Entertainment TV 'Below Deck' Season 9 Trailer: A New Captain Steps In amid Captain Lee's Absence Bravo's Emmy-nominated reality series Below Deck is back for its ninth season, and there appears to be high drama on the high seas By People Staff Published on August 19, 2021 09:50 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Below Deck is back this October for its ninth season — but wait, where's Captain Lee Rosbach? The long-running reality star appears to be missing at the beginning of Bravo's Emmy-nominated reality series' new installment, according to a trailer released by the network on Thursday. "I have a condition," he can be heard telling first officer Eddie Lucas when the clip begins. "The whole boat is your ballgame now." "F--- my life," Lucas responds. In Lee's place, a new captain — Captain Sean Meagher — steps in to oversee the superyacht "My Seanna" as it navigates the stunning waters of St. Kitts in the Caribbean. Below Deck Med Chef Mathew Shea Gives an Update on His Health After Leaving the First Charter Eddie Lucas. Laurent Bassett/Bravo Save for Lucas and chef Rachel Hargrove, Meagher's got a fresh crop of yachties to manage, including new chief stewardess Heather Chase, stews Jessica Albert and Fraser Olender and deckhands Jake Foulger, Rayna Lindsay and Wes O'Dell. "We're leaving the dock with a new captain and new crew," Lucas says. "Tensions are high." Part of those tensions are between Lucas and Hargrove, who have leftover ill feelings from last season. "Alarming things were said on your behalf, viciously attacking my integrity and character," Hargrove tells Lucas at one point during a heated sit-down between the two. "Come back to me, Captain Lee. Come back to me, my boat daddy," Lucas joking pleads in the trailer. Laurent Bassett/Bravo Below Deck Med's Malia White Hospitalized After Scooter Accident, Says Helmet 'Saved My Life' Lucky for Lucas — and Below Deck fans — Lee does return this season. "Might be a little late, but I'm definitely back," he says in the clip. With him, he brings his beloved no-nonsense attitude, hilarious quips and stack of pink slips. "If I have to do your job, what do I need you for?" he tells his crew by trailer's end, before saying, "pack your bags." RELATED: Kate Chastain Jokes That New Chief Stew Katie Is Showing Her What She Could've Gotten Away Below Deck is currently Bravo's most-watched franchise, with three installments currently rotating on the network (and more on the way). The series scored its first-ever Emmy nominations this year, for outstanding unstructured reality program and outstanding picture editing for an unstructured reality program. Season 9 of Below Deck premieres Monday, Oct. 25 (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.