Captain Lee regrets firing a person at ‘Below Deck’ for unexpected reasons
Captain Lee Rosbach doesn’t have many regrets about his time on Below Deck, but there is one person he wishes he hadn’t let go.
“[I fired] everyone that deserved it. I think the most I fired was four in one season,” Lee, 74, joked during the Thursday, April 25, episode of T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach‘s “Amy and T.J.” podcast. “But there’s only one person that I fired and I did regret it. But not for the reasons you might think.”
Lee named Andrew Sturby from season 2 as the only crew member he feels bad about dismissing.
“He had embellished his resume, which is another word for lying. And he was such a nice kid and he tried so hard,” the captain recalled. “But in a million years, he was never going to get it. To me, you have to get it in order to function on a mega yacht.”
Lee continued: “He did [have a good heart]. And I said, ‘Andrew, this is really breaking my heart and I hate to do this to you. But you are just too much of a risk and I don’t have the time to really train you.’ When what I really meant was, ‘If I had a million years, you would never get it.’”
Despite wishing Andrew’s time on Honor ended differently, Lee stood behind his other onscreen firings.
“I think that is the only one I actually regret. There were quite a few that I enjoyed and I really did,” Lee added. “There’s something gratifying about being able to dish out to some people who desperately deserve what they have coming. I don’t feel bad about it one iota.”
Andrew’s skills as a deckhand were doubted when he appeared on the show in 2014. He raised red flags when he didn’t know basic boat knowledge — including that portholes shouldn’t be opened while out at sea.
Andrew eventually admitted to Lee that he lied on his resume and didn’t have any past experience on yachts. He was given a chance to prove his worth, but it didn’t work out, and the captain ultimately fired him.
“I wasn’t surprised the crew wanted me to be let go. I would have wanted the same, had I been in their position,” Andrew told BravoTV during a 2014 interview. “The Ohana [boat] was no place for someone who was not used to intensive labor jobs to cut their teeth on. There is too much to be done with too little time to adjust to the demanding work setting and to learn the job. In my defense, had I been a lot less anxious, I could have adapted more quickly.”
Andrew is far from the only person whose resume was called into question on the reality show. The most recent season of Below Deck Mediterranean, which aired earlier this year, introduced viewers to bosun Ruan Irving, who was flagged for submitting a “not certified” medical license.
While waiting for his original documents to be sent to the boat, Captain Sandy Yawn was alerted that Ruan’s Yachtmasters had someone else’s photo attached to it. Ruan promised to clear up his paperwork issues, but he never came back.
After the episode aired, Sandy said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in October 2023 that she thought Ruan knew his documents were forged. “I have not [spoken with him],” she told a fan during the aftershow. “No, [I wouldn’t work with him]. Not in a million years. No, sorry.”
Andrew is far from the only person whose resume was called into question on the reality show. The most recent season of Below Deck Mediterranean, which aired earlier this year, introduced viewers to bosun Ruan Irving, who was flagged for submitting a “not certified” medical license.
While waiting for his original documents to be sent to the boat, Captain Sandy Yawn was alerted that Ruan’s Yachtmasters had someone else’s photo attached to it. Ruan promised to clear up his paperwork issues, but he never came back.
After the episode aired, Sandy said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in October 2023 that she thought Ruan knew his documents were forged. “I have not [spoken with him],” she told a fan during the aftershow. “No, [I wouldn’t work with him]. Not in a million years. No, sorry.”
