The life of a yachtie as depicted on Below Deck is a bit different than what a yacht crew experiences in real life. The Below Deck series is all about drama, whether it is partying too hard or catching feelings too quickly. The yachties onboard know how to keep things interesting and even make the idea of working on a multimillion-dollar boat appealing. However, the yachting reality series isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. According to the crew, it's not even the same as working on a yacht in real life.
Below Deck follows a yacht crew and its captain as they sail the open waters whilst trying to give charter guests a memorable experience. Such experiences include five-star service from both the chef and the crew and entertainment, including the water toys. When someone’s every move is being filmed, certain things are added to make the show more entertaining. In the case of the crews featured on Below Deck, certain moments are made slightly more dramatic on both the guest and employee side. So, no, yacht crews aren’t always incredibly attractive.
As far as the crew goes, the show differs from real life in that Bravo doesn’t create a show out of a pre-existing ship and crew (well, sort of). When the owner of a yacht agrees to take part in the series, the producers get to decide who gets to come aboard, excluding the captain, engineer, and first officer. Captain Lee of Below Deck has accused the network in the past of selecting people who are inept when it comes to this type of work, thus shading the realism of who’s really qualified when watching the series.
Some things that appear one way onscreen are actually an illusion. For example, when the chief stew is showing charter guests their living quarters, she doesn't show them the true master suite. An interview with The New York Times revealed that the executive producers of the show take control of that master suite, making it their control room. Guests are also given a discount on the price of their trip for agreeing to be on the show since they really are going on a vacation. In addition, the charter season on Below Deck is much shorter than a real-life yachting season (via Cheat Sheet). While a normal charter season lasts about six months, a Below Deck season only lasts around six weeks.
There are things that aren’t scripted for the show. Working on a yacht really is a 24/7 job of constant upkeep and cleaning. The crew will often take advantage of their nights to explore and party off the boat. Everyone is also hooking up, regardless of if they’re a guest or not. As long as the captain doesn’t find out, it’s fair game. Finally, when viewers watch a crewmate walk off the boat, they’re allowed. Unlike a typical contract job, this job comes with a daily rate pay that is invoiced, meaning there’s no obligation to stay. While Below Deck might not perfectly portray real-life yachting, it gets pretty close.
Source: The New York Times, Cheat Sheet