Gary Kinghas always been a controversial character onBelow Deck Sailing Yacht, and he might take the crown as season 5’s villain. During his four seasons in the series, the First Officer has certainly made waves between chaotic nights out, the love triangle withChief Stew Daisy Kelliherand Chief Engineer Colin Macrae, and sexual misconduct allegations from Bravo crew members. Gary has proven his passion for yachting and competence on the high seas, but he’s not a good guy.
Below Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5is off to a rocky start. Daisy has her hands full with sensitive and demanding stews Danni Warren and Diana Cruz. Meanwhile, deckhand Emma Crouch seems to be struggling with the demands of the job. However, the biggest problem onboard is Chef Cloyce Martin’s bizarre behavior and over-the-top personality. How might Gary become the villain?
8Gary Undermined Deckhand Emma Crouch From The Start
He Thinks She’s Incompetent
Gary is already causing trouble with his deck crew onBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5, a bold move considering the crew consists of only three people on the smaller yacht. Emma’s recent slip-up with the tender, where it hit Parsifal III while she was distracted, led Gary to publicly berate her, intensifying the power dynamics on deck.Gary immediately casts Emma as irresponsible, inattentive, and incompetent. This was an interesting take given Gary’s similar mistake in the first charter.
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The strain between Gary and Emma reflects broader conflicts in his leadership style, which was also brought into question in previous seasons. Gary’s abrasive approach to managing Emma seems partly due to unresolved tensions from his fallout with Daisy, who noted Gary’s unaddressed anger at the start of filming. Gary is turning into a villainous leader.
7Gary Didn’t Sympathize With Daisy When She Cried About Him Not Being There For Her
Daisy was understandably affected by Gary’s lack of support after her split with Colin, but he didn’t care about her emotions at all. In the firstepisode ofBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5, Daisy shared how, following the breakup, she felt abandoned by Gary, who failed to reach out even when she sought comfort and a friend.Daisy broke down in tears, explaining she didn’t hold grudges about Gary’s past actions but was hurt by his absence when she needed a friend most.
Gary’s behavior towards Daisy has consistently been selfish, rude, and damaging.
Gary, who seemed surprised, initially defended his distance by saying he needed time but later acknowledged his lack of communication. However, he let it drop on camera that he was still working through his feelings for Daisy. It seems like Gary becomes more of a villain when he’s trying to figure out his relationships, especially with Daisy.
6Gary Allowed Chef Cloyce Martin To Hang Out With The Guests
He Needed To Prepare Lunch
Shortly before lunch, Chef Cloyce joined the guests on an excursion, claiming he had set up a light lunch in advance by prepping salad and planning to bake chicken and salmon. However, the crew—especially Daisy —expressed concerns about his priorities, as he left limited time to finalize the meal and serve it promptly. It seemed Gary didn’t care at all, and even drove him out to the Floatopia on the tender. Captain Glenn was frustrated with Cloyce, especially since he delayed lunch service.
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Gary didn’t seem to raise any concerns about Chef Cloyce’s hangout with the charter guestsdespite being one of the senior staff members on the boat. He could have alerted Captain Glenn and Daisy to Chef Cloyce’s exploits earlier, but he didn’t care. Gary is up to his selfish behavior once again.
5Gary Smashed The Tender
Captain Glenn Was Unimpressed With His Mistake
In theBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5 premiere, Gary had a mishap while transporting a dancer back to Parsifal III after a leather and lace party. Captain Glenn had specifically warned Gary about potential hazards in the water, especially rocks near the tender’s route. However, while chatting with the dancer, Gary got distracted by trying to impress the woman, causing the tender to hit a rock.
Gary’s desire to flirt and hook up with women always gets him into trouble.
Gary’s love of women continues to get him in trouble in the most bizarre and mysterious ways. While attempting to flirt with the dancer, he crashed a tender and could have caused damage. Furthermore, he could’ve hurt the dancer or other charter guests.Gary continues to prove he’s the villain and not as competentas he thinks he is. If he were the First Officer he claims to be, he wouldn’t be crashing tenders during the first charter of the season.
4Gary Patronized Emma When She Tied The Knot Wrong
He’s Not An Effective Teacher
Gary further proved his villainous ways and lack of teaching ability when he patronized Emma’s knot-tying mistake. Emma, an experienced yachting trainer and former EMT, joined the crew with substantial expertise in yachting but was still new to working with Gary. When she mistakenly tied a knot incorrectly, Gary seized the opportunity to criticize her rather than offer constructive feedback. Since she had plenty of previous experience, she was likely used to doing it differently.
Emma seemed downtrodden after Gary pointed out her mistake, becoming hard on herself with subsequent expectations onboard. Gary has consistently proved that he’s a bad leader, preferring to criticize his deckhands rather than patiently and assertively show them how to do things well. He’s the kind of guy who doesn’t seem to have respect for women unless he’s attracted to them, and Gary views Emma as incompetent because he doesn’t think she’s attractive.
He Wants Her To Fail
Since it’s already been established Gary dislikes Emma because he’s sexist, it shouldn’t be surprising that he got a little cranky regarding an inflatable incident. Emma was tasked with setting up the inflatables, a key part of the guest experience on charters, but she struggled to manage them efficiently. At one point, Emma was seen focused on her phone rather than her duties, which allowed the tender to repeatedly bang against the yacht. WhileEmma definitely should’ve asked for help, Gary snapped without inquiring further.
Gary expects his crew members to know everything, but he needs to train them properly.
Gary, who noticed the issue from inside, rushed out to find the inflatables improperly secured, and the yacht scratched from the impact. He criticized Emma for her lack of attentiveness, expressing frustration at her oversight, especially since it risked damage to the vessel, which Captain Glenn wouldn’t tolerate. However, it was a little hypocritical given his issues with the tender on the previous charter.
He Won’t Take Accountability For His Actions
Villainous Gary is making a big stink about some of his scenes being edited out onBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5.Gary suggested lies surrounding allegations against him influenced the decision to cut a lot of his footage, despite his claim of innocence. Gary’s comments came after seeing advanced screeners, which he said showed his scenes getting edited down. WhileGary was accused of sexual misconduct, he has maintained that nothing inappropriate happened between him andmakeup artist Samantha Suarez.
Bravo and production have not publicly confirmed the full details of the editing choice but have stated a commitment to maintaining a respectful workplace environment and uninvited Gary from BravoCon in 2023. Gary, however, has maintained the allegations are untrue and has expressed anger about the impact these claims have had on his career.
1Gary Tired To Fight With Daisy During A Night Off
He Can’t Keep It Professional
Tensions are escalating between the villainous Gary and Daisy onBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5, and Gary is the one to blame. Their issues began during the reunion when Gary felt Daisy criticized his leadership abilities, which led him to ignore her attempts at reconciling. This unresolved conflict set the stage for season 5, whereDaisy felt Gary was unsupportive and dismissive, leading to a standoff on their first crew night off.
Throughout the night, Gary’s defensiveness clashed with Daisy’s frustrations over feeling abandoned in their professional relationship. Daisy entered season 5 with a lot of residual resentment, especially after feeling isolated in the lead-up to filming. Although Daisy and Gary could work it out, he wanted to antagonize her. He also admitted he still has feelings for Daisy. While it’s still early days, Gary is the villain ofBelow Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5.
Below Deck Sailing Yachtseason 5 airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo and streams the next day on Peacock.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht
Cast
Below Deck Sailing Yacht is a spin-off of the Below Deck reality television series. Premiering on Bravo, the show follows the life of a Yacht crew as they attempt to navigate a busy Charter season in which many customers make use of a 177-foot sailing yacht. Over the first three seasons, the yacht has been to Greece, Croatia, and Spain.
