You never know who you're going to see climb aboard the Below Deck yacht. Why,Bravolebs of all kinds have taken part in a high seas adventure, including past, present, and future Housewives. But even so, we still weren't expecting to see a bit of Charleston in Thailand this season of Below Deck.

A group of Charlestonians chartered the Valor during the December 30 episode, and before you even ask, yes, they did have a major connection to Southern Charm. Kathryn Dennis' friend, Madison Simon, who is the director of marketing, a women's wear buyer, and a stylist for the Mount Pleasant, South Carolina department store Gwynn's, boarded the yacht, along with several of her fellow Charleston-based pals.

Madison actually caused a bit of a splash during her time aboard the Valor. Her preference sheet stated that she does not eat cheese, but when Chef Kevin Dobson served the guests pizza, she had to make a request to get some without the cheesy stuff. Kevin will tell you just how he felt about that during the Below Deck Season 7 After Show, above.

But Madison poked a little fun at her Below Deck appearance in her Instagram Story. "Hi, Miss Simon. How do you like your pizza?" her friend asked her in a video, to which Madison replied, "No cheese."

Following this charter season, Captain Lee Rosbach would go on to make a little Below Deck-Southern Charm crossover of his own when he caught up with the Charmers on land in Charleston in June. However, Patricia Altschul has long said she wants to charter the Below Deck yacht one day, and we are still holding out hope for that to happen.

It looks like Ashton Pienaar is going to get a little friendly with the charter guests in an all-new episode of Below Deck on Monday, January 6 at 9/8c. Watch a preview below, and catch up on the season through the Bravo app.

Preview

Is Ashton Pienaar in Love?

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One of the Below Deck Charter Guests Should Look Very Familiar to Bravo Fans - Bravo

HOPE Main Street of Hope has bestowed the coveted Deck the Town trophy to a local family who won this holidays seasons popular vote for best outdoor Christmas display.

The winner is the home of Kylie and Jon Griffin, located at 1607 Manor Drive in Hope. Their residence was chosen from 15 other finalists.

And the coveted trophy? Its a classic from the 1983 film A Christmas Story.

In that film, a mother decides that the female leg lamp her husband receives as a major award is distasteful. But after the film became a holiday classic, replicas of the same lamp have been bought in communities across the nation and handed out as tongue-in-cheek major awards.

Story continues below gallery

In Hope, one such replica is passed on every December to the winner of the Deck The Town competition, sponsored by Main Street of Hope.

Besides the leg lamp, the Griffins name will be placed to a commemorative plaque that will travel with the lamp to the homes of future winners, Main Street of Hope executive director Susan Thayer Fye said.

Photos of the finalists were posted twice on the Main Street of Hope Facebook page, and the house that received the most Likes was declared the winner, Fye explained.

The Griffin home received a total of 220 likes, while a residence at 146 Hitchcock Drive received 118, making it the second most popular house among the entries.

Unlike the mother in the film, Kylie Griffin was delighted to display her familys major award in her front window.

So were her two oldest sons, Trenton and Kolten, who have watched A Christmas Story a number of times over the years. However, she was not sure whether her youngest son, Nathan, was in on the joke prior to this holiday season.

While commonly called the leg lamp, Indiana-born author Jean Shepherd (1921-1990), who wrote the original story and narrated the film, described it as the Lascivious Special Award That Heralded the Birth of Pop Art. The story first appeared in Shepherds 1966 book, In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.

After growing up in the Goshen Meadows subdivision where her parents still live, Kylie Griffin and her husband, Indianapolis native Jon Griffin, moved their family to the Liberty Place subdivision in 2012.

The family has always enjoying outdoor holiday displays since they were children, Kylie Griffin said.

For the past seven years, the Griffins have added a bit more to their display that includes a number of inflatable items, Kylie Griffin said. The family received a lot of positive comments last month on their Shaking Snowman, who holds up a sign that reads Brrrrrr, she said.

Another popular display was a large inflated snowball that sings Jolly Old St. Nick and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, she said.

But the family also wanted to emphasize they have also displayed a full nativity scene, complete with angels, for the second year in a row. Many of the Hope entries that received the most votes had nativity scenes.

In order to be eligible for the contest, all homes had to be decorated prior to Dec. 15. Photos began to be posted on the Main Street of Hope Facebook page the following day on Dec. 16.

While everyone was allowed to cast a vote on Facebook, all homes in the contest had to be located within the Hope town limits, Fye said.

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Hope family wins 'Deck the Town' - The Republic

Although chef Kevin Dobson from Below Deck has managed to cook his way through the season with only a few culinary scrapes and bruises, he may have met his match during an upcoming charter.

Dobson had some hit or misses throughout the season. He impressed some guests with lavish Thai inspired fare but also experienced problems. He forgot to have enough food for Captain Lee Rosbach when he dined with guests. Plus, some of his dishes were considered to be somewhat pedestrian by other charter guests.

While his cooking hasnt been a huge issue, it may become a larger problem during an upcoming charter. In an upcoming clip, the guests offer plenty of feedback about the food to stew Courtney Skippon. But it doesnt end there. One of the guests who says shes a chef decides to have a heart to heart with Dobson in the kitchen.

Skippon is seen clearing breakfast dishes and the guests offer some feedback about the food. The omelets were salty and mine was salty as well, one guest shares. Skippon apologizes and tells the guest shell relay the information to Dobson. Meanwhile, Dobson is filmed sitting down in the kitchen looking exhausted.

Can I get you anything else, Skippon offers. But the guest says everyone is full at this time. Another guest, who later shares that she is a chef, suggests that perhaps Dobson isnt in tune with his food. You cant serve something you havent tasted yourself, she says. Its a common mistake.

At that point, the guests seem satisfied and ready for a nap before they hit the water toys. But the chef guest wants to speak with Dobson. Im gonna talk to Kevin, she tells one of the other guests. Like chef to chef.

In the past, Dobson would often say that he cant do anything to please the guests when they were unhappy with his cooking. So does he react positively to the guests advice? The guest finds Dobson in the kitchen. When he asks how shes doing, she grimaces.

So I wanna have like, have a little bit of an uncomfortable conversation, she begins. But like chef to chef, um you should probably go a little more upscale tonight. Dobson stares at the guest smiling but looking stunned and unable to react. But the guest gives Dobson some pretty important intel. I mean, people are, like talking about your cooking behind your back, she adds.

Dobson seems stunned. Really? he asks. The guest said one of the other guests was super happy but then, Everybody else was like Were having pizza a matzah ball soup.' Dobsons response was to tell her hes only one guy, but the guest insists shes just trying to look out for him. Yeah, but I dont need to be looked out for, he responds. Im employed by the boat, you know what I mean? So does he take her advice to heart? Find out how it all shakes out on Below Deck, Monday at 9/8 central on Bravo.

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'Below Deck': Are the Guests Unhappy With Chef Kevin? - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

With 2019 at its tail end, I cant help but reminisce on how eventful the year has been for the Bitglass family. We started the year by securing yet another round of funding to fuel our growth and went on to be featured as a leader in Gartners 2019 Magic Quadrant for CASBs.

Also, I cant help but be excited about what 2020 holds for us. With the announcement of our new, trailblazing, patent pending SmartEdge architecture which delivers a complete SASE solution with massive improvements on our existing product line, our commitment to being the best Next-Gen cloud protection provider has never been stronger.

And last but not the least, in keeping with our yearly tradition, the Bitglass themed holiday carol for this year will be Deck the Cloud set to the tune of Deck the Halls.

Deck the cloud with the Bitglass CASBFa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-laTis the Next-Gen cloud securityFa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-laProtect we will with our DLPFa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-laThrough our API and inline proxyFa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-laFa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-laFa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-laFa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-laFa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-laSee the blazing SmartEdge solutionFa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-laReplace the legacy network protectionFa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-laAn all in one complete SASE solutionFa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-laThe best, you deserve in cloud protectionFa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-laFa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

We wish everyone happy holidays and a happy new year! To learn about cloud access security brokers (CASBs) and how they can protect your enterprise from ransomware, data leakage, misconfigurations, and more, download the Definitive Guide to CASBs below.

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Bitglass: Deck the Cloud - Security Boulevard

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) As Oklahomans prepare to celebrate the New Year in style, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol is teaming up with nearly 100 law enforcement agencies to make sure that drivers are safe on the roads this New Years Eve.

Officials say additional deputies, officers, and troopers will be on duty looking for impaired drivers across the state.

Last year, there were 374 crashes in Oklahoma during the New Years holiday. Five of those crashes were fatal, and two of those were killed in alcohol or drug-related crashes.

In all, officials say 12 percent of the holiday crashes on Oklahoma roads were alcohol or drug-related.

Authorities say sobriety checkpoints will be in effect in Tulsa and Pottawatomie County from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., and will then be followed by a large saturation patrol in nearby areas.

If you plan to drink on New Years Eve, you should call a sober driver, use a ride-sharing service, or have a designated driver pick you up.

35.467560-97.516428

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Nearly 100 law enforcement agencies on deck to stop drunken driving this New Years Eve - KFOR Oklahoma City

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 07: Josh Jacobs #28 of the Oakland Raiders runs the ball in for the winning touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth quarter at RingCentral Coliseum on November 07, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Josh Jacobs has been the glue to the Raiders offense right out of the gates, rushing for 86 yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL game against the Denver Broncos. In Week 17, the Raiders will once again take on the Broncos, but this time without their star running back.

In the first quarter of the Raiders Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers, Jacobs fractured his shoulder during an attempt to fight for extra yards. Since then, he's been limited in many practices throughout the season, but has just missed two games.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, those two games have come within the last three, as the team has been very careful with their prized running back. Jacobs has been an incredible addition to this offense even with his hurt shoulder, and many believe he will run away with the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

On Saturday, the Raiders officially ruled Jacobs out (shoulder/ illness) for Sunday's Week 17 game against the Denver Broncos with playoff implications in sight.

Josh Jacobs (shoulder/illness) has been downgraded to OUT for Sundays game at Denver. #OAKvsDEN

As the season inches closer to the finish line, Jacobs will have a lot of hype surrounding his name as a nominee for theoffensive rookie of the year. He'll finish the season carrying the ball 242 times for 1,150 yards and 7 touchdowns. In the passing game, Jacobs caught 20 passes for 166 yards.

Next: What does this mean?

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Oakland Raiders need all hands on deck with Josh Jacobs out - Just Blog Baby

Starting Monday at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET, fans can click on to Marvel HQ to take in the special holiday takeover, featuring festive episodes starring their favorite superheroes. Watch online here!

Guardians of the Galaxy: Jingle Bell Rock.When the Guardians realize theyre on the wrong side of a bounty, they stage a Christmas Carol-inspired con job to frighten a superstitious despot out of his ill-gotten riches and free his enslaved people.

Marvels Avengers Assemble: Under the Spell of the Enchantress. Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel travel to an icy asteroid to rescue Thor from the Enchantress.

Marvels Spider-Man: Spider-Man on Ice. When Blizzard steals new technology and freezes New York, an unprepared Spider-Man has to upgrade his gear to stop the villain before the city is put into a new Ice Age.

Ultimate Spider-Man: Nightmare on Christmas. Spider-Man sees what the world would be like without him when Nightmare takes the web-slinger on a journey through his past, present and future.

Ultimate Spider-Man: The Moon Knight Before Christmas. While house sitting for Dr. Strange on Christmas Eve, Spidey teams up with the mysterious moon knight to confront his own Ghost of Christmas Past.

Marvel Super Hero Adventures: The Toys are Back in Town. Spidey teams up with the famous Captain America to track down a toy thief known as the Tinkerer! As our heroes rescue the stolen toys, Captain America reminds Spider-Man that being a hero means doing the right thing, no matter what.

Marvel Funko Presents: Cosmic Sleigh Ride, The Collector sends Taserface to re-capture Groot and his collection and ends up on a slippery snow chase on a frozen alien planet with Groot & Star-Lord.

Marvel Mash-Ups: Spider-Man & Amazing Friends: Burrito. In this Spider-Man Marvel Mash-Up, Ice Man is dangerously good at a game of freeze tag against Spider-Man and friends.

Marvels Avengers Assemble: Under the Spell of the Enchantress

Marvels Spider-Man: Spider-Man on Ice

Marvel Funko Presents: Cosmic Sleigh Ride

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Holiday Takeover Decks Marvel HQ Halls with Toons - Animation Magazine

Throughout the autumn as the project dragged on though false starts, do-overs and delays, I was hatching a plan. I would very carefully catalog and annotate everything that had gone wrong, sit down with the contractor and negotiate a smaller number on the bottom line.

The facts were not in dispute. Id have him over a barrel. I would sleep well at night knowing I had been wronged and I had made it right. (Spoiler alert: Take note of the half-dozen Is in the first two grafs of this column).

In our household, CY 2019 evolved rapidly into the Year of Home Improvement. It started innocently enough as my wife and I sat in our living room on New Years Day a year ago and decided we should paint one living room wall. It escalated quickly. All the living room, dining room, hallway walls painted, along with the ceiling, new furniture, new carpeting, new appliances, new artwork, purposeful purging of all manner of household accoutrements that, it turns out, we could live without, a partial kitchen remodel, etc., et al, ad infinitum.

Like many homes in Manhattan, ours is built into a Flint Hill, with the front and back doors opening to divergent elevations, bringing not only enhanced aesthetic real estate value, but real-world practical attributes to a deck.

We bought the house on the day of our wedding 21 years ago. Its a mid-century home, but the deck was 1970s vintage. Over the decades, as the deck began listing to starboard, our time-buying and resuscitation efforts eventually and finally expired. The clincher came when, shopping for contractors, one pro gave it a hard look, offered, Im not walking on that thing, turned on his work boot heel, mounted his half-ton and drove away into the sunset.

Hmmph. Thanks for nothing.

Everything felt right with the contractor we landed on. As we traversed our way around the existing rickety deck, he offered creative design thoughts and we each visualized the bright and shiny end game. Sold. Firm handshake. Direct eye contact. He would start the first week of October and be done in a week and a half. Two months later, on our wedding anniversary, December 23, the last screw was turned.

When the problems started cropping up, the man did everything right. When there was a mistake, he acknowledged it, owned it and made it right. That did not stop my seemingly innate tendencies to believe I had been wronged, to seek an edge, and the mental setback cataloging began.

Throughout the fall, my wife and I would compare notes and waffle between hoped-for outcomes. Negotiate or suck it up? Weve each lived long enough to know outcomes hoped for can become outcomes delivered with careful planning and execution. Frustrated over the fits and starts, but our frustration never spiraled up (or down) to anger with the contractor.

In hindsight, those were two significant data points: No outcome consensus and no anger.

Heres a young man trying to build a livelihood in our community. He has skills, ability and a dream. He struggles with the same things all small business owners struggle with: Workforce issues, managing expectations, communication with clients/customers, relationships with regulators, the vagaries of subcontractors, etc., et al, ad infinitum. In short, human nature.

Our consensus began to emerge when my wife posited that maybe we were channeling her mother, a generous soul who died a year ago, the first of a dozen losses of loved ones and friends over a year. All those funerals, writ large, also proved valuable decision-making data, as it turned out. Life is short. Dont muck it up with anger. Walk a mile, or at least up and down a Flint Hill while envisioning a new deck, in the other guys steel-toed work boots.

There is also the First world problems argument which infuses some reality. If this is the worst of my problems

Some would argue it is human nature to take otherwise simple problems and make them difficult. Maybe. I do not believe it is human nature to seek an edge, to one-up to my benefit. Thats learned behavior that can become my nature, if I allow it.

Mike Matsons column appears every other Sunday in The Mercury. Follow his blog at mikematson.com

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MATSON | Building a new deck leads to the autumn of my discontent - Manhattan Mercury

The Walt Disney Company is going to have a hard time living up to its record-breaking 2019.

First of all, there are no Star Wars or Avengers films on the docket in 2020. There are, however, two Marvel films: "Black Widow," a prequel about the super spy starring Scarlett Johansson and "Eternals," with Angelina Jolie and Kit Harington as immortal beings who shape the events of earth.

There will also be a live-action reboot of the animated classic "Mulan," two Pixar films "Onward" and "Soul" and a film based on the theme park ride "Jungle Cruise," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt.

Its a lineup with a lot of potential but it could lead to a more subdued year at the box office, Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com, told CNN Business.

"Disney has a 2020 slate that most studios would kill to have, but by their own recent standards, next year is missing a big event film that everyone has to see," he said. "Sure, they have two Marvel movies and a few others that could be sneaky big hits, but there's no epic conclusion like 'Avengers: Endgame' or even a Star Wars movie."

This means other studios have a chance to topple Disney from its perch. So far, the competition is looking stiff: Warner Bros. is releasing "Wonder Woman 1984," "Birds of Prey" and Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" in 2020. Paramount has two big sequels with "Top Gun: Maverick" and "A Quiet Place Part II." And Universal is set to release "Fast & Furious 9" and the next film in the Halloween series, "Halloween Kills." There are also sequels for James Bond, "Ghostbusters," and "Coming to America."

A hard-to-top year

This has been a landmark year for Disney. In March, the company closed its $71 billion acquisition for most of 21st Century Fox. In July, it set the record for the highest-grossing studio in box office history. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the parks division's biggest expansion ever, opened to incredible fanfare. And Disney+, the company's first major leap into the streaming world, officially launched.

"When we look back in 20 years, I think people will say 2019 was one of the three or four biggest years in the company's history," Trip Miller, a Disney shareholder and managing partner at hedge fund Gullane Capital Partners, told CNN Business.

But next year will be focused on fine-tuning what Disney achieved this year, according to Miller.

"2020 is about tweaking the things that they acquired or launched in 2019," he said. "It's about refinement or making what they have better."

Robbins of Boxoffice.com said 2019 is a "capstone year after a decade-plus of strategic build-up." Bob Iger has been on shopping spree during most of his tenure as CEO, buying big brands like Pixar in 2006, Marvel in 2009 and Lucasfilm in 2012 before snapping up companies like BAMTech to build Disney+ and Fox to fill the coffers of that streaming service.

What ensued was a global box office windfall that surpassed the $10 billion mark in 2019, shattering Disney's 2016 record of $7.6 billion. The company released a record six films that made $1 billion or more with "Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker" potentially being the seventh. And as if that weren't enough, "Avengers: Engame" surpassed "Avatar" in ticket sales and grabbed the top spot as the highest grossing film in global box office history.

"All of our brands contributed to the success, whether it was Disney live action or Disney Animation and Pixar to Marvel Studios," Cathleen Taff, Disney's president of distribution, told CNN Business. "And that's really the only way you can get to sort of a number like that."

But Robbins said that to "expect that kind of recent blockbuster success to be sustainable year to year isn't realistic by anyone's standards, including Disney."

The company's dominance this year came with some setbacks. "Dark Phoenix," "Stuber" and "The Art of Racing in the Rain," films produced by its newly-acquired Fox studio, flopped at the box office and Disney+'s launch day was mired by glitches.

But the steaming service quickly recovered ended its first day with 10 million sign-ups -- the prize for years of work that Iger has repeatedly called his "highest priority."

Disney+ will prove to be the one thing that repositioned the company on several media fronts, Miller said. It will connect the company to the next generation of storytelling.

The-CNN-Wire & 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

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Disney had a blockbuster 2019. Heres what it has on deck for 2020 - KSAT San Antonio

Below Deck fans know Captain Lee Rosbach as their steadfast leader on the soapy aquatic docudrama. He uses fast-thinking while keeping his cool under some pretty intense conditions.

But Rosbach recently revealed that his years before yachting werent always smooth sailing. He shared at a Stars Marketing Event in Florida that he was a little older than most crew members when he started in yachting. Plus, he said that he and wife Mary Anne were almost at their financial breaking point when he finally found his current career.

Rosbach told the audience that he dove into yachting while he was working in the restaurant industry on the west coast of Florida. He said even though he was close to being completely broke, he did whatever he could to spend time on yachts to earn his certifications. Thats because he was so passionate about the industry. Rosbach also revealed that he was a lot older than most crew members who reach the pinnacle of captain.

Rosbach clarified to the audience that he didnt see the ocean until he was 35 years old. Thats when it all started, he said. Wife and I, Mary Anne. I wanted to move to the Turks and Caicos islands and saw the ocean for the first time. Rosbach is originally from Saginaw, Michigan.

And through a series of bad decisions, we ended up almost broke, he recalled. No, we were broke. Almost broke is like being almost pregnant, he added with one of his typical Captain Lee-isms. But then he saw a small ad for a mate wanted.

The position paid $50 a day for the delivery of a sailboat. I needed the money, they needed a mate, so I signed up for it, he continues. Mary Anne told me that if I took the job, because it was in the middle of hurricane season, that she wouldnt be there when I got back. Well, being my usual self, it was like, well, you do what you gotta do and Im going to do what I gotta do.

Thankfully the couple reunited after Rosbachs maiden voyage. Thats when I decided it was time to make a career change. Just fell in love with the ocean, he said. But it wasnt all love at first.

Rosbach shared he was extremely seasick during those early days. I was so sick that whole trip, I was seasick, he recounted. Once you get out there and it happens, its like, OK, this is it. Stew Kasey Cohen from Below Deck Mediterranean shared that Rosbach was very supportive when she was horribly seasick.

Captain Lee said that he had gotten seasickness and the whole time he was on the bridge he had a bucket next to him, Cohen told Showbiz Cheat Sheet in June. He defended me, which was really nice.

Like Captain Sandy Yawn from Below Deck Mediterranean, Rosbach has a serious passion for yachting. I was so passionate about it, he recalled. I would beg people to let me go on their boat. I worked for nothing.

I was managing restaurants and bars and on the west coast of Florida, and I go out after work for nothing and work on boats just to build enough time so I could get my captains license, he said.

Rosbach said he was nearly 40 years old by the time he was able to become a captain. Not exactly a youngster by career standards as far as this industry goes, he added. Most people start at a young age. Youve got captains out there [ages] 24, 25. But once Rosbach latched onto yachting, he never looked back. So its an outstanding career choice. I mean, you get to see the world exotic locations. Plus he shared that yachties make bank too.

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'Below Deck': Captain Lee Reveals He Was Broke Before He Got Into Yachting (Exclusive) - Showbiz Cheat Sheet