Captain Kerry Teases Arrival of Another Below Deck Alum in Season 12

Another yachtie is coming aboard! 

While speaking with PEOPLE at the Below Deck premiere party in New York City, Captain Kerry Titheradge teases the surprise arrival of another show alum later in season 12. 

The new season sees Kerry returning to the helm as captain, as well as Kyle Stillie and Fraser Olender reprising their positions as deckhand and chief stew, respectively. However, it seems that another former cast member is set to return.

On the topic of the reunion, Kerry says, "We have Fraser and Kyle, and somebody else later on."

When asked to share more, he decides to play it cool, saying, "I don’t want to give much away." But he teases about the mysterious alum, "I was very happy to see this other person coming."

Throughout the season, Kerry found himself deepening his connection with Fraser. "I've got to know him better," the captain recalls. "He had a tough season last year. He had a lot of things going on behind the scenes and he really led by emotion when making decisions. But he's learned from that. He's learned to center himself." 

Kerry even gave Fraser some tips of his own to apply to work situations. "I've taught him some breathing techniques to center himself before he makes a big decision. So this season we're going to see a much more leveled and measured chief stew," he says.

Another alum on board brings the captain closer to how he envisioned the season. "There were more people I wanted to return that didn’t," Kerry says. "I really enjoyed a number of my crew from the previous season and I would like more to come back. But it just didn't work out for us."

Kerry also tells PEOPLE about Kyle stirring up drama on the boat amid the allegations that he may have hooked up with a married charter guest. 

"Kyle needs to not be led by the wrong people and make the wrong decisions along the way. He may have let himself down. He forced me into making a decision I didn't want to make," the captain says.

The cast of season 12 features many fresh faces, including Solene Favreau, who only had 22 days of experience before joining the show.

Kerry was "so happy to be around her," and notes that she’s "fun," but ultimately felt concerned about her inexperience. "We had some discussions about her longevity on the boat and she's definitely one of the crew that may have not made it for the whole season, but while she was aboard, she was amazing. A lot of good energy," he says. 

The new season premiered on June 2 and follows the crew and charter guests to the Caribbean islands of Anguilla, St. Barths and St. Maarten.

Below Deck premieres new episodes Mondays at 8/7c on Bravo, and streams next day on Peacock.