Samantha Suarez worked on set Sailboat below deck when he met Gary King. While Gary’s behavior on the show has always been questionable, nothing he ever did seemed as bad as what Samantha had to say about him. The first officer loves boating and his relationships are always consensual on screen.
During Sailboat below deck season 4, Gary had a relationship with Mads Herrera that many found disturbing. Although Mads seemed content with his romance with Gary, he sometimes took things too far with him. Who could forget Gary accusing Mads of having her period when they were making out? This incident should have been enough to get Gary fired Sailboat below deck. Now that a former crew member has spoken out, Gary’s time on the show may soon be over.
Samantha worked as a makeup artist
While working for Bravo, Samantha was a makeup artist. In his interview with The Rolling StonesThe 27-year-old mentioned that he did make-up for actors for interviews with talking heads. That’s how he met Gary and the others Sailboat below deck crew.
Samantha worked on more than one Under the Deck series
Before his gig Sailboat below deck, Samantha originally worked in the makeup department of the original Bravo series Below decksset in the Caribbean. He did the makeup for the Season 10 crew, which included Ross McHarg. Samantha claims that during one car ride back to the hotel, Ross made inappropriate comments to her that made her uncomfortable. They were so bad that some of the other men in the car had to yell at Ross to shut up.
Samantha’s affair with Gary happened in the summer of 2022
Samantha joined behind the scenes in 2022 Sailboat below deck season 4. She claimed that when she brought a drunk Gary back to the hotel after one of her interviews, Gary pushed himself against her and wouldn’t let her go. Samantha claims she was shocked and got out of there as soon as she had the chance. Even though she caught the attention of Bravo, they didn’t fire her. Bravo issued a statement claiming they had investigated the situation and “measures were taken based on the results.” Gary has since spoken out against Samantha in the comments section of her Instagram account, claiming that she “wanted a platform“and that he is”an unlucky target.”
Gary is back for Season 5 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht
Despite the massive backlash caused by last summer’s abuse allegations, Gary is back as first mate for Sailboat below deck season 5. So far, after only a few episodes, there has been no mention of it Rolling Stone piece or Samantha. It all allegedly went down during filming for the new season, so it’s possible it could be mentioned later in the season. However, it is also possible that most of Gary’s scenes will be removed from the season and this scandal will not be mentioned at all; at least Gary thinks so.
In an Instagram post from October, right after Episode 2, Gary shared a photo of herself and chef Cloyse Martin in masks at one of the guests’ themed dinners. In the caption, Gary said:
Sad to see all of this edited out of tonight’s episode. Scary how people’s lies can ruin someone’s career and livelihood (…) most of me will probably be cut from this season (…) I’ll try to post as much as possible to show you everything you’re missing out on.
According to Gary he believes that many of his scenes will be cut during the season, as many of them have already been removed in episode 2. However, Gary has been featured a lot this season, so he’ll probably still get a lot of air time.
As for Samantha, she is yet to speak out after the premiere of the film Sailboat below deck season 5. He might be low after the backlash he got, or maybe he can’t say at all. That being said, this season of the Bravo series may be the last time fans see Gary as first mate. There are serious allegations against him, but he’s not doing himself any favors by calling the net.
Sailboat below deck
airs Mondays at 9pm ET on Bravo.
Sources: Rolling Stones, Gary King/Instagram
