Why Culver Bradbury Was Almost Fired from Below Deck Down Under

“Below Deck Down Under” star Culver Bradbury is a favorite among charter guests, chief stew Aesha Scott, and the captain himself, Jason Chambers. So, for him to come close to losing his spot on the Thalassa crew, it goes without saying that he must have been completely out of order. A little party never hurt anybody — but it did bring him perilously close to being axed.

Culver broke the captain’s one-drink rule

Keeping guests entertained aboard Thalassa is one thing, but indulging in more than one drink with them? That’s definitely against the rules — but Culver Bradbury did, anyway. As “Below Deck Down Under” came to a close, Captain Jason Chambers and bosun Jamie Sayed began expressing concerns about Bradbury’s work ethic. That led to Sayed warning him that the captain was keeping a close eye on the situation — which, in turn, led to Bradbury wanting to blow off steam with a few (that would be at least five) drinks. Not exactly the soundest logic. To add insult to injury, in an audio clip from the night, Bradbury acknowledged that he was well aware he wasn’t supposed to and even joked about the fact that Chambers wasn’t present.

In a confessional of his own, Sayed pointed out that while Bradbury was drinking more than he ought, he appeared to be holding it together. However, that was the least of the captain’s concerns. Speaking with the deckhand the next morning, Chambers pointed out that on top of the safety implications, his flagrant disrespect of the captain’s orders should have resulted in him losing his job. Yet another yikes.

… but owning it stood him in good stead

Despite the behavior leading up to his conversation with Jason Chambers, Culver Bradbury endeared himself to the captain by taking full responsibility for his actions. In fact, in response to Bradbury admitting that he’d gone well past one drink, Chambers commented that he was happy to see the deckhand didn’t deny it. That was clearly a sticking point, too, as he brought it up in his first interaction with Bradbury during Season 2. That said, he also warned that it couldn’t happen again. Bradbury’s response? “You tell me to jump, I’ll ask how high. I’ve got a great captain who needs me,” he said.

Bradbury has successfully taken advantage of that second chance and made the most of it. In fact, speaking to The Daily Dish, Chambers shared that he’d been impressed by the changes he’d seen. Returning, the captain explained, had given Bradbury the chance to redeem himself after the end of his previous season. What’s more, the captain gushed that he’d done so without losing any of the spark that made him such a great member of the crew in the first place. “The boat really needs the entertainment officer back on … he did his job well,” he told the outlet.

Well, you know what they say — the party goes on! All it takes is a little balance and staying mindful of the captain’s orders.