Captain Jason Chambers woke up to the sounds of doors being slammed and walls being punched on motor yacht Katina and scrambled to make sense of the chaotic situation on Season 3, Episode 11 of Below Deck Down Under.
“F—k this horses—t. F—king s—t. I’m done,” deckhand Johnny Arvanitis said to both Jason and his bunkmate, bosun Wihan Du Toit.
Jason led Johnny away but was baffled by what was unfolding. “I don’t know what’s going on. I’m alarmed at this type of behavior,” the captain said. “You can’t have it on the boat. This is not the Johnny I know.”
The next few hours ended with both Johnny and Wihan let go from the yacht by Captain Jason, and the crew members reeling with the next charter approaching.
Why was Johnny Arvanitis fired on Below Deck Down Under?
Sous chef Alesia Harris, who had gone on a date with Johnny previously, explained to chief stewardess Lara Rigby what happened: She went into Johnny and Wihan’s room, and climbed into Wihan’s bunk, thinking it was Johnny.
“And Johnny walked in on that?” Lara asked as Alesia nodded, then Lara added, “And he went mental.”
Captain Jason decided to send Johnny to a hotel for the night “for everyone’s safety,” while Alesia told Wihan her cuddling with him was “not intentional.”
When Johnny returned from the hotel, he met with Captain Jason, who told him, “Look, you have worked so well, but punching walls and having that aggression, I can’t tolerate it, for the safety of the crew and us going forward. I have to let you go."
How Johnny Arvanitis reacted to being fired
Johnny admitted it was best for him to leave. “I understand. Because this part of myself does not really exist inside me anymore, to show this again, after so many years, it’s something I really hate. And for me, I don’t really belong here. So, no hard feelings. Thank you for everything you taught me,” he told the captain.
Alesia, for her part, apologized to Johnny and confessed she was “heartbroken.”
“I don’t blame you. I don’t think you really knew what happened,” he told her.
Why was Wihan Du Toit fired on Below Deck Down Under?
When Captain Jason was piecing together the events of the previous night, he learned that deckhand Harry Van Vliet had been in tears because of Wihan. Harry, along with Lara and chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph, then detailed how Wihan has been causing "so much drama."
After hearing from several members of the crew, Jason called Wihan to the bridge. “I’ve given you the responsibility, head of department, to run your team. Now, as the charters have gone on, and the back chatter’s coming up, you’re not cohesive with the interior. I’ve tried to bring up that negativity won’t be tolerated,” Jason told him.
Although Wihan argued he wasn’t negative, Jason added, “But at the end of the day I feel you’re not taking accountability for all the things that have been happening. And with everything else that’s going on, I’m going to make a change. The only common denominator creating a divide in the team — it’s like an infection. And I need to cut the infection out. So I’m going to let you go.”
How Wihan Du Toit reacted to being fired
Wihan was blindsided by Jason’s decision. “I’m stunned. I’ve been trying my absolute, absolute hardest. Unappreciated. So be it,” he said in his confessional.
But when Wihan went to Adair to tell her he was let go, he got little sympathy.
“I think Wihan is trying to convince himself as well as me that he’s not the problem,” she said in her confessional. “He’s gotten himself in a love triangle situation with Tzarina and Marina. He’s ended up in this situation with Alesia — whatever the hell that is. He’s pissed off Johnny, his ‘best friend.’ He’s bickering and always fighting with Harry. Always fighting with Lara. I might miss Wihan later down the road, but right now, I think it’s best he goes.”
As you await more, don't miss Captain Jason reveal exclusive behind-the-scenes secrets of Below Deck Down Under Season 3.
