8 Signs Iain Maclean Will Be The First Crew Member Fired

Summary

• Iain Maclean, the Bosun, is at risk of being fired as the first crew member on Below Deck Mediterranean season 9.
• He struggles with leadership skills and has left his deck team to handle conflicts independently.
• Iain’s lack of preparation and negligence led to a stressful day for the deck team and almost resulted in a guest and crew member’s safety being compromised.

If he doesn’t improve as Bosun, Iain Maclean may be the first crew member fired from Below Deck Mediterranean season 9. He joined the season as a franchise first under Captain Sandy Yawn’s leadership. As the head of the deck team, Iain has a tough job that requires a high skill level. While it’s his first time appearing on the Below Deck franchise, Iain has dropped the ball as Bosun on several occasions. He acts as though he’s irreplaceable and has a permanent spot on the Mustique’s crew, which is not the case.

Iain may be the villain of Below Deck Med season 9. Deckhands Gael Cameron, Joe Bradley, and Nathan Gallagher have called out his missteps. While the crew has only completed three charters so far in the season, Captain Sandy has warned Iain about his performance as Bosun. His lack of awareness and quickness to dump tasks on his subordinates are red flags. No one should be fired from Below Deck Med season 9, but if someone has to be, the Bosun may be first up on Captain Sandy’s chopping block.

8 Iain Isn’t A Great Leader

Gael, Joe, & Nathan Are Managing Themselves

Iain hasn’t been the best leader throughout his time on Below Deck Med season 9. Instead of leading his team to success, he left Gael, Joe, and Nathan to navigate conflict on their own. As their leader, the Bosun should be working closely with the deckhands to ensure they’re learning and progressing. Joe has struggled with docking tasks, and while Iain should be the one helping him, Gael and Nathan have stepped up. Joe could replace Iain if he’s fired, but he doesn’t have enough experience to fully take over as Bosun if he leaves.

7 Iain Almost Lost A Guest & A Crew Member

Nathan & A Guest Drifted Off To Sea Because No One Was Watching Them

During the second charter of Below Deck Med season 9, Iain let Nathan and a charter guest drift off to sea while they were paddleboarding. The Bosun wasn’t paying attention to the deckhand and guest, and they drifted nearly 300 meters away from the Mustique. They tried to signal to the crew that they were caught in a current, but no one saw them, and a nearby catamaran had to return them to the superyacht. Captain Sandy was incredibly disappointed with the incident because her dear friend, Olympian Gigi Fernandez, was the primary guest.

6 Captain Sandy Already Had A Chat With Him

Captain Sandy Warned Iain After The Paddleboarding Incident

After the paddleboarding catastrophe, Captain Sandy pulled Iain aside to talk. She told him it was his job to ensure a deck crew member always watched the guests in the water. Deckhand Joe took accountability for the incident and apologized to the captain, but she felt the situation was Iain’s fault. Iain was frustrated but didn’t talk back to her and apologized to the primary. After Captain Sandy voiced her concerns, he should be on his best behavior for the rest of the charter season, which hasn’t been the case.

5 Iain Is Coming Off As A Villain

Gael, Joe, & Nathan Aren’t Impressed With Iain

The Bosun is coming off as the villain of Below Deck Med season 9. He’s been pretty absent in the storyline of the season thus far, except for his moments of mishap and when the crew complains about him. As Gael, Joe, and Nathan grow more irritated with him, he’ll likely become a larger presence in the season. He opts out of helping his deck team, which comes off as he feels superior to his subordinates. Iain hasn’t been rude so far, but he could make small changes that would make a difference.

4 Iain Doesn’t Help His Deck Team

Gael, Joe, & Nathan Are Left To Do All The Work

Iain may end up getting fired if his deck team voices their frustrations with him to Captain Sandy. One of the worst moments of the season thus far was a near-disastrous beach trip during the second charter. The guests requested an Olympic-style beach competition with games. When Chief Stew Aesha Scott went to the Bosun and asked what he prepared for the beach day, he said the guests would decide what sports they wanted to play. The Chief Stew was confused by his approach, which later fell on the backs of the deck team.

Gael and Joe were tasked with preparing the beach day setup and subsequently had to throw together a series of games. While Iain traveled back to the Mustique to pick up the guests, he didn’t offer help to his deckhands when setting up the chairs, games, or competition. Instead, Iain went back to the superyacht, collected the guests, and didn’t warn Gael and Joe that he was returning. They had to scramble to finish the setup on time without any help from the Bosun.

3 Iain’s Crew Member’s Have Spoken Poorly About Him

The Deck Team Is Starting To Get Frustrated With The Bosun

Both the interior and exterior teams have spoken poorly about Iain’s performance as Bosun. Aesha was surprised by his lack of preparation for the guest’s beach day trip during the second charter. She knew it wasn’t wise to leave the activities up to the guests and predicted that the day would go south. Gael and Joe had no guidance during the strenuous day and were dehydrated and exhausted. If Iain had made a few simple plans before they went to the beach, the issue could have been avoided.

Joe and Nathan have complained about Iain’s tendency to micromanage in their confessional interviews. After Nathan and a guest drifted off to sea, the Bosun took his frustrations out on the rest of the deck team. To compensate for his misstep, Iain started walking the deck team step by step through simple tasks. When they took in the slide after a day of watersports, Iain was upset and micromanaged Joe and Nathan. They complained about the Bosun’s actions, citing that he was embarrassed by the paddleboarding incident and was taking it out on them.

2 Iain Seems Lazy For A Bosun

He’s Not The Most Motivated Bosun That’s Been On Below Deck

Iain has little motivation, which is odd for a Bosun. In past seasons of Below Deck, Bosuns have been trustworthy leaders who disperse tasks among the deck team. Ben Willoughby was the Bosun during Below Deck season 11, and while he was criticized for his personality, he excelled in the leadership role. Ben led the exterior team to success, and while he clashed with Captain Kerry Titheradge at times, he didn’t leave the deckhands to fend for themselves. He wasn’t the perfect Bosun, but he took his job seriously, and the opposite could be said about Iain.

The Below Deck Med season 9 Bosun lets his deck team do the majority of the work. Throughout each episode, there are multiple clips of Iain goofing around while Gael, Joe, and Nathan are working. As the leader, he should be working with the deck team and helping them grow in their roles. Iain may feel like his job as a Bosun is secure, and if that’s the case, he doesn’t know who Captain Sandy is.

1 Iain Doesn’t Listen To Captain’s Orders

Iain Needs To Follow Captain Sandy’s Orders

Iain hasn’t listened to Captain Sandy’s orders at times. In a preview clip for the sixth episode of Below Deck Med season 9 on Bravo TV, the captain, and Bosun had a minor disagreement about the management of a guest excursion. The guests patiently waited for the boat to be ready for them to board and head off to the Mustique for the day. Aesha told Iain they were ready to leave, and he stayed put. The Chief Stew had to remind him to grab the guests and let them know it was time to leave.

Captain Sandy caught a wave of his lack of awareness and told him he needed to start getting “quicker” with his leadership. Iain told her he had a “different plan in [his] head” for how things would happen, and she changed it. “Yeah, well, your plan wasn’t working,” Captain Sandy said, shutting down the conversation. If Iain continues to clash with the captain, he’ll likely be fired. Captain Sandy said she enforces a “three strikes, and you’re out” policy, and the Bosun has surpassed that number of “strikes” so far in the season.

Iain might be the first crew member fired from Below Deck Mediterranean season 9. His lack of drive as a Bosun has upset the deck team, and Captain Sandy is starting to see his performance faulting. Iain could improve and stay a part of the Mustique’s crew, but he’ll need to act fast to keep his job.

Below Deck Mediterranean

airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo, then streams the following day on Peacock.

Sources: Bravo TV