‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’: Tom Becomes First Crew Member Fired – Captain Glenn ‘He Can Still Do Harm’

Deckhand Tom Pearson became the first crew member ever fired on Below Deck Sailing Yacht.

Captain Glenn Shephard decided Pearson was a safety risk after he hesitated to wake up senior crew members when Parsifal III’s anchor dragged, putting the yacht and lives at risk. Thankfully the crew managed to move the boat to deeper water with no significant damage.

But Pearson wasn’t only fired because he was late to wake the crew. Shephard dismissed him because he also refused to take responsibility and he continued to slack on the job. After a stern warning from Shephard, Pearson continued to lounge around the boat – in front of Shephard – gossiping rather than working.

Captain Glenn fired Tom Pearson on ‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’

Shephard called for a new deckhand after seeing that endless chores were not completed and Pearson was seemingly uninterested in the job. “For me, it’s actually better to be a man down than risk ever happening again,” Shephard says in a confessional about the near shipwreck experience when Pearson was on anchor watch. “He’s not giving me what I need. He’s not taking advantage of that small opportunity.”

He calls Pearson into the crew mess to lower the boom. As Shephard explains why the anchor drag was so serious, Pearson seems to know why he was called to the crew mess. “It’s OK, you don’t have to …” Pearson says.

But Shephard does have to tell Pearson he is being sent home. “I feel bad, I have no pleasure in this, but the more I think about it, I have to let you go,” Shephard says.

Tom Pearson said he hasn’t been himself this ‘Below Deck’ season

Pearson knew what was coming and continued to tell Shephard he understands. And adds, “That is not myself,” Pearson says. “I’ve been going through some things as you know. And that really did affect me.” Shortly before the fateful anchor watch, Pearson received a call that his best friend’s father was on life support. He told Shephard he was upset and it dominated his thoughts.

“It’s really clear that Tom’s mind is in another place,” Shephard says in a confessional. “So it’s not like we can just let him stay because he can’t do any harm. He can still do harm in that mindset. We’re not here to provide a job for Tom. We’re here to run a safe boat. That’s gotta be first.”

Unlike other Below Deck captains, Shephard chose to fire Pearson while on charter. He arranged for a tender to pick up Pearson in a matter of an hour. Pearson says goodbye to the crew and leaves the boat, ready to face what was waiting for him at home.

Another crew member came close to being fired

While Pearson became the first crew member fired on Below Deck Sailing Yacht, deckhand Parker McCown came very close to being fired in season 1. After bickering nonstop with deckhand Ciara Duggan and first mate Paget Berry, McCown had a decision to make. He had to either change his attitude or he could be fired.

He opted to quit. “I was true to myself when I left the boat,” he told Bravo’s The Daily Dish. “I’m proud. I was proud of the job [I did]. So, I’d rather quit and resign on good terms than possibly get fired and ruin my [reputation].”

“You don’t understand how difficult that decision was for me,” he added. “I didn’t want to quit. I didn’t want to be a quitter. It was super hard. And I love that boat. I liked the crew. I had fun with everybody. But like Glenn said, if I had stayed, I would have been on eggshells the whole time. And I think that was a bigger risk than I was willing to take. Everything happens for a reason, I think.” McCown left the boat and immediately got engaged to his longtime girlfriend.