Captain Sandy Yawn is weighing in on Bravo’s decision to not invite Below Deck OG Captain Lee Rosbach back for the show’s 11th season, with Sandy claiming Lee “wasn’t well” enough to fulfill his duties as captain.
“I think when your health is in question then you take care of that first,” Sandy told Heavy. “I’m not sure how it went down, I don’t know I haven’t talked to him. I’ve heard stories, but the reality is that Captain Lee wasn’t well, and you have to be able to physically do the job.
“It’s walking upstairs, it’s saving a life and if you can’t do that, I don’t know,” she continued. “If it was my health or a TV show, I’m going to choose my health every day.”
As The Ashley previously reported, a December episode of ‘Below Deck’ (Season 10) showed Captain Lee announcing to his crew that he had to leave due to pain and numbness he was experiencing as a result of a nerve issue. Captain Sandy stepped in to take over for Captain Lee during a charter and continued manning the yacht until Captain Lee was able to return for the final few episodes of Season 10.
Captain Lee told fans in December he would return for the show’s 11th season, “as long as it’s fun, which it is and you guys still want to have me.”
However, it was revealed in April that Captain Lee was not invited to return to the Bravo series, for what he claimed were unknown reasons.
I still don’t know. https://t.co/hzDBAb8xNv
— Captain Lee (@capthlr) June 21, 2023
He confirmed as recently as June 20 that he still didn’t know why he wasn’t invited back for Season 11, although Captain Sandy seems to have her theories.
In addition to Captain Lee’s recent health issues, Captain Sandy said she believes Lee’s departure from ‘Below Deck’ was a good call due to his age (73) and the fact that their job is so physically taxing. (Captain Sandy is 58 years old old, FYI.)
“ … it’s not just about TV, it’s a physical job,” she said. “And he’s in his 70s, and I don’t know. When I’m in my 70s I hope I’m chilling on a beach somewhere, having fun, not working so hard.”
(Captain Lee insisted earlier this month that he’s not old for anything– including being a Captain.)
While Captain Lee and Captain Sandy have formed a friendship over the years, it’s worth noting that Captain Lee’s temporary absence in Season 10 resulted in a disagreement among him and Captain Sandy, who decided to fire deck/stew Camille Lamb without giving Captain Lee a heads up. Captain Lee expressed his frustration over the way Captain Sandy handled the situation when the episode aired in January.
I would have fired her. but prior to that I would have notified the Captain who I was repalacing what I was doing and why, not after the fact. https://t.co/idp8BDU77o
— Captain Lee (@capthlr) January 24, 2023
“I would have fired her, but prior to that I would have notified the Captain who I was replacing what I was doing and why, not after the fact,” Lee tweeted of Sandy’s decision.
The two captains reportedly haven’t spoken to each other since it was announced that Captain Lee would not be returning to the ‘Below Deck’ franchise.
As for Season 11 of ‘Below Deck,’ Captain Kerry Titheradge will reportedly step in to fill Captain Lee’s former role.
Captain Kerry joined the ‘Below Deck’ franchise last year as the captain on Season 1 of Below Deck Adventure.
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(Photos: Bravo; Instagram; Twitter)
I have never been a fan of captain Sandy. Captain Lee lost me a little when he defended Eddie for his mishandling of Heather using racial slurs.