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This Below Deck article contains spoilers.
Captain Kerry Titheradge’s words to chief stew Fraser Olender at the start of this week’s Below Deck are meant to be encouraging. Sure, Barbie Pascual may have an attitude problem that needs to be addressed, but there’s no question that the stew knows her stuff. It’s why the Captain tells Fraser that he should take a deep breath and try to make things work with Barbie, as her skills can be a great asset to the ship.
“One thing I’ve noticed with my conversation with Fraser is that there’s a lot of emotion involved,” Captain Kerry says in a confessional after the exchange. “If she’s good at what she does, you can utilize that. You don’t have to like her. Let’s find a way for her to shine.”
But things take a turn for the worse during “It’s Always Sunny in Grenada.” During their hard-earned night out, Fraser and Barbie once again get into a nasty spat.
“You’re a little sassy, too. You have a whole attitude yourself,” Barbie defiantly tells her superior after Fraser explains that he needs to see more respect from her for things to run smoothly on the ship. Obviously, Fraser doesn’t appreciate the comment, and a shouting match breaks out the bar after dinner.
Fans could see this confrontation coming from a while away, of course. For one, Fraser would have clearly preferred it if Captain Kerry had simply fired Barbie and found someone new for the interior. Meanwhile, on the phone with her mother at the start of the episode, Barbie explains that things have reached a boiling point as far as she’s concerned and that she’s had it with her boss.
It hasn’t helped that Barbie doesn’t feel she’s getting the praise or encouragement she believes she’s entitled to. As Barbie tell it, she grew up being constantly praised by her doting father, so when she’s not getting this from her authority figures at work — like when Fraser isn’t blown away by her orange juice margarita recipe — it’s a problem for her.
“I grew up with a father [who] just applauds me 24/7, like that’s what my dad does…” she said during the episode of the dad who she revealed pays for all her important expenses — the cash she makes yachting is just spending money, according to her.
“There’s nothing that makes Fraser be like, ‘Oh, Barbie, good job,’” Barbie said in the episode. And yes, of course it’s good to be recognized for a job well done at work, but it sort of sounds like what she wants is constant praise?
No, Fraser doesn’t have time to constantly laud Barbie for everything she does right, and especially not when she ignores his instructions on the boat or insults him on nights out. That said, a preview for next week’s episode suggests Barbie may finally come to an understanding with Fraser, an unexpected turn of events to say the least…
“I want you to know I get it, okay?” she tells Fraser in the clip. “I’m a spoiled bitch who gets everything she wants all the fucking time. And I need to get the fuck over it. I need to grow up. I mean, who do I think I am?”
The two seem to make amends at the bar, with Barbie promising, “I swear you’re going to see a whole change, okay?” Let’s hope for the sake of the interior team that the beef has been put to rest.
On Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live after show following the episode, Barbie admitted that she was surprised by her own behavior while watching the finished episodes. In fact, she sounds a bit regretful about how she’s come off on the series.
“Watching back I’m shocked. Like, I know I have an attitude but like, I live in my truth. So, I think that the truth is totally fine, but when I watch back I’m like, ‘Whoa,’” Barbie said, looking back at the episode. “It’s a lot, it’s a big attitude. It needs to get checked. And I’m checking it.”
The big question is did Barbie really manage to check her attitude in time to save her job on the St. David?
New episodes of Below Deck air on Mondays at 9 pm ET on Bravo.
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