Kyle Stillie‘s possible hookup with guest Helen Hoey will seemingly remain one of Below Deck‘s biggest mysteries after the deckhand’s conflicting comments about the alleged incident.
The drama started when the season 12 trailer premiered in April, where Bravo viewers saw Kyle was seen potentially hooking up with a guest at the beach in full view of his coworkers. In the footage, Captain Kerry confronted Kyle, who wouldn’t confirm what happened. Kyle asked producers whether his comment about “f***ing” a guest whose husband was on charter was “a joke,” and an offscreen producer asked him the exact same question back.
“We’re going to see how it all develops on the show. If one of my staff is with a married person on the boat, they’re not going to stay on the boat,” Kerry teased to Us Weekly at the time. “You’re breaking a boundary there that you can’t cross.”
After catching wind of the rumors, Kerry confirmed to Us that he took matters into his own hands.
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“There was an investigation done. I’m not too sure how much of that will be shown but I did a thorough investigation before I made my decision,” Kerry said, while teasing whether Kyle was fired for the situation. “It will be interesting to see what happens after I interviewed each of the crew members — including what was actually said behind [my back].”
Kerry noted that he could only get involved once he was made aware.
“I don’t get to see what’s going on Below Deck because I’m in the wheelhouse or I’m over here and I can’t be everywhere,” he explained. “I don’t micromanage. I allow my crew to grow and I like to be here and to help encourage people. There’s a lot I don’t see and there’s even more I don’t want to see.”
Leading up to the confrontation between Kyle and Kerry, most of Us saw the interactions between Kyle and Helen border flirtatious but not cross any lines. In fact, all cameras remained on Kyle as he carried Helen around in the water at a topless beach — in full view of her husband, Richard.
Imagine the crew — and Us‘ — surprise when Helen departed St. David and Kyle started to tell everyone that he secretly had sex with her in public. He claimed he “stuck it in” while they were in full view of everyone and that made it back to Kerry. By the time Kyle sat down with his boss, he walked back the comments he made and claimed he was just joking around.
Viewers at home, however, were left conflicted based on Kyle’s confusing behavior off screen. Keep scrolling for a breakdown of every comment Kyle made about whether he did — or didn’t — hook up with Helen:
Starting the Rumor
The speculation kicked off in an August episode when Kyle joked about his interactions with Helen after the guests left St. David.
“I f***ed Helen in the water. My d*** went to her p**** and I was like, ‘We don’t do this right now, Helen,’” he joked during a crew night out after they received a $22,000 tip from Helen’s husband. “I f***ed her in the sea. I slipped my d*** in. That is why our tip is so low.”
Walking It Back
Kyle was forced to tell Kerry what happened, which is when he insisted he “was taking a piss” at the crew and that nothing sexual actually happened.
A Confusing Confessional
The episode ended with producers once again asking whether he was telling the truth or not.
“Was it a joke?” he playfully asked while looking at the camera. “I f***ing really thought I was a goner. [I would have] given Helen a call.”
Kyle didn’t just poke fun at the investigation with producers. In a sneak peek at the next episode, Kyle gave a toast during a crew night out where he said he “really got away with something.”
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Looking Back at the Drama
Kyle didn’t make the situation any easier for himself on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
“No, I definitely did not [hook up with her]. I will be honest with you. There was a point in time where I was in that sea where I thought potentially something may have happened. But nothing happened,” he said in August. “Just because she was very much inciting. I was trying to keep it professional and she was moving my hands toward her chest. There was a point where I was slightly aroused.”
Kyle promised that he didn’t expose himself. “Not at all. If [my d***] was out, you would not have missed it,” he quipped. “It is not my most proud moment. I don’t know why I said it.”
Hinting at the Husband’s Reaction
“I hope it wasn’t a reason we got such a little tip but I think it played a part,” Kyle told Andy Cohen on WWHL. “I have not [heard from her] or the husband. I hope not to hear from them at all.”
He continued: “I am not worried [about hearing from Helen]. I am maybe a bit more worried [about the husband] but nothing happened, so I am sure Richard is a very understanding man.”
Elsewhere on WWHL, Kyle denied ever crossing a boundary with guests. “You have seen my only experience working on yachts was St. David seasons 11 and 12,” he continued. “So my entire yachting experience is there for you to see. Generally I like a wide range of women.”
