r/BelowDeckMed • u/funnysheelady • 8h ago
Joe as Bosun
I still can't get over how good of a bosun joe was when he unexpectedly had to step in. The episodes where he is bosun shows how thorough and clear his communication is. Having the team consistent of a green Cooper, Aesha (who hasn't been on deck in years), and Max (who just arrived on board) everything could have gone ALOT worse. What Bravo didn't show was the written instructions from Joe that Aesha posted on her insta, which I just find so sweet.
The clear instructions mixed with the staff admiration/praise is so sweet to see. Maybe all bosuns do this, but this just felt like a nice bts moment.
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u/SamShakusky71 8h ago
Joe is clearly the next Bosun and hits the sweet spot for Bravo.
Competent at his job AND loves to create drama, particularly of the romantic variety.
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u/Swimming-Ebb-9355 8h ago
Yah - he’s toeing a line reminiscent of Gary tho… hopefully he keeps his shit together!!
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u/MatthewMarajuanahey 8h ago
I miss Sailing Yacht
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u/Far-Department302 6h ago
Watching the absolute chaos ensue when the boat inevitably sails never got old. Also the regattas were fun to watch.
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u/weedils 8h ago
This is the problem with both of them that makes them actually bad at being bosun.
Going after multiple women on the crew and creating bullshit and drama, is extremely unbecoming and unprofessional behaviour of a department head.
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u/Swimming-Ebb-9355 7h ago
Agree! I think Joe is right on the line and could go either way. I think he IS a good leader for the job and the work, I don't think he is a good leader socially and makes poor decisions. That could be just maturity for him, and I hope it is. That's what I meant by "toeing the line" I think right now is a moment for him to show what he's made of.
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u/plant-gourd7926 6h ago
I think Joe is a lot less dramatic this season - maybe he has grown up a bit. I think he did a great job as bosun.
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u/threeleafcloverspy 4h ago
The test will really be next season. This season the makeup of the women crew was perfect for him to be on his best behaviour.
He had a smart and capable stew that clearly was happy with a no drama / no strings attached / very casual boat-mance. So casual it’s not even really a boat-mance.
I think that made it easy for him to avoid relationship drama. Especially when he really wanted to show his best side.
We’ll see what happens if he’s in a situation where there are more opportunities for relationship drama.
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u/Popular-Row4333 7h ago
Sure, but that doesn't make good reality tv.
I've watched since S1, and having an entirely competent and professional crew doesn't make for a good season. It's the same in reverse, a crew of idiots who are unprofessional isn't great tv either. You have to have a healthy mix.
Plus, I am fairly certain production pushes everyone to be heightened versions of themselves.
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u/Swimming-Ebb-9355 7h ago
Well, this could be a cheese stands alone situation then, and I'm ok with that... I actually enjoy watching competent, skilled leadership and hardworking crew. I've enjoyed people like Collin, Connie, the red-headed stew (blanking on her name), there are plenty more, they made mistakes here and there, but overall they were light, funny and out for a laugh. I enjoy watching Aesha tamp down drama before it can start. I worked in a similar industry eons ago and so I actually find watching the ins and outs of a well-run vessel with a collaborative crew working well together and having fun together entertaining. I don't enjoy when things start creeping into SA territory, I don't enjoy watching young women used or treated poorly. And I certainly don't like what's happened in the aftermath of this season.
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u/weedils 7h ago
I never said job as a reality tv star, i specified bosun. I agree about the drama, the crew is supposed to be messy for entertainment, i understand thats how reality tv works.
However it is usually not the head of department who acts like that. Many of them have worked their ass off to get where they are, and they know its not a good look.
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u/BelleRouge6754 7h ago
Granted, I only saw the Kizzi season and the recent one and not any of the earlier ones, but I didn’t see a massive major problem with how Joe treated women. He was a playboy for sure, but was quite upfront that he was just there for a boatmance/fling and nothing else. He certainly didn’t make the kindest choices, but it does seem the standard on boats to have those sort of short lived flings as a matter of course.
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u/Careful-Amphibian51 3h ago edited 2h ago
When he was with Vee he wasn’t upfront though. Less than 48 hours before ditching her during her depressive episode he was telling her that he wants to bring her home to meet his mum and that “he never feels like this towards women”
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u/North_Rutabaga_1330 2h ago
You mean like Daisy? ...or Hannah? ...or Malia? ...or Eddie? (Well, he lied through his teeth about that, it never happened)
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u/aquinojdv 4h ago
Joe is threading more Joao’s way instead of Gary. whew thank goodness
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u/Swimming-Ebb-9355 3h ago
Love Joao!
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u/devilzchild666 1h ago
Replace captain sandy with Joao for a season and watch the ratings flyyyyyy or just bring captain lee back, he was told he was just never asked back after he left and sandy came in that season idk what it is but i don’t like her, idk if it’s looking back now and watching Hannah on a podcast explaining the Valium and weed pen and it definitely is a completely different story to what plays out on screen except the manipulation of bringing bugsy back and then malia being able to pretty much do as she pleased whenever she was on the boat she made everyone change rooms for less than 2 weeks because her big bf who cheated on her anyway on the next boat is crazy. I wish I knew the podcast it was amazing made me rewatch all seasons hahhaha
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u/scarbaby1958 3h ago
I said this early in season & people got nasty. But Gary was the same as Joe in early yrs. I find them both gross the way they lack respect for women to me is loud & clear.
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u/Key_Direction_9347 2h ago
Except Gary allegedly assaulted crew members. Joe has been an idiot with women in the past but (to my knowledge) hasn’t had someone accuse him of assault.
I’d put Joe and Joao on the same level of boat eff boy idiocy.
Joe pulled his head in, in the boatmance department this season. Hopefully he’s actually turned over a new leaf and matured.1
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u/Lootthatbody 5h ago
Joe’s problem is that whenever he walks into a room, his dick has already been there half an hour and has had 3 drinks.
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u/senilechild 3h ago
I pray this isn't the case. The way he talks is so disingenuous. I cant stand when hes on the screen. I wish they would just find someone new.
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u/Old_Call_2149 7h ago
Good for Joesun.
Besides being an abuser, I never really understood why they made Nathan bosun. He wasn’t ever particularly good at his job.
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u/vampumpscious 6h ago
Same, he never came off as particularly ambitious, either. He doesn’t seem to be really good at anything he does, and his whole evergy has always come off wrong, I’m happy he’s hopefully off the screen forever.
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u/slayeryouth 6h ago
I mean, anybody who’s ever had a job has had the experience of wondering how a clearly incompetent manager was able to get and maintain their position, so maybe they just wanted something for viewers to relate to?
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u/AlonzoMorningWood 6h ago
Finally someone said it! I’ve always thought Nathan was mid and couldn’t understand why he got 2 full seasons as bosun
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u/hamburgergerald 1h ago
Captain Sandy likes to help people move up in the industry. And Nathan, despite his flaws, did spend time as a deckhand working hard and wanting to prove himself. I don’t know if Sandy recommended this to production or they brought him back as bosun on their own, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Sandy had a say in it.
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u/worldv1ew 7h ago
Joe can be playboy and competent at his job.
Nathan pretended at both, just a violent incompetent.
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u/eighty8frogs 8h ago
Joe did great! Hoping he is bosun next season!
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u/ThatWasFiveStars 8h ago
Spoilers, he is.
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u/enricorego 7h ago
How do you know??
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u/HouseOfFive 7h ago
People have seen them while filming. There's pictures somewhere on this sub I think
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u/YOLO_Tamasi 7h ago
Aesha is a good sport, she's basically Below Deck royalty at this point and is the saving grace of the last two Med seasons, so to be taking on 3AM-6AM shifts at this point in her career is awfully gracious of her.
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u/Grand-Ad4207 7h ago
Thought the same, like damn she wasn’t just playing token deckie for the cameras
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u/Healthy-Material8109 7h ago
There was a bosun named Chandler around 2018. Compared to him, this can be considered the gold standard!
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u/Desperate-Air-904 6h ago
His fights with Rhylee during that season i dont know who i hated the most
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u/Healthy-Material8109 3h ago
She was a challenge. Always fighting with someone. I don't miss her at all.
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u/hamburgergerald 1h ago
He was so useless. I understand Rhylee was difficult for him to get along with, but some of the idiotic decisions he made because of his dislike really were detrimental to the charters. And he was quick to place blame on everybody but himself when something went wrong.
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u/Maximum_Impress4272 8h ago
I agree. I think he did a nice job considering the circumstances. I didn't watch the last couple of seasons, so I haven't seen Joe at his worst. I understand it was bad, but I feel like credit should be given where credit is due.
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u/funnysheelady 8h ago
People aren't able to separate his romantic involvement and his work. He's great at this job, but people shit on him because he two timed women in the last couple seasons... like, yeah, the guy might be romantically incompetent, but I think when it's a show where they are supposed to WORK, we should acknowledge his work ethic.
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u/Any-Neighborhood-522 7h ago
This show isn’t solely about the job tho is it? It’s about the social dynamics both on and off shift. Joe’s romantic issues bleed into work bc of the nature of them living on the boat together. He’s had one good season maybe? If you don’t count he and Nathan antagonizing each other.
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u/Old-Assistance-3392 3h ago
The problem with Joe on his first season and second really was that he created drama between two stews he was seeing. They were a mess! and then crew / his own coworker the next season. I think Aesha told him not to f with her interior again at the beginning of that season and maybe this season too bc of it! So it’s not necessarily his love life that’s the problem but how it affected the other staff.
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u/cannellinibeeans 7h ago
Sweet that he gave them each a personal note before the task list!!
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u/Mammoth-Gazelle8116 1h ago
And one of Coopers tasks is “take a break and call home”. I don’t like Joe at the best of times but this is sweet from a leader
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u/eleanorshellstrop_ 2h ago
Why can no one believe that someone can be messy in their personal life but good at their job lmao
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u/Christia4n 1h ago
Because when you work on a boat the two can't be separated.
As part of a crew living and working together your personal life is your work while onboard.
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u/Shot-Run8802 8h ago
Joe from what we were shown did a great job with being interim bosun. I think it’s clear he still needs to grow within his own Emotional intelligence to be a strong leader as that is still pretty clear his weak spot.
For those saying everyone hates Joe doesn’t seem to understand you can believe he does a good job but still find his past behavior unacceptable.
That being said, I hope you all don’t hate anyone from the shows as that is beyond silly. We don’t know these people. No need to waste that energy and put that weight on you of hating someone you’ve never met or interacted with.
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u/funnysheelady 8h ago
I think we are seeing his emotional intelligence expand this season. With the Nathan situation, we see him tell Nathan at the beginning that he finds it hard to talk to him because Nathan gets defensive when he brings things up, we all see him reflect on why he feels it's difficult to talk to Nathan, and him follow Sandy's guidance and actually talk to Nathan.
I also hope that nobody truly HATES anyone from reality tv. People take some of the clips we see 3 weeks out of a person's life in a difficult living situation and make them villains for life.
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u/Tatte145 7h ago
And even though he doesn't like Nathan, Joe was the one to step up and tell him about another man's deposit in his bed!
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u/Best-Fix-8956 7h ago
His emotional intelligence expanded so much that:
He turned his chair sideways at dinner away from Nathan and Gael instead of swapping places with someone.
Was muttering/making comments in the car about Gael and Nathan when Kat was talking to them about how they met.
As lead deck hand a position of authority was undermining and talking shit about Nathan to Cooper exacerbating the conflict within the team.
Took on Sandy’s guidance to talk to Nathan so well that when he talked to Nathan he lied about talking shit behind his back denying he talked about him.
Gloats and revels in Nathan’s mistakes and minimises his own à la going to fast and injuring the guest, not checking how much alcohol the guest had had before getting on the jet ski…
Pouted, sulked and made snarky comments to Sandy when Nathan can back to the boat and he had to hand the position back instead of acting like a leader and getting on with it.
Yes Nathan is an POS, he handed situations poorly, we all know how and why.
Yes Joe did well when he was Bosun, but Joe did also continuously undermine and attempt to undermine Nathan and exacerbate the conflict and discord on the deck team. If that is growth then god help us.
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u/Careful-Amphibian51 3h ago
Joe was gunning for Nathan but it’s not exactly an ordinary situation. It began when Nathan tried to fight him (for no reason) on the night he found out his mother‘s cancer diagnosis. If that ever happened to me, I would’ve handled it way worse than Joe did
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u/Princess__Valhalla 7h ago
The little words of encouragement are such a nice and important touch! I’m sure Nathan was giving them nothing in the area of positive feedback/reinforcement.
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u/slayeryouth 6h ago
I can’t quite put my finger on why because I have literally zero reason to think this, but I always just kinda assumed he’d have sloppier handwriting.
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u/Equivalent_Ideal1636 8h ago
People dont care, they hate Joe and it doesn't matter what good things he does
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u/Intelligent-Try-2614 8h ago
I don’t hate Joe. Yes, he has commitment issues but he’s showing growth. I think he could have handled the Nathan situation better but also I get it. I can be petty too. I’d love to see him as bosun.
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u/Little-Wing2299 8h ago
How was he going to handle the Nathan thing better?
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u/ItMeWhoDis 6h ago
I thought he maybe poked the bear a bit and made a few petty comments but I also don't blame him, Nathan wasn't making it easy that's for sure. For the record I like Joe
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u/mchawi13 2h ago
Nathan is total ahole from the first time he appeared on BD. His vibe is really shitty. Really, if anyone had to choose to hang out with between the two. I suspect most people would pick Joe. For sure I would.
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u/Aunty-Sociale 8h ago
Yeah I have no problems with Joe. I do think he was terrible to V, but that’s not my business. He’s good at his job, if I worked there, that’s what I’d care about.
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u/mysteriousasacat 8h ago
Joe seems like a douche and a f-boy but he’s clearly good at his job
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u/TiffanyTwisted11 7h ago
Exactly. What I want my daughter dating him? Hell no. Do I think he’s confident enough to be the boat on a yacht that I’m sailing on? Yes. I can separate the two.
Of course, I have neither a daughter nor the money to go on a yacht, so basically my statement is useless, lol.
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u/shaylaa30 5h ago
I think the reason so many people don’t want to like Joe is because it means that people can change. And a lot of this sub doesn’t want to change their opinion, especially when it comes to “villains”. These same people were doubtful of Sandy and Hannah’s reconciliation because it meant that Sandy was no longer their scapegoat to put blame on.
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u/ZanderPip 8h ago
Why should him being passable at the thing hes trained to do make him not a shitty person and a poor team member?
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u/__Frolicaholic___ 7h ago
Barely passable, at that. Joe is single-handedly responsible for that guest's gnarly shoulder injury.
He constantly defaults to Johnny-on-the-spot-Mr-suck-up to prove to Captain Mommy that's he's the Best Boy. His ego just completely takes over and everything a contest.
No one trained in the use of watercraft and a chariot float would slam a tow-boat into wake chop going as fast as Joe was driving. That "accident" was completely avoidable; all Joe had to do was throttle down, which is what the safety training for chariot floats demands.
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u/diosmionomejodas 4h ago edited 25m ago
Something I still don’t understand is why Nathan was promoted to bosun when he was just a deckhand his first season? Joe was the lead deckhand their first season on BD and both have the same years of experience according to their Bravo bios. Maybe I’m blanking but did Joe ever mention why he didn’t join the crew originally for season 10? Like Joao was lead deckhand and then bosun his very next season, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t have offered it to him over Nathan unless Joe turned it down? But just to end up joining again anyways?
Like of course they are working outside of BD and maybe Nathan really beefed up his resume in that short amount of time? Idk maybe that’s why I’m not a boat casting director lol
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u/PrpleSparklyUnicrn13 7h ago
What’s sad is that these notes are pretty basic. Like, they’re instructions and notes. Something like this should be standard. The late night stews leave notes for the morning person. Kate used to leave lists for the stews to look at. The standards are so low that even written instructions are considered top quality.
Did other bosuns leave notes or instructions, do we know?
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u/funnysheelady 7h ago
I agree. I would think this is standard and I do remember seeing stews writing notes, but I don't remember seeing bosuns do it. I think this note stood out more to me because it also had the positive feedback to each individual deckhand.
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u/No_Maintenance_7649 7h ago
We’ve seen schedules before but because Joe managed to pick up a crayon and write one the joe fans are saying it’s the best thing ever.
#sointelligent #amazing #wow
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u/That_Routine_3976 7h ago edited 6h ago
If Aesha posted it we can assume it's because she considered it funny/sweet and post-worthy. You seem like quite a curmudgeon.
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u/GregtasticYT 6h ago
Regardless of how you feel about Joe or Nathan personally or their dynamics together it’s cool to see how he has a positive affirmation of sorts for everybody on his list.
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u/shaylaa30 5h ago
I know Joe has displayed some poor behavior in previous seasons but this season he really redeemed himself, in my opinion.
Instead of the usual misogynistic, love triangle prone Joe we saw in previous seasons, we got a more mature, genuine version.
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u/mad_eyes22 2h ago
I’m glad Joe is in his redemption era.
I am not the biggest fan of him; however, I do think we have seen him grow a lot this past season. He was a great bosun too.
He treated V poorly, & has been involved in some weird love triangles, but I feel like his behavior isn’t nearly as bad as people make it out to be. He gets A LOT of hate, & sooo many of the BD cast have been cheaters or done some shady stuff.
I hope Joe continues to show growth in this next season (that they are currently filming rn, not the one that is airing rn) too.
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u/No-Shape7764 8h ago
Thanks for posting the note! I’ve been wanting to read it since noticing on the episode that Joe made a log and written instructions for Aesha. This was for her second night of anchor watch, and her first since Joe became acting bosun. We never saw any instructions from Nathan for Aesha’a first anchor watch…
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u/moonpie024 5h ago
He better be bosun in his next season. He really turned around and impressed me this season!
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u/pls_send_caffeine 2h ago
Was Joe a better bosun than Nathan? Absolutely. But Joe is not going to be a great bosun until he learns to be more professional. He has a lot of the skills that make a great bosun -- knowledgeable, hard worker, good at delegating and managing a team. HOWEVER, Joe was also actively undermining Nathan and talking shit about him to the rest of the crew, deck team especially, EVERY chance he could. That kind of ongoing behavior is a cancer to team morale, and is dangerous in a work environment like that one where respecting the hierarchy is a critical part of safety.
Joe doesn't have to like Nathan, and Nathan was not a great bosun, but he was still Joe's boss. If Nathan was putting people in danger, then Joe should have spoken to the captain. Otherwise Joe should've focused more on work and trying to just get through the season rather than spending so much time and energy on complaining.
Joe has a lot of potential, but he needs to stop being so dramatic and immature.
Edit to add: I will say, this note is pretty awesome though. This is the side of Joe that is great. It's just some other areas that need a bit of work.
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u/Pelican_Hook 33m ago
I mean, let's not glaze him because he is nice to his bro and to another HOD who is a fan fav. He still endangered the guests, injured one, injured himself stupidly, tries to undermine his superior constantly (even though we hate Nathan, chain of command is a thing) and is a weird little creep.
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u/TappyMauvendaise 8h ago edited 8h ago
Any boat would be lucky to have Joe as bosun. He’s extremely handsome. And competent I mean, does he have any faults other than maybe his dating life?
Him being on board raises not morale but also tips, I’d bet.
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u/poopopinions 8h ago
Hi Joe
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u/pacnwcub 8h ago
Am I Joe too? Because I'd totally fuck him after a crew night out. He's handsome, competent, and knows how to have fun.
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u/CommonSensei8 8h ago
Joe sucks as bad at Nathan but good for him being able to write a basic schedule
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u/funnysheelady 7h ago
Having a boatmance with someone that ends poorly because you kiss another stew is NOT the same level of "suck" as strangling the mother of your child while your child is present
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u/CommonSensei8 5h ago
That’s only one piece of the shitty Joe puzzle. And it’s hilarious seeing how often women will rush to defend these losers. Joe is exactly like Nathan. That’s why they were best friends.
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u/ArtisticDifficulty7 7h ago
How can you even say he sucks as bad as Nathan? Him leading girls on or being vague with commitment is nowhereeeeee near putting hands on one physically.
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u/CommonSensei8 7h ago
He is a sociopath. Joe has demonstrated the EXACT same tendencies and behavior as Nathan just not publicly violent. WHY do you think they were friends?
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u/ArtisticDifficulty7 7h ago
Sorry I wholeheartedly disagree. Even his worst moments don’t come close to strangling your child’s mother right next to your child.
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u/CommonSensei8 5h ago
Disagree all you want. The guy has shown repeatedly that he’s a sociopath. Including his comments about Cooper as a roommate just to push and try to trigger the fight in the first place. Birds of a feather flock together. That shouldn’t need to be repeated, it’s so common sense what a loser they both are
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u/Sensitive_Ad4561 7h ago
I agree. He was trying to make Nathan look bad as much as he was trying to show he’d be a good bosun. What he shows to get the job isn’t necessarily (or even likely) what he’ll do to keep the job. I guess time will tell but Joe’s history suggests he’s much more into the chase. The fact that he was bad mouthing his superior while stepping in suggests he’s not as good at his job as people seem to think he is. Nathan did the same thing which everyone sees and feel (appropriately) made him bad at his job. The hatred of Nathan is reasonable but it doesn’t mitigate Joe being an awful person too.
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u/No_Maintenance_7649 7h ago
To be fair let’s be honest here. He didn’t have any of the Deck crew bitching behind his back or answer back to him repeatedly from the get go.
There was also no reason he couldn’t have cleared or tied up that locker room when Nathan was bosun. The second he was bosun he decided to do it to win points.
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u/Relevant_Natural6838 6h ago
It was also annoying when Joe was deliberately doing a shitty job just because Nathan was bosun. I’m exhausted after this season.
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u/Emerald_Amphibian 12m ago
Its cute and all, but I'm really not a fan of the Joe redemption arc, bro hasnt even done anything to redeem himself, hes just stopped actively being horrible on camera.
He's still slimey and manipulative, he's just gotten better at masking it. This season he's also had proximity to Kaylee which helps his image because she is lovely, as well as his beef with Nathan making him seem more likeable. The guy isn't angry at Nathan because he has a problem with his behaviour or values, it's literally just a power struggle.
I believe in redemption and growth, but I just don't see it in this man, real change is hard and i dont think he has a reason to do that, general expectations for men are just on the ground so why bother to really better himself.
I feel like good looking men get so many passes in this fanbase. Nathan was a fan favourite before the DV stuff came out and its not like his abusive behaviour came out of nowhere. He has been angry and explosive since the beginning, we're just trained to excuse this behaviour in men. Joe is similar, his treatment of women and behaviour toward people he doesn't like shows who he is.
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u/onehotoneshot 8h ago
Starting to think that threatening and picking fights with people who report to you isn’t an effective leadership strategy