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Watch Below Deck Down Under on Mondays at 8/7c and next day on Peacock. Catch up Bravo.
Things have become so tense between Harry Van Vliet and Wihan Du Toit on Below Deck Down Under that Harry finds himself longing for the old days.
On Season 3, Episode 10, deckhand Harry and bosun Wihan had some miscommunication about who was responsible for cleaning the sun deck following the previous evening’s wild foam party. Wihan’s management style hasn’t gone unnoticed by Captain Jason Chambers, especially as he continually clashes with Chief Stew Lara Rigby.
Harry Van Vliet misses João’ Franco's management style
As the men tried to hash out the list of chores on a whiteboard, Harry wished he had Season 2’s João Franco back as his bosun.
“Last season with João, there was clear communication, clear instruction, and he allowed room to grow,” Harry said in his confessional.
A flashback from Season 2 showed the former bosun delegating chores to Harry in a way Harry understood.
“Wihan is not doing that this season,” Harry continued. “It’s all over the place.”
Although it seemed Harry and Wihan were no closer to an understanding after talking about the cleaning issues at hand, things got even worse by the end of the day.
Who is João Franco?
João Franco joined Below Deck Mediterranean in Season 3 as a deckhand and graduated to Bosun one season later. He continued to rise the ranks offscreen as a captain, and by the time he filmed with the Below Deck Down Under team in Season 2, he’d spent three and a half years as a captain, making his onscreen debut in Episode 8.
Although it’s clear from the most recent Down Under episode that João earned Harry’s respect, he also garnered the respect of the Captain.
“When he turned up, he had my support, I had his support, and that was very, very essential,” Jason told Bravo’s The Daily Dish in August 2023. “He starts getting the team into shape, which is what it needed.”
João left the series to captain a 43-meter superyacht he helped build and work toward earning his Yachtmaster’s License.
In November 2024, he posted about his rollercoaster of a year, which included 280 days at sea and the love of his longtime girlfriend, Domi Tiesi.
Harry reaches his breaking point with Wihan
As day turned into night in the recent episode, Harry struggled to grasp how Wihan managed the deckhands — at dinner, he told Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph he wanted the team to be “what it was last time … and it’s not.” Back in the cabin, things reached a fever pitch between the two men, with Johnny Arvanitis close by.
“I’ve been hearing so much s--t tonight,” said Wihan. “All I’m saying is just be careful.”
Harry was unclear over Wihan’s accusations, and although the confrontation seemed to fizzle out, Wihan continued to pick up the conversation by telling Harry he’d created a “bad vibe” and asked Harry “very f-----ing nicely” to stop asking for clarification.
Harry left, telling himself he’d be “walking off” the following day.
When Tzarina went to meet him, he broke down in tears.
“The way he spoke to me, and Johnny stood there — if that’s the deck team on this boat, I’m out; I’m not gonna deal with these manly men,” Harry said. “Honestly, I’ll walk off tomorrow. I will walk off tomorrow. There’s nothing that would jeopardize my career; I will f-----g walk off this boat tomorrow.”
Johnny joined Harry and Tzarina after seeing Harry’s emotional state.
“Harry’s crying just broke my heart in two,” Johnny told producers. “I can understand that it might be too much for him. But, together, we’re a great team. Let’s find a solution.”
Perhaps a solution could be found in the cold light of day. But after a massive misunderstanding between Johnny and Wihan capped off the gasp-worthy episode, there’s no telling who might be walking off the boat for good.
More to come as the season continues, but catch up on why Captain Jason previously said Wihan had no accountability.
