Below Deck Recap: Captain Kerry Contemplates Kyle’s Fate

The inquiry into Below Deck‘s Kyle Stillie rumored rendezvous with guest Helen Hoey prompted Captain Kerry Titheradge to make a decision regarding Kyle’s future — but was he let go?

In the episode aired on Monday, August 11, from the popular Bravo series, Kyle sparked rumors about his bond with Helen by joking that their low tip stemmed from a clandestine encounter.

“I f***ed Helen in the water. My d*** went to her p**** and I was like, ‘We don’t do this right now, Helen,’” he quipped during a crew night out after they received a $22,000 tip from Helen’s husband. “I f***ed her in the sea. I slipped my d*** in. That is why our tip is so low.”

This so-called humor left Kyle’s coworkers on edge about what really occurred. It only added to the tension when, during the same night, Kyle became involved with a girl just 15 minutes after meeting her at a bar. Fraser Olender even captured a photo from the bathroom of Kyle and the girl in a compromising position beneath a urinal.

Fraser felt compelled to inform Captain Kerry about the rumors surrounding Kyle and Helen, and Damo Yorg advised Kyle that he would need to confess to his statements. Kyle subsequently retracted his assertions, claiming he “was taking a piss” at the crew and that nothing explicit actually transpired.

Kerry asked the crew for their opinions on Kyle’s truthfulness. Since the consensus was that the hookup couldn’t have occurred in view of the crew, Kerry chose to keep Kyle on the team — but issued a stern warning.

“I want you to stay and do your job, but I don’t want you getting that close with guests anymore,” Kerry told Kyle, later explaining in a confessional, “I can’t fire the guy on a hunch. If everyone tells me they didn’t see it, then I can’t prove it. What can I do?”

Even though Kyle appeared relieved to have retained his job, the episode concluded with producers once again probing whether he was being truthful.

“Was it a joke?” he playfully posed to the camera. “I f***ing really thought I was a goner. [I would have] given Helen a call.”

Kyle not only mocked the investigation with producers. In a preview for the upcoming episode, he raised a toast during a crew night out, claiming he “really got away with something.”

Kerry had previously shared with Us Weekly about addressing the rumors regarding Kyle and Helen.

“There was an investigation done. I’m not too sure how much of that will be shown, but I carried out a thorough investigation before making my decision,” Kerry stated back in June, hinting at whether Kyle faced termination because of the incident. “It will be interesting to see what unfolds after I interviewed all crew members — including what was said behind [my back].”

Kerry clarified that he became involved once he learned of the conversations swirling among the crew on St. David.

“I don’t get to see what’s going on Below Deck because I’m in the wheelhouse or elsewhere, and I can’t be everywhere,” he explained. “I don’t micromanage. I allow my crew to develop, and I enjoy being here to encourage them. There’s a lot I miss, and even more I prefer not to see.”

Kerry continued: “We’ll see how everything plays out on the show. If one of my crew members is with a married person onboard, they won’t stay on the boat. You’re crossing a boundary that must not be crossed.”

Prior to Monday’s episode, viewers witnessed Kyle and Helen’s interactions closely. Helen and her husband, Richard Fiore, took part in a group excursion, which led to her going topless at a nude bar.

Kyle assisted Helen by carrying her in the water. Helen’s husband, along with the rest of the guests and crew, observed Kyle and Helen’s interactions, which seemed flirty but didn’t overtly cross any boundaries.

“Stillie is either in there making our tip or losing our tip,” deckhand Damo remarked to chief steward Fraser. “She’s got her top off. This chick is nuts. I just have no idea what is going on in [her husband]’s head. The vibes are weird.”

Kyle, for his part, mentioned in a confessional that he would do “anything for the tip,” adding, “She can use me however she wants. No request is too big, so to speak.”

Below Deck airs on Bravo Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the following day on Peacock.