User reviews

Others have described this as a guilty pleasure. I have to agree with that. This is an interesting snapshot into human behaviour, it is not like most reality shows in the way that it is more of a snapshot of the lives of people rather than people put into an environment.

If you take this show at face value, it is an entertaining show with frequent drama and shocking moments. The crew is picked by the casting to be entertaining and unique, which most of the crew are. The guests are entertaining if not being complete a**holes most of the time.

Don't expect high quality documentary style tv about working on a motor yacht, because this isn't it. It's reality tv.

Mmmm let's start with Kate a mean girl who thinks she's a really all round nice gal. News flash she's not. She's every bully I've ever met rolled Into one person. Captain Lee, Kates very own personal assistant. Can be an over the top disciplinarian, and other times a wise old mentor. The others crew mates are a various bunch of misfits with various issues. Yet I love it so... I guess that kind of makes me a hypocrite. Oh well...

One of the best reality shows on tv! I can't stop watching! It's so entertaining with all the personality's on the boat and the different guest who board the boat. I love how you see the backside view of working a yacht!

This show is the perfect example of when a reality TV show is clicking on all cylinders: compelling characters, juicy drama and crazy situations. But, being that it takes place on a yacht with a revolving door of guests to please and new crew members to break in, it stays fresh and the histrionics don't have to be manufactured quite so often as in other reality shows like the Real Housewives' series.

The series really hit its stride with the arrival of resting b*tch face, head stew Kate, in season 2. It then reached its peak in season 3 with the drama brought to the table in the forms of surly chef Leon, the quirky antics of deck hand Connie and the incredibly memorizing behavior of 3rd stew Raquel "Rocky" Dakota. After a few so so seasons 4 and 5, it returned with perhaps its best ever production in season 6, which just serves to demonstrate that this show's ability to not become stale and repetitive or just plain mundane in later seasons like, for example, Jersey Shore did. Even its latest season, number 9, had enough curve balls in it to keep me interested. The OG of the Below Deck franchise still seems to still have plenty of legs left.

Like all reality tv, you have to take everything in this show with a grain of salt. The crew and the guests are being filmed and they know they're being filmed, and everyone is being paid so everyone one is "performing." Most of the time, it's difficult to tell which group is trashier, the crew or the guests. Almost all the male crew members drink themselves into oblivion at the first opportunity, while almost all the female crew members are snowflakes who cry at the drop of the hat (with a few exceptions who would give witches a bad name-I'm thinking of Chief Stew Kate. As the prime example), and most members of both genders are constantly looking to get bedded. In real life most of the crew would never be hired to staff a luxury yacht, nor would they last more than one charter if they were hired. Having said all that, the show is fascinating like a train wreck-it's difficult to tear oneself away.

I hate reality TV shows normally. But this one is very entertaining, especially in times like these!

Six weeks a yacht crew of about 12 people is penned up 24/7 in the smallest spaces possible- working, sleeping, cooking, partying, fighting... while they have to serve and entertain up to 20 hours a day, during one to three days charters, highly demanding rich guests, sometimes wannabe sophisticated and mostly disrespectful, condescending scum and alcoholics, arrogant and spoiled pricks and brats, with only few exceptions.

Of course this creates much tension and pressure and brings out the most abysmal behaviors in one or the other crew member. Ego trips, cabin fever, intrigues and drama are preprogrammed! Especially the vengeful, cunning, yet sometimes really funny "resting bitxx face" chief stewardess Kate Chastain became the mistress of sabotage, manipulation and emotional cruelty. This might be the result of working too long in such a male-dominated, sexist, cynical, degrading, coldhearted and shallow environment. She herself mentioned more than once after every sexual harassment towards crew members: "this is nothing, I've seen far worse..." So one can imagine what happens with no cameras present. I can't remember who, but someone on this show once said something like: " I've sold my soul..."

This show is a great depiction of rich societies hedonism, chauvinism and sexism, and how they get away with it too easy, without legal consequences, although there should be some. Because again: money rules the world. So a mega yacht seems to be an even easier as usual hunting ground for predators and a perfect playground for bullies, both amongst the crew and the guests, though the guests are those who get away with it every time, while the "working class" at least sometimes has to face consequences.

At this point: kudos to all women in this show, who were able to stay positive, mostly calm, graceful, respectful and strong despite the stress and the embarrassing, degrading treatment they had to endure not only from guests, but more from their own crew members; especially Amy Johnson from season 2 and Courtney Skippon and Simone Mashile from Season 7. The only permanent sincere, gentle and respectful man from this show I remember was Deckhand David Alanson Bradberry.

Captain Lee sometimes comes off as a bit grumpy, but in general seems to be a decent and correct person with conservative values. His old- fashioned, too military hierarchy- driven leadership, where people often are only allowed to speak up, if he's gracious, might make it more complicated for the crew members to cope with their problematic personal and professional relationships. For him clearly rank and age go before everything. And it seems, sometimes he still mixes up fear with respect. That may be one reason why some of the crew lie and try to cover up their mistakes. Although it makes no sense, when everything gets filmed. After watching all seven seasons, I really wonder, why he is so shocked and surprised every time at the seasons reunions about the outcome of the shows, if he never shows interest in the first place when disputes occur and crew members try to approach him?!

The background information about the sometimes hard and dangerous, yet exciting and joyful yachting life and the beautiful sceneries make the whole show very watchable, otherwise it would just be like big brother.

I give this show 6 Stars, because the music gets annoying and stories get repetitive over time, but most of all for the lack of improvement relating to solutions for sexual harassment. Some crew members an guests are absolutely likeable, some okay, some are just idiots. The perfect mix for this kind of show.

Below Deck (TV) 8 stars 2013 5/15/2020

This reality series gets high marks because it pairs interesting characters with an interesting premise. We may never charter a luxury yacht, but "Below Deck" gives us an all-access pass, including a look behind the curtain. These are some reasons that the concept of the show works so well:

1. The Venue. A charter yacht is like a floating Vegas casino in the sense that it demands the ultimate in client service while simultaneously requiring crew skills. If you fall short in your dealings with the clientele, you will lose money. If you fall short in your sailing duties, it can result in loss of life or serious property damage. Furthermore, the quarters are cramped, especially in those areas where the crew lives for weeks at a time. This creates cabin fever and stressful interactions. 2. The Crew. The business attracts young people, especially those looking for adventure, who are not saddled with responsibilities. As a result, there are plenty of partyers and young people looking to hook up. Conversely, the captain wants a responsible crew that puts the business and the boat before self. The crews tend to be attractive and fit. 3. The Guests. These people pay big bucks to be pampered. Like the whales in Vegas, they expect the best. And they are often not afraid of making odd or presumptuous requests. Their tips significantly define the degree of success of each charter.

The ship is run like a military operation, with a hierarchy of ranks. Discipline is strict. But if you are living among the beauty and the tender climes of the Caribbean, surrounded by comely coworkers and entertainment venues, you might allow your attention to wander occasionally. The result is plenty of drama and comedy.

The show also pierces the veil of cordiality, contrasting the polite ministrations of the crew with their behind-the-scenes editorials. This is a show for adults.

Every season is full of weird people who are hilarious to watch. Strangely addictive watching a bunch of idiots serve the ultra rich.

Some seem like genuinely great people - like Eddie.

Other are clearly terrible human beings - like Rayna.

Brilliant. I can't stop watching it. I love how you get to have an all access pass, so you can see what the charter guests are seeing and what a life of luxury they have. But also that you get to see what happens "Below Deck", what there going through and what romance is in the air. What I think I like about it the most is that you get to see the different sections of the crews, and that they put in what the person is saying at that moment which is always funny. I must say though I do like Kate and Ben they are so funny together, which makes it have a great vibe, especially when it gets really irate in the kitchen. Love it, watched, Brilliant.

This programme is classic. The crew are very interesting. The clients,although not always, are loke spoilt rich kids (the girls). In they act like kids. The staff drama is great. The pretty ladies that melt down allll the time. And the pretty boys with GIANT EGOS.. lol. Go Ashton. He has a crazy huge EGO. Loves himself. Haha. And it always works. Funny as.

I think this show is awesome but makes me so jealous. These guys might have to work long hours and put up with with some rude guests etc but they get paid to work on a state of the art luxurious yacht and sail around St Martin in the sunshine. What I wouldn't do 😃 Hope there are more new seasons

Love it. If you need some easy watching tv after a long day, this is the show for you. You think you'd maybe get over watching one episode after another, but surprisingly not - it just gets better. Binge worthy reality tv, what more could you want?

Get rid of the Head Stew- Bring back Kate- she is so awesome.

Right now most of staff are not that good.

Ben- OMG- WHAT A CHEF.

Rachel.is great but BEN HAS THAT TOUCH.

Let's talk about Kate Chastain. We saw her last year on The Traitors and I was interested to see where she came from, which led me to Lower Deck. So we tried it out, and it's a surprisingly entertaining show about what happens among the crew of an elite motor yacht.

I see comments from people calling Kate "mean" or a "bully". That's nonsense. The producers hire a LOT of questionable employees ... Captain Lee doesn't get to make that call, though hopefully he gets to weigh in. At least he gets to fire the worst of the worst.

However, every season has some employees who think they're the tail that wags the dog, rather than EMPLOYEES who should shut up and do their jobs. If you've never managed employees, maybe you can take the side of these infantile idiots. If you've ever been a manager, then you'll see that Kate's reactions to the goof-ups and goof-offs is often remarkably restrained.

It's a high-end business, not a kindergarden. When the boss says jump, don't question if you should jump, say "How high?" Some of these nitwits don't even understand the word 'jump' in the first place.

You get to see some great scenery, and some of the bits with guests are a pleasure to watch. Some of the guests are people I'd NEVER hang around with or invite to my house ... especially the drunks. No excuse for that, vacation or not.

I've taken to trying out a few of the things the chefs on the show do. It's fun and tasty.

And the editors are clever enough to make the end of each episode demand starting the next. It's a terrible temptation to binge old seasons for that reason. LOL.

I've only seen the first 2, and liked it a lot and look forward to the next saisons hope they're as cool as the first

This is definitely a guilty pleasure type of show. Generally, the characters aren't especially likeable but you get drawn into their goofy drama all the same.

Super disappointed in season seven when Kevin came on board as chef. What an asshat! I QUIT watching the show because I could not stand to see or hear this unprofessional, needy, ill excuse for a man! Captain Lee should know better. Out of seven seasons...... I've not "disliked" anyone ... this fool Kevin is a tool! His unprofessional, arrogant, ignorant personality makes every single episode (that I could tolerate to watch) in season seven hard to endure. I'm furious that I have grown to love a show and they bring this tool on the show!

All the other crew are amazing!

ABSOLUTELY love Kate!

Drunk Brandy was weird AF! Not sure what producers were thinking on that charter.

I love this show. The inter-relationships between the crew are so funny!

I have to say that Kate is such an incredible B! She thinks she is better than everyone, including all the guests. Who does she think she is? She is in service working for tips! Why does Captain Lee love her so much? She has wasted her life and is so jealous of the young people that work on the boat, especially the young ladies that are prettier than she ever was!