Since Below Deck Sailing Yacht‘s debut in 2020, Captain Glenn Shephard has been known as one of the nicest guys on Bravo. With his calm demeanor, practical leadership skills and good nature, Captain Glenn has enjoyed good times and weathered stormy seas with the Parsifal III crew. Season 5 will prove no different. One thing that is different ? The location! Ibiza is the setting for the next chapter in the beloved Bravo franchise, a place which Captain Glenn has dubbed “party central planet Earth.” “It’s the best place in the world for a charter season,” gushed Captain Glenn.

Though, this season starts off on a bit of a rough note. For the first time ever, Chief Engineer Colin Macrae is not part of the Parsifal III crew. “Last season got a little messy,” said Captain Glenn, referring to the love triangle between Macrae, Chief Stew Daisy Kelliher, and First Mate Gary King. “Not having Colin there was obviously a big disappointment for me because he’s an amazing engineer.” Captain Glenn was thrilled, therefore, when seasoned engineer Davide Morosi “stepped up to the plate.” “He knows his way around the engine room,” said Captain Glenn.

Captain Glenn was happy to have Kelliher and King back on board. Kelliher’s skills as a Chief Stew are unmatched, though Captain Glenn knew she was going through a rough patch. “In the pressure cooker of a season on a super yacht, emotions get tested,” said Captain Glenn wisely. While Kelliher must work to hold down the interior team—which consists of 3 yachties under the age of 23—King must run the exterior crew without his right-hand man Macrae. “Gary’s going through a growing phase,” mused Captain Glenn. “I think his not having Colin to fall back on is probably better for Gary at the moment.”

The crew also manages to get into a bit of trouble this season as clearly shown in the Season 5 trailer. “You’re always expecting a bit of mischief, but you never know how far they take it,” said Captain Glenn. After a wild night out during which the yachties disobey an order, Captain Glenn has to lay down the law. “When you set ground rules and don’t stand behind them, then you’re in trouble as a Captain,” explained Captain Glenn. “You don’t want to squash their enthusiasm, but you can’t let them run amok.”

DECIDER spoke to Captain Glenn over Zoom while he was in Croatia to discuss the new season, having Bravolebrities on board, and “crazy antics” to come.

DECIDER: We’re in Ibiza for Season 5! What makes Ibiza a great place for a charter season?

CAPTAIN GLENN SHEPHARD: I live one island over on Palma de Mallorca. I love the whole group of islands. Ibiza has a lot of nice anchorages. You heard me in the promo. It’s like “party central planet Earth.” That’s why it’s the best place in the world for a charter season.

Daisy really is not a great head space during the premiere. Were you aware of how vulnerable she was?

Daisy and I chat from time to time. I know that last season got a little messy. People could see that during the reunion when sparks flew. Despite that, I feel that there is still a lot of love among crew members. Sometimes, in the pressure cooker of a season on a super yacht, emotions get tested. Daisy probably had that in the back of her mind starting this season. I could tell she was a little bit nervous.

This is the first season without Colin as your chief engineer! What was it like doing the season without him?

Not having Colin there was obviously a big disappointment for me because he’s an amazing engineer. You saw what he pulled off last season when we had the problem with the engine. He saved the whole season. He’s also such a cool guy, and I get along with him really well. However, he was busy. He was crossing the Pacific or something and he was too far away and stuff like that. Maybe we’ll see him in the future. I was grateful Davide stepped up to the plate.

What makes Davide such a great engineer?

He knows his way around the engine room. Most of his experience is on boats like ours. He knows big sailboats really well. There are a lot of great engineers out there, but if they don’t have specific experience with boats like the Parsifal, they’re going to struggle. The Parsifal has things that they don’t have on motor yachts like all the different aspects of the sail system, PLCs, etc. Davide has that as a background.

He’s also your bunkmate this season. I saw in the trailer he likes to sleep in the buff sometimes?

[laughs] I saw that on the preview! I didn’t even know that happened so obviously it was a bit of a shock. He’s a good guy, though. He fits in the bunk, which is good. A couple of seasons ago, we had a guy who barely did. People always ask me about sharing a cabin because on other shows the captains have their own space. For me, it is more important to have that extra crew member than to have a cabin to myself.

Ignoring the drama of last season, Colin was a truly grounding presence on board the Parsifal, especially for Gary. Can you tease how Gary fares without him this season?

Colin and Gary are very close, but I think the whole dynamic in season 4 strained their relationship a bit. Gary’s going through a growing phase. I think his not having Colin to fall back on is probably better for Gary at the moment.

Let’s talk about the new yachties. I was shocked to learn that Cloyce is only 22 years old. He must be one of the youngest yachties in the history of the franchise. What was your initial reaction when you first saw his resume?

I was a bit nervous. If you just look at his age, you’re wondering how could he possibly have the experience normally required to fulfill that position? I do think Cloyce is a man beyond his years. He’s been a chef and has been cooking for a long time. He’s got that down. When you’re working with someone that young, you’re always going to have some issues, but overall, he’s a great chef. I love his food. He’s got some growing up to do though. We all do. I think he has a great career ahead of him.

We see in the trailer that Cloyce has a dessert fail and sets off the fire alarm while making a dish. How do you know if you’re seeing red flags or growing pains?

That’s such a good point. I’ve been lucky with chefs throughout my career, including on this show. I know on another series I’ve seen chefs doing things like serving Nachos with melted Velveeta cheese. That’s a deal breaker. That’s a red flag. You’re always going to have growing pains anytime you’re on a new boat. No matter how good you are, you will always be challenged by the guests. You need to be at the top of your game. Guests can be very capricious in what they want, what they like and the way they receive what they are served. When a chef is handed a tricky situation, that is where growth happens, and that can be painful.

Daisy’s stews—Diana Cruz and Danni Warren—are both 23. Is there an advantage to having younger yachties on board with an established crew?

Younger yachties are very energetic. They’re very eager and enthusiastic, which is important. Everybody would love to have a deckhand or a third stewardess with five years of experience, but that’s not how it works. These are entry level positions. If you’ve got someone who has a year or two of experience, you’re doing pretty well. You’ve got to show them the ropes, how you do things on your boat.That’s par for the course.

You said that Ibiza is somewhat of a party capital. Were you disappointed that you couldn’t trust the crew to behave or is mischief expected during a night out?

You’re always expecting a bit of mischief [laughs], but you never know how far they take it. You’ll see some mischief this season. However, when you set ground rules and don’t stand behind them, then you’re in trouble as a Captain. That will come back to bite you in the butt later. You don’t want to squash their enthusiasm, but you can’t let them run amok. It’s a fine line to walk.

I have never seen you more activated than in the trailer for this season when you’re scolding the crew for disobeying your orders. Can you tease what event lead you to that point?

I can’t say too much. I will say horseplay is fine, but if it goes too far… how do you deal with that in the moment? There’s a certain expectation that if something goes wrong, it should be dealt with in a timely manner to minimize the effects of it. There’s some crazy stuff that happens this season. At some point, I’m quite disappointed with the crew, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. It’s going to be really interesting for the audience.

That poor white couch has been through a lot over the years.

God, that couch is going to be the death of me [laughs]. This season, it was stained with blood. A couple of seasons ago, it was bronzer. With any stain, the key is to act quickly. The longer you wait to attack the stain, the harder it is to get out.

This season, we have some Bravo alums on board! Dr. Contessa from Married to Medicine is on the first charter. I saw a flash of Dr. Tiffany Moon from RHOD in the trailer. Do you like having Bravolebrities on board?

Sure, why not? Occasionally, I get to meet some of them when I go to Bravocon or different events, and they’re always lovely. It doesn’t matter to me if someone famous or notable comes on board. We still get a lot of celebrities on Parsifal when there are no cameras around. That’s normal. It’s fun.

Five seasons in, what is the most unexpected perk of being part of a successful series like Below Deck Sailing Yacht?

I really love doing this show because it’s so interesting to see how it all works. We’re running a super yacht and that’s our main focus, but the production crew is running a TV show at the same time. Though, I think the biggest perk is people coming up and saying hi to me in public. I love that. I really enjoy meeting people who have watched the show. I’m a boater. I’m on my boat right now in Croatia. We were here in Season 2, I believe. When I’m around boats and marinas, I get noticed or recognized more because people who love boating love this show.

If you could have any yachtie from another series cross over to BDSY, who would it be and why?

João [Franco] is a buddy of mine. We catch up sometimes in Palma. We did paintball with some friends a few months ago. I’d love to work with João. I think Eddie [Lucas] is really good. Of course, I would love to work with Aesha. I’ve met her at Bravocon, and she’s amazing.

I know you can’t say much, but what can you tease about the upcoming season?

It’s going to be great. We have some familiar faces and some fun new faces. We have some challenges, but we pull together as a team and meet them head-on. We have some very interesting guests on board, and we get up to some crazy antics. I think the audience is going to really like it.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.