Josiah Carter Opens Up About Below Deck Season 8 Ending Before He Was Able To Join the Crew

Andy Cohen revealed during the Below Deck Season 8 reunion last month that Season 6 stew Josiah Carter was set to step in as Elizabeth Frankini's replacement before the charter season came to an abrupt end after the last two groups of charter guests cancelled.

"Well, former Below Deck stew Josiah was actually waiting in the wings, ready to replace Elizabeth after she was let go," Andy said at the reunion. "But the coronavirus derailed those plans. He was literally waiting at the airport, ready to go."

Now, Josiah is reflecting more on the moment he found out he would not be joining the Below Deck crew after all. "Well on this day last year, I was feeling very sorry for [myself]. I’d just boarded a train in London to head back home. An hour earlier while at the airport about to board a flight to Antigua to join [Captain Lee Rosbach] and his crew but was told I couldn’t fly because of Covid," Josiah recalled in a post on Instagram on March 15. "I [can't] believe it’s been a whole year, feels like yesterday. Hopefully I can get back out to the yachts this summer."

Josiah previously shared a photo of himself at a hotel in London as he eagerly awaited boarding his flight to Antigua to join the Below Deck crew for Season 8.

He also opened up about the moment Captain Lee told him that he would no longer need him as a replacement for Elizabeth due to the charter season ending early during the February 19 episode of Below Deck Galley Talk. "I was in the airport, phone in hand, passport, ready to go on my flight. Like, literally boarding in half an hour's time," Josiah shared with Below Deck Mediterranean Season 1 stew Julia d'Albert Pusey. "Captain Lee called me. He basically gave the speech that he just told [the My Seanna crew], and I was like, 'All right, OK.'"

However, perhaps Josiah can take some comfort in knowing that Captain Lee had complete faith that he would have done an exceptional job if Season 8 of Below Deck had been able to complete those final two charters. During the Season 8 reunion, Andy asked Captain Lee if Josiah would "have stepped into the team well and seamlessly."

"Oh, absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind," the Below Deck boss replied. "Si is extremely capable. He knows what needs to be done. He observes what needs to be done. His anticipation of guests' needs is remarkable. And that's what it takes."

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