Rhylee Gerbers Biggest Below Deck Regret This Season? That She Tried To Tone It Down – Decider

Rhylee Gerber approves of the restaurant where were having lunch. Its a chilly December day in New York City, but the Alaska native is unphased, dressed in a short sweater dress and boots, her recently spray-tanned legs bare. The Below Deck star likes of Freemans decor which includes taxidermied animal heads mounted on the wall, quick to correct me that the one over the bar is not a moose as I incorrectly identified it. She doesnt have an attitude about it, which lets me know we wont be recreating the dining scene from her first night out with the crew this season when she flew to Thailand to fill Abbi Murphys vacant deckhand spot on the yacht.

Instead, she orders her own omelet rather than requesting someone else choose a paleo snack so that she can fill up on calories in her drink instead but insists she wasnt embarrassed after all hell broke loose when Chef Kevin Dobson challenged her. If I was sitting at a nice fancy restaurant would I want to cause that kind of scene? she asks. No. Would I want to cause that kind of scene in any restaurant? No, but I also wasnt the only one involved in that scene and it was a beach restaurant. It was, whatever. She waves it away in a way that proves shes regret-free and not hung up on it, admitting Its not my finest moment, while also unwilling to accept any blame or guilt over the incident.

It occurred less than 48 hours after she stepped on Motor Yacht Valor during the middle of a charter in Thailand, where she discovered she would be significantly more uncomfortable physically than she was during her previous season on the Bravo series, due to feeling bloated. I think it was the heat, its horribly humid over there and I dont do well in heat, she explained. I thought, I do feel bloated but Ill be working hard and sweaty and last year in Tahiti I lost a bunch of weight because of how much water [I drank] and how much we were working. I think I gained weight in Thailand and not because I ate bad. I was very uncomfortable in my skin. Which is what prompted her to request a paleo snack during the group dinner out, as shes fully aware, I will gain weight if I look at anything tasty, so rather than eat poor decisions I want to drink my poor decisions. Of course this erupted into shouting across a table which then continued onto the nearby beach all because she was trying to avoid a carb. I just tick people off very well, she said.

While gin is her drink of choice, if she was going for a high-calorie beverage she says, I would love a mudslide. Oh my god, Ill drink those and White Russians like crazy but thats heavy, heavy calories. While admitting she thought Chef Kevin was attractive at first, her stance now is as simple as I think Kevins a moron. I dont understand Kevin at all. Oh, but at least hes in good company as she has choice words for the rest of the male crew members. Tanners a fucking idiot, she offers of her fellow deckhand. I dont like Tanner, hes a moron. He thought I was embarrassing him for standing up for paleo [snacks]? Hes fucking embarrassing.

Even though she clashed with the deck crew last season as well, Rhylee says she had no hesitation about coming back to Below Deck for another season, and that they shouldve called me sooner. I ask how this group of guys compares to last years which included Ashton Pienaar in a deckhand role, and Ross Inia taking over bosun duties after Chandler Brooks departed mid-way through the season. I think its same same but different. Same crew, different season.

She even has a half-compliment for her new boss this season, saying, I think Ashton has all the qualities a bosun should have, without ever having been in the position myself. He can be a great leader if he remembers to keep his personal feelings aside. Because now youre in charge and its your responsibility to set that tone, and he very much shares his opinion with the crew so thats lacking leadership. However, when it comes to trying to plan things out and incorporate everybody, he did a much better job with that than Chander did.

Shell still quickly admit she finds deckhand Brian de Saint Pern hot, after a recent episode documented her discovering his impressive abs in real-time. But in this case, it appears beauty is only skin deep. I dont like that on the After Shows you always find out these people are assholes in real life, she says, referring to recent clips of Brian and Tanner well, not quite singing her praises either. I do think Brians a nice guy but hes saying awful things about me. When you team up with somebody whos also not a fan its very easy for them to get lost in that thought instead of, is that how you really feel about me? Because Brian and I chat sometimes on DMs and hes nothing but nice.

Though that wasnt quite her feeling when he recently told her to calm down on the show. I ask if its the worst thing someone can say to her and she replied, No, its not the worst thing, but its certainly offensive when Im not fucking doing anything. Im being calm. If you want to see me not calm then Ill show you not calm. And dedicated viewers of the series, currently in its seventh season and on track to racking up its highest ratings yet, have seen Rhylee when shes not calm. Of that moment, she says, It wasnt fitting. Theyre condescending to me all the time. I think it was more so that youre accusing me of something Im not doing. Im not being irrational, Im not doing anything other than standing here watching you run around. You calm down. Dont say it to me, it just pisses me off.

In fact, the biggest misconception the fiery redhead wants to clarify about herself is That Im combative all the time, Im not. Im combative when someone is treating me poorly, and maybe thats not the right choice to be but its my choice. So do I need to refine how I approach situations, of course. Everybody can react better but its not me out the gate just being an asshole or trying to make things difficult or being disrespectful for no reason.

I know that Im reactionary, Ive always said that, she continued. I tried to be more approachable about the issues I had with Ashton. There will be a scene coming up where I tried to handle it better and it still had the same outcome. Im just gonna do me and if you dont like it, you dont like it, But Im not not proud of myself. My moms not not proud of me. Right now, its not getting me into an issue where Ive ever been fired, Im denied work, or my life is ruined in some field because of it. So until that directly affects something so personal in my life, its not something I feel like needs to be worked on that much where Im gonna alter myself to fit the needs of likability for everybody else. I like who I am.

When I ask if she tried to do anything differently this time around on the show, she revealed, I actually tried to tone it down a little bit with how I reacted, which I shouldnt have done. After clearly expressing my surprise at this information, she added, Maybe it doesnt come across that way, but I was trying to be way calmer and I dont think that was the right move because it made me very quiet. I cry this season and I let things get to me. I just should practice better patience but other than that, you know, Ill still be just as vocal as I always am. And anyone would be a fool to think otherwise!

I wondered if she was at all better received this time around, but she answered that with a succinct, Fuck no, same shit. I just had Kate in my corner this time. It was nice to have a friend. Rhylee said she loved rooming with chief stew Kate Chastain, noting that her only real downside was that Shes a little scattered shes so well put together with everything that she does [for her job] that when she gets to the room its just tossing clothes here and there. And I dont mind.

It was her fellow crew members that did mind when the pair were the last ones to get ready for a recent crew night out and their subsequent day off. Oh, for fucks sakes, Rhylee rolled her eyes. I think we were like 10 minutes late? I get it, its inconsiderate to be late to an event, especially if its work or whatever, but this is getting ready to go out on a day off. Im not gonna be in a rush, Kates not one to be rushed, and its not any more offensive or inconsiderate as how the boys act. Theyre not picking and choosing their battles correctly here. Is there a battle they shouldve chosen, I ask. Yeah, not with me! she laughed.

As far as the other females on the boat go, Rhylee said she liked Simone and that the two likely developed a friendship because she was there to listen to the stew when she didnt really have anyone else to talk to. With Courtney, she admits the two didnt really get to know each other until after they were off the yacht, initially labeling herquiet and rather boring thats derogatory, but since the show Ive seen her on social media, weve talked a lot, we hang out. Shes funny.

Rhylee has also offered advice about how she handles the trolls online to her fellow yachtie, who she says is doing it very well. That advice? Go with your gut. Plus, shes got a system for the two types of messages she gets online. I send every fan whos reached out to me very nicely a message and I think that they understand the real me. When it comes to trolls, they do one of three things: they apologize, they block themselves or they stop and thats the three best options that could happen. If you appear stupid, Im gonna call you out on it and people love it. Ultimately, she says shes felt a lot of support this year, even more than last year, and that while she will never block a hater, she does like to put them on blast because it causes them to self reflect.

But does all this social media activity get to her after a while? To say that it doesnt affect me one way or another would be inaccurate. Shes mostly tired of defending herself and reminding viewers that its possible they didnt see all the circumstances around a particular incident, and would only take it upon herself to self reflect if her mom had an issue with the way she was behaving. I dont think Im perfect but I am who I am. The only personality change she admits to envying is that I wish I was more witty and snarky like Kate, versus loud and yelling.

And when shes not loud and yelling? Well, she semi-accidentally has been building a successful jewelry line in the last month. Its no surprise to anyone whos glanced at her Instagram account that Rhylee enjoys hunting, calling it a way of life in Alaska, though shes also enjoyed the sport all over the country including Texas, Kansas, Florida, and Georgia, encountering creatures from deer to alligators. When I hunt I not only hunt to eat the animal, but a part of it is trophy. If Im allowed one bull moose a season am I going to go after a bull moose with a small rack? No, Im gonna hold out for that moose that has an 80-inch rack so that I have bragging rights. But Im also gonna eat that moose and then Im gonna utilize as much of its body as I can. And even though she was speaking about something entirely foreign to my city-dwelling self, I still had to laugh at the way she said it, never breaking from her true personality, the one we see on every episode of Below Deck.

However, no matter how much I dislike hearing about (let alone seeing) dead animals, it was fascinating to get her perspective on the practice and what its led to, as she began to use leftover parts to make accessories. In no way do I consider myself a jewelry designer or maker but thats kind of whats happened in the last month. I take some of these animal parts like porcupine quills and fish ear bones and the antlers and teeth and I turn it into earrings that have been so wildly accepted. Even a hater! Oh my gosh, a hater came after me for shark fishing the other week and then sent me a message about my earrings and she bought three of them. I was like, how do you berate me for shark fishing where I actually had in the caption tag and release, but now Im giving you dead animal parts to put in your ears?

Once she started posting pictures of her creations, the orders started flowing, so she created a website for future activities and businesses that I do, and promised there will be more exciting news to come from her soon. Those interested in earrings and necklaces can visit thelifeofrhylee.com as she explains to read a little bit about each piece of jewelry that I make, and tells me that she uses her website to get a little more educational versus sarcastic, which I am on social media. She takes the opportunity to explain that her coyote teeth earrings, made with silver and turquoise, came to be because the animals are legal to hunt in Alaska due to conservation because theyre a predator of Dall sheep. She mentions bison, and that porcupines werent harmed to create the funky pieces she uses their quills to design. Its taken off, unexpectedly so. It was just something I did for a friend and now its become a business on the side.

Its an interesting aspect of her life, and one that shes clearly proud of. And while shell continue to hear from both the haters and the supporters as the rest of the Below Deck season airs on Bravo, I ask if theres anything else she wants people to know about her. I have a lot of amazing friends, I do a lot of fun, exciting things that I enjoy and I think people that take time to get to know me understand that. Dont be Ashton and well get along fine.

Below Deck airs Monday at 9pm ET/PT on Bravo.

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Rhylee Gerbers Biggest Below Deck Regret This Season? That She Tried To Tone It Down - Decider