Below Deck Recap: Captain Kerry Decides Whether to Fire Kyle

The investigation into Below Deck‘s Kyle Stillie alleged hookup with guest Helen Hoey resulted in Captain Kerry Titheradge making a decision about his future — but did he fire him?

During the Monday, August 11, episode of the hit Bravo series, Kyle started a rumor about his relationship with Helen when he joked that their low tip was a result of a secret hookup.

“I f***ed Helen in the water. My d*** went to her p**** and I was like, ‘We don’t do this right now, Helen,’” he joked during a crew night out after they received a $22,000 tip from Helen’s husband. “I f***ed her in the sea. I slipped my d*** in. That is why our tip is so low.”

His so-called joke left his coworkers uneasy about what actually happened. It didn’t help when, during said night out, Kyle hooked up with a girl 15 minutes after meeting her at a bar. Fraser Olender even took a photo from the bathroom of Kyle and the girl having sex underneath a urinal.

Fraser ultimately felt like he couldn’t keep the rumors about Kyle and Helen from Captain Kerry and Damo Yorg alerted Kyle that he would have to own up to his comments. Kyle then walked back his claims and, instead, insisted he “was taking a piss” at the crew and that nothing sexual actually happened.

Kerry asked everyone whether they thought Kyle was telling the truth. Since the general consensus was that it couldn’t have happened in full view of the crew, Kerry kept Kyle on board — but with a warning.

“I want you to stay and get the job done but I don’t want you that close with guests anymore,” Kerry told Kyle before elaborating in a confessional, ”I can’t fire the guy on a hunch. Everyone says to me they didn’t see it then I can’t prove it. What can I do?”

Despite Kyle appearing relieved that he kept his job, the episode ended with producers once again asking whether he was telling the truth or not.

“Was it a joke?” he playfully asked while looking at the camera. “I f***ing really thought I was a goner. [I would have] given Helen a call.”

Kyle didn’t just have poke fun at the investigation with producers. In a sneak peek at next week’s episode, Kyle gave a toast during a crew night out where he said he “really got away with something.”

Kerry previously spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about addressing the rumors regarding Kyle and Helen.

“There was an investigation done. I’m not too sure how much of that will be shown but I did a thorough investigation before I made my decision,” Kerry said in June, while teasing whether Kyle was fired for the situation. “It will be interesting to see what happens after I interviewed each of the crew members — including what was actually said behind [my back].”

Kerry clarified that he was involved once he heard what was being said by others on St. David.

Related: Every Star Fired From ‘Below Deck’ Through the Years

Below Deck and its spinoff series may be reality TV shows, but there can be real-life consequences for the crew’s actions both on and off the ship. Over the years, stars including Hannah Ferrier, Peter Hunziker and Shane Coopersmith have been fired from their respective charters for a variety of reasons. Below Deck Mediterranean’s Hannah […]

“I don’t get to see what’s going on Below Deck because I’m in the wheelhouse or I’m over here and I can’t be everywhere,” he explained. “I don’t micromanage. I allow my crew to grow and I like to be here and to help encourage people. There’s a lot I don’t see and there’s even more I don’t want to see.”

Kerry continued: “We’re going to see how it all develops on the show. If one of my staff is with a married person on the boat, they’re not going to stay on the boat. You’re breaking a boundary there that you can’t cross.”

Before Monday’s episode, viewers got a front row seat to Kyle and Helen’s interactions. Helen and her husband, Richard Fiore, went for a group excursion, which led to her going topless at a nude bar.

Kyle helped Helen by carrying her in his arms in the water. Helen’s husband, the rest of the guests and the crew saw Kyle and Helen’s interactions, which appeared flirty but didn’t visibly cross any lines.

“Stillie is either in there making our tip or losing our tip,” deckhand Damo told chief steward Fraser. “She’s got her top off. This chick is nuts. I just have no idea what is going on in [her husband]’s head. The vibes are weird.”

Kyle, for his part, noted in a confessional that he would do “anything for the tip,” adding, “She can use me how she wants. No request is too large, so to speak.”

Below Deck airs on Bravo Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.