Below Deck Down Under's Margot Sisson Speaks Out On Sexual Harassment Incidents That Led To Two Firings
Below Deck Down Under's Margot Sisson is speaking up after a series of incidents in this Monday's episode, including one that found crewmate Luke Jones naked in her bunk while she was passed out.
During the seventh episode of the Bravo series' Season 2, the crew had returned from a night of drinking, and 3rd stewardess Sisson told chief steward Aesha Scott that she wanted to go to bed. "All I want is water and bed — no Luke," she noted.
Jones however entered Sisson's room in a towel and appeared to be naked when members of the production crew asked him to get out of her bed. He covered his front with the towel and tried to shut production out of the room, eventually leaving after production persisted and locking himself in his own room.
A passed-out Sisson was unaware that he had climbed into her bed.
When chief steward Scott alerted Captain Jason Chambers to the situation, he ordered Jones to sleep in a hotel for the night. Chambers promptly fired Jones the next morning.
In a series of Instagram Reels posts, Sisson thanked Captain Chambers and crewmates for their handling of the situation.
"I'd like to start by saying a big thank you to [Aesha Scott] and express the love I have for her," Sisson wrote. "The way she recognized the vulnerability of the situation I was in and her courageous intervention on my behalf was both heroic and so admirable. I thank the universe for her every day, as well as the producers who quickly stepped in."
In the episode, Scott expressed concern for Sisson's safety, also revealing her own experience with sexual assault.
"We don't actually know what would have happened, but being in her bed naked — and she's got no idea — it actually makes my skin crawl," Scott said. "You have no right to put someone unconscious into that position. I have had a drunken sexual assault experience before, and I never want it to happen to anyone else."
Sisson went on to express her gratitude for Chambers' "immediate response to the situation, leaving no room for any BS.
"There are unfortunately a lot of captains who would choose to sweep something like this under the rug," she wrote, "I am grateful that Jason is not one of them. Thank you for repeatedly making me feel safe and supported. I wish every captain were just like you."
Sisson also showed support for deckhand Adam Kodra, who was on the receiving end of Laura Bileskalne's unwanted sexual advances that same night. (In the episode, Bileskalne climbed into Kodra's bunker and was told to leave by production; Captain Chambers later fired Bileskalne for her inappropriate behavior.)
"I was completely oblivious to what was going on between him and Laura," Sisson wrote, "and I wish I could go back and be there for him more. Neither of us deserved this."
Sisson then addressed women who've been impacted by sexual assault, writing, "Please know that you are not alone, and the blame does not belong on your shoulders.
"I understand that this episode was deeply triggering and incredibly difficult for many to watch," she continued. "However, I believe it was vital to show because this issue is all too real and far too frequent. 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."