How ‘Below Deck Down Under’ Dealt With Sexual Harassment and Assault Swiftly and Decisively

Below Deck Down Under just provided a model for how reality shows should handle issues of sexual assault, harassment and lack of consent. Two cast members were quickly fired in the two new episodes that aired Monday, Aug. 7 after a night of drinking turned sour and days of increasingly aggressive attempts at flirtation reached a boiling point. Cameras caught the entire incident, and while it's a hard watch, it's also a vital one, and it resulted in the only action that was going to make the rest of the season watchable. It was also a refreshing portrayal of how a boss should protect their employees, and how cast mates should protect their co-stars. 

What happened on 'Below Deck Down Under'

In the first few episodes of Season 2 of the Bravo spinoff, we watched bosun Luke Jones confidently chase after third stew Margot Sisson. Just after meeting her, he kissed her without asking (when her eyes were closed) and switched between hooking up with second stew Laura Bileskalne and trying to make out with Margot, while using his confessionals to poke fun at deckhand Harry Van Vliet, who also had a crush on Margot. Harry's idea of a pickup line was basically "how are you?" while Luke's strategy seemed to involve believing he had already won them over without even trying, which is kind of how Laura behaved toward him as well. 

While Laura switched to hitting on deckhand Adam Kodra (who kept trying to politely reject her), Luke became more forward with Margot, pulling her in for kisses she didn't ask for and couldn't decide if she wanted. In the sixth episode of the season, the cast was doing what they normally do during their nights off: getting really drunk and whining about the hot tub. Chief stew Aesha Scott noticed that Margot and Luke were both fairly intoxicated, and she worried that Luke might take advantage of that fact. Margot declared that she only wanted "water and bed, no Luke," and Aesha made sure she safely got in bed. As chief stew, she got pulled away when the power went out on the boat, and Luke took that opportunity to go into Margot's room and climb into her bed, completely naked. She told him she was trying to sleep, and he asked if she was "10 out of 10, or a 9 out of 10." 

How 'Below Deck Down Under' leadership handled the situation

Producers immediately intervened, with one stepping into frame to get Luke out of the room. He refused and tried closing the door, cursing them out along the way. Once they finally got him to leave, he locked himself in his own room, and Aesha woke Captain Jason Chambers to explain what had happened. Captain Jason immediately asked if Margot was OK, then comforted a crying Aesha before promptly throwing Luke off the boat for the night. 

What Aesha didn't know was that while she was dealing with the Luke situation, Laura was making some trouble of her own. She first forced her way into Luke's room to ask him what was going on, and then moved on to hitting on Adam. She followed him into his room and ignored him asking her to not get into his bed. She literally climbed on top of him and producers had to tell her to get down and go to her own room with her bunkmate, Margot. In the morning, she woke up saying, "I'm so happy! I feel so great! I have no hangover whatsoever!" 

Margot then filled Laura in on what she remembered about the situation with Luke, and Laura's first question was, "Was his dick standing?" She then wanted to know if Luke was in trouble and was upset to find out that he definitely was. When Luke was fired, Laura asked if she was "allowed to say goodbye," and complained that she was "so sad" that Luke was leaving. She cried about how he didn't even get a warning and his firing was "unfair." "Aww poor Luke," she said to Margot herself. "I should have just kept him happy, and if he comes naked in my cabin, I would have been like 'Hello, yes!' But it's his fault. He rejected me, and I said I would make him regret it, and that came true. It's his karma." 

Later, she pulled Margot into the laundry room to once again say that Luke just "meant it as a joke" because he's a "funny guy," and he "wouldn't rape you or anything." She claimed Margot had "welcomed" him into her room by not rejecting him all night, and thought it was fine because all three of them were "sexual people." 

Meanwhile, Aesha checked in with Adam, who expressed some discomfort with the way Laura behaved around him, and after she heard Laura's thoughts about Luke's firing — and the fact that she complained to Margot about it — Aesha went straight to Captain Jason. Jason immediately called Laura to the bridge and fired her as well. She asked if she could just have a warning, but she was kicked off the boat immediately. 

What 'Below Deck Down Under' did right

The response by the boat's leadership was immediate, and Jason fired both Luke and Laura with no hesitation, but it was also great to see producers step in and try to stop both Luke and Laura before they climbed into beds where they weren't welcome. The problem was that neither Drunk Luke nor Drunk Laura wanted to listen, despite knowing that all of their actions were being filmed. Sober Luke seemed to know he messed up, but it was clear that Sober Laura didn't think anyone did anything wrong, and it was gratifying to see her be told otherwise. 

While Aesha didn't have the power to fire anyone, she played a vital role in keeping Margot and other crew members safe. She saw the potential for the situation ahead of time, jumped into action as soon as she saw what was happening, and strived to make sure the boat was a safe space for Margot and the whole crew. She and chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph also made sure to tell Margot that none of Luke's actions were her fault and that she had done nothing wrong. In a confessional, Margot said it felt like she had "lost 100 pounds" after both Luke and Laura had been let go. The episode ended with the number for the RAINN hotline. 

While this season of Below Deck Down Under has many episodes left before the season ends and the cast gathers for a reunion to talk about the situation, there's already a sense of relief that doesn't usually come with reality TV storylines involving sexual harassment or assault. It feels easy to go back to watching the yacht drama unfold without worrying about whether the show morally deserves to be watched. Below Deck is supposed to be fun — it's about yachting, remember — and by proving that they can swiftly and professionally step in when things crossed the line, Aesha, Captain Jason and the producers may have also just proved why the franchise, and specifically Down Under, makes for some of the best reality TV out there. 

How 'Below Deck Down Under' cast members responded

Both of the fired crew members acknowledged the episode on Instagram in different ways. While Laura's account is private, screenshots of her response made the rounds on Twitter. She posted a photo of herself and an apologetic caption: "My sincere apologies to Adam," she wrote. "I did not realize I made him feel uncomfortable and no one should be put in that position. And to Margot to not been able to empathize. I was 29 when the show was filmed, 30 was my life-changer. I am 31 now and I am watching it as all of you, an entertainment show." 

Luke posted an Instagram story of a yacht and wrote, "Self improvement, 1.5 years on." 

Margot posted tributes to some of her castmates in her Instagram stories, thanking Aesha, Captain Jason, Tzarina, Harry and Adam for their friendship and support. She also thanked viewers for all the "beautiful messages" she had received since the episodes aired, writing, "I am so grateful to be home with friends and family now and have so much love and support around me, but your messages mean the world to me too." 

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available 24 hours a day through RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.