Below Deck star Fraser Olendar got real about beg gay the yachtg world and why 's important for him to shg off homophobia.
Contents:
- FRASER OLENR, BRAVO’S FIRST GAY MALE ‘BELOW DECK’ CHIEF STEW, SPILLS THE TEAROCK THE BOATAS SEASON 10 OF “BELOW DECK” SETS SAIL, FRASER OLENR TELLS ABOUT MAKG HISTORY, HIS REGRETS OM THE SHOW, AND WHY THE NEW SEASON IS WILR THAN YOU ULD EVEN IMAGE.KEV FALLONSENR EDOR, OBSSEDUPDATED NOV. 21, 2022 12:17PM EST / PUBLISHED NOV. 21, 2022 4:28AM EST COURTY OF FRASER OLENR“AGAST POPULAR OPN, I’M NOT A BCH.”BELOW DECK STAR FRASER OLENR DON’T EXACTLY WK WHEN HE SAYS THIS, BUT A MISCHIEVO GLT SHOOTS OUT OF HIS EYE LIKE A LASER AS HE TALKS WH THE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSED AHEAD OF MONDAY’S SEASON 10 PREMIERE OF BRAVO’S MASSIVELY POPULAR REALY SERI. THE GENUE SE HE’S ALSO WEARG WARMS THE SNARK, TOO. HE REPRENTS ANOTHER TONE FOR THE SERI, ONE THAT HE TAK QUE SERLY: NOT ONLY IS HE THE FIRST GAY MALE CHIEF STEWARD ON A BELOW DECK SEASON, HE’S THE FIRST MALE TO HAVE THAT ROLE AT ALL.WHEN OLENR JOED BRAVO’S BLUE SKI, BLUE SEAS, BLUE BEHAVR ANCHISE SEASON 9, THE LONDON-BORN FORMER TALENT AGENT WAS ONLY THE SEND MALE STEW THE SERI HAD EVER ST. KYLE VILJOEN OF BELOW DECK: MEDERRANEAN HAS SCE JOED THE SURPRISGLY SMALL CLUB, NSIRG HOW MANY SEASONS AND DIFFERENT ERATNS OF THE SHOW THERE HAS BEEN—ILLTRATG THE GENR NORMS AND BIAS A VERY SPECIFIC SECTOR OF THE LUXURY TRAVEL DTRY.A MONTH BEFORE WE ZOOMED WH OLENR—HE WAS SWZERLAND WORKG A JOB HE SCRIBED AS “CHIEF STEWG ON LAND”—WE MET BOTH HIM AND VILJOEN WHILE MORATG THE BELOW DECK PANEL AT BRAVOCON. BOTH OF THEIR ON-STAGE ENERGI MATCHED THEIR PERSONALI OM THE SHOW. AT SEVERAL POTS, VILJOEN GOT OUT OF HIS SEAT AND STTTED, DANCED, AND MONOLOGUED TO THE CROWD’S LIGHT, WHILE OLENR SAT MORE RERVED, ILG UP BG ONE-LERS AND SHARP OBSERVATNS THAT HE WOULD UNLEASH AT JT THE RIGHT MOMENT. FOR THE CREW MEMBER WHO RANKLED SOME OF HIS TEAMMAT DURG HIS FIRST SEASON ON BELOW DECK FOR MUTTERG SNI, THOUGH WHOLLY ACCURATE (AND VERY FUNNY) GRIEVANC UNR HIS BREATH WHEN THEY WERE OUT OF EARSHOT, THAT ALL TRACKED. BUT NOW THAT HE’S BEEN PROMOTED TO CHIEF STEW FOR THE NEW SEASON, A POSN THAT HAS SEEN PAST BELOW DECK STARS EHER SHE OR PLETELY IMPLO, HE’S EXCED—AND TERMED—TO PROVE HE’S MORE THAN THE OPN YOU MIGHT HAVE OF HIM.WELL, MOSTLY…“I’M EXCED FOR PEOPLE TO SEE MORE OF ME THIS SEASON,” HE SAYS. “I THK I WORKED TOO HARD LAST SEASON. IT’S NOT THAT I DIDN’T WORK AS HARD THIS SEASON. BUT THERE’S FELY GOG TO BE A B MORE OF MY W—AND MY STERN SI.”THE TRAILER FOR THE NEW SEASON OF BELOW DECK PROMIS A CHECKLIST OF EVERYTHG VIEWERS WANT OM A NEW SEASON’S VOYAGE BEFORE SETS SAIL: LOTS OF BOOZS. LOTS OF SEX. LOTS OF MELTDOWNS. LOTS OF CHARTER GUTS BEG SUFFERABLE. IT ALSO PROMIS SOME MORE DRAMATIC MOMENTS. AT ONE POT, CAPTA LEE ROSBACH IS HEARD ON THE LOUDSPEAKER SAYG “ABANDON SHIP!” AS SMOKE FILLS THE YACHT AND FIREFIGHTERS N ON BOARD. THERE’S ALSO A POIGNANT HT THAT THIS MAY BE CAPTA LEE’S LAST SEASON AT THE HELM. “AS A BELOW DECK FAN MYSELF, THIS SEASON HAS SO MUCH MORE, FAR MORE THAN YOU SEE THAT,” OLENR SAYS. “IT’S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT YOU SEE THE TRAILER. I’VE NEVER BEEN PART OF OR EVEN SEEN A SEASON THAT RPORAT AS MUCH AS WE DO SEASON 10.”WHILE MULTIPLE CREW MEMBERS ARE SEEN AT THE POT OF HYSTERICS A MONTAGE THAT ULD BE DUBBED “ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE,” OLENR SEEMS TO BE KEEPG HIS OL, NTENT TO SHOOT OFF HIS POISON-DART REMARKS AS THE CHAOS UNFOLDS. “YOU WORK WH YACHTI. THEY LERALLY HAVE NO BRA CELLS,” HE TELLS ONE WORKER. ANOTHER TARGET: A FLOWER, TO WHICH HE CHIS, “CAN YOU BE MORE ERECT PLEASE?”ABOUT HIS FIRST SEASON AS CHIEF STEW, HE SAYS, “I FELY WASN’T AS PREPARED AS I WANTED TO BE, BEG THROWN THE EP END OF NOT BEG EXPERIENCED BEG A CHIEF AND ALG WH A NEW VSEL AND A NEW CREW ALL ONE GO.” HIS GUIDG PRCIPLE WAS TO “TAKE A STEP BACK AND THK WHAT A CHIEF STEW THAT I’D RPECT WOULD DO.”WHEN HE WAS PREPARG FOR HIS NEW POSN, HE THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT HOW KATE CHASTA, OFTEN THOUGHT ABOUT BY BRAVO FANS AS THE BT CHIEF STEW THE ANCHISE’S N, ASSERTED HERSELF ON THE SHOW. “THERE IS NOTHG LS ATTRACTIVE OR MOTIVATNAL THAN HAVG A CHIEF THAT DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY WANT OR HOW TO GET ANYWHERE. SO NFINCE IS KEY FOR SURE.” THERE’S NO TALKG TO A ST MEMBER OF BELOW DECK WHOUT DISCSG WHAT’S BEE AN EXTREME FASCATN AMONG THE SHOW’S FANBASE: HOW DO PEOPLE DRK THIS MUCH AND SURVIVE, LET ALONE WORK THE NEXT DAY? IT N SEEM TO VIEWERS THAT THE CREW MEMBERS ARRIVE FOR FILMG WH A BACKUP LIVER. OR, AT LEAST, SOME MIRACLE CURE SO THAT A HANER, IF NOT GONE PLETELY, N AT LEAST BE D ENOUGH TO SURVIVE SERVG MANDG GUTS ON A YACHT THAT IS ROCKG BACK AND FORTH WH THE WAV.“YOU WORK SO TENSELY FOR A SHORT PERD OF TIME, AND YOU DON’T GET ANY RELAXATN ON A CHARTER,” HE SAYS. “SLEEP ISN’T AN OPTN. SO THE MOMENT WE HAVE A SEND TO CLOCK OFF, YOU WANT TO LET GO. MOST YACHTI CHOOSE TO DO THAT WH A DRK THEIR HAND, AND I’M CERTALY ONE OF THOSE.” IT MAK FOR AN TERTG, PERHAPS NFG PERSONAL/PROFSNAL WORK DYNAMIC. “I’VE WORKED WH MANY PEOPLE BEFORE WHO I SPISE WORK BUT ADORE OUT OF . YOU’LL SEE SOME OF THAT THIS SEASON.”DRKG TOO MUCH, OR, AS HE PUTS , “HAVG TOO MUCH FUN OUT OF WORK,” WAS THE THG THAT MA HIM WCE MOST WHEN WATCHG HIS TIME BACK ON SEASON 9. HE DON’T REGRET , BUT THKS MAYBE WASN’T A GOOD IA TO IMBIBE SO MUCH, NSIRG “I END UP BEG A LTLE B HERENT AND GET EXTREME MCLE RELAXATN, WHERE I MAKE NO SENSE AND LOOK A B BIZARRE.” (THAT MAKEOUT SSN WH ST MATE AND GOOD IEND JAKE FOULGER, OTHER WORDS: NOT A REGRET.)OLENR SAYS HE’S EXCED TO WATCH THE NEW SEASON BEE, “WHETHER ’S TRMA OR NOT, I’VE ERASED A LOT OF OM MY MEMORY.” AND HE’S AWARE OF THE SIGNIFINCE OF HIS POSN THIS SEASON, NOT JT HIS REER, BUT WHAT MEANS FOR HIS DTRY AND FOR VIEWERS AT HOME. BRAVO “IT WAS HARD WHEN I JOED THE DTRY AND DIDN’T ONLY NOT HAVE THE NFINCE THAT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOG, BUT THEN ALSO BEG SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TO THE MAJORY OF YACHTI OUT THERE,” HE SAYS. “IT MAK YOU WORK HARR. IT MAK YOU IMPROVE YOURSELF MORE. BUT I WANT TO STRIVE TOWARDS A WORLD WHERE THE ISSU AREN'T ISSU.”“I DON’T TEND TO TALK ABOUT MY PERSONAL LIFE OR WHO I WANT TO BE A RELATNSHIP OR DATE OR GO HOME,” HE NTU. “IT REALLY HAS NOTHG TO DO WH HOW HARD I WORK AND AND AND HOW MUCH I RE ABOUT THE JOB. AND I THK WE SHOULD PUT LS PRSURE ON THAT.”STILL, THE FACT THAT THIS IS SUCH A MAJOR MOMENT FOR LGBT REPRENTATN IS POWERFUL. STRANGELY ENOUGH, GIVEN THE MOGRAPHIC THAT MAK UP A LARGE SWATH OF THE BRAVO FANBASE, HE BE ONE OF THE MORE VISIBLE GAY FIGUR ON-SCREEN ON THE WORK.“I’M VERY, VERY PROUD AND VERY HONORED, AND I’M GOG TO DO MY BT TO REPRENT THE MUNI AS BT I N,” HE SAYS. “WE’RE MAKG HUGE STRIS FORWARD. AND I THK IF I N DO THIS, THEN ANYONE N DO .” KEV FALLON
- BELOW DECK: FRASER OLENR TALKS LACK OF GAY STEWS AND HOMOPHOBIA YACHTG
- MALIA WHE ADDRS CAPTA SANDY CALLG HER “SECRETLY GAY,” DID THE BELOW DECK MED CAPTA APOLOGIZE?
FRASER OLENR, BRAVO’S FIRST GAY MALE ‘BELOW DECK’ CHIEF STEW, SPILLS THE TEAROCK THE BOATAS SEASON 10 OF “BELOW DECK” SETS SAIL, FRASER OLENR TELLS ABOUT MAKG HISTORY, HIS REGRETS OM THE SHOW, AND WHY THE NEW SEASON IS WILR THAN YOU ULD EVEN IMAGE.KEV FALLONSENR EDOR, OBSSEDUPDATED NOV. 21, 2022 12:17PM EST / PUBLISHED NOV. 21, 2022 4:28AM EST COURTY OF FRASER OLENR“AGAST POPULAR OPN, I’M NOT A BCH.”BELOW DECK STAR FRASER OLENR DON’T EXACTLY WK WHEN HE SAYS THIS, BUT A MISCHIEVO GLT SHOOTS OUT OF HIS EYE LIKE A LASER AS HE TALKS WH THE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSED AHEAD OF MONDAY’S SEASON 10 PREMIERE OF BRAVO’S MASSIVELY POPULAR REALY SERI. THE GENUE SE HE’S ALSO WEARG WARMS THE SNARK, TOO. HE REPRENTS ANOTHER TONE FOR THE SERI, ONE THAT HE TAK QUE SERLY: NOT ONLY IS HE THE FIRST GAY MALE CHIEF STEWARD ON A BELOW DECK SEASON, HE’S THE FIRST MALE TO HAVE THAT ROLE AT ALL.WHEN OLENR JOED BRAVO’S BLUE SKI, BLUE SEAS, BLUE BEHAVR ANCHISE SEASON 9, THE LONDON-BORN FORMER TALENT AGENT WAS ONLY THE SEND MALE STEW THE SERI HAD EVER ST. KYLE VILJOEN OF BELOW DECK: MEDERRANEAN HAS SCE JOED THE SURPRISGLY SMALL CLUB, NSIRG HOW MANY SEASONS AND DIFFERENT ERATNS OF THE SHOW THERE HAS BEEN—ILLTRATG THE GENR NORMS AND BIAS A VERY SPECIFIC SECTOR OF THE LUXURY TRAVEL DTRY.A MONTH BEFORE WE ZOOMED WH OLENR—HE WAS SWZERLAND WORKG A JOB HE SCRIBED AS “CHIEF STEWG ON LAND”—WE MET BOTH HIM AND VILJOEN WHILE MORATG THE BELOW DECK PANEL AT BRAVOCON. BOTH OF THEIR ON-STAGE ENERGI MATCHED THEIR PERSONALI OM THE SHOW. AT SEVERAL POTS, VILJOEN GOT OUT OF HIS SEAT AND STTTED, DANCED, AND MONOLOGUED TO THE CROWD’S LIGHT, WHILE OLENR SAT MORE RERVED, ILG UP BG ONE-LERS AND SHARP OBSERVATNS THAT HE WOULD UNLEASH AT JT THE RIGHT MOMENT. FOR THE CREW MEMBER WHO RANKLED SOME OF HIS TEAMMAT DURG HIS FIRST SEASON ON BELOW DECK FOR MUTTERG SNI, THOUGH WHOLLY ACCURATE (AND VERY FUNNY) GRIEVANC UNR HIS BREATH WHEN THEY WERE OUT OF EARSHOT, THAT ALL TRACKED. BUT NOW THAT HE’S BEEN PROMOTED TO CHIEF STEW FOR THE NEW SEASON, A POSN THAT HAS SEEN PAST BELOW DECK STARS EHER SHE OR PLETELY IMPLO, HE’S EXCED—AND TERMED—TO PROVE HE’S MORE THAN THE OPN YOU MIGHT HAVE OF HIM.WELL, MOSTLY…“I’M EXCED FOR PEOPLE TO SEE MORE OF ME THIS SEASON,” HE SAYS. “I THK I WORKED TOO HARD LAST SEASON. IT’S NOT THAT I DIDN’T WORK AS HARD THIS SEASON. BUT THERE’S FELY GOG TO BE A B MORE OF MY W—AND MY STERN SI.”THE TRAILER FOR THE NEW SEASON OF BELOW DECK PROMIS A CHECKLIST OF EVERYTHG VIEWERS WANT OM A NEW SEASON’S VOYAGE BEFORE SETS SAIL: LOTS OF BOOZS. LOTS OF SEX. LOTS OF MELTDOWNS. LOTS OF CHARTER GUTS BEG SUFFERABLE. IT ALSO PROMIS SOME MORE DRAMATIC MOMENTS. AT ONE POT, CAPTA LEE ROSBACH IS HEARD ON THE LOUDSPEAKER SAYG “ABANDON SHIP!” AS SMOKE FILLS THE YACHT AND FIREFIGHTERS N ON BOARD. THERE’S ALSO A POIGNANT HT THAT THIS MAY BE CAPTA LEE’S LAST SEASON AT THE HELM. “AS A BELOW DECK FAN MYSELF, THIS SEASON HAS SO MUCH MORE, FAR MORE THAN YOU SEE THAT,” OLENR SAYS. “IT’S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT YOU SEE THE TRAILER. I’VE NEVER BEEN PART OF OR EVEN SEEN A SEASON THAT RPORAT AS MUCH AS WE DO SEASON 10.”WHILE MULTIPLE CREW MEMBERS ARE SEEN AT THE POT OF HYSTERICS A MONTAGE THAT ULD BE DUBBED “ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE,” OLENR SEEMS TO BE KEEPG HIS OL, NTENT TO SHOOT OFF HIS POISON-DART REMARKS AS THE CHAOS UNFOLDS. “YOU WORK WH YACHTI. THEY LERALLY HAVE NO BRA CELLS,” HE TELLS ONE WORKER. ANOTHER TARGET: A FLOWER, TO WHICH HE CHIS, “CAN YOU BE MORE ERECT PLEASE?”ABOUT HIS FIRST SEASON AS CHIEF STEW, HE SAYS, “I FELY WASN’T AS PREPARED AS I WANTED TO BE, BEG THROWN THE EP END OF NOT BEG EXPERIENCED BEG A CHIEF AND ALG WH A NEW VSEL AND A NEW CREW ALL ONE GO.” HIS GUIDG PRCIPLE WAS TO “TAKE A STEP BACK AND THK WHAT A CHIEF STEW THAT I’D RPECT WOULD DO.”WHEN HE WAS PREPARG FOR HIS NEW POSN, HE THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT HOW KATE CHASTA, OFTEN THOUGHT ABOUT BY BRAVO FANS AS THE BT CHIEF STEW THE ANCHISE’S N, ASSERTED HERSELF ON THE SHOW. “THERE IS NOTHG LS ATTRACTIVE OR MOTIVATNAL THAN HAVG A CHIEF THAT DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY WANT OR HOW TO GET ANYWHERE. SO NFINCE IS KEY FOR SURE.” THERE’S NO TALKG TO A ST MEMBER OF BELOW DECK WHOUT DISCSG WHAT’S BEE AN EXTREME FASCATN AMONG THE SHOW’S FANBASE: HOW DO PEOPLE DRK THIS MUCH AND SURVIVE, LET ALONE WORK THE NEXT DAY? IT N SEEM TO VIEWERS THAT THE CREW MEMBERS ARRIVE FOR FILMG WH A BACKUP LIVER. OR, AT LEAST, SOME MIRACLE CURE SO THAT A HANER, IF NOT GONE PLETELY, N AT LEAST BE D ENOUGH TO SURVIVE SERVG MANDG GUTS ON A YACHT THAT IS ROCKG BACK AND FORTH WH THE WAV.“YOU WORK SO TENSELY FOR A SHORT PERD OF TIME, AND YOU DON’T GET ANY RELAXATN ON A CHARTER,” HE SAYS. “SLEEP ISN’T AN OPTN. SO THE MOMENT WE HAVE A SEND TO CLOCK OFF, YOU WANT TO LET GO. MOST YACHTI CHOOSE TO DO THAT WH A DRK THEIR HAND, AND I’M CERTALY ONE OF THOSE.” IT MAK FOR AN TERTG, PERHAPS NFG PERSONAL/PROFSNAL WORK DYNAMIC. “I’VE WORKED WH MANY PEOPLE BEFORE WHO I SPISE WORK BUT ADORE OUT OF . YOU’LL SEE SOME OF THAT THIS SEASON.”DRKG TOO MUCH, OR, AS HE PUTS , “HAVG TOO MUCH FUN OUT OF WORK,” WAS THE THG THAT MA HIM WCE MOST WHEN WATCHG HIS TIME BACK ON SEASON 9. HE DON’T REGRET , BUT THKS MAYBE WASN’T A GOOD IA TO IMBIBE SO MUCH, NSIRG “I END UP BEG A LTLE B HERENT AND GET EXTREME MCLE RELAXATN, WHERE I MAKE NO SENSE AND LOOK A B BIZARRE.” (THAT MAKEOUT SSN WH ST MATE AND GOOD IEND JAKE FOULGER, OTHER WORDS: NOT A REGRET.)OLENR SAYS HE’S EXCED TO WATCH THE NEW SEASON BEE, “WHETHER ’S TRMA OR NOT, I’VE ERASED A LOT OF OM MY MEMORY.” AND HE’S AWARE OF THE SIGNIFINCE OF HIS POSN THIS SEASON, NOT JT HIS REER, BUT WHAT MEANS FOR HIS DTRY AND FOR VIEWERS AT HOME. BRAVO “IT WAS HARD WHEN I JOED THE DTRY AND DIDN’T ONLY NOT HAVE THE NFINCE THAT YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOG, BUT THEN ALSO BEG SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT TO THE MAJORY OF YACHTI OUT THERE,” HE SAYS. “IT MAK YOU WORK HARR. IT MAK YOU IMPROVE YOURSELF MORE. BUT I WANT TO STRIVE TOWARDS A WORLD WHERE THE ISSU AREN'T ISSU.”“I DON’T TEND TO TALK ABOUT MY PERSONAL LIFE OR WHO I WANT TO BE A RELATNSHIP OR DATE OR GO HOME,” HE NTU. “IT REALLY HAS NOTHG TO DO WH HOW HARD I WORK AND AND AND HOW MUCH I RE ABOUT THE JOB. AND I THK WE SHOULD PUT LS PRSURE ON THAT.”STILL, THE FACT THAT THIS IS SUCH A MAJOR MOMENT FOR LGBT REPRENTATN IS POWERFUL. STRANGELY ENOUGH, GIVEN THE MOGRAPHIC THAT MAK UP A LARGE SWATH OF THE BRAVO FANBASE, HE BE ONE OF THE MORE VISIBLE GAY FIGUR ON-SCREEN ON THE WORK.“I’M VERY, VERY PROUD AND VERY HONORED, AND I’M GOG TO DO MY BT TO REPRENT THE MUNI AS BT I N,” HE SAYS. “WE’RE MAKG HUGE STRIS FORWARD. AND I THK IF I N DO THIS, THEN ANYONE N DO .” KEV FALLON
“For me to e out as gay was que a big thg, " Josiah shared. So I don't feel like I need to rg up my parents to say that I'm gay. While onboard My Seanna Season 6, the dience also saw Josiah openg up to his crewmate about beg gay as well.
He reprents another tone for the seri, one that he tak que serly: Not only is he the first gay male chief steward on a Below Deck season, he’s the first male to have that role at Olenr joed Bravo’s blue ski, blue seas, blue behavr anchise Season 9, the London-born former talent agent was only the send male stew the seri had ever st.
BELOW DECK: FRASER OLENR TALKS LACK OF GAY STEWS AND HOMOPHOBIA YACHTG
Strangely enough, given the mographic that mak up a large swath of the Bravo fanbase, he be one of the more visible gay figur on-screen on the work. RELATED | This Gay Dodgers Executive Married His Fiance At Dodger Stadium. Barrie and Tony gaed fame as Bra’s first two gay dads.
Tony and Barrie first ma headl 1999 when they beme Bra’s first gay dads to have children via a surrogate.
MALIA WHE ADDRS CAPTA SANDY CALLG HER “SECRETLY GAY,” DID THE BELOW DECK MED CAPTA APOLOGIZE?
The Drewt-Barlow fay isn’t jt famo bee of Tony and Barrie beg Bra’s first gay dads.
Lloyd publicly revealed for the first time on mera that he is sexually fluid while reuntg his past experienc wh homophobia the yachtg dtry. NEWS: Tell me about your prev charter experience and the homophobia you faced. The ckhand went on to share more about the homophobia he experienced durg his prev job yachtg.