Here's What Below Deck's Captain Lee Really Thinks About Hiring Couples

Captain Lee Rosbach is the head honcho on Below Deck. As the tough-but-fair boss aboard the reality TV show's many super-yachts, the captain is in charge of rallying his crew to ensure they have the best charter possible, while also ensuring their antics are captured for the benefit of the Bravo cameras chronicling the action. Rosbach's not somebody who's afraid of speaking his mind, both on and off the show, whether it's who he would refuse to work with again, the biggest outburst he's witnessed on the air, or simply how he really feels about former chief stew Kate Chastain.

Although Captain Lee may have a soft spot for certain people, and is more than up for a laugh when the situation calls for it, he's onboard to work first and foremost. He certainly doesn't suffer fools gladly and, when it comes to hiring couples, this Below Deck star knows exactly how to handle them — perhaps because Rosbach himself met his wife of 45 years, Mary Anne, while working together on a charter. Explaining that their romance was the only one he'd ever shared with a crew member throughout his career, Captain Lee revealed on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (via The Daily Dish), "She was my chief stew. And the only one."

While appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in October 2020, Captain Lee Rosbach confirmed that he will hire couples — however, as the longtime yachtie advised, "I like to see longevity." His preference in these cases is "a couple that's been together and been on different boats together for an extended period of time." That makes sense. As for newer couples who have only worked together maybe once, Captain Lee admitted that he steers clear of them, lest it cause trouble down the line, saying, "It doesn't strike me as something that's gonna be lasting."

Thankfully, this Below Deck star hasn't endured as many "messy boatmances," as Cheat Sheet puts it, as the series' sister show, Below Deck Mediterranean, and his onscreen counterpart, Captain Sandy Yawn, who almost sacked a couple back in Season 3. Although Captain Lee is realistic about yacht romances, he explained on Instagram Live around that same time, per the outlet, "My job is to make sure the guests have a great time and that my charter guests are taken care of. My crew do their jobs to the best of their ability. And if they have another agenda when they get on board, I'm sorry, it's got to fit my agenda. It's not a democracy."