The awful tip from Below Deck Season 12 shows that the crew deserved a lot more.

Below Deck is definitely a cornerstone of reality TV. It always delivers high-stakes drama and the often-hidden truths of luxury sailing. Season 12 has been just as crazy, with the St. David crew dealing with hard charters and problems with each other. But the events of episode 4, which ended with a surprisingly low tip, made me feel very sorry for the diligent staff. There's no doubt that this crew gave us an amazing time, even though they had their own problems. Their final payment felt like a slap in the face.

The show does a great job of illustrating how hard it is to work on a superyacht, where you have to grin and do anything the charter guests want, no matter how crazy it is. Even for experienced yachties, this five-day charter was a little too much. Even though the tension among the crew is always the main focus, this episode showed how hard everyone works to make these charters a success. I was really upset with the conclusion since I thought the crew's hard work was not getting enough credit.

The Crew Worked Very Hard, But They Didn't Get What They Expected

A five-day charter with unusual guests pushed everyone to their limits.

The charter guests in Below Deck season 12, episodes 3 and 4 were a bunch of adult film stars, and to say their requirements were strange would be an understatement. The staff had to deal with a lot of different requests, from asking for lubrication in every room to wanting to go to a nude beach. Chief Stew Fraser Olender made a joke about being "stretched, pulled, flipped, and f--ked—but not in that way." Even though they were shocked at first, the St. David crew stepped up and gave the guests themed dinners, water sports, and once-in-a-lifetime trips.

I was really amazed by how much Fraser cared about the S&M-themed meal, which included masks and bondage. He welcomed his guests and made sure they had a fun, if not a little weird, night. Chef Anthony Iracane always made great food, even though he almost had a problem with a shellfish allergy. He treated every dinner like it was his "Superbowl." The crew's ability to be professional and provide excellent service even when faced with strange and particular requests shows how dedicated they are. Captain Kerry Titheradge praised their work, saying, "I was really impressed with everyone's performance this charter."

But the tip disclosure swiftly overwhelmed this acclaim. Captain Kerry called the total tip of $19,990 "pathetic." That meant that each crew member got $1,500 for a five-day charter. Deckhands Damo Yorg and Kyle Stillie agreed with this and said they felt "shafted." It's easy to see why. The crew deserved a far bigger incentive for the quantity of labor, the long hours, and the special character of this charter. It was clear that they had worked hard, and the guests looked happy, which made the tiny tip even more rude.

Caio's problems with leadership and communication caused further stress.

The whole deck team feels the pain of a Bosun's problems.

The tip was the worst part, but several problems between the crew members added to the stress. However, that doesn't make the poor payout any less disappointing. Bosun Caio Poltronieri's problems were still a big source of disagreement on deck. Caio didn't tell his colleagues what Captain Kerry said in a clear way, making it appear like a group failure instead of his own fault. This made the deck crew angry right away, especially Kyle and Damo, who thought Caio was not doing a good job of leadership.

Caio's way of talking, or not talking, was always a problem. When he was on trips, his radio communications were often staticky or didn't have the important "go" and "copy" confirmations, which caused confusion and almost tragedies. Captain Kerry had to step in to stop problems, like collecting up Fraser, Damo, and Kyle from the nude beach after Caio brought the visitors back without warning. Because Caio didn't communicate well and wasn't aware of what was going on, the captain had to constantly micromanage the deck staff, which was too much work for everyone. It's impossible to understand how much stress Caio was under, but it was evident that he didn't understand what it meant to be a bosun, especially on reality TV. He looked more depressed than anyone else, softly plucking his guitar like a "seaborne Llewyn Davis" after the charter.

The Interior Team's Hidden Struggles and Fraser's Mistakes

Solène's Learning Curve and Rainbeau's Hidden Burden

The interior crew also had its own problems, mostly because of stew Solène Favreau's lack of expertise and Chief Stew Fraser's way of running things. Even though she was shown where the cups were put many times, Solène still had trouble with simple tasks like remembering where they were. This made Rainbeau De Roos, another stew, have to pick up the slack all the time. I felt a lot of sympathy for Rainbeau, who was clearly anxious and suffering panic attacks. She's been dealing with this since college. It was clear that she was angry at Solène for not learning quickly and not being able to figure out what to do first.

What was even more worrying, though, was how Fraser dealt with the situation. He put Rainbeau in charge while he was gone, but he didn't do enough to deal with Rainbeau's complaints about Solène's intransigence. One reviewer said he asked "zero follow-up questions," which meant that Rainbeau had to "hug it out" using Solène, which was only a temporary cure. Fraser, on the other hand, was more interested in the S&M dinner's theatrics. He even told the chef to "talk down" to the guests in a sexy way, which didn't seem to work. The chief stew's job is to make sure their crew works well together, and Fraser's lack of supervision meant that Rainbeau had to do more work than was fair.

The Boatmances stirred things up, but the unfair tip was the real drama.

In the middle of all the chaos on the boat, the customary Below Deck romances started to happen, which added another level of fun. Kyle Stillie tried to get with Solène, and Fraser Olender and Damo Yorg had a hot makeout session in the hot tub. Damo was refreshingly honest about his sexual fluidity, saying, "I'm into girls and I like to kiss guys for fun." Fraser said he didn't know "what's gotten into me" because he had a hard long-distance relationship with his boyfriend back home. Solène was scared that Kyle would fall too strongly because she didn't want to be in a relationship.

These love relationships were fun and added some drama to the lives of the crew, but they also took their minds off the main issue: how much they were getting paid. It's easy to get caught up in the flirting and relationship problems, but the yachting industry is based on tips, which was made quite clear. The crew worked hard, handling difficult requests and dealing with problems within the team, but they only got a tip that Captain Kerry, a seasoned pro, deemed "pathetic." This makes it even more interesting to think about how much these personal conflicts affect how guests see the crew's service, or if it's just a matter of people being kind.

In the end, the newest charter on Below Deck season 12 was a perfect example of what makes the show so popular: high-pressure situations, interesting visitors, and a crew doing their best despite personal and professional problems. Even though Caio and Solène had problems and Fraser wasn't always paying attention as captain, the crew did a great job on a complicated five-day charter. The "pathetic" tip felt like a huge injustice, especially for those like Rainbeau, who clearly went above and above to make sure service standards were followed. It's a sobering reminder that in the world of yachting, hard effort and dedication don't always pay off in the way they should. I'm really sorry for the team; they really deserved more than what they got.

Every Monday at 8 PM EST on Bravo, new episodes of Below Deck season 12 premiere.