reality tv

'Did you consent to him being in here?' The Below Deck Down Under scene everyone's talking about.

The cast and production crew of Below Deck Down Under are being commended for their response to a storyline much more serious than your usual reality TV fodder.

FYI: Below Deck Down Under follows the crew of a superyacht off Cairns, Queensland, as they live, work and party together over a hectic six week charter season. 

Usually, it's all petty drama and work fights, but in the newest episodes, issues of consent, sexual harassment and assault have played out in front of global audiences, after a naked man climbed into a woman's bed while she was unconscious.

Here's everything you need to know.

What happened in the latest Below Deck Down Under episodes?

Towards the end of the season's sixth episode, the yacht crew celebrate the season's biggest tip with a big night out.

Stew Margot Sisson, who has been circled by bosun Luke Jones throughout the night, becomes visibly intoxicated, leading chief stew Aesha Scott to intervene. Margot tells Aesha she wants water and to sleep - and "no Luke".

Aesha puts Margot to bed, although she has to leave to deal with a power outage on board. 

With the power out, Luke — wearing nothing but a towel — enters Margot's bedroom and climbs into her bed.

Members of production then break the fourth wall to intervene and tell him to get out of her room.

"Can you f**k off for a second?" he says, now naked, as he slams the door and holds it closed as production try to push against it. They persevere, so Luke then holds a towel against himself as he leaves and locks himself in his own bedroom.

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Aesha returns and tells Margot Luke was naked, which she did not realise.

"Did you consent to him being in here?" Aesha asks.

"No, I was asleep. I did not invite that at all... I didn't even know," she replies.

Aesha wakes the yacht's captain Jason Chambers. He sends Luke to a hotel for the night and fires him the next morning.

Luke, left, and Laura, right. Image: Hayu.

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Alongside this storyline, second stewardess Laura was also making persistent unwanted advances towards deckhand Adam Kofra, despite him telling her he was not interested. 

Producers also intervene when Laura is found in Adam's room, straddling him as she tries to rub lotion into his back. The next day, she also told Margot Luke would have been "only joking" and is a "sexual person".

When Captain Jason learned of her actions, he also fired her.

The rest of episode seven is mostly focused on the fallout, which includes a heartbreaking but also touching scene where Aesha and chef Tzarina comfort Margot.

Reactions to the episodes.

Fans who watched the episodes, which stream on Hayu in Australia, have expressed horror at the actions of Luke and Laura, while also praising the actions of the show's production team and crew, especially Aesha and Captain Jason.

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Margot's response to the episode airing.

After the episode, Margot shared multiple messages of thanks to those who helped her during this moment.

Image: Instagram.

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While some viewers did question the decision to air the scenes, Margot shared that she thought it was "viral to show".

"Perpetrators often escape accountability, and this is not ok. I was lucky to have Aesha and the producers intervene, but I'm all too aware that many women have not and will not be so fortunate and it makes me feel sick to my stomach."

Image: Instagram.

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On her account, Aesha called Margot her "little cherub".

"Women should always support women and I will always support you," she wrote.

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. 

Feature image: Hayu/Instagram.