Why ‘Below Deck’ Jessica Albert Left Crew High And Dry

Below Deck fans didn’t see this coming. Jessica Albert abruptly left before the next charter. The crew is now short one stew. They can’t find a new stew who’s in quarantine amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It’s any wonder if they will get lucky before the end of the season.

On the Monday, December 20th episode of the Bravo series, Jessica made the difficult decision to leave her job. This comes amid her ongoing issues with chief stew Heather Chase. Heather initially had intentions of firing Jessica for her sluggish work ethic, but Jessica did her a favor.

Jessica Albert abruptly leaves the crew hanging

Jessica shared in her confessional that she really wanted to leave the crew. She claimed that the work environment had an effect on her mentally and physically. Jessica was also missing her grandparents, who aren’t doing well. She’s had a lot on her mind and it’s affected her work ethic.

Just three days before the crew embarked on their next charter, Jessica decided to leave her crewmates high and dry. She claimed that she was experiencing exhaustion. She first joined the Below Deck Season 9 crew, which made its premiere on Monday, October 25. By Episode 9, Jessica quit three hours before the crew’s next charter.

The brunette beauty was feeling overwhelmed. She knew she had to talk to Heather. The reality star told her fellow crew member why she didn’t want to be part of this next trip. Jessica shared the symptoms of her exhaustion. She revealed that her “body is shutting down.”

“I really, really whole-heartedly wanted to do this,” Jessica explained. “But my body is shutting down. I could not anticipate how taxing this would be on my system and my body is just not letting me do it. I’m really sorry. I hate to put you guys in a bad place. I have to go.”

Doesn’t say goodbye to her Below Deck crew members

Heather told Jessica that she only had an hour to pack. However, viewers didn’t think it was the case. They felt that Jessica still had time to pack and say her goodbyes before the next charter. As for Jessica, she wasn’t in the mood for goodbyes. She wanted to leave the yacht and let the crew focus on their next charter.

“Obviously, I wanted to fulfill my end of the bargain. I’m leaving them pretty high and dry. I get it,” Jessica said in her confessional. “But at the end of the day, I come first.”

Heather broke the news of Jessica’s disappearance to her fellow stew, Fraser Olender. While he was happy to get rid of her, he’s concerned about how they’re going to handle this next charter. Jessica didn’t want to say goodbye to the crew even though she had a flirtatious relationship with deckhand Wes O’Dell. Unfortunately, the two never became romantic on the show.

Wes was disappointed that Jessica left without saying goodbye. He felt that they had a good thing going. He was holding out hope for something to happen between them. But they were both too awkward to pursue anything.

What are your thoughts on Jessica’s sudden departure? Do you think it was right for her to leave the crew just hours before the next charter? Or, do you think she made the right decision? Sound off below in the comment section.

Below Deck airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.