Below Deck Down Under fans uncomfortable over Budgie Smugglers incident with Captain Jason and Aesha
Some fans of Below Deck Down Under were uncomfortable with the way Captain Jason was talked into wearing Budgie Smugglers despite voicing his discomfort.
Previously on Below Deck Down Under, Aesha pleaded with Captain Jason to wear budgie smugglers along with the rest of the male staff on the Northern Sun. Budgie smugglers, according to the crew, are a big part of the Australian culture/sense of humor. (Just ask Harry, who boarded the ship with several pairs of his own.)
Although the captain didn’t seem keen on wearing the speedo, he and the rest of the male staff wore the budgie smugglers for an event on the yacht. While the incident was meant to be funny and lighthearted, a number of Below Deck Down Under fans took issue with the scene.
According to some fans of the Bravo series, it wasn’t okay to force the Captain into wearing something he didn’t feel comfortable in.
Below Deck Down Under fans are divided over “budgie smugglers” incident on Northern Sun
So far, Season 2 of Below Deck Down Under has taken great measures to make sure its cast is as safe and comfortable as possible. The cast and crew immediately terminated Laura and Luke following separate incidents of sexual misconduct.
Yet according to fans, the cast has yet to unpack the budgie smugglers scene in which Aesha begged Jason to wear a speedo even though the prospect seemed to put him in distress.
“That scene was played for laughs but it made me uncomfortable — even before Captain Jason expressed how he didn’t want to do it,” one fan expressed on the Below Deck Down Under subreddit. “But the yachting culture of “anything for the guests” compelled him to put on that Budgie Smuggler, even if it was personally embarrassing and distasteful to him.”
They added, “Pretty gross, IMO – and ironic, given Jason’s strong embrace of boundaries and zero tolerance for crew sexual harassment (Laura) and sexual assault (Luke).”
Yet another fan countered this by addressing the power imbalance and the context of the incident, which they believe is a factor. “The context is very different,” they wrote. “Men are in a position of more power in the world, in a whole of ways, (on average paid more, on average stronger and physically dominant), so there’s more comfortable space for them to agree to something like this as a laugh, without the undertones of sleaze.”
They added, “Of course, this is all a bit of a simplification. Men can also be sexually harassed and made to feel uncomfortable of course. But the reality is someone like the Captain in particular could easily say no if he wanted. In isolation, it appears a double standard, but more complex dynamics at play that mean few people would find the Budgies Brunch unacceptable.”
How to watch Below Deck Down Under
If you want to take part and watch the drama of Below Deck Down Under unfold, you can tune in to watch every week on Bravo TV or HayU.
If you don’t have access to these platforms – don’t worry! You can still watch the show by using a VPN, such as ExpressVPN.
Here’s our easy guide to how you can watch Below Deck from anywhere in the world by using the VPN.
- Get ExpressVPN.
- Connect to a server location inside the USA.
- Sign up for a Peacock account.
- Tune in and enjoy the drama!
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Keep watching Below Deck Down Under to watch all the drama unfold.
