Below Deck had a franchise first when season 12 kicked off with Chef Lawrence Snowden threatening to quit — after struggling to film the show and arguing with producers.
During the season 12 premiere on Monday, June 2, Chef Lawrence admitted he was unsure about joining St. David because of the cameras, saying, “I was a bit apprehensive about the TV part of the job but I just thought, ‘Just get out of your comfort zone and give it a whirl.’ It should be fun.”
It wasn’t fun, however, when Lawrence kept breaking the fourth wall.
“Would you mind not filming while I get this piece of equipment out?” he asked the offscreen cameraman, who did not oblige and kept filming. “Am I not allowed to talk to you? It is going to be a long six weeks, isn’t it?”
‘Below Deck’ Franchise Stars That Dramatically Left Throughout the Years
Lawrence’s first charter on Below Deck only got tougher when he kept complaining about the “cameras in your face.” As he got more frustrated, he called out producers more frequently on screen.
“This day has been enough for me, to be honest,” he later admitted to deckhand Damo Yorg. “When those camera people come in, I just want to tell them to f**k off.”
At the end of the episode, Lawrence completely lost his cool during breakfast when several burners in the kitchen didn’t work properly. Lawrence specifically looked at the cameraman when asking him to go because he was “f**king done” with the charter.
The cameraman was seen leaving, followed by a producer who stepped in.
“The cameras are here to film the show. Everyone is just doing their job here,” the offscreen producer said in an attempt to reason with Lawrence, who yelled back, “I get told, ‘We want to make you succeed.’ It is bollocks. That is a lie.”
Captain Kerry Titheradge tried to step in — but it only made the situation worse. “I am f***ing furious. I am shaking. I can’t do another charter, I am sorry,” Lawrence told his boss as the premiere came to an end.
Below Deck’s Biggest Drama Through the Years
Before the season 12 premiere, chief steward Fraser Olender weighed in on Lawrence’s difficult assimilation.
“He was a very good chef. He is an amazing chef. It’s hard to forget about the fourth wall,” he explained in May. “It’s a TV show but we are working very, very hard and we don’t get to cut corners.”
Fraser recalled how Lawrence “struggled” with the concept of being filmed. “It’s tough. It’s not for the faint-hearted,” he noted. “I also say a lot, the yachties who work in the real world on yachts can’t do what we do. This is three jobs in one.”
According to Fraser, most yachties a.k.a anyone who works on a yacht as a career has expressed their “hate” for coworkers who go on Below Deck.
“They say that. But they all watch us so I don’t know if it’s a case of jealousy or not. Sorry guys, it’s true. A lot of yachties don’t think it’s real representation,” he explained. “It’s not our fault that you can’t cram every single hour of six weeks into every episode — but it’s the real deal.”
Fraser continued: “We don’t get help. Everything that happens has happened authentically. It is the most authentic reality television that I think I’m aware of and I want people to know that.”
As for Lawrence? Fraser couldn’t give too much away but he hinted that the chef didn’t give up that easily.
Every Star Fired From ‘Below Deck’ Through the Years
“I think he gets through it. He tries to get through it and he does,” Fraser told Us before hinting at other possible cast exits. “There are firings. There are hirings. There are disasters left, right and center. But I cannot tell you enough how dramatic and how fun this season is. It is nonstop.”
Kerry, meanwhile, told Us he tried to help ease the tension for Lawrence — and the crew.
“I could see his struggles and I spent a lot of time with them to help him assimilate to this TV world,” he shared. “[Breaking the fourth wall usually] doesn’t happen. But in that situation with Lawrence, he was losing it. We can see in the episode that I hear this yelling and I don’t put up with anyone yelling at anybody unless I’m doing it.”
Kerry added: “So I raced down to rescue the situation and I’ve been supporting Lawrence. But sometimes you’ve got to be a little more assertive. So I had to go down there and do captain s***.”
Below Deck airs on Bravo Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
