“Stop trying so hard”- Below Deck fans react to Rainbeau asking Solène for a hug

Episode 5 of Below Deck Season 12, released on June 30, showed Rainbeau, the Chief Stew, feeling guilty for being too harsh on Solène, her fellow stew. To make amends, she asked Solène for a hug. Fraser began to doubt his long-distance relationship, while Kyle went on a date with Solène.

Earlier episodes showed tension between Rainbeau and Solène due to work style differences. In this episode, Rainbeau finally tried to clear the air and improve their relationship.

Rainbeau came to a Below Deck confessional to accept that she was a harsh person, and it made her feel lonely sometimes. Fans of the show came to X to react to Rainbeau's actions; some thought she was being too nice, while others supported the move.

"I'm gonna need Rainbeau to stop trying so hard, especially since they clearly don't want to try to give her a chance anyway! They should've never hired Sólene," a fan said. "Rainbeau gotta chill with all her sudden affection toward Solene'. Ma'am she doesn't need kisses to feel that y'all are cool," said another. "What is Rainbeau really up to with all this kissing up to Solène? I don't trust it," added a third. "Rainbeau! Why won’t you stop touching Solene? It’s too much!" wrote another.

Fans of Below Deck believed Rainbeau was doing it because she was looking to make friends on deck, while some thought it was because she wanted to get the work done without a fuss.

"I'm going to need Rainbeau to stop loving up on Solene for the sake of making an effort to find some form of friendship onboard," an X user wrote. "Rainbeau was so unbelievably rude to Solene in the beginning, so she can't be shocked that she isn't jumping too quick to be nice back, seeing as it's come out of left field Solene clocked Rainbeau's fake sh*t," another user wrote. "Rainbeau needs to stop worrying about whether Solene likes her or not," commented one. "I don’t think Rainbeau is being fake. She is trying to get along with her co-worker. it’s way easier than arguing and fighting with Solene. You catch more bees with honey than vinegar," wrote another.

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What happened between Rainbeau and Solène on Below Deck season 12 episode 5?

Rainbeau walked up to Solène, who was working, and asked her if she could have a hug. Solène gladly agreed and hugged her. Rainbeau then came to a Below Deck confessional to share that she felt lonely and that she could get emotional. She added that her personal opinion was that she was just a "hard person".

The scene flashed back to the times Rainbeau clashed or created tensions with Solène. This included times when she asked her to iron the bedsheet and Solène argued, saying she didn't care enough to iron it, and the time when Rainbeu vented her frustration on the latter because she didn't finish the work she was assigned.

Another thing that Rainbeau said in the confessional was that she couldn't control the way Solène thought about her, but she could put in a good word. Solène also came to a Below Deck confessional and questioned her Chief Stew's intentions. She also stated that her apology felt insincere.

"Just gonna keep trying, do my best," said Rainbeau, who wanted to ease the tensions.

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New episodes of Below Deck season 12 come out on Mondays at 8 pm ET on Bravo.

Edited by Divya Singh