The crew members weren’t assigned ranks yet on Below Deck Season 11, and fans were wondering why they were wearing epaulets on the show.
Below Deck Season 11 has just begun, and the St. David crew are stepping into their new roles during the first charter.
The Season 11 cast came on the boat with varying levels of experience, but none of them were given an official ranking, except Chief Stew Fraser Olender and Bosun Jared Woodin.
As the charter season continues, Fraser, Jared, and Captain Kerry Titheradge will have a better idea of the crew’s work ethic to see if they’re capable of taking on more responsibility.
Some of the yachties have already made significant mistakes, putting them at risk of being taken off the boat entirely. Their performance is vital to staying on the show, or even getting a promotion. However, Season 11’s epaulets have left viewers confused as to who’s got the highest ranking.
Below Deck fans question crew members’ epaulet stripes
On Reddit, Below Deck fans noticed the crew wearing epaulettes when the guests were leaving the boat, even though they haven’t received any rankings this season.
“Last week Fraser said he wasn’t assigning stripes yet. Then during guest departure, it looks like Xandy and Fraser both have 3 stripes, Barbie has 2, and I can only assume Cat has 1,” one fan wrote.
The same fan continued, “Deck isn’t any better. Jared looks to have 3 stripes (first officer) but is the Bosun. Ben is supposed to be lead deck, yet he and Sunny both have one stripe and Kyle, who wouldn’t know a meter if he measured it, has 2 stripes.”
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“I read somewhere that they didn’t have the right epaulettes and that Captain Kerry told ‘m to just slap something on,” another fan responded.
“Xandi is already a chief so maybe it’s based on production? Ben and Kyle share a cabin so maybe they got mixed up?” a third fan added.
Although epaulettes are a small part of a Below Deck crew members’ uniform, long-time fans of the show are able to pick up on these details while watching the show.
Captain Kerry, Fraser, or Jared might establish where each crew member stands in a future episode, but the hierarchy of their positions seems to be up in the air right now.
In previous Below Deck seasons, some yachties were promoted and their stripe was taken away weeks later, so they might have to prove themselves first.
Below Deck airs Mondays at 9:00 p.m. ET on Bravo.
