Below Deck alum Captain Sean Meagher has weighed in on the Heather Chase and Rayna Lindsey Season 9 controversy.
Captain Sean kicked off Season 9 as a fill-in for Captain Lee Rosbach, who had a medical issue. The new captain was only there until mid-way through the first charter.
Although he wasn’t on-screen very long, Captain Sean has been watching Season 9 play out on-screen. Heather saying the N-word became a controversial topic on the season, especially since Rayna struggled following the incident.
Below Deck fans have followed the on-screen and off-screen fallout of Heather saying the racial slur all season. Captain Sean has also been following it and has shared how he would have handled it.
Captain Sean Meagher from Below Deck weighs in on Heather Chase and Rayna Lindsey Season 9 controversy
The captain stopped by Down with Jason! Anchor Watch to discuss yachting and his brief stint on Below Deck. It didn’t take long for Rayna and Heather’s drama to be addressed.
“I wasn’t privy to actually what happened. I never try to be an armchair quarterback,” Captain Sean expressed.
Like all other Below Deck viewers, the captain can only comment on what he’s seen unfold on the yachting show.
“What I do know is, and this is how I would have handled, not just a situation like that, but a situation where there’s tension between two crew members. I think that the ultimate onus falls upon management,” the captain stated. “So, if there is a problem and you have an employee that doesn’t feel like they’re in a safe work environment or whatever, then that problem needs to be immediately addressed. And that needs to be immediately addressed by their immediate superior, which in this case would have been Heather.”
Would Captain Sean have fired Heather after she said the N-word?
Again, Captain Sean made it clear that he wasn’t there when the incident went down. The captain didn’t place any judgment on anyone involved in the situation. Captain Sean merely shared how he would have handled it if it had happened on his watch.
“I would have needed to have known all the information as quickly as possible. And I would have brought everyone together and sat them down and gone, ‘Alright, exactly what has happened?'” he shared.
The captain explained that a sit-down with him would be the final straw.
“I have a policy if I get two crew that are at odds and you’re coming to a meeting with me. In other words, it had gone to the stewardess. It had gone to the mate. Now you’re sitting down me. You’re at the final. This is it. There’s there is no higher authority,” Captain Sean said.
At the end of the day, Captain Sean Meagher would have tried to handle the situation the best he could. The captain admitted, if necessary, he would have fired someone. It’s not his first choice, but sometimes it’s the only choice for the crew’s sake.
The Below Deck Season 9 reunion show will either squash or heighten the drama with Rayna Lindsey and Heather Chase. Rayna has done an interview spilling the tea on the show, while Heather shared a message to fans.
Below Deck Season 9 reunion airs Monday, February 7 at 8/7c on Bravo.