Anchors aweigh! Bravo’s flagship series Below Deck is back for Season 12 to explore new seas and bring new drama. Franchise favorite Fraser Olender returns to the Motoryacht St. David for his third charter season as Chief Stew, alongside Captain Kerry Titheradge who has settled in nicely at the helm. The dynamic duo leads a batch of new yachties (and returning deckhand Kyle Stillie) as they sail through the lush waters surrounding the islands of Anguilla, St. Barths and St. Maarten. When they’re not performing their duties on and below deck, this horny crew is going out, hooking up and blowing off steam.

Olender has three new stews to manage onboard: Barbara Kulaif, Rainbeau de Roos, and Solène Favreau. While Kulaif and de Roos both come with plenty of experience, Favreau is brand new to yachting. “I am going to do my best this season to shape her into the stew that I know she can be somewhere deep down in her,” teased Olender. “She has the most phenomenal energy.” Given Olender’s fluency in French, Favreau will have no excuses when it comes to learning the job.

This also might be the first season in which the juiciest drama happens on deck instead of in the crew galley and cabins. The season trailer shows glimpses of an incident involving the local authorities being called to the St. David. “I had to go speak to the local police in French to deal with the situation,” revealed Olender. “I was almost embarrassed to discuss the issue, [but] you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to make it work in these waters.”

Olender was thrilled to see that his former colleague Stillie returned for another season. “It’s so nice to get a slice of consistency,” said Olender. “We have a lot of brotherly love, and that really helps with totally new crews.” However, the trailer reveals Stillie finds himself in a wild situation when crew gossip suggests he hooked up with a guest while on charter. When asked about the allegation, Olender couldn’t say much. “Kyle leaves no stone unturned,” began Olender. “He really goes all out, at the risk of his dignity and of potentially losing his job.”

Olender stopped by the DECIDER studio to talk about the upcoming season, his favorite part about working with Titheradge, and the joys of being surrounded by the most LGBTQ+ friendly crews in franchise history.

DECIDER: The Season 12 trailer was incredible. Were you surprised at how much drama it managed to capture in just 3 minutes?

FRASER OLENDER: We didn’t show you all the drama. There is way more to come, but it was a fantastic debut, for sure.

Have you ever been on a charter before when the maritime police had to be called in?

I have not. You haven’t seen this yet, but I had to go speak to the local police in French to deal with the situation. It was a lot.

I can imagine.

It was nuts. I was almost embarrassed to discuss the issue we were having with the police. But you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to make it work in these waters.

How does it feel to be back on the Motoryacht St. David for your third turn as Chief Stew?

I’m very grateful and happy to be here. I know what’s required of me and the rest I just roll with. There’s always going to be drama, but at least I know, or I feel like I know, how to do the job.

I know you said you wanted to make this season bigger and better than before! Did you achieve that?

I am really proud of this season, and I hope everyone feels the same.

Captain Kerry is back! What sets him apart from other captains you’ve worked with ?

Kerry is really good at realigning me, and he’s not afraid to humble me or tell me if I’m not seeing things correctly. So, I really appreciate his guidance, and I think I need it more than I think do.

Out of all the familiar yachties who could have walked onto the St. Martin, I was so glad it was Kyle. Were you pleased to see him?

So pleased to see Kyle. It’s so nice to get a slice of consistency. I just love him. We have a lot of brotherly love, and that really helps with totally new crews.

We see at the end of the season 12 trailer that he may or may not have gotten into a situation with a charter guest. What can you tease about his journey this season?

Kyle leaves no stone unturned. He really goes all out, at the risk of his dignity and of potentially losing his job. But he came for a good time, not a long time.

This has got to be the most LGBTQ+ friendly crews in Below Deck franchise history. Is that something you’re proud to be a part of?

I’m so proud to be a part of the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community. For that acceptance to be showcased on such a huge platform is really special. I think that we see everything this year, [laughs] and I hope everyone, at least most people, will be able to relate to what we go through.

I’m so glad you’ve got three stews at your disposal: Barbara, Rainbeau and the gorgeous Solène. Who were you initially impressed by?

Initially, I was really impressed by Rainbeau. She knows what she’s doing, and she really wants to do well and to become better. I really value that in a stew. Barbara is very thorough, she knows what she is doing too. Solène’s here for a good time, and I am going to do my best this season to shape her into the stew that I know she can be somewhere deep down in her. It’s there.

I’m a little concerned about Solène. Did you have any idea how green she was?

I don’t know who’s turning up the day that we all turn up. Am I surprised that she has no experience? No. Would it be a walk in the park if they all came in knowing what they were doing? I guess it would. But as much as it’s a job, it’s also a show, and we have to provide the viewers with some challenges.

You are famously fluent in French so you must have been able to connect with her.

It’s so great to be able to speak in French and to connect with people in a different language. Solène’s English was not fantastic. Also, yachting was like a whole new world to her. She didn’t understand certain terms. It was vital for me to communicate with her easily. It also meant that she couldn’t ever use the excuse of “I do not understand” because I am speaking to you in French, my sweet pea.

My head was spinning in the trailer with Damo and Kyle were listing all the crew hookups in the trailer. Did they successfully list them all?

They missed a few, but they did showcase me getting with Kyle as well as Damo with Solene.Everyone was getting with everyone, so it was a love fest.You’ll see whether relationships emerge from this sort of kissing spree.

Which is wilder: a 5-day charter or a 5-day charter for a group of porn stars? What can you tell me about that week aboard the St. David?

I don’t think they’ve ever done a 5-day charter in the history of Below Deck before. Also, it was only our second charter. We didn’t know the boat. I didn’t know the crew. There was a lot going on. The fact that the guests were porn stars didn’t change a thing. A job’s a job.

We see you embrace your Dom side during dinner service in the season trailer! What can you tell me about that?

That evening on that specific charter was my favorite experience in yachting. I got to treat the guests how I truly wanted to treat them [laughs]. I really went with it and it worked out, thankfully.

I know it’s very early, but who would you give your MVP award to out of this season’s yachties?

MVP would have to be either Barbara or Solène. Maybe Solène.

Solène? I’m surprised!

Solène has the most incredible personality and phenomenal energy. She’s not perfect, but she kept this season enjoyable the whole way through.

Do you know who you would give a LVP (least valuable player) award to?

[Laughs] Oh, I definitely can do it, but I’m not going to.

Fair enough! Below Deck has plenty of famous fans: Chrissy Teigen, Jeremy Allen White, and Michelle Collins, just to name a few. Is there a celebrity who has approached you or slid into your DMs to talk about the show?

Charli XCX. We chat all the time. We’re good. I love her so much, and she loves the show. Well, she at least loves my franchise.

Lastly, what can you tease about the season in general?

This season is a Below Deck like no other. I think viewers will understand what I mean, but I’m not going to spoil it. We have things occurring this season that the franchise has never seen before. It’s very interesting and makes for very good television.

Below Deck Season 12 premieres Monday, June 2 at 8/7c on Bravo