The first firing of Season 12 is official. At the tail end of Below Deck‘s most recent episode, Captain Kerry Titheradge released Bosun Caio Poltronieri from his duties as St. David’s bosun. After a series of mistakes and lack of leadership skills, the seasoned captain had no other choice but to relieve the Brazilian native of his duties.
While viewers may have been clued into Poltronieri’s ultimate demise this season with an unfortunate photo spoiler, the individual seen in the photo may not be the person who will actually be St. David’s next bosun. That position may be filled by someone who has already demonstrated their worth and capabilities onboard: Jess Theron. The feisty and energetic lead deckhand has become the de facto leader of the deck team. If Captain Kerry were smart, she’d be the perfect fit for the position.
Caio Created His Own Demise on ‘Below Deck’
Life on the high seas can be difficult. It becomes even more so for Below Deck stars as they not only have to perfect the job they were hired for, they have to do so with cameras capturing their every move. There is no room for errors. Caio sadly learned that the hard way. When the charter season began, it seemed as if Caio would be an excellent bosun to work on St. David, but when your flaws are exposed right in front of the captain’s eyes, there’s no way to salvage your position. And, when there’s not a resounding “yes” to whether you’re able to do the job, why would anyone want to keep you in your high-risk position?
With the St. Maarten bridge being such a difficult maneuver and the boat slip being so challenging to navigate, Caio’s inability to communicate with Captain Kerry was the official nail in the coffin. And it all started when he left the first charter guests’ luggage on shore. The moment Caoi was called to the wheelhouse by the captain, we knew it was only a matter of time. He could only give him so many chances. “Your faults are my fault, so I have to have someone in place who can’t make errors like that,” he told the curly-haired bosun. Then, with his aft deck error with the line, Captain Kerry could no longer make any excuses for why he wasn’t getting the job done and he was letting everyone down.
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How Jess Became the Best Option for Bosun on ‘Below Deck’ Season 12
As Caio was navigating his own demise, Jess and her bucket hat watched in horror, knowing that she would fare much better than her own superior. And yet, until his fate was almost sealed, she remained silent and allowed others to come to her. While alone on the tender, Captain Kerry learned of Caio’s mismanagement as Jess simply responded to the fact that he doesn’t give her breaks. She was honest when he bluntly asked her how she viewed Caio’s leadership. And that’s when Captain Kerry knew that the competent deckhand standing beside him should be his next bosun. She was the level-headed individual who was needed. By Captain Kerry telling her that he viewed Caio as being out of his depth, he proved he had trust in her by telling her something in great confidence.
While we still await the official replacement, we can only hope that Jess gets her chance to lead. Should she get the promotion, she’ll join a list of exterior changes during a charter season on Below Deck. During Season 5 of the flagship season, EJ Jansen was a late arrival as bosun. And then he made an early exit when Captain Lee Rosbach bid him farewell when he had to return to his own boat. Though he didn’t appoint anyone officially in his absence, lead deckhand Nico Scholly did receive the Bosun honor at the end. The very next season, Chandler Brooks became a sensational mess due to his inability to lead. Thankfully, Ross Inia was able to take over duties and lead the remainder of the charter season. During Captain Kerry’s first season, Jared Woodin, like Caio, proved this was not the right fit for him. His departure allowed Ben Willoughby to take his position, bringing him to a managerial position next to his former rival, Chief Stew Fraser Olender.
Over on Below Deck Mediterranean, the biggest case of an underwhelming performance for the job was Season 7’s Raygan Tyler. As much as we wanted to celebrate an all-female-led manager team, even Captain Sandy Yawn couldn’t salvage her inability to do her job. Only a season later would Ruán Irving make history, lasting a single episode, all thanks to forged documents. His firing allowed Luka Brunton to assume the position. Perhaps the most necessary firing occurred during Below Deck Down Under‘s second season when Captain Jason Chambers rightly dismissed Luke Jones for his involvement in his alleged sexual harassment. Rather than hiring from within, Below Deck Med alum João Franco arrived in Australia to work alongside his former co-worker, Chief Stew Aesha Scott. Once again, during Season 3, Captain Jason had to make the decision to remove Wihan du Toit for his behavior onboard. He, too, was replaced by a newcomer, Nate Salmon. Whatever Captain Kerry does next, it is for the betterment of the boat.
Below Deck airs Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo. All episodes are available to stream on Peacock.
Below Deck
- Release Date
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July 1, 2013
- Writers
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Mark Cronin
- Franchise(s)
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Below Deck
