This Is Why Eddie Lucas Had To Return To Below Deck

Eddie Lucas left Below Deck three seasons into the show after running into some choppy waters. At the end of Season 3, viewers learned that he had been cheating on his on-land girlfriend with third stew Rocky Dakota. After departing Below Deck's port, Eddie returned to his prior job of docking tugboats in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

However, it seems that, despite his absence from the show, Eddie's heart was always at sea. Eddie never lost contact with Captain Lee Rosbach, often leaning on him for guidance in his life post-Bravo. "I can always call him for advice, professionally or personally, for anything," Eddie told Vulture. "It's always really nice to be able to fall back on somebody like him, who lives a similar lifestyle to what I live in, working as a professional mariner."

Now, Eddie has switched his tugboat parking gig for the glitz and glam of the luxury yacht business once again, returning as bosun (equipment manager) on Captain Lee's Caribbean yacht. He is the only returning crew member on Season 8 of the popular reality series. After departing on such a disappointing note — Vulture reported that Eddie told Captain Lee his actions were one of the biggest foul ups of his life — it is surprising that Eddie is back on board. This is why Eddie Lucas had to return to Below Deck.

Eddie Lucas is ready to star in his own redemption story on Season 8 of Below Deck. "I hope viewers get to see the old Eddie," he told Vulture. "I wanted to show that what they saw at the end of season three isn't who I am, and that huge mistake that I made in my life isn't what defines me as a person."

Eddie admitted he never felt quite right about the way he left the show at the end of Season 3. He also said he has grown a lot in the five years he has been absent from Below Deck and wants to show that in his work. "I screwed up season three. And it was appalling, my actions. I was thinking with the wrong head," he said. "So this season, I was going into it with a mindset of being way more professional and taking my job way more seriously, but also my job as a boss. Like, I needed to be a leader. I really wanted to set an example for the whole crew."

Eddie is also excited to get back to warmer waters and enjoy the new experience with his friend Captain Lee Rosbach, who personally asked him to rejoin the crew. "Have fun with the crew, have fun with Captain Lee, and end strong," he said of his chance at redemption. "That's what I wanted to do, is end strong."