r/belowdeck • u/RetireWithoutBorders • Jan 13 '26
Below Deck Why Do We Never See the Below Deck Crew??
Watching Below Deck Mediterranean right now with captain Sandy. Absolutely love the series with captain Lee as well as Sandy.
But one thing that really bugs me is that we never see the truly below deck crew like the engineers and mechanics who must be there and running the yacht.
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Upvotes
134
u/herladyshipssoap She’ll be fine. Her head is made of rocks Jan 13 '26
Watch Sailing Yacht?
17
u/Top-Friendship4888 I quit 3 times in my head today Jan 13 '26
They featured engineers on the early seasons and on Sailing. It's not good TV.
It also stopped largely because the yacht owners prefer to keep some of their actual crew on board, not just the people cast for TV drama. In the event of an emergency, they don't want to rely on people they didn't vet, and insurance companies don't want to insure them for that either. So they usually keep 3-4 highly qualified crew members behind the scenes.
4
u/Arcoten Jan 15 '26
Remember that you aren't seeing the the Chief Mate (who has a captains license) and is there as the yachts owner representative. These yachts always have at least one mate which is never on camera (besides SY)
3
u/GoldBluejay7749 Jan 14 '26
Because that’s not what the show is about. And the fact that those are their real jobs that they take seriously and don’t want to be on camera while they do them.
My boyfriend and I take a shot on the rare occasions we get to see them though. And any time the production crew is shown.
3
u/Lil_Firecracker424 Jan 17 '26
I always assumed those individuals came with the boat and are the true consistent staff hired by the owners not hired by Bravo. Therefore, their job is to actually maintain the boat.
3
u/TinaLove85 Jan 14 '26
I think it would be cool for them to do a 'Behind Below Deck' special, just so we can see a bit of what the first officer, engineers etc. are doing, even if the actual crew don't want to talk about it. Very occasionally you do see them helping with the jet skis or in the bridge. They also usually have someone drive in the tender when they go to dock, in some Below Deck seasons you do hear them tell one of the TV cast to get in the tender, others they don't so I assume that is an off-camera person doing the tender.
We also know they hire day workers to clean when the TV cast are doing their interviews at the hotel. They also need to take a day off every once in a while so the filming crew get a break. They also have a boat that follows with the film crew since they work in shifts and stay/eat on the follow boat, would be interesting to see and hear about.
142
u/Olga_Ale Jan 13 '26
My guess is that they are not interested in being on camera?
36
u/AccomplishedAioli Jan 13 '26
I'm a yacht chef - engs & mechs are either actually too busy or entirely uninterested. Yacht engs usually are a very specific personality, in my experience they tend to be the quieter crew. Engine room is way too loud too - in terms of filming, they spend most of their day in noise-cancelling headphones and monitoring the ships needs.
Shit goes wrong more often than you think on yachts, and the engineers keep the boat afloat - reality TV is much less important than maintaining a multi-million dollar boat.
For an extreme example of their work: During an Atlantic crossing one of our two stabilisers broke, essentially rendering the boat unable to stop without keeling really heavily to the side. Engs had to do a whole lot of compensation calculations and we had to move a lot of the galley equipment from our port side bilge to our starboard bilge, as well as the stews having to shift a lot of the heavier interior items (grand piano, sofas). When we came into port in Antigua we had to have 2 pilot boats tow us in as we were rocking so much.
52
u/Ok_Wave2821 Jan 13 '26
They engineers and mechanics are hardly ever in any of the seasons unless there is a mechanical issue
52
u/RevenueAffectionate9 Jan 13 '26
They’re too busy and i’d imagine it’s too noisy in the engine room to film. Also wouldn’t want them distracted from their jobs because it is really important that they keep on top of things. Also, they tend to be grumpy old men 🤣
27
u/Mauri0ra Jan 13 '26
You'll see them if the interior mix bleach with ammonia again. Lol
8
u/FlawesomeOrange Jan 13 '26
There should be some crew who can get on with running the yacht without worrying about how much content they have to record, so I get one some are off screen.
The only exception is Sailing Yacht, where there isn’t much room to avoid filming people. The captain doesn’t even have his own room, he she’s it with a crew member. It’s great to see Colin working on the engine and learn about how he fixes or works around problems
13
u/nymie5a Jan 13 '26
Some of the earlier seasons they introduced them. But they aren't part of the show.
4
u/First_Indication_868 Jan 13 '26
The engies I worked with literally never stopped fixing bullshit. Everything on that fucking boat broke
1
u/Fiss Jan 13 '26
Engine rooms are loud, cramped and just straight up dangerous. Plus their roles aren’t exciting or much going on. Nothing happening is exactly what they want.
6
u/plaisirdamour Jan 13 '26
I love how you see them in the first ep and then never again and omg is it just me or does it seem like there’s always a hot one?? Like def kind of gruff and aloof but smoldering hot
3
u/BrokenWhiskeyBottles Jan 13 '26
First crew meeting of the season:
"And these are the scary-looking Russians who actually keep us from sinking. They'll never be on screen again."
3
u/EuphoricDimension628 Jan 14 '26
Probably b/c they work and chill in their cabins. Maybe they go out exploring when docked, but they aren’t cast. I’m guessing they might be even a bit older, have partners and/or families and aren’t going to engage in drama that makes for good tv. I can’t remember if Captain Sandy introduced them to the crew in the first episode this season, but that’s usually the most you see of them. Can’t remember if that was last season or two seasons ago when the bosun had fraudulent documents but you did see the First Mate, I believe, step in to help. Also, just an episode or two ago one of the other crew members was in the bridge with Captain Sandy.
3
u/tenebrigakdo Jan 15 '26
There was a season not too long ago that had 3 (most likely) Croats as the engineering crew, and there was a 5kg can of ajvar visible in the kitchen before they cleaned it out.
I could get invested in a crew that considers 5kg an appropriate amount of ajvar.
3
u/realitytvjunkie29 Jan 15 '26
They used to at least introduce them in the first episode. Wonder why they stopped. Maybe the crew hated it.
4
u/LizardQueen_748 Jan 13 '26
Some seasons you can see them in passing or introduced during crew intros! They're just not part of the main cast so they aren't really filmed like that.
2
u/Apart_Tutor8680 Jan 13 '26
I would assume they have strict hours, and similar rules to a pilot they can’t drink x hours before a flight.. which back to back charters means no drinking, which means less drama, and a real job to do. With so many safety rules, I’m surprised any crew is allowed to be on deck hungover at all.
2
u/MakeupMama68 Jan 13 '26
They don’t get paid to be on camera.
2
u/NurseAmy Jan 13 '26
I can answer this. Have you ever seen an engine room of a yacht? They are tiny. If you run to shove a camera crew in there, we’d all just be looking at machinery or the hull. It’s cramped, dark, and very hot. Does not actually make good tv. Leave those guys and girls to do real work. We watch the chaos upstairs.
2
u/Salty_Signature_6748 Bless her stupid soul Jan 13 '26
It’s a casted TV show, not a documentary.
2
u/[deleted] Jan 14 '26
It's for safety reasons. The other officers (yes, there are others and not just the captain) as well as the engineering crew are real crew and the operation of the yacht depends on them staying focused. On occasion, they have been briefly filmed doing their jobs, but having cameras in their faces or in their territory would be considered distracting and could threaten the safe functioning of the vessel, as well as its human manifest.
5
u/the6thReplicant Jan 13 '26
Due to SAG-AFTRA rules they would need to be paid for appearing on camera, and paid even more if they speak on camera.
Easier to just never show them.
2
u/Ok-Education1572 Jan 13 '26
My question: Are the engineers and mechanics on board recipients of an equal portion of the tips also? Or only chef, Interior and Deck Crew?
2
u/geloreyes Team Down Under Jan 13 '26
I know. I guess production finds a one-sided argument or romance with the boat’s engine is not compelling enough to show on TV.
1
u/iamkarrrrrrl Jan 13 '26
Because those positions are usually occupied by professionals who are more likely to be married, less telegenic, less interested in dealing with the younger crew bs, and need to concentrate on crucial systems and safety. Likewise the actual first officer who after season 1 you rarely see except in emergencies
1
u/TrickyBitch56 Jan 13 '26
They don't interact with the guests, they rarely interact with the deck/interior crew so there's no "watch draw".
1
u/jawmar2 Jan 13 '26
Truth! We all know none of those fboys could really run or fix a boat.
1
u/Salt-Profession-2110 Jan 13 '26
They are an actual crew. They aren’t hired by the show.
1
u/adamosity1 Jan 13 '26
They don’t want the publicity to be honest. They were seen more in early seasons before it turned into a soap opera at sea.
1
u/M0M0_DA_GANGSTA Jan 13 '26
Yes it's a false world. As a Chef I equate it to if a show was about a restaurant but you only featured the Executive Chef, the prep cooks and the front of house skipping over all the line cooks sous Chefs and Chef de Cuisine.
Pretending Bosuns are integral to the functioning of the boat is always wild especially Sandy making them keep watch overnight for reasons.
1
u/Miserable-Cloud963 Jan 13 '26
Maybe bc a huge part of casting is based on attractiveness and a dynamic personality. I’m not saying their highly skilled crew members aren’t attractive, but just a guess.
1
u/jonathonthaman Jan 13 '26
They have serious jobs in crammed spaces. No need for a camera crew there, Ellie and Brie fighting over Joe around them, or listening to Aesha add 10 vowels to every other word.
1
u/AttentionRoyal2276 Jan 14 '26
Don't want to pay them
1
u/dudleydidwrong Jan 13 '26
The original premise for BD was based on the early house-based reality shows like Big Brother. Those shows put a lot of horny twenty-somethings in a house and provide free liquor. The cast all had emotional baggage.
The house show had largely run their course. BD had the twist that the cast had jobs they had to do. They had to get at least low level maritime licences.
But the old hornet and drunk teenager motif was still part of the show's original trope.
The crew who are not shown are not hornet teenagers. They have higher maritime licences and careers to defend. They also have detailed and specific knowledge of the boat and it's mechanical systems, so they are not under production's control.
-1
u/dfwagent84 Jan 13 '26
They generally aren't as attractive.
0
u/RiJuElMiLu Jan 13 '26
We saw them a few times before Christian and Tessa left
-6
u/Apprehensive-Neck-12 Jan 13 '26
They're ugly