Why 2 ‘Below Deck Down Under’ Crewmates Were Fired For Inappropriate Behaviour

Captain Jason warned Punkee that Below Deck Down Under Season 2 was full of “dramatic” and “emotional” moments, but I wasn’t expecting the confronting turn things took in last night’s episode.

I’ll walk you through what happened here, but this story does cover themes of sexual harassment, so if you’d prefer to avoid this content, click away now. 

Image credit: Bravo, Below Deck

The crew had a few too many drinks in Cairns, so when they returned to the Midnight Sun, fan fave Aesha Scott noticed that stew Margot Sisson was clearly under the influence. Margot also seemed to be fighting off Luke’s drunken advances. 

“I don’t want any drunkenness to be taken advantage of… I’d like to see you get into bed safely. I’ll get you water,” Aesha told Margot. 

“I am glad that you’re here,” Margot replied, before adding: “I don’t want to go in the jacuzzi. I want to go to bed. All I want is water and bed, no Luke.”

What happened between Luke Jones and Margot Sisson on Below Deck Down Under?

The next part of the episode was really hard to watch, as a completely naked Luke let himself into Margot’s cabin, slipping into her bed. 

Now, I know that people have questioned the ethics of reality TV producers in the past, because sometimes, a wild story comes before the wellbeing of cast members. In this case, I was so glad to see the crew stepping in to protect Margot. The producers and cameramen told Luke that he wasn’t allowed to be in Margot’s room, telling him that “she said no”. 

Luke didn’t take this well, and started shouting at the camera crew as he walked towards his own bunk. Chief stew Aesha was horrified by everything that had unfolded, and immediately went to check on her friend. 

“Did you consent him being in here?” Aesha asked Margot, who answered with: “No, I was asleep. I did not invite that at all.”

Luke and Laura’s interviews during the episode. Image credit: Bravo, Below Deck

How did Captain Jason react after finding out about Luke’s actions on Below Deck Down Under?

Aesha woke up Captain Jason and described what she’d witnessed, and was visibly upset while doing so. Without hesitating, the captain threw Luke off the ship for the night. 

In the morning, the Captain rallied his crew, and said that lines had been crossed. “We had an incident last night and I want to stress that this is a place that we respect each other. Our cabin is our safety zone. That door is our boundary, that door is not to be opened unless it’s consensual. To walk into someone else’s room without consent, indecent, is my limit,” he said. 

Captain Jason then told Luke he was fired, saying that his actions went too far. It’s not a decision he takes lightly, telling Punkee earlier this year that no captain wants to terminate crew, but there are times when it’s necessary.

@itspunkee Captain Jason explains his decision to fire Luke and Laura from Below Deck Down Under. #belowdeck #belowdeckdownunder #captainjason #captaincutie #bravo #Hayu #superyacht #crewmate ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

“I don’t want to terminate crew. Usually in our industry, you might have some time in between charters to work things out. However, on the show, we are trying to provide the audience with a successful nine charters and we only have six weeks to do it,” he said. “If I have to make a change for the better of the boat, for its functioning as a team, I will do that.”

“I’ll definitely make a change if there’s any harassment or bullying, or other issues.”

Aesha and Captain Jason during the episode. Image credit: Bravo, Below Deck

What happened between Laura Bileskalne and Adam Kodra? 

Unfortunately, the alcohol-fueled outing resulted in more complications. Stew Laura was deadset on hooking up with deckhand Adam, even though he made it clear he wasn’t interested in pursuing anything romantic or sexual with her. 

Laura ended up in his room and was attempting to give him a massage, when producers stepped in and said she should head back to her own bed. 

Aesha made a point to see how Adam was the next day, and it was obvious he wasn’t comfortable with Laura’s behaviour. “I think she thinks I’m playing around because I’m being nice about it,” Adam said. “I don’t want to get anyone in trouble or anything like that but maybe I’ve got to be more serious.”

Again, Aesha had to inform Captain Jason about Laura’s “very inappropriate, borderline sexual harassment” actions. Laura got a stern talking-to from Captain Jason, which resulted in her being fired as well. 

“Adam feels uncomfortable with some moments out and you have not listened to him and his boundaries to be set… I’m going to terminate your employment today,” the captain said.

After Laura asked to be given just a warning instead, Captain Jason stayed firm, so that the team could “move forward” together. 

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. 13Yarn is also available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in need of support.

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Image credits: Hayu, Below Deck Down Under