Here's Why Deckhand Emma Crouch Gets Kicked to the Curb on 'Below Deck Sailing Yacht'

We're halfway through Season 5 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, and the drama is heating up by the minute! In fact, during Episode 8, Captain Glenn Shephard makes the tough call to let deckhand Emma Crouch go.

The decision comes after first officer Gary King shares his concerns with Captain Glenn, citing Emma's "lack of initiative." As a result, Emma is dismissed from Parsifal III before the season concludes.

Here's everything you need to know about Emma Crouch's firing and the reasons behind Captain Glenn's decision.

After Gary voices his worries with Captain Glenn, he fires Emma because she's not meeting expectations and isn't pulling her weight on the ship. Captain Glenn tells Emma that she's not "delivering what we need in Gary's department," adding that she's also "not showing the initiative" he expects, which is crucial for the role.

"People have to pick up the slack," Captain Glenn explains to Emma. "Unfortunately, we need somebody in your position that has more skills than you're showing now."

In an interview with The Daily Dish published after the episode, Captain Glenn provided further insight into why it was time to part ways with Emma.

"I don't really like firing people, but sometimes you have no choice," Captain Glenn said. "I think, in hindsight, most of them that I've let go can understand why. I don't think that they feel that they were treated unfairly... If you're not ready to do the job, as much as I may like you, I've gotta get that person out of there and get somebody in who can."

He also acknowledged that while some crew members may have little to no experience, certain qualities should come fairly naturally to a "good crew member."

"As much as you like that person and you want to see them succeed in their own life, what you're trying to do on the boat, you need somebody who's capable in that role," he added. "And unfortunately, if somebody has to go, they have to go."

When Emma learns she's been fired, she immediately breaks down in tears. Captain Glenn quickly reassures her, telling her that he believes she has the "potential to be a good deckhand." However, Emma stands up and responds, "In the nicest way possible, I really don't want to carry on this conversation... I really appreciate everything, but I really don't want to carry this on."

After taking a few moments to process the news, Emma returns for a final conversation with Glenn, where he encourages her to continue pursuing a career in yachting and gain more experience.

Reflecting on the situation in a later interview, Emma says, "This isn't how I wanted the season to end. I do feel a bit at a loss. I feel like I need a few days to actually absorb everything."

"I know that my anxiety does flare up quite a lot, and I need to be better at accepting that mistakes are something you can learn from," she adds. "I've met some really amazing people. It would've been a lot harder without the people who made me smile being here. I'm gonna be forever grateful."

Catch new episodes of Below Deck Sailing Yacht at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo. Stream the next day on Peacock.