The following article contains discussions of racial discrimination and sexism.
A lot is happening in the Below Deck realm these days. Aside from Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck Down Under winding down soon, former Below Deck stars Rachel Hargrove, Paget Berry, and Rhylee Gerber have all been in the news for various updates on their lives.
With the addition of the latest installment (Below Deck Down Under) and two nominations for the 2022 Emmys, the series has a lot of popularity right now. However, no reality show is perfect. For as many hilarious and educational moments as there are in the show, there are just as many criticisms.
Below Deck Needs More Female Deckhands Throughout The Franchise
Sexism runs rapid in Below Deck and the yachting industry. Most of the interior crew are women, while the deckhands are typically male. While the series has heard viewers' cries about the lack of female deckhands, it's still a criticism throughout the franchise.
In 2020, Men's Health talked about the sexism problem on the show, using season 7's Ashton Pienaar as a prime example of when sexism took over the deck when he tried to kiss chief stew Kate Chastain. Season 2's Lauren Cohen talked about her experience with sexism in the yachting industry and that it's still alive today. "I've been told I need to be a certain size to even get an interview for certain boats or asked to dye my hair a certain color because the captain didn't like brunettes," she said.
The Misogyny Women Face From Guests (And Crew)
Season 7 showed misogyny in many forms with help from the male deckhands and guests. The deckhands, in particular, were picked apart by sites like Decider, who said their banter about the female crew staff was downright disgusting. "This is not simply locker room talk. This is disrespecting women," Decider wrote.
There have also been countless all-male charter guests who say and do inappropriate things to get the attention of the female stews who are just trying to do their job. There are some horrible charter guests on Below Deck, but as fans have seen, misogyny can be found among the crew as well. The show has faced criticism for its misogynistic ways and viewers hope it can change in the future.
Some Things Are Dramatized For The Show
Below Deck executive producer Courtland Cox noted that Cox told Bravo how real the series is: "I wish that I had the imagination and creativity to come up with the things that actually happen on the show," they said. "Because the things that happen on the show I could never in a million years come up with, could never imagine them."
While Below Deck may be more real than viewers expected, there are some reports that the show is dramatized for viewership. Former charter guest (and former reality TV star herself), Erica Rose told Reality Blurb how scripted Below Deck Sailing Yacht was. She warned viewers to “not take it so seriously." She continued saying, "As a reality TV vet myself, I know that, but I'm not sure if the viewers conceptualize it."
There's A Severe Lack Of Diversity
One of the biggest criticisms of the show is the lack of diversity. There’s never been a Person of Color as a captain, chief stew, or bosun (as of this article’s publishing). This has been noticed by fans and spoken about consistently in online forums.
Back in 2020, former Below Deck stew Simone Mashile told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, “Captain Lee is saying that there is diversity in the industry when there isn’t is perplexing.” She continued saying, “[His remark is] frustrating, bordering on infuriating, because that is the equivalent of a man saying that there is equality between the sexes in the workplace when we know that this is not the case. He cannot speak for people of color when he is not a person of color.” The series has gotten better by adding more diversity to its crews, but the show has a long way to go.
Two Words: Maritime Law
In season 5, Hannah Ferrier and Captain Sandy bumped heads as Sandy didn't think Hannah was the best chief stew for that season's charter. Hannah was good at her job but was tired of the politics. And sadly, her up-and-down relationship with Malia White cost her her job.
Hannah was legally prescribed Valium and a THC pen for CBD by a medical doctor, but once Sandy and Malia found out, Hannah was scolded. Sandy fired Hannah the next day, starting "maritime law." Apparently, Sandy had the right to fire Hannah because she never reported her prescription to the captain at the start of the charter. This unnecessary fire caused criticism from fans and even Below Deck's Captain Lee. According to Metro, Lee thought Sandy's actions were "irresponsible." He supported Hannah and said, "But if she had a prescription for it… I’m not a doctor, I don’t have the authority to prevent somebody from taking properly prescribed medicine by a licensed physician."
Too Many Acts Of Racism
Not only is there a lack of diversity throughout the Below Deck franchise, but there's also been bouts of racism. In season 9, Heather Chase and Rayna Lindsey got into an awkward conversation after Heather (who is White) used the N-word to repeat what Rayna said. It wasn't until Rayna called Heather out that she apologized and regretted her mistake — but that's not the only time something like this has happened.
Likewise, Peter Hunziker was fired from the series (and edited out of a majority of the season) for racist behavior on his social media accounts. Because of the wave of criticism the series faced, it's an unpopular opinion to think Below Deck and Bravo didn't need to make some serious changes.
Sandy's Time Is Up
Sandy was the first female captain in the Below Deck franchise and has been the captain since season 2. While she's been great for the series and for women in the industry, many felt that her time on Below Deck is up.
Sandy has received criticism for her constant involvement with the crew's drama and for ignoring problem areas among the boat. Fans on Reddit wondered how Sandy was still the captain of the vessel on Below Deck Med. Annahitab12 wrote, "Guys, how did Sandy get another season on the show! I really thought they would let her go and find someone new to drive the MED franchise of the show!" Corradizo chimed in, "Because they can count on her to make poor decisions," which every viewer knows makes great ratings.
The Charter Guests Behavior Is Consistently Horrible
There have been some horrible crew members over the years, but nothing tops a bad charter guest. Some of the charter guests' behavior has been criticized for their treatment of the workers. Although they spend thousands of dollars to be pampered by the crew, critics agree that doesn't make it alright to treat them with disrespect.
Monsters and Critics highlighted one of the worst charter guests, season 9's Justin Richards, and how his behavior received backlash. Fans stormed social media, demanding apologies to the crew for his drunken behavior. However, this wasn't the first time the crew weren't treated fairly, which is why there's so much criticism around it.