Jackie Siegel has been on the Bravo series Below Deck not once, but twice. Her first appearance was in 2019 on a boat with Captain Sandy. Her second appearance was in 2021 on a boat with Captain Lee. So, who is she, and how does she afford these luxury megayacht charters?
Below Deck follows the crew of megayachts as they serve guests on private charters. Filmed in scenic getaways around the Caribbean, Tahiti, and Thailand, the crew has to deal with long periods in close quarters and sometimes overly-demanding or troublesome charter clients. While experienced Captain Lee Rosbach has appeared on every season of the show, the crew is always rotating, and producers assemble the cast for maximum drama.
Jackie Siegel is the wife of millionaire David Siegel. He made his millions as a timeshare mogul and, though the economic crash of 2008 hit him hard, he managed to come out with hundreds of millions of dollars. Jackie Siegel, who has worked as a model, actor, and director of the Mrs. Florida America Pageant, has a net worth of $50 million. The couple started building a house to resemble Queen of France Marie Antoinette’s palace at Versailles, earning Jackie the nickname “The Queen of Versailles.” That nickname was also used in a documentary about the building of the mansion, which was started in 2004 and is still under construction in 2021. Jackie has said she plans to document the finishing of the long construction project in a possible TV show.
Jackie, unfortunately, shares a tragedy with Below Deck’s Captain Lee. She and her husband lost their 18-year-old daughter to an accidental drug overdose in 2015. Captain Lee and his wife lost their 42-year-old son to a drug overdose in 2019. Since the loss, the Siegels have thrown themselves into charity work. They started the Victoria’s Voice Foundation, named after their daughter, to help prevent drug addiction. Jackie and David have seven other children, two of whom wrote a children's book that deals with death and how to grieve.
Jackie may like to party while on vacation, but she is still considerate of the crew. She surprised Elizabeth Frankini with a card and song on Frankini’s 30th birthday, which fell in the middle of a charter. Frankini was so touched, she posted a picture with Jackie on Instagram with a long post where she explains how much she appreciates Jackie’s kindness, strength, and inspiration. See the post in full below:
Jackie has said she is open to another appearance on the show and with, her friendly nature, the crew would no doubt be happy to have her back. COVID shut down filming on Below Deck season eight and Bravo has yet to announce season nine. But it sounds like, if the show begins filming again, Jackie will be first in line for another getaway.
Below Deck airs Mondays at 9 pm ET on Bravo.
Source: Elizabeth Frankini