The drama continues. Below Deck‘s Captain Sandy had an awkward sit-down with Fraser Olender where she called out his leadership — and the exchange didn’t sit right with some viewers.
During the new episode, which aired on Monday, February 13, Sandy, 57, voiced her concerns to Fraser after Alissa Humber talked back to her several times.
“When I see where we can change things, I expect you to go downstairs and shoulder what I just told you. That needs to be improved and not permeate the boat with cancer,” the Florida native said after hearing that the chief stew was sharing his feelings about her with his coworkers. “You have now infected my entire program. The fish stinks at the head and right now you are that head. What you have done is created the worst experience that I have ever experienced on a boat with a chief stew.”
Sandy continued: “When you have insubordination and just blatant disrespect, I don’t have room for that. It started with Fraser, and it needs to end with Fraser. He lacks respect for authority and he needs to earn my respect back.”
Fraser, for his part, started crying as he recalled the conversation to his mother.
“I was really upset about the way I was spoken to by Captain Sandy, and I voiced my opinion to the rest of the crew. And the captain caught wind of that somehow — and has named me the cancer of the crew,” he said before bursting into tears on screen. “If someone refers to cancer to me ever again — with what I went through with my father — it makes me disgusted. The fact that she thinks so negatively of me makes me feel utterly horrendous.”
Fans quickly took to social media to call Sandy out for how she brought her issues to Fraser throughout the charter season.
“I thought Captain Sandy had changed but old habits never die. Micro managing, hovering, constant criticism. She will praise others while humiliating Fraser. Do we remember the Hannah era? It was great that she covered for Captain Lee but it’s time for his return,” a Below Deck viewer tweeted shortly after the episode aired.
A second commentator questioned the Below Deck Mediterranean star’s decision to fixate on the England native’s team. “Fraser buckling over Sandy’s comments are killing me slow .. Sandy saying he’s made this the worst experience she’s had on a boat when we’ve clearly seen worse crews under her direction is laughable. #belowdeck — she used that manipulate him and it worked,” the fan wrote via Twitter.
Another Below Deck viewer shared their thoughts on the interaction via Twitter, adding, “Wow congrats Sandy, you broke Fraser. Now he thinks he’s the asshole instead of correctly assuming that you are! I’ve seen my fair share of toxic bosses and she def fits the bill.”
Meanwhile, a fourth social media user sided with Sandy due to the interior crew’s problems in season 10, writing, “I like Captain Sandy and her take no bullshit approach. Alissa has been the problem the whole time (babe) and Fraser is too nice for chief stew. This is a business and Sandy has to answer to her boss too.”
The Be the Calm or Be the Storm author’s appearance on St. David has been a major topic of conversation since she temporarily took over for Captain Lee. Fraser previously admitted it “took some time” for him to “get used to” Lee’s replacement.
“I think they have, overall, very different management styles,” Fraser exclusively told Us Weekly in January about working with his original boss before Sandy came on board. “I knew Captain Lee and I knew how he worked. I knew how he liked things to be run. He also trusted me and he gave me the confidence to be creative and enjoy my take on [it].”
He added: “But equally, she taught me a lot about myself and I think at the end of the season [you’ll] understand what I mean by that. She really opened my eyes to things I previously wouldn’t have dealt with so well — without her making sure I did.”
Below Deck airs on Bravo Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
