Tom Pearson reflects on his Below Deck Sailing Yacht firing after Captain Glenn Shephard fired him mid-charter for the anchor dragging incident. It turns out the deckhand agrees with the captain’s decision to let him go.
Ahead of the squall and dramatic storm that led to Parsifal III dragging anchor, Tom revealed the situation changed things for him on the show. Tom did apologize to his crew members after the episode aired.
However, on-screen things were a hot mess for Tom, including his inexcusable behavior toward Ashley Marti over her relentlessly pursuing Gary King. Below Deck Sailing Yacht viewers weren’t surprised Tom was fired. The writing was on the wall following his anchor watch and drunk night-out antics.
It’s been months since the show was filmed. Tom’s now looking back at his time on the show and his firing.
Tom Pearson reflects on Below Deck Sailing Yacht firing
The deckhand admitted to Bravo Insider that what was going on back home with his best friend’s father took all of his focus.
“All I could think about was being at home. Like, obviously, I’ve got this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be on this TV show and make everything work out great. But, you know, life chucks ya curveballs all the time. And all I could think about, all I could think about, was going home and being with my friend and his family. That’s literally the only thing that I wanted,” he explained.
Although Tom tried to convince himself that the once-in-a-lifetime experience on Below Deck Sailing Yacht was worth pushing through the desire to leave, Tom felt guilty about picking a TV show over his friend.
Even a phone call from his friend, who was determined to have Tom stay, couldn’t convince the deckhand he was making the right choice. The situation caused Tom to be distracted during the anchor watch.
“I think I got caught up too much in everything that was going on back home and the fact that the cameras are rolling. And I think I was just distracted from everything, and I made a mistake. I didn’t notice something, which makes me human, ’cause we all make mistakes,” Tom shared.
The deckhand still maintains he didn’t see anything other than high winds as the squall began. However, Tom also admits looking back, he wasn’t on the ball as much as she should have been.
To this day, Tom doesn’t really remember what happened, but he does feel he was at fault. Getting fired from the anchor watch was a learning experience for Tom. It was the biggest mistake of his life and one he will take with him forever.
What did Tom say about Captain Glenn firing him?
Tom has owned his actions and has no ill will toward Captain Glenn for giving him the boot.
“I think he made the right decision and nothing but respect for Captain Glenn,” Tom insisted. “Whenever I see Glenn or talk to him, I’d like to apologize to him.”
Perhaps that will happen at the Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 3 reunion show.
Despite getting fired and his many mistakes, Tom Pearson “loved” his experience on the show. Tom teased it may not be the last time he’s on reality television either.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs Mondays at 8/7c on Bravo.