“Below Deck” and its sister show “Below Deck Mediterranean” have been huge hits for Bravo since the original series began in 2013, which is why another yachting spin-off was already in the works in early 2019. And while the on-screen drama between the crew members and charter guests has kept viewers tuning in, there’s been just as much drama happening off screen, too.
As “Below Deck’s” lovable chief stew Kate Chastain once told Entertainment Tonight, “You know, yachting is just a very stressful situation. Close quarters, long hours and some people just can’t make it the whole season for one reason or another.” So if you regularly watch either reality TV yachting show, then you’re likely familiar with the tension that can come from working such a busy and high-pressure job. It should come as no surprise then, that when the cameras are turned off, many crew members have let off steam in surprising ways. Not to mention, not everything makes it onto the air, meaning viewers might not know what really happened in some of their favorite “Below Deck” episodes.
Join us as we take a look at some of the dark secrets of the “Below Deck” cast.
Below Deck’s chief stews had a big falling out
If you thought that chief stews Kate Chastain and Hannah Ferrier were best friends, think again. While the pair used to be on good terms, that all changed somewhere along the way, which Chastain revealed in a not-so-subtle Twitter post in September 2019. When asked by a fan why she appeared to be throwing shade at Ferrier, the “Below Deck” alum wrote of her “Mediterranean” counterpart, “Unfortunately I don’t consider people who talk poorly about me behind my back to be a friend.” Ouch!
Chastain later elaborated to The Daily Dish about why she fell out with fellow chief stew Ferrier. “A lot of people that work with Hannah also work with me, and people tell me things that are said,” she explained. “And so, at this point, it’s just like I don’t really want to be friends with somebody that said bad things about me.” The “Below Deck” chief stew emphasized this point while confirming the bestie breakup at BravoCon that November. Basically, it’s safe to say that there’s no love lost between these two, and it’s unlikely we’ll see them hanging out outside of work anytime soon.
Hannah Ferrier’s anxiety attack was very real
Fans will remember that in Season 3 of “Below Deck Mediterranean,” chief stew Hannah Ferrier had to take some time out from her job when she started having severe anxiety attacks. While some skeptical viewers might have wondered if Ferrier’s anxiety was put on for the cameras, the reality TV star wanted to make it clear that she does live with the condition. In 2018, the chief stew told Decider, “The anxiety had been going quite badly for eight days leading up to the attack, it didn’t just come out of nowhere.” Ferrier also noted the relentlessness of the job as an important factor in why she became so anxious: “You can’t get away from the cameras, you can’t get away from the work environment, the charter guests just keep coming.”
As for any doubters who thought that Ferrier might have been amping up her anxiety symptoms for the cameras, the “Below Deck Mediterranean” star said, “It was a disappointing to see a few people saying, ‘Oh, it’s a drama queen.’ I was like, I wouldn’t be on Bravo, I would be accepting my Oscar if I could act like that.” That said, Ferrier seemed to be fine with people having seen her experience an anxiety attack, especially since she received a positive reaction from those living with this mental illness. She added, “I think it was good to see people’s response that they felt less alone.”
Below Deck’s captain and crew regularly get propositioned
It turns out that much of the drama that makes it to our screens is an accurate representation of the yachting life. While speaking with Fox News in 2018, “Below Deck’s” Captain Lee Rosbach revealed that being propositioned or flirted with by charter guests is just a normal part of the job: “I think almost every charter Captain has been propositioned several times in their careers in that fashion.” Fans of Rosbach — who’s, of course, happily married to wife Mary Anne (fun fact: she was once his chief stew) — will have seen him successfully fend off the advances of many an intoxicated guest, however hard they’ve tried to seduce him.
“Below Deck Mediterranean” star Brooke Laughton also confirmed that she’d been propositioned while working on yachts. “I was once asked to join a male boss in his hot tub,” she said during an interview with The Sun. “I felt uncomfortable so I said I was working and it wasn’t very professional.” Laughton also explained that there’s a certain expectation to dress up as a stewardess in order to impress the guests, saying, “Girls do feel pressure to please their bosses. The owners also want their crew to be glamorous and well put together at all times — manicured nails, no chipped polish, lipstick, immaculate hair.”
It’s clearly far from an easy job — especially when you have to fend off unwanted advances from guests in the workplace.
