"Sometimes you have no choice”— Below Deck Sailing Yacht’s Captain Glenn chimes in on firing Emma Crouch 

In a recent interview, Below Deck Sailing Yacht’s Captain Glenn Shephard opened up about the difficult decision to fire deckhand Emma Crouch.

Per Bravo, in a candid conversation with The Daily Dish, Captain Glenn explained why it was necessary to part ways with Emma, despite his reservations about firing crew members. Talking about the same he said,

"I don’t really like firing people, but sometimes you have no choice."

Glenn emphasized that while it’s never easy, the decision was based on Emma’s inability to meet the expectations required for the role. Glenn continued,

"If you’re not ready to do the job...I’ve gotta get that person out of there and get somebody in who can."

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Below Deck Sailing Yacht: Why did Captain Glenn fire Emma Crouch?

During episode 8 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, the issues surrounding Emma’s performance became a focal point, with fellow crew member Gary King expressing concerns about Emma’s lack of initiative. Gary observed that Emma often stood around and waited to be told what to do, which was problematic in a high-pressure environment where quick thinking is essential.

He voiced his frustrations to Captain Glenn, asking,

“How do you teach initiative?”

He also criticised Emma’s tendency to take frequent smoke breaks, while other crew members were working hard.

Captain Glenn took Gary's concerns seriously, eventually deciding that Emma’s performance was not up to the required standard. In his conversation with Emma, he explained,

“Right now you're not delivering what we need in Gary's department. For me, you're not showing the initiative that I would expect and that we really need to do this job, and people have to pick up the slack. Unfortunately, we need somebody in your position that has more skills than you're showing now."

Glenn was clear that while he saw potential in Emma, her performance wasn't meeting the needs of the crew, and at that point, it was a necessary move for the efficiency of the team in Below Deck Sailing Yacht.

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Emma Crouch’s reaction to being fired in Below Deck Sailing Yacht

As the news of her firing sunk in, Emma became visibly emotional. Upon hearing Captain Glenn’s explanation, she broke down in tears, saying,

“You’ve obviously made your mind up.”

Emma, clearly upset, stood up to leave, stating,

“In the nicest way possible, I really don’t want to carry on this conversation...I really appreciate everything, but I really don’t want to carry this on.”

Her reaction showcased the emotional toll that being let go had on her, but Captain Glenn encouraged her to take this experience as a lesson for the future. He reassured her, saying that she had potential and could still succeed in yachting with more experience.

After taking some time to process the situation, Emma returned for a final conversation with Captain Glenn. In this exchange, Glenn once again reiterated his belief in her potential, advising her to continue building her skills and experience.

“I think you can be a good deckhand,” he said.

Emma’s response was reflective and somewhat resigned, as she acknowledged her own anxiety and the need to learn from her mistakes.

“I do feel a bit at a loss,” Emma shared in an interview.

She added,

“I feel like I need a few days to actually absorb everything...I know that my anxiety does flare up quite a lot, and I need to be better at accepting that mistakes are something you can learn from.”

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Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.