‘Below Deck’ Yachties Captain Lee Fired – From Andrew Sturby to Elizabeth Frankini
Captain Lee Rosbach’s Below Deck “travel agency” was alive and well, beginning with season 2. Rosbach always told the crew to not embarrass the boat or themselves on and off charter because he had a pocketful of plane tickets – which meant any crew members who broke the rules or couldn’t cut it on the job could be fired.
Throughout the 10 seasons of the show, Rosbach personally fired eight crew members. Some crew members, like deckhand Andrew Sturby, were crew who simply weren’t ready for the job. Other crew members, like Dane Jackson, were fired for inappropriate behavior.
Rosbach didn’t fire a crew member on Below Deck Season 1. But he started with Sturby in season 2. Also, two crew members were fired during Below Deck Season 10, but Captain Sandy Yawn fired them. Yawn took over while Rosbach was on land dealing with a medical issue.
Why did Captain Lee fire Andrew Sturby?
Almost from the beginning of the season, deckhand Andrew Sturby seemed like a deer in headlights. He was lost on deck and later admitted he more than embellished his CV. Sturby came clean to Rosbach and was given a chance to prove he could do the job.
But when Sturby proved to be a liability to the deck team, Rosbach had no choice but to fire him. “It’s my call, and it is never easy to terminate someone and send them packing. That being said, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and a second chance. We all know my thoughts on second chances, but it’s my call, my bad if it’s wrong,” he wrote in his Bravo blog.
“I don’t have any idea where this is going, but when he explained that he embellished his resume, short for lying, it explained a lot,” Rosbach added. “I still like the kid, but I have a duty to the crew, and he is a part of that.”
Captain Lee fired 2 crew members on ‘Below Deck’ Season 3
Below Deck Season 3 was one of the messier seasons of the series. Rosbach ended up firing two crew members, one crew member for his angry drunken behavior, and the other was the chef for neglecting to clean the oven, which was behind a kitchen fire.
Deckhand Dane Jackson’s time on the show was short-lived. He was hired to replace an outgoing crew member, but when he got belligerent during a crew weekend away from the boat, bosun Eddie Lucas sent him to sleep it off on the yacht, and Rosbach fired him the next day.
“I really do not have any use for that sort of behavior,” Rosbach wrote in his blog during the season (via Bravo). “I have given you ample opportunity to redeem yourself, and you totally dropped the ball. I’m sure that the crew was very pleased with the way you totally ruined everyone’s day off at the resort. How does one person single-handedly do that? You, sir, embarrassed yourself, the yacht, and the crew, which you, fortunately, are no longer a part of. I really do hope you get the help you so obviously need, and wish you the best.”
Deckhand Trevor Walker wouldn’t check his attitude – so Captain Lee did it for him
Deckhand Trevor Walker showed initial promise when he was hired for Below Deck Season 4. But bosun Kelley Johnson quickly realized that Walker’s ego was far too inflated for deck work. From not being able to control his attitude when drinking, to crass remarks on deck, Walker only made it for four episodes before he was fired.
Rosbach explained why he ultimately fired Walker. “Trevor doesn’t play well with others,” he wrote in his Bravo blog. “He’s extremely offensive. One drink is not enough, and two is too many. He doesn’t handle his alcohol well. He doesn’t interact socially well with other people.”
“And you have to have that chemistry on a yacht. You have to get along,” he continued. “You don’t necessarily have to like everyone that you work with.” Rosbach added, “You can have your dislikes. But you need to be professional enough to set it aside, do your job, and get along as best as you can. Trevor is just way too full of himself. Not enough room on that boat for anybody with an ego that size.”
Too many deckhands on ‘Below Deck’ Season 5 meant someone had to go home
Rosbach called bosun EJ Jansen when lead deckhand Nico Scholly wasn’t quite ready to take on the position. But that meant the Below Deck season 5 crew had more deckhands than beds. Deckhand Chris Brown had the least amount of experience and offered to sleep in the crew mess.
Firing Brown wasn’t a tough call for Rosbach because Brown was a little too laid back for yachting. In fact, he was busted for napping at one point.
Chandler Brooks was the first bosun Captain Lee fired on ‘Below Deck’
Bosun Chandler Brooks was fired mid-season for struggling to lead the deck team. Plus, he gave chief stew Kate Chastain an attitude when she needed backup on charter.
Rosbach said there were several reasons why he fired Brooks on Below Deck Season 6. “It’s kind of a feeling you get that you just know things are not getting better. And Chandler felt like he wasn’t given enough respect, which he demanded,” he said during the Below Deck After Show. “You want my respect? Earn it. You earn respect by doing the right thing, you earn it by leading, you earn it by using your brains more than your mouth. You need to put your brain in gear before you open your mouth.”
Captain Lee fired his first stew on ‘Below Deck’ Season 8
Rosbach fired two crew members during Below Deck Season 8. The first to go was Shane “Sunshine” Coopersmith. Lucas nicknamed Coopersmith “Sunshine” because the green deckhand was more concerned about replacing the plastic straws on the boat with paper straws than doing deck work. Coopersmith also left the laz door open overnight and was caught napping when he should have been working.
Only hours before the shocking sudden end to Below Deck Season 8, Rosbach fired stew Elizabeth Frankini. Chief stew Francesca Rubi tried to get Frankini fired for a few charters, and finally, she and Rosbach lowered the boom. Frankini was the only stew Rosbach ended up firing, but hours after she was cut, the season came to an abrupt end due to the pandemic.
