James Hough's reaction to co-star Isabelle "Izzy" Wouters' coming out announcement couldn't be sweeter.
Earlier this month, the Below Deck stewardess turned deckhand came out as lesbian on social media. While Izzy's announcement may've been surprising for Below Deck fans, it wasn't news for her co-star and former bunkmate.
In fact, in an exclusive chat with E! News, James revealed that Izzy had already shared this information with him.
"I kind of already knew about that," the deckhand shared with us. "She did say it to me…and I was super happy for her."
Although James has stayed away from reading social media comments amid Below Deck's season eight airing, his mom did share one post about Izzy's coming out that gave him a chuckle.
James dished, "My mom told me, I think she checked on Twitter, that Izzy obviously came out and there was a comment saying, 'Not surprised! After staying in a room with James for eight weeks, she probably wouldn't want to again.'"
In addition to speaking about Izzy's coming out, James reflected on his time on Below Deck. And, while the fun-loving Brit seemed like a great fit for the show, he contemplated quitting at one point.
After struggling to connect with his fellow crew members, James wondered if Below Deck was for him. Eventually, James shook off the concern and continued doing his job.
On whether he seriously considered leaving the show, James dished, "Yeah. To be fair, I was. I came onto the boat thinking I'd have a lot more fun. We'd obviously work hard, but then we'd party and enjoy ourselves."
Unfortunately for James, this never became his Below Deck reality. In James' defense, so far, this has been one of the tamer seasons in terms of partying.
"I've never really watched Below Deck," he admitted. "So, the only thing I watched was the last season, so season seven…They're all partying, all the lads were getting along, they were just living life. I was watching that and that's the expectation I had going into Antigua."
Per James, he "eventually got used to it."
Although filming didn't necessarily live up to expectation, one moment from the show has stood out among the rest. We're, of course, talking about Captain Lee Rosbach ending a charter early over an unruly guest.
In a preview clip on Bravo of what's to come, the My Seanna captain erupted at a guest for drunkenly jumping into the ocean. And, as James shared with us, he had a front row seat to the drama.
"It was brilliant," James expressed. "I didn't expect him to swear in front of the guests…I thought he'd come down to the swim platform and try to speak to the guests, but no, he just made a scene and it was brilliant."
During a separate conversation with Captain Lee, he called the moment "a first" for his career.
We're certainly excited to see that play out later this season.
Below Deck airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
Binge past episodes of Below Deck on Peacock.
(E!, Bravo and Peacock are all part of the NBCUniversal family.)