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Tom Pearson, who nailed his reality television debut as a deckhand on Bravo's hit series, Below Deck: Sailing Yacht, had one hell of a season. He did not make the best first impression on the cast, got close to third stewardess Ashley Marti, and was fired from the show by Captain Glenn after he failed to keep anchor watch.
However, Tom made some good reality TV for his fans and viewers of the series. While he was on anchor watch once on the show, things started taking a turn for the worse when he did not notice some problems with the boat. While the other cast members helped him get the boat back into position and up and running, the action did not sit well with the captain, who ultimately decided to let him go.
In conversation with Sportskeeda, the Below Deck star shared his version of what took place during the anchor drag episode and what he thought of Captain Glenn's decision.
Below Deck star Tom Pearson opens up about the anchor drag episode and Captain Glenn's unfortunate decision
Tom, who joined as a newbie deckhand in Season 3 of the hit series, was fired by Captain Glenn after he allowed the boat to drag while he was on anchor watch. This essentially means that the vessel was running aground in windy conditions.
Captain Glenn was disappointed with Tom, but he kept calm and stripped the star of any complicated or major duties. In Below Deck: Sailing Yacht's episode 7, which aired on April 4, the captain was annoyed to see that Tom's work was not up to the mark.
That was when he decided it was time for Tom to leave. He politely sat with the deckhand and let go of the star. The Captain said:
“I have no understanding of how you couldn’t notice if you’re on anchor watch. To me, it’s impossible. The whole point of anchor watch is precisely to make sure that doesn’t happen."
He continued:
"And I feel bad and I have no pleasure in this, but you know, the more I think about it…I have to let you go. I have no choice.”
Tom saw this coming. He apologized to Captain Glenn and bid goodbye to the Below Deck cast. In a confessional, the captain said:
"It’s really clear to me that Tom’s mind is in another place so it’s not like we can just let him stay because he can’t do any harm, he can still do harm in that mindset."
In conversation with Sportskeeda, the Below Deck star shared his version of the incident. He said:
"I came to the end of my shift. So I went downstairs to make a coffee or tea.. because I was going to bed. I was finished with my shift. And then all of a sudden, when I was making my cup of tea downstairs, the alarm started going off. So I was like 'What is going on?' So I ran upstairs, went outside and that's when I realized everything was blowing everywhere, I was trying to stop stuff from falling off the boat."
Tom revealed that it all happened very quickly, almost in a span of five minutes. The Below Deck star owned up to his mistake and stated:
"15 minutes before that, there was barely any wind. But, granted. I'm not trying to make any excuse for that. I've openly come out on social media and everything and said 'Look it is my fault. I was on watch. So it is my fault. There's no two ways about it. I should've noticed.'"
He confessed that he went into a bit of a self-defense mode at the time of the show and wasn't accepting that it was his fault. But after talking to a few cast members like Captain Glenn, first mate Gary King and chief engineer Colin Macrae, the star realized his error.
The Below Deck star revealed that personal worries were also a big reason why he wasn't fully present during the incident. In an interview with Bravo, he revealed that his best friend's father had collapsed and was on life support at the hospital:
"With everything going on back home..well..it didn't help. My mind was in a different place. So distracted. I didn't even want to be there. But I take full responsibility for the night."
Upon asking about Captain Glenn's decision to fire him, the star said:
"I feel like it was the right decision. He made the only decision he could've made as the captain..you know..it's his responsibility to run a safe ship and to manage his crew..so I respect him for that..you know? Things don't always work out in life. I think if I was in his shoes, I would've probably made the same decision."
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, his relationship with third stewardess Ashley Marti on and off the show, as well as her strenuous relationship with second stewardess Gabriela Barragan.
