Eddie Lucas has dished his new dynamic with Captain Lee Rosbach in Below Deck Season 9.
The captain and now first-officer have been through a lot together over their five seasons on the hit yachting show. Eddie returned to Below Deck for Season 8 after a five-year absence to redeem himself in Captain Lee and fans’ eyes after his Season 3 behavior.
At the end of Season 8, Captain Lee promoted Eddie from bosun to first officer. While many viewers believed Eddie wouldn’t do another season following his promotion, the Below Deck Season 9 trailer revealed he’s back.
The trailer was filled with drama, including new Captain Sean Meagher filling in for Captain Lee. Thankfully, Eddie and Captain Lee are reunited as the stud of the sea appears just as Eddie needs him most.
How does the dynamic between Eddie and Captain Lee change in Below Deck Season 9?
Despite their close friendship, Eddie opened up to Vanity Fair about the shift in dynamic with Captain Lee on the upcoming season of Below Deck.
“It’s a different dynamic between me and the captain. I can kind of challenge his way of thinking and better understand his leadership style. No matter how long I work with the captain, I keep on learning new things,” Eddie expressed.
Fans got a glimpse of the dynamic when Eddie is seen telling someone that Captain Lee is going to fire him in the trailer. The two men also face sending a couple of crew members packing, which may or may not strengthen their bond.
Is Eddie the new Kate on Below Deck?
Like Captain Lee, Kate Chastain was a staple on Below Deck for years. When she left after six seasons, Eddie returned, and there was a good reason producers wanted him back.
Executive producer Courtland Cox revealed to Vanity Fair why Eddie was chosen, and it wasn’t just because Kate left.
“On the heels of this incredibly awful tragedy that Lee and Mary Anne suffered to be able to have someone familiar like Eddie come back, when he has been like a son to Lee, it got magnified into this kind of amazing but awful coincidence,” Courtland shared. “While you’re seeing what Lee went through and seeing what Eddie meant to him, it really puts it in perspective how you’re making a TV show with real human stakes.”
This revelation, and Eddie coming back for Season 9 of Below Deck, has some fans wondering if Eddie is the new Kate for Captain Lee. Eddie gives Captain Lee the friendship, camaraderie, and confidante that the captain had in Kate. But will Eddie stick around for multiple seasons?
Only time will tell on that one. However, until then, fans can enjoy the new dynamic between Captain Lee Rosbach and Eddie Lucas on Below Deck Season 9 this fall.
Below Deck Season 9 premieres on Monday, October 25 at 9/8c on Bravo.