After a double firing on Below Deck Down Under Season 3, Nate Salmon and Nicolas Cattelan came on board to help round out the deck team. So far, these men are nailing their roles on Bravo. Before they walked on, this series was sailing on shaky seas. But now that they are here, BDDU Season 3 is thriving.
These men constantly put their egos aside, which helps to create fun, lighthearted narratives on Bravo. Without them, BDDU Season 3 might have ended with a thud instead of a round of thunderous applause.
What happened to Wihan du Toit and Johnny Arvanitis on Below Deck Down Under Season 3?
At the start of this season, Wihan du Toit was the bosun, and Johnny Arvanitis was a deckhand. Johnny was a hard worker with a hot temper when pressed. Meanwhile, Wihan worked hard on the tasks he desired. But often, he messed with the hearts and minds of his female colleagues on board.
When he boarded, Wihan made it known that he was looking for a wife. Two women instantly volunteered as tribute, which Wihan loved. By the time Wihan fell for a third party, some viewers felt done with his showings on BDDU. But no one was as frustrated with Wihan as Lara Rigby was.
The yachting industry requires teamwork. But Wihan was not a team player. Instead of helping the interior department, Wihan instructed his team to look busy so that his spoken no might seem reasonable whenever Lara next approached.
He also treated Alesia Harris with disdain once she flipped his script and told him no, giving Wihan a taste of his never-iconic malcontent medicine. But after Wihan knowingly cuddled a drunk Alesia, choosing to ignore how she kept asking for Johnny, Johnny finally lost his cool with his bosun. Johnny yelled, punched an overhead cabinet, and lost his job, with Wihan following him on the plank only a handful of scenes later.
Cue the arrivals of their replacements, Nate and Nic.
Unlike Wihan du Toit, Nate Salmon helps in the interior department
When Nate entered filming, he went straight to the wheelhouse to chat with Captain Jason Chambers. His new boss reminded Nate that teamwork skills were paramount to successful charters. Working together also helps maintain the peace between all departments, a fact that he needed to drill home after Wihan found every excuse in the book to refuse help to Lara.
In response, Nate shook his head as if he agreed. Several beats later, without any prompting from Lara or her team, we see Nate sitting in the crew mess, folding laundry. It was here that we all (hopefully) realized that Nate is now starting to turn the tide on BDDU Season 3.
Nate is calm. He never gets his Budgy Smugglers in a wad when stressed out (at least not yet). He does his job, and then he does other jobs, and finally, he goes to bed, living a drama-free life on Bravo. We are thankful to have Nate on board where he belongs, leading his charges correctly on BDDU.
Nicolas Cattelan might be green, but his humor on Below Deck Down Under is solid
When BDDU said goodbye to Johnny, many fans were sad. However, physical aggression creates unsafe working conditions, so his firing was expected.
Nic filled in where Johnny left off, although not as well, as Nic is a green deckhand. To his credit, Nic is eager and willing to learn. Likewise, whenever he receives instruction, Nic listens, showing he cares about making strides in his career. But my favorite aspects of Nic are his honesty and humor, followed by my third favorite aspect, his deep, unexpected, narrator-like voice.
Nic gets stuck in his shirts, struggles on deck, talks to himself, fights with automatic doors when his hands are full, and makes random, hysterical quips as he sees fit. Nic is breathing fun and life into this series, making me thrilled to have him on BDDU Season 3.
Nicolas Cattelan and Nate Salmon’s Below Deck boatmances are drama-free
Before his departure, Marina Marcondes de Barros had her stunning eyes trained on Wihan. Sadly, Wihan “allowed” her visions, often reciprocating her advances. But as he explained to the cameras, this crush was on Marina, and he was not to blame for how he also entertained two other women on board.
Likewise, Johnny had his sights set on Alesia. Their boatmance was sweet, albeit hard to maintain without Johnny on board. Cue the new boys in this Seychelles town, Nic and Nate.
Marina and Nic have hit it off. Watching Nic value and pursue Marina is a lovely change of pace. Sweet Marina often struggled to keep Wihan close. But with Nic, her side is his only desired spot to live, and for that, we adore Nic all the more.
Similarly, Nate feels enamored by Alesia. However, Alesia is hesitant to engage in another boatmance. But as the sneak peek for Episode 15 teases in the video above, Alesia is about to lean into his advances, offering us another fun, supportive boatmance on BDDU Season 3.
Nic and Nate are saving this series. I hope to see their faces on Bravo for many additional seasons to come.
Below Deck Down Under continues Mondays at 8/7c on Bravo. BDDU also streams on Hayu in the UK and Ireland.
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