Below Deck season 12 premiered on June 2, 2025, with the first episode introducing some new faces while featuring some old ones too. Captain Kerry Titheradge returned alongside Fraser and Kyle from the previous season.In the latest Below Deck episode, Fraser, the Chief Stew, revealed that their first charter had guests who were germaphobes. He said that they traveled with a black light to check germs on the surfaces around them. While Fraser and the stew team made sure everything was squeaky clean, the guests' blacklight revealed some dirty nooks.Tensions rose between Stews Barbara and Soléne as the latter questioned Barbara's authority. Chief Stew Fraser pulled Barbara aside and told her that he would try to ease the tensions between them. Meanwhile, Chef Lawrence experienced a setback after the guests sent their steak back because they wanted it to be cooked more. This led the episode to end on a cliffhanger, with Lawrence telling the Captain that he couldn't do another charter.How the crew dealt with germaphobe guests on the Below Deck season 12 premiereFraser held his first meeting with the crew team and told them that their first charter guests were from Tampa, Florida. These guests, he said, hated germs so much that they traveled with a blacklight. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAs soon as Fraser made the announcement, Chef Lawrence felt overwhelmed while the stews tensed up. The next morning, before the guests arrived, Fraser asked Soléne to scrub the toilets clean within 10 minutes. Since Soléne seemed panicked due to the time she was given, Barbara went to help her and explained how she could finish the task quickly. When the Below Deck charter arrived, one of the guests, Sam, said that he was going to flash his blacklight on the surfaces to check for germs. Meanwhile, his daughter, Jade, said that she wanted her Clorox wipes from the suitcase. After Sam used his blacklight, he discovered that the switches next to his bed "were disgustingly dirty." Upon hearing his comments, Fraser and Barbara rushed to clean the switches.Why did Chef Lawrence struggle to work on Below Deck season 12?Chef Lawrence was overwhelmed with the "camera people" following him and filming his every move. At the beginning of the episode, he asked them to leave him alone for some time, but they didn't comply. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostFor his first charter meal, Chef Lawrence served guests some small dishes to snack on but Sam said that they were "gross." At dinner, Sam told Fraser that he liked his steak cooked well done. However, when it arrived, he sent it back claiming he didn't want to see any red parts on the meat and wanted it like he had told Fraser.After sending it back, the guests decided to skip the steak and continue with the rest of the dishes. While the guests were happy with the other dishes, Chef Lawrence said that he didn't like the camera crew recording his anxious thoughts.The next morning, when Lawrence prepped to make breakfast, one of the stoves on the yacht began acting up. The camera crew filmed him as he was trying to get it to work, which he didn't approve of. He asked them to give him some privacy, but the production team tried calming him down.The team's efforts backfired because the chef told the captain that he couldn't do another charter. Whether the captain accepted his resignation or convinced him to continue will potentially be featured in the upcoming episodes of Below Deck.New episodes of Below Deck season 12 come out on Mondays at 8 pm ET on Bravo.