Rhylee Gerber deserved a better deck crew on 'Below Deck'

It's always satisfying to get someone hooked on a show based on your own rec. It's happening with my brother and SIL right now with Below Deck. When EJ was a month old, we started the OG Bravo series. Camera crews follow the lives of people who work on these *insane* yachts and the subsequent drama that follows when you live with all of your hot coworkers in close quarters. I remember cleaning bottles in the kitchen and overhearing crew members chatting about where they're from, my head snapped around when I heard a deckhand say Seward, Alaska.

Enter Rhylee Gerber. She was on seasons 6 and 7 of Below Deck. And she's from Alaska. So that means we can talk about BD 🥰 What I love about Rhylee is she isn't afraid to push back against crew members and fans' opinions. During her time on the show (2018-20), fans would tweet her some crazy shit and she would respond – standing ten toes down. If I was on a reality television show, I would also be strong to defend myself against viewers, especially the misogynistic ones.

Have you ever heard the expression, 'When you're a hammer, everything is a nail?' Andy Cohen asked her Watch What Happens Live in 2019.

Am I the hammer?

What do you think?

I'd rather be the hammer than the nail.

There are five Below Deck shows + spinoffs – 12 seasons of Below Deck, 10 of Below Deck Mediterranean, 5 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, 4 of Below Deck Down Under (season 4 just started Feb. 2), and one of Below Deck Adventure. It's a nice series to recommend to folks because you really can hop in for at any time, since most of the cast is entirely new each year. Occasionally, you come across someone that returns for than a season – a sign they're semi-competent.

You learn quite a bit while watching these mega yachts. This is educational! The stakes are high, quite literally millions of dollars worth. What if a fire happens and the chef has to throw their pan overboard? What if the deck crew doesn't properly communicate and end up smashing the boat into the dock? Why isn't anybody on anchor watch? (all real scenarios that have happened)

I also love that there are so many good accents across BD. Where else would you hear someone pronounce huevos rancheros so wrong? Guevas rancheras, cuevas rancheras, heros (and herreros) rancheros and quieras rancheros. Mmm, tasty!

Rhylee is a hard worker. She's a deckhand, so she works on the exterior of the boat (compared to stews who are in the interior). Captain Lee Rosbach always said she had a good work ethic. Coming onto the show, it's her first charter job ever, and she tells her coworkers that she wants to learn as much as she can.

A lot of people don't realize Alaskan girls are badass.

During her first season, Rhylee has several crew members who are very bro-y to each other, they're referred to as "the boys / the brus." Her bosun (boss under the captain) gets annoyed when she asks questions, because – again – this is the first yacht she's worked on. He eventually is fired because of his own incompetence. The other two guys on exterior have no respect for women – one of them tries to kiss the chief stew in season 7, and begins punching the window of the taxi they're in after he's rejected. The other began dating a still-married guest when the charter trip ended, after talking about finally getting his family back together (due to his partying). So it's safe to say she didn't have the best coworkers.

I'm in a totally different world of boating. I work as co-captain and a main on fishing charters in Alaska. It's not a lot about the ambiance – it's more about catching that monster halibut – and you get dirty and gory and bloody and I love it.

People say she's rough, which yes, but she also takes no bullshit from the men on-board, who are constantly talking down to her all season. There are times where she flies off the handle, but I see them as justified. If someone is dismissive and rude to me, I'm going to give it right back to them. So I get it.

Rhylee was also on season three as a friend-of on Winter House, a Summer House spinoff where 20 and 30-Bravolebrities live in a share house for a few weeks. So you have people from Vanderpump Rules, Summer House: Martha's Vineyard, Family Karma, Southern Charm and BD. She really didn't get as much screen time as she should have, but to be fair, that season wasn't Bravo's best work.

I like Rhylee, a viewer shared on Reddit. It will take a pretty unique kind of guy to understand and match her fierce spirit and "take charge" persona. I am also super envious of the way she is put together physically and would plan and execute a triple fucking homicide for DNA like Rhylee Gerber's. I would enjoy seeing her again with a different crew.

(total watch time: 17 days, 7 hours)

An update on the 'Survivor' 50 Idol Challenge

When news first came out about the Survivor 50 Idol Challenge, fans were told there would be an idol hunt. I guess that's true. The caveat is instead of first-come first-serve and one idol at play per state, people who are idol hunting can go to the location on a certain day and scan a QR code to be entered to win. Dunk actually has a theory on where the idol is before any clues have dropped, I'm curious to see if he's right. We will be out of state when the first clue drops on Feb. 14, but if I know anyone that's going idol hunting I would love to hear your adventures!

Watch parties in the turret 🗡️

Discord watch parties have been a big source of joy for me lately, especially with a sicky newborn. It's been a way to connect with friends out of state and catch up with pals I haven't spoken with in years. I look forward to it every week! Right now we are discussing other shows to watch after The Traitors wraps up at the end of the month.

Feb. 12: Episode 9

Feb. 19: Episode 10

Feb. 26: Episode 11 (season finale) & 12 (reunion)

'Love is Blind' is in Ohio for its 10th season

Love is Blind's new season is coming out this week, on Feb. 11. This year, we're going to... Ohio? Wah wah. I have two small anecdotes about Love is Blind. One of my besties went to law school with Zack Goytowski from Seattle's LIB (season 4). His wife, Bliss, grew up in AK and was a fisherman. I think that may be the only tie to Alaska from the series (that I remember).

The second is that my brother and SIL live in Denver, where season 9 was filmed. Kayla actually used to work with KB since they're both social workers, and James ran into Edmond a few months back and was invited to a rollerblading event he was hosting.

As always, thank you so much for reading! Subscribing is free, but there are paid tiers if you want to financially support.