‘Below Deck’ Has Never Started a Season Like This With a Surprising Season 8 Opener
Fans can anticipate every Below Deck season to begin with Captain Lee Rosbach greeting the first crew member on the boat. But, for the first time, the captain of the ship seems to be MIA.
Instead, the season kicks off with the return of fan-favorite bosun Eddie Lucas arriving on My Seanna only to wonder where in the world is Rosbach. Lucas marvels at the splendor of the boat, explaining that he’s finally returned after five years in a confessional.
Lucas reveals that he’s still working in the tugboat industry, so yachting will be a change of pace. But he’s flummoxed when he finally gets to the bridge and Rosbach is a no show.
Where is Captain Lee?
Lucas spies Rosbach’s coffee mug sitting nearby so he knows Rosbach is somewhere on the boat. But alas, no Rosbach. Rosbach could be working in another area of the boat but the sneak peek preview shows that Lucas goes in search of him.
Lucas recently dished with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his return and what it was like to work with Rosbach again. He said nothing but Rosbach’s hair has essentially changed.
“He’s got a lot more white hair,” Lucas laughed. “He’s like the White Wizard now. Other than that, I knew what to expect from Captain Lee. And I knew what he was going to be expecting from me. I love working with Captain Lee.”
Lucas also acknowledged that the season was different without chief stew Kate Chastain. “[Rosbach] didn’t have Kate anymore and he had an entirely new crew except for me,” Lucas said.
Eddie Lucas said viewers should prepare for a fun season
Lucas said that despite being without Chastain, Rosbach still leaves the crew to do their work. “He definitely expected me to kind of check-in with him,” he said. “Let him know about the day to day. But Captain Lee is never a micro-manager. He’s never hanging out in the galley, watching over everything. He is somebody who is up in the wheelhouse and is relying on the crew to do their best job.”
“There are some wild things that I never thought I would see,” he teased. “One thing that has changed from the first season especially is Captain Lee is a lot more involved with the guests. He’s constantly asked to have dinner with them and he’s always a people pleaser when it comes to the guests. So he’s constantly interacting with guests like that and it’s something that really blows up in the guest’s face. But that’s gonna be a lot of fun to watch.”
He offered a summary of the season in a few words. “It’s going to be crazy, as always,” Lucas said. “It’s going to be funny, it’s going to be fun! What I’ve seen so far, I’m happy with it.”
Below Deck Season 8 premieres on Monday, Nov. 2 at 9/8c on Bravo.
