Eddie Explains Why He and Captain Lee Will Have "A Different Dynamic" in Below Deck Season 9

"St. Kitts better be ready. Here comes first mate Eddie."

That's what we hear returning crew member Eddie Lucas utter in the above trailer for the upcoming Season 9 of Below Deck, which premieres on Monday, October 25 at 9/8c with episodes streaming the next day on Peacock.

That's right. After starting out as a deckhand in the very first season of Below Deck and later earning a promotion to bosun, Eddie is now coming into this new season with an even higher rank as first officer. Below Deck fans will recall that Eddie received epaulets with three stripes denoting his promotion in a touching moment with Captain Lee Rosbach in the Season 8 finale.

So with Eddie at a more senior level in the upcoming season of Below Deck, we'll see some changes in his relationship with Captain Lee. “It’s a different dynamic between me and the Captain—I can kind of challenge his way of thinking and better understand his leadership style," Eddie shared during a recent interview with Vanity Fair. "No matter how long I work with the Captain, I keep on learning new things.”

Even last season, their friendship appeared to take on even greater meaning as Captain Lee experienced his first Below Deck charter season following the passing of his son, Joshua, in July 2019. “On the heels of this incredibly awful tragedy that Lee and [his wife] Mary Anne suffered…to be able to have someone familiar like Eddie come back, when he has been like a son to Lee, it got magnified into this kind of amazing but awful coincidence,” Below Deck executive producer Courtland Cox told Vanity Fair. “While you’re seeing what Lee went through and seeing what Eddie meant to him, it really puts it in perspective—how you’re making a TV show with real human stakes.”

And now, Below Deck Season 9 will bring new challenges for Eddie as the season begins without Captain Lee at the helm of the yacht for the first time in the history of the franchise. When Captain Lee finds himself unexpectedly delayed on land, Captain Sean Meagher will step in to lead the ship. "The whole boat is your ballgame now," Captain Lee can be heard telling Eddie in the trailer for the new season.

In addition to Captain Sean, Eddie will be joined by several new crew members this season, including chief stew Heather Chase, stews Jessica Albert and Fraser Olender, and deckhands Jake Foulger, Rayna Lindsay, and Wes O'Dell. However, he will have one familiar face on board with the return of Chef Rachel Hargrove. "Leaving the dock with a new captain, new crew," Eddie says in the Below Deck Season 9 sneak peek. "Tensions are high."

It's no wonder we also see Eddie pleading in the trailer, "Come back to me, Captain Lee. Come back to me, my boat daddy."

Luckily, Captain Lee will be back later on this season ready to get everyone into ship shape, including Eddie's deck department.

One thing is for sure: Eddie is giving Captain Lee a run for his money when it comes to the Stud of the Sea title, as you can see in the below Instagram.

But don't worry, Below Deck fans. Captain Lee and Eddie are as tight as ever these days. They even recently caught up in person in Los Angeles. "Reunited and it feeeeels so goooooooood!" Eddie captioned an Instagram photo of himself and Captain Lee rocking matching floral shirts in the City of Angels earlier this month.

Captain Lee also posted the same photo on his Instagram with the caption, "A great time with [an] even better friend. Doesn't get better than this."

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