Offering his two cents. Captain Lee addressed Eddie Lucas‘ potential return to Below Deck after the bosun claimed their cast was the “lowest-paid” at Bravo.
“I’ve learned that [Eddie said that],” the Florida native, 73, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting season 10 of Below Deck. “Never say never because things change. Attitudes change. I used to [like] Coca-Cola and now I don’t care for it so much. You’re gonna morph into something different as time goes on.”
According to the captain, there is a chance Eddie might come back to the franchise. “Never’s a big word and it’s a very long time,” Captain Lee noted, before confirming that he would work with his former costar again “in a heartbeat.”
Captain Lee Rosbach, Eddie Lucas. Laurent Bassett/Bravo (2)
The reality star’s insight comes months after Eddie made headlines when he announced his departure. (The Below Deck alum starred in the hit Bravo series from 2013 to 2015. He returned in seasons 8 and 9 to help Captain Lee on deck.)
“I was not invited back to do another season,” the exterior crew member told the New York Post in May. “I actually didn’t even get a phone call from them saying they hired someone else — which kind of goes to show what the production entails. Everyone on Below Deck is expendable.”
At the time, Eddie revealed he had issues with how the Below Deck cast was paid for their work. “There is somebody monetizing off of the show, but it’s definitely not us,” he claimed. “Below Deck — regardless of it being the most popular show on Bravo — we are the lowest-paid cast members.”
The Connecticut native continued: “While we do get paid better than a normal yachtie, of course, we are still not getting paid what people like the Housewives are making, which is a little frustrating, because they’re not really working — they’re just going out to dinner and fighting.”
Eddie hinted that he would consider appearing on the show in the future despite his frustrations.
Meanwhile, Captain Lee offered a glimpse of what viewers can expect from returning cast members Fraser Olender and Rachel Hargrove during season 10. “[Fraser] definitely knows what he is doing,” the TV personality told Us about the former second stew, who has been promoted to chief stew. “And for lack of effort — there was never any lack of effort and never any lack of results. So, I was very pleased with the way he ran his department.”
The captain also praised the opportunity to work alongside Rachel again.
“Rachel just always delivers. I feel the same way about Rachel that I did about Kate [Chastain]. Rachel’s in charge of her department and you don’t have to worry about it,” he explained. “She doesn’t have a sous chef and she doesn’t have somebody else to help her prep. I think that’s one of the reasons that sometimes the meals are elongated. But [it] doesn’t make them any less spectacular.”
Ahead of season 10, the Running Against the Tide author teased how their time in St. Lucia stood out in Below Deck history. “You will find this season that I did something that I’ve never, ever done before in my career or in my life,” he hinted. “And there’s gonna be a lot of situations where you’re gonna go, ‘Wow, didn’t see that coming at all.’ Not only will it be true for the viewers, [but] it was true for myself and the crew.”
According to Captain Lee, the new season was “still fun” regardless of “everything that popped up.”
Season 7 of Below Deck returns to Bravo Monday, November 21, at 8 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
