef, with Simone Mashile and Courtney Skippon as second and third stew, respectively.
However, Abbi decided to quit early in the season to rejoin her on-again-off-again boyfriend. Captain Lee called in the controversial deckhand, Rhylee Gerber, to step in, much to Ashton’s dismay. With Rhylee on board, the dynamics of the deck team soon shifted. Ashton used his position as her boss to assign her menial tasks. He also created a hostile work environment for her by speaking badly about her to Brian and Tanner before they got a chance to get to know her. The Brü Crew’s treatment of women was one of the most talked-about in Below Deck history. After Simone made it known that she liked Tanner, the two hooked up. The next day, Tanner told the deck crew about it, including Rhylee, who was disgusted that he would kiss and tell. After a few days of hooking up with Simone, Tanner told her he didn’t want anything serious and broke things off with the stew.
The Brü Crew has been slammed as misogynistic by Below Deck fans, as well as by third stew Courtney. She and Brian were involved in a boatmance that fell apart after the two kept fighting over the boat dynamics. Brian often accused Courtney of sticking up for the other women instead of him, while she felt he always teamed up with the male crew. The boys vs. girls mentality blew up during a cast night out at a Thai market in Thailand. Rhylee expressed her excitement about trying fried scorpions, but Kevin had bought them all. Rhylee told Kevin to “move along,” which caused him to go back to the Brü Crew and complain about her. Ashton then asked Kevin, “Did you slap her with your d***?”
Below Deck season 7 had many issues that Captain Lee was unaware of. Although he knew about Ashton’s problem with Rhylee, he ordered him to work things out with her, and he gave the deckhand a warning about her insubordination. However, after watching the season, Captain Lee expressed his disappointment in the male treatment of the female crew members and said he would never work with them again. Although Kate was a mainstay of Below Deck since season 2, she quit the show following season 7, and many fans blame the Brü Crew.
After Below Deck season 7, the show has never been the same. The infamous Brü Crew created a toxic work environment on board, causing Kate, a fan-favorite chief stew, to leave the show in her past. Hopefully, Below Deck will never season a crew of men like this again.