Viewers of Below Deck Down Under have praised Captain Jason Chambers and Aesha Scott for acting quickly during two cases of sexual assault.
On Monday night’s programme, shocking visuals revealed Luke Jones climbing into Margot Sisson’s bed nude, without her permission, after she’d had too much to drink.
While Aesha notified the captain of the issue, he requested him to leave the boat before dismissing him the following morning.
A member of the camera team told Laura Bileskalne to’step down’ and return to her cabin when she approached an uneasy Adam Kodra to give him a massage in his bunk.
Laura was also fired after the chief stewardess checked on him the next morning and informed their manager of her improper behaviour on board.
Many viewers at home were naturally disturbed by the clip, and many took to social media to discuss the situation, applauding both Aesha and Captain Jason for acting immediately.
‘Relieved and grateful that both Chief Stew Aesha Scott and Captain Jason Chambers acted prudently, swiftly and humanely on Below Deck Down Under,’ a Twitter user said.
‘In a sea of recent criticism for reality television, sometimes there are genuine heroes in our midst as well. #BelowDeckDownUnder.’
‘Aesha and Captain Jason Thank you for showing bosses across the world how to handle sexual inappropriateness,’ another agreed.
‘I genuinely thank you for looking after the people around you! #BelowDeckDownUnder #harassment #nomeansno.’
One wrote: ‘#BelowDeckDownUnder Shoutout to Aesha, Captain Jason and the producers. You all are heroes!!!’
‘Last night’s #BelowDeckDownUnder was a powerful episode. Deeply disturbing behaviour from two crew members. All handled brilliantly by the production team, Captain Jason and Chief Stew Aesha,’ a viewer penned.
As a commenter added: ‘A toast to captain Jason and Aesha. A master class on doing the right thing and creative a safe space for everyone.
‘Consent is consent, no matter the situation or who’s involved. #BelowDeckDownUnder.’
every leader, every company, every team, every person on this earth should take note of how aesha & captain jason handled the horrifying incident on deck. to margot, and any other margots in the world, you are NOT stupid, it is NOT your fault. ❤️ #belowdeck #belowdeckdownunder
— Kerry Wallace (@k_kathleen09) August 9, 2023
Who would have thought that a masterclass on how to deal with sexual assault would be shown on reality tv? Aesha and Jason are the heroes we need.#BelowDeckDownUnder
— Eva Writes Stories 🛁🍸🦇🖊🛩🫶🍉 (@ParanormalJunk2) August 9, 2023
it’s crazy that they had to address SA in a show like this however i think it’s really important how the captain treated both the male and female experience of SA equally as serious. huge shout out to captain jason, aesha, and the production team #BelowDeckDownUnder
— ALESSIA (@velvetsweetea) August 9, 2023
Captain Jason & Aesha are just top tier humans #BelowDeckDownUnder pic.twitter.com/SqwXNOEWcu
— KG❁ (@kgsmind) August 9, 2023
https://twitter.com/andrea_mariexx/status/1689086999150415872
Laura put her Instagram account to private after the scenes aired, but she offered an apologies for her conduct, targeting part of her remarks to Margot after expressing her regret that Luke was dismissed.
‘My sincere apologies to Adam, I did not realize I made him feel uncomfortable and no one should be put in that position,’ she wrote in a post.
‘And to Margot to not been able to empathize. I was 29 when the show was filmed, 30 was my life-changer. I am 31 now and I am watching it as all of you, an entertainment show.’
Luke has also made his account private, however he is said to have been posting strange messages on his tale.
According to ScreenRant, one read: ‘It doesn’t Matter what they think about you because you don’t Care.
‘Everything we Hear is an Opinion, Not a Fact. Everything we see is a Perspective. Not the Truth.
‘Take Ownership and move forward.’
Following the instalment, he captioned a photo of a boat: ‘Self Improvement 1.5 Years On.’
Below Deck Down Under streams on in the US on Mondays, and on in the UK on the same day.
Victim Support
Victim Support offers support to survivors of rape and sexual abuse. You can contact them on 0333 300 6389.