Below Deck’s Chef Moe releases statement after admitting he considered quitting the show
'There have been battles people knew nothing about'
Below Deck Chef Moe Vilomar has shared a candid statement about his mental health, after the latest episode of season 13 showed him admitting he was struggling on board. In the post, the Queens-born chef revealed he has “dealt with anxiety and depression” his whole life, and said going on a show “watched around the world” means his mistakes are out there alongside his wins.
In episode five, Knot So Innocent, Moe sat down with chief stew Fraser Olender and made it clear he was thinking about walking away from the yacht. “I’m gonna keep it real with you, this is way more difficult than I expected it to be,” he told Fraser.
The chef had been dealing with homesickness, as well as some harsh feedback from the previous charter. Guests complained that he forgot a noodle dish they had requested and turned up at the table in a “dirty t-shirt”, with one bluntly saying “the dinner sucked.” Moe held his hands up in a confessional, admitting: “The noodles is my mistake. It slipped my mind.”
The same episode saw the crew’s night out turn sour when a group of drunk men began heckling the women on the dock. Moe, who had earlier said his 19-year-old daughter makes him “very protective of women”, hung back to confront the loudest man and took off his belt, before stew Rosa Simms-Preston talked him down.
Captain Kerry later told Fraser the crew “need Moe to find his mojo”, and even asked the deck team to help the chef out while he was “on a back foot.”
Now, Moe has posted a lengthy statement reflecting on his time on the show. He wrote: “Putting myself out here as ME… unfiltered. Going on a show watched around the world means knowing my wins won’t be the only things highlighted. My losses, mistakes, and moments I wish I handled differently are out there too. That takes a different kind of vulnerability.
“Yeah, I’m hard on myself. I care about how I move and who I’m becoming. But I’m also learning I can hold myself accountable without tearing myself apart. I can be proud of how far I’ve come and still have work to do.
“I’ve dealt with anxiety and depression my whole life. There have been battles people knew nothing about. I’m grateful I’ve been able to find my way through those moments, because I know how hard that sh*t can be. Being able to get through it doesn’t mean it was easy.
“As an Afro-Latino Black man, there’s this pressure to always be tough. Don’t feel too much. Don’t show too much. Keep that sh*t moving.
“Man… I’m human. I feel things. I get in my head. I f*ck up, I learn, and I keep showing up. I’m not about to pretend otherwise just because more people are watching.
“If you f*ck with me, cool. If you don’t, that’s cool too. There are over eight billion people in this world. I’ve had the blessing of building friendships and making connections worldwide, and one thing I’ve learned is I’m not going to be the same person to everybody. That’s okay. Everybody has their own experience of me, and I have to own my part in that too.
“I’m proud of the life I’ve worked for. I’m allowed to enjoy it while I’m still growing. Still learning. Still grateful. Stay True To Yourself.”
Below Deck is now available to stream on Hayu.
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