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Bravo's hit show Below Deck: Sailing Yacht returned to television screens with new surprises in store and an even more intriguing season. Tom Pearson joined the cast for the third installment of the season and instantly became the most talked-about member amongst fans of the series.
His "hot and cold" relationship with third stewardess Ashley Marti was discussed widely among viewers, followed by his exit after the anchor drag mistake that led to Captain Glenn firing him from the series. However, Tom made some good reality footage while he was on the show.
Tom Pearson grew up on a lake and loved to be in the water. Spending his days on the lake in speed boats and partaking in water sports, working for the deck seemed like a natural choice for him. A self-proclaimed "social butterfly," the star loves meeting new people while on board, making him the perfect fit to join the show.
In conversation with Sportskeeda, the Below Deck star spoke about his relationship with Ashley Marti on and off the show, as well as his opinions on the debate between Ashley and Gabriela Barragan over the position of second stewardess.
Below Deck star Tom Pearson dishes on his relationship with Ashley Marti on the show, and now after his exit
Below Deck co-stars, Tom Pearson and Ashley Marti got cozy during a crew night out when they decided to take the plunge and take their flirting to the next level. However, Ashley had feelings only for first mate Gary King.
In an exclusive clip released by Bravo, Tom said:
“I squashed the idea of getting with Ashley. It wasn’t in my head whatsoever. Have you ever heard of the tortoise and the hare? I am living proof that the tortoise won the race."
Ashley and Tom shared a kiss, with the former initiating it and second stewardess Gabriela witnessing the moment. The duo then decided to shift to the guest cabin, which was a more private space.
However, the New York native mentioned that she wasn't interested in Tom because he was too young. Ashley initially connected with Gary, but the latter wasn't looking to be intimate with anyone too soon.
Upon asking Below Deck star Tom Pearson about the episode and his relationship with Ashley on the show, he confessed that there were things he would have wanted to do differently.
"Yes, obviously. Anyone watching the show will know that...yeah.. that there's stuff I would have wanted to do differently. Things I would have wanted to un-say."
However, he believes that all of this made for some great TV for the fans to watch and enjoy. The star said:
"But then, also..we're making a TV show, you know? And that's what makes a good TV show. The good, the bad, everything. That's what gets the views. That's what makes it interesting. So in terms of TV, I don't think I'd change anything. I think we made some great TV for the viewers, for the fans of the show."
Terming his relationship with Ashley "hot and cold," the Below Deck star said:
"At the time, it's obviously heated. There's cameras and mics everywhere, everything you say gets heard and there's no escape from it. I think when you're in the moment, you get caught up in it, you don't really think about what's gonna go there. My relationship with her on the boat was, you can say, hot and cold. It was one extreme to the next."
Coming off the show, Tom said that they got along well. He revealed that those watching the show might only witness five percent of what happened. He confessed that they have mutual respect for each other and that he doesn't dislike her.
"It was a bumpy ride but we got along well. I speak to her regularly. She's a good friend of mine. And I kinda feel for her, you know? cause she gets a lot of s**t, probably the most out of everyone. People comment horrible stuff about her on my photos and I delete them because I don't want her to see that. Out of the show, we're closer than ever, really."
Tom Pearson shares his views on Below Deck costars Ashley Marti and Gabriela Barragan's arguments
Below Deck co-stars Ashley and Gabriella kept butting heads, making the chief stewardess Daisy's job of running the boat quite difficult. Daisy Kelliher had a pretty great interior team last season, with Dani Soares and Alli Dore both getting along with each other and her.
Both stars have had the same experience working on yachts. However, Daisy appointed Gabriela as the second stewardess, leaving Ashley lost and disappointed.
Ashley also didn't like being told what to do by Gabriela and kept getting annoyed at the latter. This caused the duo to have an argument in front of the crew, something the chief stew didn't take lightly.
The duo's mutual feelings for first mate Gary King did not make things any better. Ashley first kissed Gary, but after the latter made his feelings clear, Gabriela spent some time with him, giving Ashley more reasons to dislike her co-star.
Speaking about the ongoing feud between the duo, Below Deck star Tom Pearson said:
"Gabriela was given second stew, and Ashley, she didn't like that. Gabriela is strong... when she's got something to say, she'll say it. And I feel like they just clashed because Ashley is the exact same. They both wanted that position. Ashley didn't really accept that and she almost assigned a role to herself."
He continued:
"They don't get along even now. You know... you don't get along with everyone. Um... just turns out this happened on a TV show with cameras around you. So yeah..they didn't see eye to eye. They wanted to do things in different ways..I know there's more than one way to skin a cat."
Below Deck star Tom Pearson also spoke to Sportskeeda about his experience on the show and his advice for the new deckhand who is soon to replace him. He also candidly spoke about the famous anchor drag episode that led to Captain Glenn firing him from the series.
Stay tuned to this space to learn more about Tom as well as the show.
