The Surprising Reason Colin MacRae Departed 'Below Deck Sailing Yacht'

Season 5 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht premiered on Bravo on Oct. 7, 2024, but fans quickly noticed that chief engineer Colin MacRae, who, might we add, shares a striking resemblance to John & Kate Plus 8's John Gosselin, was missing from the lineup. After three seasons, Colin has officially left the Below Deck franchise. He first joined the show in Season 2 and by Season 4, he had become entangled in a love triangle with castmates Gary King and Daisy Kelliher.

While Colin has certainly become a fan favorite, garnering over 500k followers on Instagram, it looks like fans will have to turn to his social media and YouTube to keep up with him now that he has officially left the franchise. So, you might be wondering why Colin decided to leave the show, and we've got the scoop!

It appears Colin left Below Deck Sailing Yacht for personal reasons, likely to pursue other adventures. In September 2024, Colin posted to Instagram about the "hurricane-damaged catamaran" he bought six years ago "to do surf charters in Costa Rica," but his travels continued beyond Costa Rica, landing him in the clear waters of Fiji.

In the comment section of that post, a fan expressed, "Will miss you on the new series of BD Sailing," to which Colin responded, "My mental well-being was more important haha."

If you recollect back to Season 4, things became rather serious between him and Daisy, and they took their romance off the boat, but it didn’t turn out as expected. "For a few weeks after the show, all of my energy was devoted to Daisy, and it started to turn a little bit toxic, which I am 50 percent responsible for. There’s no argument there," Colin admitted at the reunion, per Bravo.

Ultimately, their romance ended, and Colin began pursuing a relationship with a woman named Britt, whom some speculate is someone he cheated on Daisy with, though Colin has denied those allegations.

While reality TV producers aren't shy about bringing cast members back after major fallout (remember the #Scandoval on Vanderpump Rules?), its seems the drama between Colin, Daisy, and Gary was just too much to for Colin to handle, especially given their close quarters on the yacht compared to being in a city.

As of late September 2024, Colin's status was "happiest man on the planet," according to a recent Instagram post. These days, he's focusing on traveling and enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature rather than the drama from Below Deck Sailing Yacht. Colin frequently updates his YouTube channel, Sailing Parlay Revival, where he shares documentary-style videos of his travels through the stunning waters of Fiji, exploring Minerva Reefs, and showcasing what life is like on the open seas.

So, although things didn't work out for Colin on Below Deck, he seems to genuinely be living up to that status. While he and Daisy may not have the close friendship they once did, they are still on speaking terms and occasionally text each other, Daisy revealed in an interview with E! News.