Below Deck: Why Fans Think Rayna Lindsey Treated Wes O’Dell Badly

On Below Deck season 9 fans were on deckhand Rayna Lindsey’s side after chief stew Heather Chase used a racial slur, but they are now turning against her after watching how she treated fellow deckhand Wes O’Dell in the season finale. Fans watched as Rayna struggled with her emotions after the incident. Heather apologized for what she said, and even though Rayna said that she accepted the excuse, she couldn’t completely get over it and didn’t want anything to do with the chief stew going forward. When the incident happened, Rayna confided in Wes and they bonded over having to face racism growing up.

Things came to a head in the Below Deck season 9 finale when Heather tried to address the situation with Rayna. Heather was confused as to why Rayna kept snubbing her, as she thought that they had already moved forward from that situation. During their last night out, Rayna and Heather got into a screaming match. Heather ended up on her knees and begging for forgiveness. However, Rayna was still upset. When Wes attempted to calm her down, she ended up turning her anger on him. Rayna accused Wes of not understanding where she was coming from because, according to her, he wasn’t Black. Wes shared in a confessional that her words were deeply painful to him, especially as he has supported her through the whole incident.

Some viewers were very upset at how Rayna attempted to take away Wes’s identity because he is half Black. As seen in the tweets below, a few fans stood up for Wes, who became known on Below Deck for his friendly persona and laid-back attitude. One viewer wrote, “Wes was one of the nicest guys and Rayna’s number one supporter and she basically showed her true colors by shitting on him because he was trying to resolve a toxic situation. You burn a bridge, you will be left standing by yourself on the other side.” Another fan tweeted out, “Rayna is a nasty person for telling Wes he isn’t black and [that] he’s from the islands so his experiences and thoughts don’t matter. Heather was very wrong for what she did, and then Rayna stooped down to that same level disrespecting Wes who is a very kind person.”

Wes attempted to talk to Rayna the following morning but she dismissed him again by saying that he didn’t share the same experiences as her. As the Below Deck crew said their goodbyes, the two deckhands shared a hug and left on amicable terms. However, it seems like Rayna is not ready to put the incident behind her. In Rayna’s Instagram story, she told fans that she would answer every Below Deck question in an upcoming interview. She will address how production allegedly handled the incident.

Rayna was not a fan favorite this season for a variety of reasons and questioning whether she will make a return on Below Deck season 10. Rayna has said that she wants nothing to do with the show moving forward, so this is most likely her one and only season. The Below Deck reunion is slated to air next week. Hopefully, there will be some resolution between the crew members.