Bravo’s high seas adventure series Below decks has become one of the most successful reality TV franchises with superyachts cruising the Baltic, Caribbean and Mediterranean, but recently the show has gone downhill as shown by the low ratings. Below decks is watchable and enjoyable for every person. Gary King’s appeal is also mystifying. A first friend with a lively personality and a flirtatious charm that makes him a lovable character. Below decks and its spin-offs have brought an escapism aspect to the series, keeping many hooked.
The premise of each episode of the franchise is when a group of rich guests board a boat for a luxurious vacation. Below decks takes viewers through the group’s everyday life as they try to preserve with demanding guests who slowly drive them to the brink of madness. Despite its popularity Below decks has changed significantly since its 2013 debut Adventure below deck November 2022 wasn’t the best of the franchise as it wasn’t as exciting as the others, which lowered ratings. Recently, this has happened to most of them Below decks shows, and here’s why.
The drama feels contrived
There are a lot of manufactured scenes
When it comes to entertainment and drama, Below decks is one of the most popular reality shows with luxurious megayachts, difficult charter guests and exotic locations. However, there is still the question of how much drama has been made of it, and what role do producers play. It turns out that most of the parts are completely unscripted. Although some conversations are prompts and some shots are well edited, the series still depicts a small part of real-life situations on yachts. However, Below decks focuses on drama, and people know how to keep it up.
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For example, in Below deck, the Mediterranean Sea season 5, Captain Sandy Yawn fired Chief Stew Hannah Ferrier for having a CBD pen and undeclared Valium in her possession. This was after receiving a tip from Hannah’s bedmate, Malia White. For many, the whole question was orchestrated to create maximum tensionwhich increases the chances of a fall, which would lead to drama.
Captain Sandy still let Hannah go, even though Hannah revealed that she had a prescription for anxiety medication. Although Hanna should have stated it earlier, this situation was exaggerated to create drama. In a recent Reddit thread Front_Crow_5328they proved this theory, where one commenter said:
“I think it was a plan to fire Hannah from day one of production on Season 5. What has always bothered me about Sandy is that she causes trouble when there shouldn’t be just drama. Hannah was the victim of this too many times.”
In addition, Below decks has been some of the most rude guests who have ended up making unreasonable requests. Some have claimed luxurious beach picnics in a short amount of time, while others have made extreme changes to their meals. Below decks season 8 was certainly memorable. A huge row broke out when a guest on the order argued about cover artist James Hough. Shay, who was visiting the ship, had expressed an interest in James and wanted him to ride the jet ski with her.
However, a different guest, Lexi, ended up having an adventure with James and a huge fight ensues, leaving the crew shocked (via Bravo). That incident seemed exaggerated for drama. In addition, the majority Below decks crew members do not appear to be qualified to perform their duties well. Below decks season 8 introduced Elizabeth Frankin, who often failed to perform her duties as expected.
He often left some tasks unattended or poorly done, and his carefree attitude was infuriating to everyone on the crew. Elizabeth challenged further for her involvement, but James prevented her from doing her job well. Bringing these crew members on board made the show more dramatic than anything else. It has also made boating look less professional than it is.
There have been too many scandals in the Below Deck franchise
Too many to count
Below decks the franchise has seen its fair share of scandals over the years. For example, many Below decks crew members have participated in shipboard romances that led to betrayal, public breakups, and more. Because the majority Below decks The actors are young and attractive, it has become difficult for them to fall in love with each other. This has led to many boating and in some situations one night stands. Natalya Scudder and Storm Smith starting Below deck, the Mediterranean Sea season 7 didn’t have the best relationship.
Although he wanted to make it work, Natalya often caused unnecessary fights, which made their relationship rockier and more dramatic. There have also been cases of abuse by guests, such as the infamous incident in Below decks season 7, where a guest named Brandy caused a stir with her drunken behavior. He was caught struggling on the beach and apparently in need of medical attention. In another controversy, Peter Hunziker was fired Below deck, the Mediterranean Sea season 5 because he posted a misogynistic and racist post that was far from the behavior he portrayed on the show.
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Jean-Luc Cerza-Lanaux’s paternity drama in Sailboat below deck season 2 is one of the most outrageous romances. Dani Soares revealed that he was waiting after filming was over. Unfortunately, Jean-Luc expressed doubts about being a fatherleading to a public paternity dispute. The off-screen drama became a huge talking point, but he finally admitted that he was the father.
How can Bravo fix the universe below deck?
Consider more crossovers, maybe
Because Below decks has expanded into other spin-offs, a crossover between the franchises could create buzz for different shows. Crew members from home Deck Med work on others Below decks franchise agreements could bring interesting aspects to the show. This has been the case with big names Real Housewives universe like Claudia Jordan and Cynthia Bailey rented a Below decks yacht. By connecting Below decks with shows like Southern charmActors would brings chaos combined with personal conflicts and romantic entanglements which can raise grades.
Below decks should be extended to other places as well. They should consider expanding to exotic locations such as The Pacific Northwest, Alaska and some unique destinations such as Antarctica or the Galápagos Islands which would bring new challenges, but also breathtaking views. Adventure below deck was on the right track as it presented a colder climate in Norway.
It contained all the hallmarks of the hit series, offering a unique setting to the harsher Norwegian setting and new faces, which was refreshing for viewers. That’s why bring back Adventure below deckwhich is on hiatus may improve ratings. Although Below decks the franchise has tried to increase the diversity of the show, they should also choose yachts from other parts of Africa instead of just South Africa to get more participation.
Below decks
is available to stream on Peacock.
Sources: Front_Crow_5328/Reddit, Bravo/YouTube
Below decks
Below Deck is a popular reality TV series that focuses on a group of crew members as they work on luxury yachts and meet the needs of their clients. After the original series proved successful, Bravo developed a handful of spinoff shows, including Below Deck Selling Yacht, Below Deck Adventure, Below Deck Down Under, and Below Deck Mediterranean.
- Created by
- Mark Cronin, Rebecca Taylor Henning, Doug Henning
- Throw
- Starring Kate Chastain, Gary King, Mads Herrera, Daisy Kelliher, Colin Macrae, Aesha Scott, Lexi Wilson, Glenn Shephard, Jason Chambers, Marcos Spaziani, Sandy Yawn