Hi! I'm Adrienne Gang from Season 1 of Below Deck. I'll be here weekly sharing my thoughts on each Season 8 episode. Today, we dive (or fall, depending how you look at it) head first into the premiere.

You know, I feel badly that we started off in the hospital, but thank goodness everything with Captain Lee is OK. You never wanna see someone in pain and struggling, especially when they're so far from home, but health concerns in general might be a theme this season.

The Below Deck Season 8 preview teased the arrival of the coronavirus, Lee's ribs are busted before Episode 1 even gets off the ground, and deckhand Avery only lasted three-quarters of an episode before he had to leave to attend to his ill grandmother.

But if there's one thing we know about Below Deck, it's that the show must go on, figuratively, for the guests, and literally, for the network. The Season 8 premiere found us back in the Caribbean with Captain Lee and his multi-grain Cheerios at the helm, new chief stew Francesca at the cocktail bar, and familiar face Eddie as bosun.

The one-hour premiere on November 2 introduced us to our new cast and crew, and even introduced us to just how long it takes to make an espresso martini under duress. Let's do this.