'Below Deck Sailing Yacht's Gary King Debuts New Look Along With Life Update

Below Deck Sailing Yacht star Gary King has changed up his look with a brand-new haircut. Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5 premiered on October 7, 2024, and despite all the controversy surrounding King, the reality star is off on his own adventures! Gary King is yachting from his hometown in South Africa to Mallorca in Spain, and he wants to take his fans along with him.

King recently took to Instagram to share what he has been up to. The vlog-style Reel shows the beginning of King’s journey. In the voiceover, he shares that he is not going to see Cape Town for a while. The reality TV star shared several shots of the crew-mates who are yachting to Spain along with him. This goes to show that King isn’t just heading out to sea for fun, he’s actually making the trip for work. However, he chose not to share any details of that just yet.

The update comes only a few days after King’s Deckhand Emma Grouch was let go during Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5, Episode 8, which aired on November 25, 2024. During the episode, King spoke to Captain Glenn Shephard about Grouch’s “lack of initiative,” which led to Grouch’s firing. Captain Shephard told Grouch that she just wasn’t delivering what they needed in King’s department and the crew required someone who had more skills.

Captain Glenn Shephard Claims There’s More To Grouch’s Firing

In a recent interview with Bravo’s The Daily Dish, Shephard explained why it was time for Grouch to leave. The Captain admitted that he doesn’t like firing people, and only does it when there’s no other choice. He shared that when he lets someone go, they usually know the reason behind the decision. “I don’t think that they feel they were treated unfairly,” added the reality star.

During the interview, Shephard opened up about dealing with crew members who aren’t ready to do the jobs they are hired for. He claimed that as much as he likes someone, his priority is to keep people who can get things done. According to the Captain, he needs people on the boat who can think on their feet, and who don’t need others to pick up the slack. And while he didn’t explicitly mention Grouch’s name, he implied that she wasn’t capable enough in her role.

As he was firing Grouch, the Captain told her that she had the potential to become a great Deckhand, but she just wasn’t there yet. During the interaction, Grouch started crying and refused to continue the conversation. She later shared that this wasn’t how she wanted the season to end. However, in her exact words: “I need to be better at accepting that mistakes are something you can learn from.” Grouch shared that she has met some amazing people during her time on the show, and will always be grateful for everything she has experienced with them.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5 airs every Monday on Bravo. Episodes are later available to stream on Peacock.