The latest episode of Below Deck delivered one of the most dramatic moments of the season, as charter guest Kelly’s alcohol-fueled meltdown reached a boiling point.
But according to Captain Kerry Titheradge, what viewers saw on TV was only a small part of a much more intense and chaotic situation behind the scenes.
In an exclusive interview, Captain Kerry opened up about the shocking incident, why he had no choice but to call the police, and how his crew managed a moment he calls the “craziest experience” of his entire career.
What Viewers Didn’t See
The August 4 episode continued the fallout from Kelly’s outburst onboard the mega-yacht. As tensions escalated, Kelly became so aggressive that Captain Kerry had to contact the authorities for assistance—a first in his career as a captain.
“We could only put so much into a 45-minute episode,” Kerry explained. “But it was very, very, very intense for everybody in the vessel.”
The captain stressed that the edited footage only shows a snippet of what really happened. Behind the scenes, things were more volatile than what aired on Bravo.
Red Flags from the Start
Captain Kerry said he had concerns from the moment Kelly stepped onboard. “Her energy was intense,” he recalled. With years of experience in the industry, he quickly sensed that she was someone to watch closely.
As Kelly began drinking heavily with her friends, Kerry noticed her behavior getting more belligerent. In response, he made the call to cut her off from alcohol—not to punish her, but to ensure safety on board.
“Her enjoyment is secondary to her safety,” he said. To avoid embarrassing her in front of the group, the crew offered sparkling water as an alternative, but Kelly refused.
Defying Safety and Diving Overboard
Things reached a tipping point when Kelly insisted on going out on the banana boat and then jumped into the water—without a life jacket—despite being told not to.
“I was trying to physically stop her from getting in the water,” Kerry explained. “I used my body to block her… then asked the crew to form a wall so she couldn’t get past us.”
Even with those safety precautions, Kelly’s behavior continued to worsen, and her aggression grew. For Kerry, it was uncharted territory. “Absolutely, I’ve never had a charter guest get aggressive like this,” he admitted.
The Police Step In
Eventually, Kerry decided it was no longer safe for Kelly to remain on board. Calling the police was a last resort, but one he felt was necessary to protect everyone—including Kelly herself.
“She couldn’t stay with us. We weren’t the place for her to get better,” he said. He had hoped she would calm down, but when she didn’t, he had crew members staged at every exit to prevent her from leaving the vessel unsupervised.
The decision was further complicated by language barriers, different jurisdictions, and international guests. “The officers spoke French, so I really had to explain that she was a danger to herself more than anyone else,” Kerry explained.
Compassion in Chaos
Despite the drama, Kerry said he felt compassion for Kelly, calling her a “wounded animal.” Mental health is a cause close to his heart, and he stressed that he never wanted her to be arrested.
Supporting Kelly through the night was the primary charter guest, Helen, who Kerry praised for her calm and empathetic nature. “She was the right person to ensure Kelly wasn’t left alone in such a fragile state.”
When asked how Kelly might feel watching herself on TV, Kerry said he worried how she’d react to seeing it all play back. “The next part I’m worried about is when she comes to herself, what will she do when she realizes what she’s just done on TV?”
Aftermath and Moving Forward
Since the incident, Captain Kerry has run into Kelly again, but the incident was never discussed between them. “We’ve seen each other since, but that topic didn’t come up.”
He credits his crew for their professionalism during such a stressful event and says that their calm and strategic approach helped prevent things from getting even worse.
The shocking episode of Below Deck may have left viewers stunned, but according to Captain Kerry, what aired was just a glimpse of the real drama that unfolded. From early warning signs to a full-blown safety crisis, the situation tested the limits of the crew’s patience and professionalism.
Kerry’s focus remained on safety, compassion, and managing a crisis with grace—even when it meant calling in police help for the very first time in his career.
