Joao Franco teases Below Deck Down Under stint amid fan backlash over his return

Below Deck Med alum Joao Franco has teased his Below Deck Down Under stint as fans are outraged over his return.

Joao did not make a great impression during his appearances on Season 3 and Season 4 of Below Deck Med, especially when it came to Aesha Scott and Hannah Ferrier.

Aesha addressed their issues on Below Deck Down Under, but she in no way believes he’s changed.

Ahead of his premiere as Luke Jones’ replacement, Joao took to Instagram to tease his appearance.

“It seems that the new season of below deck has made “smooth waters” a thing of the past😆 As this season as already set a path to shatter expectations and rewrite the rulebook on reality TV, this ship has set sail and there is no stopping this momentum now!” he wrote. “Old tensions ignited, new friendships sparked, loyalties questioned, ALL the laughter and fun times, boatmances and the rest!!! Zvese sviripo!!! Enjoy everyone! I’m here for it all 😎😎.”

The first officer’s words did little to stop the backlash over his return to the Below Deck world.

Below Deck Down Under fans react to Joao Franco joining the show

If dealing with a near sexual assault from Luke and also Laura Bileskalne wasn’t bad enough, Below Deck Down Under fans are outraged over Joao joining the deck team.

Twitter was on fire with comments reacting to the news.

One tweet even said producers joked about getting someone nice after the Laura and Luke drama but decided on Joao.

Another used one of Captain Lee Rosbach’s infamous lines, “I AM PISSED,” to describe the choice to bring back Joao.

A different Tweet thought anyone was better than Luke but was still grossed out that Joao was the final choice.

There was even a comment about how Joao will no doubt clash with most of the cast other than Captain Jason Chambers.

It only took five minutes for one Twitter user to be reminded of their dislike for Joao, while a different still thinks he’s a “douche,” and another user stands by their dislike for him.

Not everyone was mad at Joao being back on the yachting series.

Below Deck Down Under fans stand up for Joao Franco

Culver Bradbury, Adam Kodra, and Harry Van Vliet spent a good portion of the back-to-back episodes complaining about Joao’s work ethic.

There were a couple of Tweets that did defend Joao working hard, even if the other guys didn’t realize it. One, though, simply considered Joao an upgrade because he isn’t Luke, which isn’t saying much.

Speaking of Joao being a good potion, a tweet also shared that at least it wasn’t Ashton Pienaar.

Joao Franco isn’t a fan favorite, that’s for sure, but he will certainly make the rest of Below Deck Down Under Season 2 interesting.

What do you think of Joao being on the Below Deck spinoff?

Below Deck Down Under airs Mondays at 8/7c on Bravo. Season 1 is streaming on Peacock.

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