Below Deck Mediterranean season 7 fans claim Bosun Raygan Tyler is a ‘plant’ for Captain Sandy to fire.
The blonde, thick-accented British expat fired up fans from the get-go. Her lax work ethic and lack of leadership aboard superyacht HOME was so bad many fans are suspecting shenanigans. Some Below Deck Med viewers believe show production purposefully hired Raygan as a foil for Captain Sandy’s redemption arc!
Throughout the first three episodes of season 7, Raygan’s many (in)actions could be firing offenses. From taking incessant smoke and snack breaks, to not teaching green Deckhand Jason Gaskell, to failing to make a workable schedule, to failing to get the water toys out in time (unimpressing charter guest Emily Beutler), to blaming her deck crew instead of herself, to just nodding her head to Captain Sandy asking what she needs to get organized, to barking orders while not leading by example, to not giving orders to Deckhands Storm Smith and Zee Dempers, to getting wasted the night before charter and being hungover, to blaming her hangover on food poisoning, to Captain Sandy hitting something for the first time with her in charge of helping dock, Raygan’s had a lot of issues at her job in a short period of time.
But we’re not here to kick a person while they’re down. Enough fans from the peanut gallery are doing that already. Instead, let’s look at how Below Deck production may have casted Raygan to fail for drama.
Raygan’s Lack Of Big Superyacht Experience Suggests She May Be Plant For Captain Sandy To Fire
The Below Deck franchise has had it’s fair share of green crew members get fired or quit over the last decade. The OG Below Deck Chief Stew Adrienne Gang has repeatedly discussed, on her podcast Gangplank Report, how show production hire green yachties in order to cause conflict and problems. Without drama, there wouldn’t be an audience or show.
Some say a plant is an actor knowing their role, but the definition of a plant is someone “planted” to cause a situation. Whether or not the plant is in on it doesn’t matter for the label. In Raygan’s case, it would be better for her if she was indeed in on it. However, all signs point to her not intending to fail at her job. Regardless, Bravo reality TV stars sign NDA contracts, so she wouldn’t be able to disclose that information anyway.
So it’s more likely Raygan signed up as bosun with the full intention of finishing out the charter season.
Despite Raygan saying she had a wealth of experience in the yachting industry, she hadn’t managed a large deck team or all those water toys before.
On the show, Raygan mentioned she’d worked many positions on boats, although much smaller than superyacht HOME. According to Raygan’s LinkedIn (not updated since 2019), she’s worked as an officer, captain and first mate on smaller boats. Production, after interviewing Raygan, may have realized the jump to bosun on a superyacht could overwhelm her.
Fans also need to consider that past crew members have accused production of bad edits or storyline fabrications. Most recently, Below Deck season 9 Deckhand Rayna Lindsey claimed the show is fake. Below Deck show credits also show their are segment producers, story producers and editors on the production crew.
Why Below Deck Fans Believe Raygan Was Put On Show For Captain Sandy To Fire
Lots of fans are speculating Raygan was planted on Below Deck Med season 7 to cause the deck team issues. Although some fans have countered, saying it’s a reality TV show, so all cast members are plants. However, what some fans are suggesting is Raygan is a plant likely chosen to fail.
“Every time she’s shown eating or smoking when work needs to be done I’m wondering if it’s real or edited,” said Reddit user rockpapermachette on Below Deck‘s subreddit.
“I can see Raygan being a hire to fire type of casting. Every season they always bring someone on who is massively under qualified and they hope it causes drama,” said Reddit user mewling_156.
“I thought that they have been setting up Storm to take over. They showed a clip or two of [Captain Sandy] noticing [his] good work… [In episode 4] there’s a scene where she speaks with him and compliments him to his face. And they keep talking about how hard he works. They’ll make Storm the ‘lead deckhand’ I suspect,” said Reddit user HughJasshole.
Another fan suggested Raygan was brought on as a foil for Captain Sandy to have a redemption arc after fans’ outrage over her (micro-)management style.
“Raygan is a plant to make Sandy and Malia seem more attractive. Just looking at Twitter comments, everyone’s comparing Raygan to Malia (naturally). And with how terrible Raygan has been portrayed, people who might not have liked Malia before because of what she did to Hannah, are now flipping,” said another Reddit user.
“I wonder. Sandy caught on to Raygan uncharacteristically and suspiciously fast. She’s usually kind of oblivious and full of second chances. On the other hand, maybe Sandy is learning to monitor crew performance better and act more decisively,” said Reddit user AdamAnderson320.
Storm Allegedly Gets Promoted & Stew Courtney Veale Joins Crew As Deckhand
Other fans have pointed out that Raygan may have become anxious while in front of the cameras, explaining some of her erratic behavior. Furthermore, Zee and Storm showing up late put Raygan in a bind. She was stuck with a completely green decky in Jason. To top it off, Jason admitted he’s an alpha and doesn’t like to take instructions from others. The dynamics from the get-go shot Raygan’s confidence early and set her up for failure.
In Below Deck Mediterranean season 7 episode 4’s preview, all signs point to Raygan getting fired by Captain Sandy after superyacht HOME hits a dolphin (no, not the sea mammal). (Below Deck Mediterranean fans can already watch episode 4 now with Peacock streaming subscription.) It’s not really a spoiler at this point that Raygan gets canned.
Some fans are speculating Below Deck Mediterranean season 6 Bosun Malia White will replaces Raygan as bosun. However, Malia has made it clear she has no intention to return to Below Deck Med. She’s working as an officer on another yacht and working towards becoming a captain. According to Reddit users, with an alleged leaked cast list, Below Deck Med season 6’s Courtney Veale joins as a deckhand. Yippee for Zee!
And, just as some fans suspected, Storm gets promoted to run the deck team.
Fans will have to get a Peacock subscription or tune into Bravo next Monday at 8 p.m. EST to find out what happens next to the Below Deck Med season 7 crew.
