Fraser Olender, the bosun of Below Deck, publicly criticized Chef Anthony Iracane for a serious food allergy lapse in Monday's season 12 episode 4. A guest named Marcel disclosed a shellfish allergy during a five-day charter with a bunch of adult entertainers, just as Anthony had served shrimp tempura sushi. Fraser, clearly frightened, hurried into the galley, swore, and hurriedly alerted Anthony about this. Viewers were taken aback by this crucial error because the allergy had been noted on the guest preference sheet.
Fraser's response was more than just frustration; it became a pivotal point in the team dynamic. When he replaced outgoing sous chef Lawrence Snowden, he had personally suggested Anthony. He reprimanded the chef for his careless attention to detail, emphasizing that such mistakes made the entire team "look stupid" and really put a guest's health in danger.
Chef Anthony, on the other hand, seemed truly sorry. He acknowledged that forgetting about the shellfish allergy was almost a career-ending mistake, for which he had already been disciplined the previous season. He agreed that dietary limitations must take precedence over creative cooking. Anthony declared that this would be "the first and last mistake" under his watch, as the galley was still tense.
Shellfish slip-up sparks galley showdown in Below Deck Season 12 Episode 4
Fraser confronts Chef Anthony for forgetting a guest's food allergy
The tension on Below Deck Season 12 Episode 4 approached a breaking point when Fraser Olender, red-faced and enraged, nearly interrupted dinner service due to a shellfish allergy. During a mid-meal dinner on a five-day charter with a group of adult entertainers, Marcel, one of the passengers, asked,
"This isn’t shrimp, is it? … I’m allergic to shellfish." Fraser tried to calm himself and hurried over to Chef Anthony Iracane, yelling, "Chef! Shellfish allergy!"
Below Deck star Fraser didn't take it easy. He recalled his justification for employing Anthony in his confessional, frustratingly,
"This is history repeating itself already… Read the goddamn preference sheets." He further told the galley crew, "We can’t make these mistakes… Because we look stupid now," stressing that such a mistake puts not only reputations but also the safety of the guests at risk.
The shock was both personal and public for Anthony. This major cooking error is not only embarrassing; it's a recurrence of the errors that cost him a job the previous season.
"I forgot about this shellfish allergy. And that could end terribly because somebody can have a medical issue about that." Below Deck chef adds, "Not reading preference sheet—it was one of the reasons why I got fired last season."
As the incident rattled him, he pledged that it would be the last time he made a mistake like this.
The redemption dinner
The result of the dinner on Below Deck was a high-wire balancing act and a tense night in the galley. In a confessional, Anthony admitted that he was plagued by inner doubt,
“You’re never going to make it… you’re a loser… Maybe you can get fired again."
However, he didn't let it define who he was. Fraser praised the dinner service the following evening, saying,
"Anthony has slayed that dinner. I'm so proud of him. That's the chef that I know."
This galley drama highlights a recurrent subject on Below Deck: precision is a must for luxury yachting. One mistake can have far-reaching effects on the team, jeopardize visitor safety, and reveal painful prior errors. As the charter draws to a close, it becomes evident that Anthony's journey of atonement is both delicate and essential to the crew's success as a whole.
Watch all the episodes of Below Deck on Bravo TV.