Two cast members of Australia’s hit reality series Below Deck Down under have been fired amid a sexual misconduct scandal on the show’s set.
Luke Jones and Laura Bileskalne were fired after separately climbing into other team members’ beds without consent, on the episode aired on August 7.
The latest episode of the show, which follows the workings of the staff serving guests on a superyacht, included Jones walking into cast member Margot Sisson’s cabin naked and while she was sleeping and trying to get into his bed.
It also included Bileskalne walking into cast member Adam Kodra’s room and attempting to massage and kiss him without consent before being told by the producers to “come down”.
UK domestic abuse charity Refuge praised the show for its handling of the incidents after the production team tried to intervene and both Jones and Bileskalne were fired from their roles.
A spokesperson for the charity said the episodes had “sparked vital conversations about consent” and added: “We are pleased to see steps were taken quickly to ensure a safe environment.”
Luke Jones is fired from the show after trying to get into bed with a sleeping crew member.
Laura Bileskalne was also fired after trying to massage a crew member without consent
Captain Jason spoke with Jones and Bileskalne the morning after the incidents occurred.
In the show’s latest episode, which aired Monday night, Luke Jones was fired after climbing on the bed of a sleeping naked Margot Sisson “without consent.”
Jones had been the boatswain of the ship, the officer in charge of the equipment and crew.
Second Stew Laura Bileskalne’s reaction to the incident also led to Captain Jason Chambers letting her go after she insisted to Sisson that Jones was not at fault.
Ultimately, she was fired for showing “little respect and empathy” towards Sisson, as well as for crossing boundaries with Adam Kodra.
The episode showed Sisson saying over dinner that she was “really drunk” before going to bed.
Despite his condition, Jones was seen repeatedly trying to flirt with Sisson and asking her to “cuddle” with him as they sat together in the back of a car.
Chief Stew Aesha Scott even told Deckhand Culver Bradbury that she was going to keep an eye on her, helping her back to her cabin and assuring him that she would not let “any drunkenness” get “taken advantage of”.
Sisson said ‘I’m glad you’re here’, but he said clearly: ‘I don’t want to go in the jacuzzi, I want to go to bed. All I want is water and bed, not Luke.
Returning from the hot tub, Jones went to Sisson’s cabin, where she was alone and asleep.
The producers intervened and told the boatswain to leave her alone.
‘Can you fuck off for a second?’ she told the cameramen.
“We can’t do that, she said no, she said no,” the producers told him.
Scott returned to the cabin and told Sisson what had happened.
‘Oh Lord. Ew, was he naked? Sisson responded, to which Scott asked: ‘Did you consent to him being here?’
“No, I was asleep,” said Margot. ‘I didn’t invite that at all.’
After establishing that Sisson was safe, Captain Jason was seen reviewing the night’s events with Luke the next morning, which he agreed to, before “terminating” his contract.
Boatswain Luke Jones was fired the morning after trying to get into bed with a crew member.
Jones was seen trying to get into bed with an intoxicated crew member after she said no.
Producers intervene after seeing Jones try to get into bed with Margot Sisson
Below Deck Down Under is a popular American reality television show that follows the crew members who work and reside aboard a 150+ foot yacht, which first aired on March 17, 2022.
In the same episode, flight attendant Laura Bileskalne was fired after climbing onto crewmate Adam Kodra’s bunk and attempting to massage him.
Kodra had told Bileskalne several times that he wasn’t interested in pursuing anything with her beyond friendship.
He told the show’s producers: ‘I’m not interested in Laura in the slightest.
“I’ve told him a million times, like I just want to be friends, but I don’t get the point, so I don’t know what to do.”
After a night of drinking, Bileskalne followed Kodra to her cabin.
She told him ‘we have to close the door’ while holding a tube of moisturizer in her hand.
Kodra climbed onto the top bunk and tried to go to sleep, but Laura put lotion on her back in an attempt to massage it.
The producers were again forced to intervene and ordered him to stop.
‘Laura, I got a message from the producers telling you to come down,’ the cameraman informed her.
He then went on to rub Kodra’s back, before a producer barged in and told him to “come down” and go back to his own cabin.
Captain Jason also fired Bileskalne for the incident and for showing little empathy for Sisson.
The events occurred last year, but were first broadcast on Monday.
Laura sparked outrage after climbing into crewmate Adam Kodra’s bunk and attempting to massage him after he told her he wasn’t interested in her romantically.
“I’m not interested in Laura in the slightest,” Adam (pictured) told the producers. “I’ve told him a million times, like I just want to be friends, but I don’t get the point, so I don’t know what to do.”
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time the Below Deck franchise has been embroiled in a sexual misconduct scandal.
Last year, the below-deck sailing yacht caused a social media storm after a controversial sexual encounter between two cast members.
Stewardess Ashley Marti had sex with the yacht’s first mate, Gary King, while heavily intoxicated, which was deemed “inappropriate” by many viewers.
Below Deck Down Under first aired in March 2022.
The show is a spin-off of the American reality television show, Below Deck.
