\n Captain Lee Rosbach.<\/span> Charles Sykes\/Bravo<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Captain Lee Rosbach<\/strong><\/a> is \u201cmortified\u201d by the actions that led to Luke Jones<\/strong> and Laura Bileskalne\u2019s<\/b><\/strong><\/a> firing on season 2 of Below Deck Down Under<\/em>.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cTheir behavior was despicable,\u201d Lee, 73, exclusively tells Us Weekly<\/em>. \u201cBoth of them. And I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll be paying the price for it for a long time to come. As they should.\u201d\u00a0<\/span> During back-to-back episodes of the Bravo series that aired on Monday, August 7, Luke, 32, came under fire when he climbed into Margot Sisson\u2019s<\/strong><\/a> bed naked after the power went out on the yacht. Producers stepped in after Luke tried to make a move on Margot and he was later sent to a hotel before being fired by Captain Jason Chambers<\/strong><\/a> the next day.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cWe had an incident last night and I want to stress that this is a place where we respect each other. Our cabin is our safety zone. That door is our boundary,\u201d Jason told the crew. \u201cThat door is not to be opened unless it is consensual<\/a>. To walk into someone else\u2019s room without consent [while] indecent is my limit.\u201d<\/span> Luke wasn\u2019t the only crew member sent packing on Monday\u2019s episode. Laura also found herself in hot water for defending his actions, which prompted Chief Stew Aesha Scott <\/strong><\/a>to tell Jason, 50, about Laura\u2019s own lack of boundaries with costar Adam Kodra<\/strong><\/a>. When Adam confirmed that he felt uncomfortable around her, Laura was also let go. (She has since issued an apology to both Adam and Margot.)<\/span> Lee, who watched the episode as a viewer, tells Us<\/em> he was \u201cimpressed\u201d with production, Captain Jason and Chief Stew Aesha for \u201cnot getting rattled\u201d and instead handling the incident \u201ccalmly.\u201d He believes Jason \u201cabsolutely\u201d made the right decision \u2014 and isn\u2019t sure he would have kept his composure if faced with the same situation.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cI don\u2019t know if I would have had the wherewithal to remain as calm<\/a> as Captain Jason did, but he certainly stepped up to the plate and did it right,\u201d Lee notes, adding that he\u2019s \u201cgrateful\u201d to have never encountered a similar conflict during his own charters.<\/span> \u201cIt\u2019s a tough spot to be in,\u201d he explains. \u201cWhen there\u2019s the captain you\u2019re responsible for everything and anything that does happen. Jason handled it superbly.\u201d\u00a0<\/span> Since the episodes aired, Aesha and Jason have received an outpouring of support on social media for how they approached the incident \u2014 something Lee agrees with wholeheartedly.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cI think [the fans\u2019] reaction is justified and their praise for not only production, but for Aesha, and for a Captain Jason, as well,\u201d he says. \u201cThey all stepped up to the plate and did the right thing<\/a> at the appropriate time and didn\u2019t let anything get carried away. Didn\u2019t put it on the back burner, didn\u2019t cover it up. They just dealt with it appropriately.\u201d\u00a0<\/span> As for Margot and Adam, Lee lends them his full support.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cI have nothing but the best wishes for Margot and Adam. I have nothing but respect for [them] and I certainly feel sorry for both of them because neither one of them deserved<\/a> to be put in that position,\u201d he tells Us<\/em>.\u00a0<\/span> Lee was a mainstay on the original Below Deck<\/em><\/a> series since its premiere in 2013. He exited the show prior to season 11 \u2014 a reveal that shocked him as much as it did viewers.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cThat came right out of left field. I did not see that one coming at all,\u201d he exclusively told Us<\/em> in May, revealing that the network didn\u2019t give an exact reason for the decision at the time.<\/span> \u201cWe would like to move in a new direction,\u201d Lee recalled being told about his exit, which occurred offscreen. \u201cBut I mean, that\u2019s kind of a cliche that everybody uses when they find themselves in that situation where they\u2019re going to let somebody go. \u2018I\u2019m going to move in a new direction. We want to freshen it up a little.\u2019 [They are] tired cliches that get overused.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Lee initially left during season 10 of Below Deck<\/em> to address his health issues. He was replaced by Below Deck Mediterranean\u2019s<\/em> Captain Sandy Yawn<\/strong><\/a> before returning to finish out the charter season. In February, Us<\/em> broke the news that Lee would be replaced by Below Deck Adventure\u2019s<\/em> Captain Kerry Titheradge<\/strong><\/a> for season 11.<\/span> While Bravo announced in July that Lee and former Chief Stew Kate Chastain<\/strong><\/a> would be breaking down the network\u2019s biggest TV moments each week in their new show, Couch Talk With Captain Lee and Kate<\/em> \u2014 which premieres Monday, August 14 \u2014 Lee hasn\u2019t ruled out returning to the Below Deck franchise if the opportunity arises.\u00a0<\/span> \u201cI certainly don\u2019t want to be somewhere where I\u2019m not wanted. But if I were invited back, I think I\u2019d take another swing at it,\u201d he tells Us<\/em>.<\/span> Below Deck Down Under<\/em> airs back-to-back episodes on Bravo Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.<\/span> Couch Talk With Captain Lee and Kate<\/em> premieres on Bravo Monday, August 4 at 10 p.m. ET.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Below](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Below-Deck-Down-Unders-Luke-and-Laura-Address-Their-Firings-After-Consent-Scandal.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Luke Jones and Laura Bileskalne.<\/span> Bravo (2)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n