Below Deck’s, Elizabeth Frankini and James Hough sounded off on their boatmance and guest cabin escapade at the Season 8 reunion show.
Although many fans were disappointed in the virtual chat and host Andy Cohen, there were still a few intriguing moments. One of those was James and Elizabeth’s very different opinions on their fling.
The fired stew and deckhand faced backlash for their choice to hook up in a guest cabin more than once. Elizabeth ultimately got fired after their indiscretion, while James was only reprimanded.
Do they regret using the guest cabin?
Andy point-blank asked James and Elizabeth about their night of passion and why they thought it was okay to use the guest cabin.
“It was dead simple,” James stated. “I’ve obviously worked in yachts before, I kind of knew something that shouldn’t be done, and we were messaging each other, and she said, ‘Should we go into the guest cabin?’ I gave a warning saying, ‘We shouldn’t do this,’ which I did, and that’s me in the clear. If we do get in trouble, we do get in trouble.”
Elizabeth had a different outlook on their choice.
“We were off charter. We were drinking. It shouldn’t have happened without the permission,” she expressed.
The two also didn’t agree on who was the one to initiate the guest cabin escapade. Elizabeth said James invited her, but James declared it was the other way around.
As for whether the night of passion was worth it, James said yes, and Elizabeth shook her head no.
Boatmance or relationship?
It was easy for viewers to see that Elizabeth and James were not on the same page regarding their fling. He was in it for the fun and sex. She had hopes of a relationship.
The Below Deck reunion got more into each of their feelings about the fling. They did each agree it was a boatmance.
However, it certainly wasn’t that for Elizabeth at the time.
“It was a boatmance, for sure, but I was open to the idea of it becoming a relationship,” Elizabeth said.
James, on the other hand, knew it was a boatmance all along. He knew things would never last between them once their time on the My Seanna ended. The deckhand thinks he was pretty clear with his intentions, but some fans and Elizabeth disagree.
Captain Lee Rosbach summed up James’ feelings toward Elizabeth the best.
“I happen to think if it hadn’t happened on a boat, it would have been just a one-night stand from James’ point of view,” the captain declared.
James replied, “Seems like you know me well.”
Elizabeth Frankini and James Hough were the only boatmance on Below Deck Season 8. Next up is Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2, which according to chief stew Daisy Kelliher has a lot of hooking up.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2 premieres Monday, March 1 at 9/8c on Bravo.