The hammer was thrown down on two employees during the April 14 episode of Below Deck Down Under, as Captain Jason Chambers let not one, but two crew members go after a rough night on super yacht Katina. Deckhand Johnny Arvanitis and Bosun Wihan du Toit were both canned, but for different reasons. Johnny had to leave the ship after losing his temper when he walked in on his love interest, Sous Chef Alesia Harris, snuggling in bed with Wihan. Wihan was let go for performance issues unrelated to the Johnny/Alesia incident.
Captain Jason has had to make some tough decisions on Below Deck Down Under season 3, having let go the original sous chef (well, technically he quit), Anthony Bird, after he clashed with head chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph. Wihan’s performance issues had been circling for a while, and even though Captain Jason gave Wihan plenty of warning, he couldn’t stay out of the drama and ended up being fired. Johnny’s firing came as a surprise, as he’d been a strong deckhand the entire season.
Johnny And Alesia Had A “Boatmance”
Alesia Replaced Anthony As Sous Chef
Alesia made her debut during episode 6, and she joined the crew on a night out partying and dancing. Immediately, Johnny took notice of her, saying that he’d been hit by Cupid’s arrow. He attempted to kiss her on the first night, but Alesia brushed him off. Still, she was taken by him, since he was very serious in the way he pursued her. She couldn’t resist his Greek charms, and the two began a sweet, but eventually short-lived, “boatmance.”
Alesia and Johnny didn’t have enough time to really explore their relationship, but the time they spent together was sweet.
Johnny and Alesia would sneak kisses throughout the interior of the Katina, and Johnny even asked Captain Jason for special permission to take Alesia off the boat for a date, which is when you know it’s serious on Below Deck.
Johnny seemed confident in Alesia, but he did warn Wihan at one point not to go near her, and Wihan assured Johnny he would never.
Johnny Walked In On Alesia Mistakenly In Bed With Wihan
Alesia Said She Thought Wihan Was Johnny
Johnny and Alesia’s romance came to a crashing halt in one of the most dramatic scenes this season on Below Deck Down Under. After another night out partying and then drinking on the boat, Alesia slipped into Wihan and Johnny’s room. She had asked Johnny previously if she could come into his bed to have a cuddle, which Johnny agreed to. To be fair, Alesia was new to the ship, and she’d had a lot to drink. She went into their bunk and climbed into Wihan’s bed, but she kept asking for Johnny.
As she slid in beside Wihan, he put his arms around her and they snuggled. Wihan did look confused at Alesia coming to his bed, and she did seem to be a bit out of it. When Johnny walked into the room and sees them in bed together, he saw red. Alesia said she thought she was in Johnny’s bed, but Johnny looked stunned.
After hearing Alesia’s explanation for the snuggling mistake, where she maintained that her being in Wihan’s bed was nothing more than a huge misunderstanding, no doubt fueled by the alcohol that was consumed during a crew night out, she was beliveable. Johnny seeing her with Wihan was never intentional, so she said. Since Johnny had just spoken to Wihan earlier in the night and asked him to stay away from Alesia, Johnny felt rightfully betrayed.
Johnny Was Fired After Punching A Wall
Johnny Lost His Temper
As Johnny stumbled out of the cabin, trying to process what he had just walked in on, Alesia scrambled out of Wihan’s bunk and ran to Johnny in the galley. She told him it was a complete accident, a misunderstanding, as she thought she was in Johnny’s bed, and that she was cuddling with him. Johnny managed to maintain his composure with Alesia, kindly touching her shoulder and saying he knew it was a mistake, trying to calm Alesia down.
Johnny walked back to his room and that’s when his anger came crashing out. As Wihan sat up in his bunk, Johnny let his fists fly, throwing a punch at a cabinet and muttering that he was leaving the boat. The punching of the furniture was loud, and the rest of the crew heard the commotion. It was even enough to wake up Captain Jason, who went to Johnny and Wihan’s room to see what all the commotion was about.
Captain Jason decided it was best for Johnny to spend the night elsewhere until cooler heads prevailed. Jason got Johnny a hotel room on shore, where he would stay in a hotel for the night. The rest of the crew look upset, but they all try to go to bed and get some sleep. The next morning, Johnny returned to the boat and has a meeting with Jason.
Captain Jason told Johnny that he had no choice but to let him go for the safety of the boat and the crew. Jason said aggression could never be tolerated. It’s a sad ending for Johnny, because he had real feelings for Alesia, so when he walked in on her in bed with his friend, he lost his mind. It’s understandable, but it is also unacceptable.
Johnny handled the firing with dignity. He told Captain Jason he understood, he shook his hand, and he thanked Jason for the opportunity. Then he went to pack up his belongings and say goodbye to Alesia, who was in tears the whole morning. Johnny told Alesia he didn’t blame her, and it was just very bad timing for him to walk in when he did.
Alesia Felt Guilty For Johnny’s Firing
Alesia Blamed Herself
The morning of Johnny’s termination, Alesia looked like she hadn’t slept a wink. She had to sit and tell Captain Jason what happened that led to Johnny’s outburst, but Jason told her she didn’t do anything wrong and what happened wasn’t her fault. She still looked shell-shocked, probably because she was still processing the events of the night before.
Chief Stew Lara Rigby told Captain Jason Alesia was embarrassed and upset about what happened. Alesia recounted what happened the night before, as much as she could remember. She looked terrified as she explained to Captain Jason, but both Jason and Lara assured Alesia that nothing was her fault.
Alesia still said she felt guilty for what happened, but Jason and Lara are right.
Even though her actions caused Johnny to become upset, once he crossed the line and turned it into something physical, it was beyond Alesia’s control.
Johnny is responsible for his own actions, and the blame lies with him that he couldn’t control his temper. Captain Jason was right to fire him, since he needed to keep the guests and the crew safe.
Below Deck Down Under airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on Bravo.