Kelley Johnson Apologizes for the "Grief" He Caused Eddie Lucas
#BelowDeck's current bosun has a new appreciation for his former boss.
After encountering some rough waters as a deckhand in Season 2 of Below Deck, Kelley Johnson is now stepping up to the plate as the Valor's bosun this season. Now that he has had to discipline deckhand Trevor Walker, who was fired for his combative behavior off the boat in Tuesday night's episode, Kelley knows how challenging it is to manage the deck crew.
Kelley's responsibility on the Valor has even given him a new appreciation for the man who served as his bosun in Season 2, Eddie Lucas. "I just want to start this off with a very sincere apology to Eddie (Lucas)!" Kelley said during a recent interview with Starry Constellation Magazine. "If I would have known what grief I caused him, I would have acted much differently."
In fact, Kelley said that Eddie has influenced his own leadership style these days. "I always respected Eddie. I strived to be as good as a Bosun as he was to me," Kelley said. "I have held the title of First Mate and even in that position I tried to lead like Eddie. He was very much lead from the front type of guy. He never asked you to do anything he wouldn’t do."
Though being in charge isn't always fun, as we've seen on Below Deck, Kelley said he enjoyed his new responsibilities this season. "It is a challenging experience, but rewarding beyond belief," he said.
Of course, some of those challenges tend to be personal rather than professional, as we'll see during next Tuesday night's episode of Below Deck at 9/8c.
