‘Below Deck’: Did Ashton Pienaar Really End up Paying for the DJ Equipment He Ruined?
Much to bosun Ashton Pienaar’s surprise, the cannonball he did into the resort pool while the crew was on break had significant consequences.
Captain Lee Rosbach called the Below Deck crew members into the wheelhouse. He shared that “someone’s” actions resulted in more than a thousand dollars in damage to the D.J. equipment. The crew looked like kids being chastised for running in the halls at school as Rosbach seemed to be disappointed in their behavior. Pienaar especially looked guilty. Even though Rosbach didn’t call him out in front of the crew, he knew the damage was his responsibility.
Cameras recounted Pienaar winding up on deck and racing into the pool as the D.J.s and other guests screamed for him to stop. But there was no stopping the “smashton train” as he made quite a splash all over the guests and the D.J. equipment which was located next to the pool. The crew didn’t seem to realize the damage Pienaar did until it was brought to Rosbach’s attention.
The club wanted to be compensated for the damages
Rosbach tells the crew that the resort wanted to be compensated for the damages, “and justifiably so.” Rosbach continued to speak in generalities telling the crew “you guys” will deal with it and pay for it. Pienaar later visits with Rosbach in the wheelhouse looking sheepish and ashamed. He apologizes and says he will cover the costs of the damaged equipment.
While Rosbach was disappointed he gave Pienaar a pass. “But the pond that he’s ice skating on right now, the ice got real, real thin,” Rosbach says in a confessional.
Rosbach hands the documentation from the beach club to Pienaar so he can see the exact amount he needs to cover. “I hope you get a good tip,” Rosbach says laughing. Pienaar reviews the paperwork and says, “$1,000, for ****’s sakes.”
Did he actually end up covering the costs?
So did production or the other crew members end up bailing Pienaar out? Pienaar says he actually doesn’t remember the incident during the Below Deck After Show. Lead deckhand Brian de Saint Pern also didn’t recall the incident. Plus, deckhand Tanner Sterback didn’t realize anything ended up getting broken either.
Chef Kevin Dobson faults the resort for not having a plastic guard to protect the equipment from splashing. “The D.J. equipment shouldn’t have been so close to the pool,” Pienaar agrees.
Regardless, Rosbach shares what he ended up doing. “I took $1,500 out of his tip,” he states. “And I said, you gonna f*** up … pay your dues.” Pienaar said the money ultimately came from him too. “I had to pay for it,” he said. “At the end of the day, it cost me money. It didn’t cost anybody else. People will say, ‘Oh you embarrassed the boat.’ Well … maybe I did.” Chief stew Kate Chastain said she was definitely embarrassed by Pienaar’s behavior.
Dobson and Pienaar try to rationalize that Pienaar actually did the D.J. a favor because he ended up with new equipment. But did the D.J. agree?