Ben Willoughby has been a polarizing figure on Below Deck season 11. There’s an argument to be made that Ben is the true villain of the season.
Ben Willoughby may be the true villain of Below Deck season 11. He joined the season as Captain Kerry Titheradge’s lead deckhand, managed by Bosun Jared Woodin. Ben’s extensive history in the yachting industry set him up for Bosun, which he took on after Jared was fired. Aside from drama surrounding his role as deckhand-turned-Bosun, Ben formed a “boatmance” with deckhand Mary “Sunny” Marquis. He was known as a flirt and stirred up conflict with Sunny when he started flirting with other female crew members.
Since Below Deck season 11 began airing in February, Ben has been open about his thoughts on the show via social media. He feels like the show he’s watching back is very different from the experience he lived. There have been clear signs Ben won’t return to Below Deck after season 11, which may be for the best. He feels like production has made him the villain on Below Deck season 11, and he isn’t happy with the narrative.
8
Ben Was Rude To Jared In The Beginning
He Had No Faith In Jared As A Bosun
Ben started Below Deck season 11 as a deckhand under Jared, and it was clear they didn’t get along too well. Ben felt like Jared was dropping the ball as the St. David’s Bosun. He believed his Bosun was constantly making silly mistakes and wasn’t good at his job overall. Ben told Us Weekly that there was a sort of “competition” going on between himself and Jared. “I think that’s how Jared kind of took it because he could have used me to his advantage,” he added. He felt that Jared wasn’t working with him, which upset Ben.
“I did as much as I could to bite my tongue, but I was very much ready to walk off that boat because I knew we were destined to fail.”
Jared was fired by Captain Kerry, and Ben was named his replacement. Before going into Below Deck season 11, Ben felt like he was “taking a step down” in the role of lead deckhand, as opposed to Bosun. He thought Captain Kerry would have asked him to be a Bosun because of his experience on and off the show, whereas in the latter, he was working as a Bosun. Ben could have harbored these feelings heading into his working relationship with Jared. Their relationship was tainted from the start.
7
Ben Downplays Sunny’s Feelings For Him
Did Ben Ever Have Feelings For Sunny?
Sunny may have liked Ben more than he liked her, always downplaying her feelings for him. It upset Sunny when he would flirt with other St. David crew members. She tried to voice this to him, but he continued to carry on with his behavior. After revealing he still has feelings for his Below Deck season 10 costar Camille Lamb, Sunny was upset. Ben lessened their boatmance down to a casual hookup. On Below Deck, he told Sunny they weren’t “attached to each other whatsoever,” downplaying her feelings for him.
“If we sleep together, we sleep together. If we don’t, we don’t.
Sunny took Ben’s words harshly. She turned to her friends Paris Fields and Barbie Pascual when she was feeling bad about the situation. What Ben said to her seemingly got into her mind, and she said, “There’s always something wrong” in her relationships. Sunny found it hard to separate “work and play” on the St. David in her boatmance with Ben.
6
Ben Openly Flirted With Paris In Front Of Sunny
Sunny Wasn’t Okay With Ben Flirting With Paris
Paris came into Below Deck season 11 to replace Cat Baugh after she chose to leave for personal reasons. After she boarded the St. David, it didn’t take long for Ben’s flirtatious nature to come out. At one moment, he was talking to Paris about Barbie and put his hand on her leg. She pushed his arm away and looked pretty uncomfortable. Naturally, this confused Sunny, whom he was in a boatmance with. In her confessionals, Sunny said, “I don’t think he should touch other people. Makes me feel uncomfortable to be honest.”
5
Ben Called Camille While With Sunny
Being on St. David reminded Ben of his boatmance with Camille during Below Deck season 10. He confessed this during a confessional interview and admitted they were like “kids in love.” Ben wasn’t over Camille and started posting pictures of them on social media. Per Us Weekly, Ben did a Q&A on Instagram, where he was asked if their relationship was done, to which he said, “I wouldn’t say so.” Once Sunny found out about Ben’s lingering feelings for Camille, she was hurt.
Sunny confided in Paris and Barbie after learning about Ben’s feelings for Camille. Sunny said she knew she and Ben were “just sleeping together,” but the situation was still “really hard” for her. Once Ben found out Sunny was upset, he got angry. “We aren’t even f***ing dating. What’s wrong you f***ing girls?” he said. Ben decided it was time to end the boatmance with Sunny, and shortly after, he called up Camille. In his confessionals, he said he didn’t have a “spark” with Sunny like he did with Camille.
“You can’t force anything, there has to be a spark there. Like last year with Camille. That is the magic I am after.”
Ben called Camille on Below Deck season 11 and told her he would love to see her after the season ended. She was shocked, to which she said, “Oh, I don’t know. I mean I just got to town two months ago.” After the call, Ben said he felt like a “f***ing loser” knowing his relationship with Camille was over. He hadn’t even fully ended his boatmance with Sunny, yet Ben was still chasing after Camille.
4
Ben Was Meddling In Drama
He Always Seems To Get Involved In Everyone Else’s Conflict
Ben is a notorious meddler. At the beginning of Below Deck season 11, he worsened the conflict between the interior team. He told Barbie that Cat was complaining about her to Chief Stew Fraser Olender. Ben overheard Cat confiding in Fraser, which greatly upset the Chief Stew. Fraser begged him not to get involved with interior drama like he had in the past. Despite wanting to turn a new leaf in Below Deck season 11, Ben can’t stay away from drama.
3
Ben Doesn’t Treat Sunny With Respect
Does Ben Respect Her Less Than Camille?
The Below Deck season 11 Bosun doesn’t treat Sunny with respect. Heading into the season, Ben said he wasn’t going to be in another boatmance like last season. However, he became involved with his fellow deckhand almost immediately. Ben made things in their relationship complicated when he started flirting with Paris. Sunny told him this hurt her feelings, and he continued flirting with their other fellow crew member, Xandi Olivier.
After Sunny talked with Ben, he should have given her respect and stopped flirting with the other St. David women. Or, he should have called their boatmance off entirely. He cannot have his cake and eat it too. Ben made things even more complicated with Sunny when he decided to call up Camille, whom he said he still had feelings for. It was obvious that Ben had no respect for Sunny or their situation when he called Camille, who wasn’t even on Below Deck season 11.
2
Ben Always Blames The Women For His Problems Onboard
Ben’s Conflict Is Never His Own Fault
Ben blamed his problems on the women during Below Deck season 11. In his boatmance with Sunny, he never took accountability and could admit he treated her poorly. After Ben found out that Sunny was hurt, he still had feelings for Camille, Ben was unhappy. When Paristalked to him about this, he was defensive and rude. “I tried to have a chat with Paris and she goes, ‘Why are you doing this to my girl Sunny?’” he said, adding, “I’m like, ‘What f***ing now?’”
1
Ben Called Out Barbie For How She Treated Kyle
Ben Just Had To Fight With Barbie About Kyle
Ben got involved in Barbie’s relationship with deckhand Kyle Stillie for no reason. One morning, he asked Barbie if she planned on chatting with Kyle because he was “very upset” about her. He went into the conversation heatedly, citing that Barbie was “pushing this kid aside.” If Kyle was upset about Barbie, he should have talked to her instead of having Ben attack her for him. The interaction caught Barbie off guard, and she told Ben she hadn’t approached him about his treatment of Sunny.
“Sunny’s a great girl, too, and I don’t come and attack you the way you’re attacking me. I don’t appreciate that.”
Ben should have let Kyle approach Barbie on his own. It’s great he was attempting to stick up for his friend. However, he may have ruined his friendship with Barbie because they’ve continued to fight since the season wrapped. In April, Barbie and Ben fought on Instagram after he posted a picture with her. Ben confronting Barbie about Kyle was another instance of him stirring the pot on St. David.
Ben is the true villain of Below Deck season 11, one of the best reality TV shows right now. He takes his job as Bosun incredibly seriously, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t willing to get his hands dirty in the drama. He has always been a meddler, and this season proves that he is the drama king of the season.
