Below Deck Down Under’s Margot Sisson Praises Captain Jason Chambers, Aesha Scott After Crew Member ‘Crossed the Line’

Below Deck Down Under’s Margot Sisson is praising her costars Captain Jason Chambers, Aesha Scott and their other crew members for the way they supported her amid Luke Jones and Laura Bilesklane’s firing following sexual misconduct after a drunken night out.

During episodes six and seven of season 2 of the show, bosun Luke’s employment on the boat was terminated by Captain Jason after he climbed into third stewardess Margot’s bed naked — and “without consent” — while she was asleep.

Second stew Laura Bileskalne was also fired by Captain Jason for the inappropriate and insensitive way she reacted to what happened between Luke and Margot and her behavior toward deckhand Adam Kodra during the same night.

As well as informing Margot about what had happened with Luke, chief stew Aesha also woke up Captain Jason and he swiftly removed Luke from the boat and sent him to a hotel for the rest of the night. She also told Captain Jason about the things Laura had been saying to Margot following the incident and her inappropriate behavior towards Adam.

On Tuesday, the day after the incident aired, Margot thanked Aesha on her Instagram Story and said she wanted to “express the love” she has for her.

“The way she recognized the vulnerability of the situation I was in and her courageous intervention on my behalf was both heroic and so admirable,” Margot wrote. “I thank the universe for her every day, as well as the producers who quickly stepped in. Aesha, you have a heart of gold, I look up to you, and I will forever be grateful.”

She also shared a photo of the pair hugging during the show and wrote in the caption, “Everybody needs an Aesha in their lives 🥹.”

After realizing Luke had gone into Margot’s cabin naked during a power cut on the boat, producers quickly intervened and told him he had to get out of Margot’s bed and leave the room. At first Luke ignored their requests and then repeatedly tried to shut the door, before storming out and locking himself in his own cabin.

When Luke returned to the boat, he told Captain Jason he didn’t “really know what happened” and it was “eating him up.”

“Last night there were boundaries crossed,” Captain Jason told him in the crew mess. “There was indecency, and you went into someone’s else cabin without consent.”

“Like I was naked?” asked Luke.

“Yeah,” said Captain Jason. “Unfortunately I’ve got nothing else but to terminate your employment.”

“I accept that,” said Luke. “I’m sorry, and I’m just so disappointed in myself.”

Margot went on to share a “HUGE thank you” to Captain Jason for his “immediate response to the situation, leaving no room for any BS,” she wrote on her Story. “There are unfortunately a lot of captains who would choose to sweep something like this under the rug, I am grateful that Jason is not one of them. Thank you for repeatedly making me feel safe and supported. I wish every captain were just like you. Sending you so much love right now 🩵.”

Captain Jason reposted the Story with a single red heart emoji.

Meanwhile, Margot also expressed her gratitude for her fellow costars, chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph, deckhand Harry van Vilet and Adam.

“I also need to shout out my love and appreciation to @cheftzarina foer helping me when i felt so low and vulnerable,” she wrote. “It is true, ‘Women should be able to be black out drunk if they want to. We should be able to stand in a room naked and not have anyone do anything to us.’ ”

She added that Harry “made me smile every day,” and continued of Adam, “He was such an important part of my life on the boat. After L*ke got fired, Adam immediately came up to me and said if he had known what was happening he would have done anything and everything to protect me. He said I was like a sister to him and it was so sweet and I truly adore him so much.”

Shortly after Luke’s firing, Laura’s employment was also terminated.

After Luke left the boat, Laura told Margot she was “sad” about his firing while they were cleaning.

“Oh poor Luke,” said Laura. “I should have just kept him happy. If he comes naked in my cabin, I’d be like, ‘Hello! Yes!’”

 “Yeah you would have loved it,” an uncomfortable Margot responded.

“But it’s his fault, he rejected me,” laughed Laura. “If he wouldn’t have done that, I would still be with him. I said I would make him regret, and that came true like very big time. It’s his karma.”

Laura also questioned Aesha about the incident, who told her Luke had “crossed the line” and his actions were a “fireable offense on any boat.” But continuing her conversation with Margot later in the episode Laura told her that she was “sad” about Luke’s firing. “I just don’t think it’s fair anyways, I’m sorry for you, I just think it should be a warning,” she said.

“I think he just meant it as a joke,” she continued. “He’s a funny guy, I don’t think he meant anything bad. He wouldn’t rape you or anything. He’s a sexual person, I’m a sexual person, you’re a sexual person. We were joking, that thing was probably like, ‘Hahaha, we all drunk.’”

“I don’t know,” added Margot.

Laura then hinted that Margot’s behavior from the night before was partly to blame for the incident, “And it’s not that you said no to him the whole night, like he didn’t feel comfortable to come to you. He felt welcomed coming there.”

Around the same time the incident between Luke and Margot took place, Laura had also crawled into Adam’s bed and started massaging his back with cream even though he had insisted he didn’t want her to be in his cabin and was “keeping the door open.”

Like with Luke, producers and a camera operator also intervened and told Laura to leave Adam’s cabin.

Calling her into the bridge the next day, Captain Jason began, “Two things: One, Adam feels uncomfortable with some moments out and he’s tried to say no and you have not listened to him and his boundaries to be set. The second thing is, after my multiple speeches with the crew about boundaries, about respect, did you not go to Margot and say, ‘Poor Luke, I wish he would come in and see me’?”

“I actually went to her and asked how she’s feeling and is she OK,” claimed Laura.

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“She’s not OK. They’re not OK,” said Captain Jason. “They feel there’s a big disconnect now, and it’s not what I want from my team. You’ve disrespected exactly what I set out to do.”

He then told Laura he was also terminating her employment, which she declared a “mistake.”

After thanking her costars for their support on social media, Margot also expressed her sympathy for female victims of sexual assault in “any way, shape or form.”

“My heart breaks for you,” she wrote. “Please know that you are not alone, and the blame does not belong on your shoulders.”

“I understand that this episode was deeply triggering and incredibly difficult for many to watch. However, I believe it was vital to show because this issue is all too real and far too frequent. Perpetrators often escape accountability, and this is not ok. I was lucky to have Aesha and the producers intervene, but I’m all too aware that many women have not and will not be so fortunate and it makes me feel sick to my stomach.”

She also added that following the incident and filming ended she has readdressed her relationship with alcohol and grown as a person.

“I think it is so important for me to mention that I’ve done A LOT of work on myself since filming, and my relationship with alcohol is pretty much non-existent now,” she continued in a separate Story. “When I see the show now, it’s like I’m watching someone else, a complete stranger. Hang in there with me for the rest of the season, and just know that I’ve grown so much since then and I’m so proud of who I am today.”

PEOPLE reached out to Bravo about the incidents on Tuesday.

Below Deck Down Under airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo and can be streamed the next day on Peacock.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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