Below Deck Down Under season 3 welcomed Bosun Wihan Du Toit to the crew, but after seeing his performance throughout the season, many are ready to see Wihan fired and another Below Deck alum brought in to take his place on Katina's crew. Throughout Below Deck Down Under season 3, viewers have been struggling with Wihan and his propensity for bringing drama aboard Katina, even though she's been decent in his role. While Wihan has the skills to be successful, he's had a hard time managing his crew and understanding the boat's dynamics well enough to keep things running smoothly.
As Wihan has moved through the season, it's become clear that his style as Bosun isn't working with the rest of his team. Wihan may have the skills to keep things moving, but his personality isn't fitting well with the rest of the crew, and his penchant for drama is stirring things up in ways that aren't enjoyable for Below Deck Down Under viewers. While some were hoping for a Bosun similar to Below Deck Med's Malia White or Below Deck's Eddie Lucas, Wihan is a bit more irresponsible with his personal decisions, and a bit flakier aboard the superyacht.
Although not all Below Deck crew are created equal, Wihan's behavior is surprising after hearing his qualifications prior to the season getting started. As a well-versed superyacht crew member who works in yachting both on board and behind-the-scenes, the way Wihan comes across on screen leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, he's struggling so much in audience perception that many are wondering if it's possible Wihan will be fired and replaced with another Below Deck alumni in the coming weeks. Throughout the season, Below Deck fans have been searching for an adequate replacement for the difficult new Bosun.
While some alumni would work for the show, others wouldn't be a suitable fit on Below Deck Down Under, which has a very specific energy. After the drama of Below Deck Down Under season 2, which created difficulties for the production team behind the show when Luke Jones was sexually inappropriate towards Margot Sisson and got terminated by Captain Jason Chambers, there are a lot more restrictions surrounding the Aussie iteration of the series. With some Below Deck exterior team members more sensitive to issues than others, there are a few yachties I think would work well on Down Under.
6 Gary King
Below Deck Sailing Yacht
Although Gary King is one the most divisive cast members in Below Deck history, I think he might actually be helpful on Below Deck Down Under. Now, the issue of Gary continuing on a Below Deck show aside, his skill set would be vastly helpful aboard Captain Jason's superyacht. Gary knows his way around a ship, and working the exterior is something he's been doing for years. With Gary on board, the crew would have no choice but to shape up, and Gary would have a crew of yachties who were capable of holding their own aboard a deck crew.
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I hesitate to say that Gary would be a good fit for the morale of the superyacht or the deck team, but I'll give him one accolade: if his crew is able to work well, he can be a motivating manager. Gary struggles to manage his yachties when they're openly struggling in their roles, but when he has a well-oiled machine with a crew that knows how to work hard, he can be wonderful at what he does. The current version of Gary, sexual misconduct allegations and lawsuit included, wouldn't be the right fit, but in theory he could work.
5 Ben Willoughby
Below Deck
Although Ben Willoughby, who appeared on Below Deck season 10 and 11, has vowed never to return to the original series while Captain Kerry Titheradge is part of the show, he's never said anything about the spin-offs. Ben, who joined Below Deck season 10 with enough yachting experience to make him a good deckhand, learned a lot throughout his seasons on the series. Moving into the lead deckhand role on Below Deck season 11, Ben was able to keep himself moving forward in his career, even as the other exterior team members struggled in their day-to-day tasks aboard St. David.
After taking over the Bosun role from Jared Woodin after his termination, Ben was able to learn even more from Captain Kerry throughout the rest of the season. Though the pair eventually butted heads to a degree that left both unhappy with each other, Ben and Captain Kerry seem to have a mutual respect for each other's level of knowledge. With Ben working hard in his role aboard St. David, it's clear that he'd be able to handle the pressures of Captain Jason's crew on Katina. Ben would be able to take over for Wihan on Down Under with ease.
4 Eddie Lucas
Below Deck
As one of the earliest Bosuns in the Below Deck franchise, Eddie Lucas would easily be able to take over for Wihan if he were to be fired on Below Deck Down Under season 3. Eddie's abilities speak for themselves as he's moved from being a deckhand during Below Deck season 1 to being a captain in his own right after leaving the show behind. While I think Eddie is, at this point, probably too far in his career to turn back to Below Deck as a Bosun, I do think he'd be willing to help out in a pinch.
Though Eddie has spoken about his disinterest in returning to Below Deck in the past, I think seeing where he is now and seeing his skills would be fascinating for viewers, especially in an entirely new setting like Captain Jason's Aussie crew. After exclusively working with former Below Deck captain Lee Rosbach, Eddie coming back to a different show in the franchise to help out in a bind would be a fun return. Though Eddie may not want to return to Below Deck, he's never commented about appearing on the other Below Deck spin-offs, like Below Deck Down Under.
3 João Franco
Below Deck Mediterranean & Below Deck Down Under
Although he's typically been more of a villain for viewers, I think João Franco has developed a particularly great way of navigating through difficult crews during his time on Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck Down Under. While João originally came off as a villain during his time on Below Deck Mediterranean, his behavior where work was concerned was impeccable. Understanding how to move from position to position, João has been able to seamlessly perform tasks within each role of the exterior team, making it clear his expertise is readily available no matter what's happening on board at any time.
While his personal life left something to be desired during his early years on Below Deck Mediterranean, when João returned to the franchise on Below Deck Down Under season 2, he appeared to have matured considerably. Already having experience working with Captain Jason, João would be able to fit into the crew in an easier way than most. Despite the fact that he would be coming in to take over a role in the middle of the charter season, João's prior experience would make it easier for him to move through the difficulties of being a replacement Bosun for Wihan.
2 Luka Brunton
Below Deck Down Under
Luka Brunton, who was originally part of Below Deck Down Under season 2, has the ability to work through issues and ensure that the crew is moving through its responsibilities with ease. Having already experienced coming into a season mid-way through, Luka was a replacement for Adam Kordra during the last season of the series, which means he wouldn't find it disruptive to come into a ready-made crew with a pre-existing dynamic. Instead, Luka would thrive in a very familiar environment with some of the people he's already gotten to know in past seasons, like Below Deck's Captain Jason Chambers.
Although Luka ran into some issues of his own during Below Deck Down Under season 2 in terms of the quality of his work, I think he'd be a good fit to replace Wihan as Bosun after proving himself in the past. Luka's abilities are strong, and his rapport with his fellow deckhands, like deckhand Harry Van Vliet, would be easy to build. Throughout his time in the Below Deck franchise, viewers enjoyed getting to know Luka and felt that he was an asset to the crew as a whole. Luka may be the most attainable yachtie to replace Wihan.
1 Malia White
Below Deck Mediterranean
Although Malia White may be one of the more difficult yachties to get on board, it would be interesting to see her return to Below Deck on a new show, with a new crew. Malia's experiences on Below Deck Mediterranean were incredible to watch, and though it was clear that she had to work twice as hard to make the same level of impact as male yachties, Malia knew that she was making history by doing her job and doing it well. Malia's time on Below Deck Mediterranean paved the way for other female exterior crew members to shine.
Malia's been one of the most intense yachties that the Below Deck franchise has ever seen, and having her come into the crew on Below Deck Down Under to take over and ensure the exterior team is running smoothly would be interesting to watch. While Malia has an intensity to her, she's also always been good at dealing with a crew of her own, especially if they need to be taken down a peg. Bringing Malia to Below Deck Down Under to replace Wihan could be an exciting way to shake up the current season.
Below Deck Down Under airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on Bravo.
Source: Luka Brunton/Instagram
