Former Below Deck Down Under coworkers Lara Rigby and Wihan du Toit experienced onscreen frustrations during season 3 of the show. Lara, in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, shared her thoughts on working with Wihan, expressing that while he is a nice person, she found it frustrating that he lacked basic knowledge and required her to manage his leadership as a bosun, which she did not want to do. Despite having conversations with Wihan, Lara felt disappointed that he was speaking negatively about her behind her back.
Throughout the season, Lara and Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph tried to work with Wihan, but tensions arose as he did not see eye-to-eye with them. Lara expressed her frustration, especially in the last episode of the season, but acknowledged that everyone has a different management style and that certain basics needed to be followed at their level of work. She mentioned that watching the show enabled her to see more of Wihan’s behavior, highlighting the continuous conversations they had that led to no changes in their dynamic.
Lara criticized Wihan for his focus on his personal life rather than the tasks at hand, noting that he should have been more focused on work and not on personal relationships. Despite her efforts to communicate with him, Lara felt shocked by Wihan’s behavior towards her. She stood by her decisions to prioritize the guests over the drama within the team, even if her approach was not well-received by Wihan. Lara emphasized the importance of focusing on the job at hand and not getting distracted by personal matters.
Previewing upcoming episodes of Below Deck Down Under, Lara teased that there are changes coming up that will result in a more functional team dynamic. She hinted at an incident involving Johnny Arvanitis punching a wall and suggested that Captain Jason Chambers made the right decisions in managing the team. Lara mentioned that new people joining the crew bring a breath of fresh air, but the drama continues, making it a challenging environment to work in. The show airs on Bravo on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET, with new episodes streaming the following day on Peacock.
In conclusion, Lara Rigby and Wihan du Toit’s working relationship on Below Deck Down Under was strained by differences in management styles and communication issues. Lara’s frustration with Wihan’s lack of basic knowledge and focus on personal matters led to tension within the team. Despite attempts to address the issues, Lara was disappointed by Wihan speaking negatively about her behind her back and found it challenging to work with him. Fans can expect more drama and changes in upcoming episodes as the crew continues to navigate challenges on the yacht.
