The charter business isn’t always the most glamorous business it’s made out to be, and Below Deck has shown this to be all too true through six seasons and man episodes that still only seem to give a small picture of what life on a luxury yacht can be like. It’s not all smiles and rainbows obviously, but then again it’s not meant to be since the people working together and existing in close proximity need to be able to stand one another in order to get through the season. Throughout each season things have changed as people have come and go and new guests have made life easier or more difficult for the crew as things go along. But with this show it doesn’t seem like things are bound to get any easier since with each coming season there’s always a new challenge, be it within the crew or with the people they’re serving. While it’s a lot of drama that might not always be real, you might want to take a good look if you’re ever thinking about chartering a boat for your entertainment needs.
Here are just a few things you might have seen happen from season 1 to season 6.
The crew doesn’t remain constant.
Okay so this is a gimme, but it’s also something that might interest a lot of people since working on a yacht isn’t quite the long-term job that many people might think it is. Throughout each season you’ve seen the crew get on one another’s nerves and find different ways to really screw with each other. Captain Lee Rosbach and his First Stewardess Kate Chastain are the only ones that have been there for longer than four seasons, and even two or three seasons seems to be pushing it with some of the crew members. This isn’t the kind of job you look forward to retiring from unless you’re locked in and able to weather each oncoming season with a new group of recruits that might need to be trained, or retrained when it comes to their duties. Those that get selected to work on the yacht have to be capable and competent in what they’re doing but as you’ve likely seen in a few seasons, notably in the first season and a couple of them after that, the pressures of working on a luxury yacht can get to people now and again and cause them to screw up a bit, or screw off.
The drama has definitely increased.
Crew members hooking up with one another isn’t really the biggest thing that’s been going on since season 1, but it has become kind of its own issue. But aside from that the idea that the crew members don’t get along seems almost contrived in some moments and ready to blow on its own at others. Captain Lee seems to be getting more emotional as time goes on and when the time come that he needs to cut people loose he actually seems to be ready to break down simply because there’s nothing else he can do other than preserve the integrity of his crew by cutting off someone that is acting like a cancer to the whole effort. In season 6 it would almost appear that having to fire someone is taking a serious toll on his mental health. This kind of job is best being seasonal it would seem since the emotional toil it takes on people is so increasingly difficult that it could easily force one into early retirement from the effects of stress alone.
Unfortunately the cast members don’t seem to be getting any smarter.
This alludes mostly to the manner by which Ashton was pulled overboard by a tow line that wrapped around his leg when he wasn’t looking. Accidents do happen and there are moments when it can’t be helped, but working on any watercraft is not the place where accidents such as this need to happen in any way shape or form. It’s great that he wasn’t harmed, but this is not the time or place in which a person can be lax. If Ashton didn’t get let go for this then it becomes gross negligence on his part and on the part of Captain Lee since mistakes such as this cannot be made when it comes to the lives of the crew. On top of that the professionalism of the crew in dealing with the guests and with each other has fluctuated wildly since season 1 since new crew members mean a new set of attitudes and demeanor. Unfortunately for them, this also means that those coming on need to be schooled in proper etiquette when on board and in close proximity. So far it seems as though few people have really learned what it means to be a professional and are being directed to simply run wild.
This show has lasted 6 seasons largely because people want to see the drama.
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