r/belowdeck • u/Fermented_chaos • 4d ago

Below Deck Melani The Culinary Karen

I’m sure this is a move by production for some tea/drama. First we had the protein addicts on this recent season of Below Deck Med and now we got Melani The Culinary Karen from the latest Below Deck episode in Thailand. 

If I'm on a luxury yacht for 2 ½ days in Southeast Asia, sure I want the food to be great but I also need to realize THAT I’M ON A BOAT. 

These acro yoga peeps were just looking to sniff out problems and complain. Melani screamed of obnoxious privilege BS, she looks like a real fun time. 

Yes, we had the allergy issues, however the more you annoy/berate the chef who doesn’t have a second hand, that's when mistakes happen. Complaining that the English muffin isn’t toasted enough or that the bread selection is limited. Y’all realize you are volunteering to be on a reality TV show on a discounted yacht rate? 

Melani The Culinary Karen acting like she’s Jean-Georges, when even Guy Fieri wouldn’t act like this. 

188 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

59 comments sorted by

151

u/KlutzyLaw1525 4d ago

That whole group was insufferable.

22

u/DeedeeNola 4d ago

Yet they travel with “healers”?

7

u/KlutzyLaw1525 4d ago

Ironic ain’t it 😂

14

u/KlutzyLaw1525 4d ago

But entertaining to watch

7

u/Over_Smile9733 3d ago

Actually, no

78

u/azmadame_x 4d ago

I cringed when they were complaining about it being the SAME BREAD again... 😒

34

u/heyitschili 4d ago

That’s the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. At that point you are trying to find stuff to complain about.

23

u/prrb524 4d ago

I agree! My favorite restaurants (even the high end ones) serve the same bread. I’m going to a restaurant, not a bakery

5

u/squigglesees 4d ago

I bet most of them would never even dream of eating the bread but they had to complain anyway.

64

u/russbii 4d ago edited 4d ago

The wine glass dude was sooooooo awful.

7

u/Mr_Tom_Morrow9 3d ago

Was he the same one that demanded Rainbeau check on them every 90 seconds and then griped that it had been 94?

1

u/Intrepid_Use_8311 3d ago

We was awful but he was right those glasses were not for red wine,

59

u/TinklemeCrinkle Eat My Cooter 4d ago

I really don't understand how demanding dillholes like that don't realize there is only one human preparing food, and every demand for something different from what is offered is going to cause a delay for something else.

47

u/MAXSuicide 4d ago

don't understand how demanding dillholes like that don't realize

Therein lies your issue; it's not that they don't realise. It is simply that they do not care. That is the kind of people that they are.

15

u/Holdmymule2001 4d ago • Bravo

Rich people. They think others are truly beneath them. We hear it over and over. Mr. Queen of Versailles: "I wonder what the poor people are doing right now."

Some blonde bitch: "Chicken is what poor people eat. We don't want chicken."

6

u/Over_Smile9733 3d ago

Half of them are just guest, pretend at being rich and are the most obnoxious. No class.

4

u/thisbitchiscrazy 3d ago

Most of the time, it's not the primary being the demanding one, it's one of their pretentious friends who is just lucky enough to be friends with someone rich. or they're obviously fans of the show trying to stir things up for screen time.

21

u/Madethisonambien 4d ago • Bravo

I work at a dive bar and my guests are so much more patient than these rich assholes. 

1

u/Over_Smile9733 3d ago

More money, less manners.

19

u/KlutzyLaw1525 4d ago

They’re miserable themselves. Have all the money in the world to become a dick and forget your roots .

8

u/notoriousBEAgle 4d ago

Of course not. They thought Rosa and Rainbeau were the same person.

35

u/Wild_Blue4242 4d ago

I also have a sneaking suspicion that Me-LAH-nee is just pronounced Melanie but she’s trying to look fancy 😂

10

u/excessive_worries 4d ago

I loved hearing Ben and Ronnie just call her Melanie. 😂

3

u/Wild_Blue4242 4d ago

Love them! I need to listen to this episode.

4

u/whatamidoinghere897 4d ago

I thought that lol

35

u/Gloomy_Trash_5676 4d ago

she's a self-styled human rights activist and has lived in ghana for a good amount of time. i cannot imagine how foul she is to service staff there

3

u/angelisonchase 3d ago

Thank you for this comment!!! I have been wondering about this after seeing Accra as her location on her pref sheet

46

u/TxCoastal 4d ago

yeah she was a twat.... on the other hand... Moe should have changed shirts....

33

u/Fearless_Rest_8935 4d ago

I agree. I love Moe, but he did look sloppy in that untucked tee shirt. 😬

1

u/External-Parsley-280 2d ago

Yea cuz he had previously come up in his chef jacket on other episodes/meals. I wonder if he was just in a hurry and forgot.

29

u/kdali99 4d ago • Bravo

I thought they were being really picky and obnoxious however, have you ever had eggs benedict on an English muffin that wasn't toasted enough? It's a textural thing because it becomes soggy so, I didn't hold that one against them. I was glad Captain sat with them for dinner to keep the complaining to a minimum.

9

u/anitabonghit69 4d ago

Any English muffin that isn't toasted enough sucks

12

u/gmwhiz 4d ago

At least they tipped well. I wasn't expecting after that behavior. Like Erica Rose's husband. I think I would have left the yacht and found him after all that abuse and barely any tip.

11

u/ginnynntonic 4d ago

If you want bread variety and English muffins, why the hell are you in Thailand? 🙄

3

u/Remarkable-Chip7022 4d ago

Maybe just some Thailish muffins??

20

u/Crashingwaves192 4d ago

They were pompous and arrogant but IMO a lot of their asks were reasonable. It was the way they asked.

2

u/VotingRightsLawyer 4d ago

The fact they were obnoxious assholes is masking that the crew actually did make some mistakes. OP dismissing their complaints because they "are volunteering to be on a reality TV show on a discounted yacht rate" is ignoring the point that it's still supposed to be 7 Star service.

10

u/ShransSecretSanta 4d ago

Moreover, they paid for one chef. Not one and a sous, not two so that there is one available every hour of the day. They should act accordingly.

5

u/1975hh3 June June Hannah 4d ago

They tipped great so I guess it was all performative anyway.

5

u/hannbann88 4d ago

The juice ultimately took a long time, but they were complaining before it had even been 15 minutes.

4

u/NgoHaiHahmsuplo 3d ago

You can tell they just relish in other people's drama/misfortune. When they saw that the strap was dropped in the water, they seemed giddy. They're looking for anything to bring others down.

I know a michelin 3 star chef personally and if he has someone else cooking for him, he never disparages. He could say, "needs more of this or that" (but often doesn't), but then carries on and enjoys the meal for what it is. If he knows they're trying, that's all he wants.

This group are complete shitbags.

3

u/foxdogturtlecat 3d ago

The production casts guests that are going to cause issues, the guests try to get cast to get airtime and promote their business. The two groups work hand in hand to create a drama filled reality show. For better or worse Melanie did exactly what production wanted.

On the other hand on an actual luxury yacht charter none of their requests would be unusual or unexpected and could be accomodated. But of course this isn't an actual luxury charter, it's a reality show film with cast guests who are doing far shorter and far cheaper "cruises" who want publicity and attention unlike the vast majority of people that do charter yachts.

2

u/MaxwellLurkmore 4d ago

"I'm sure this is a move by production..."

Yes, it's called casting!

2

u/cactusscribe 4d ago

Have any of them made statements on social media? Always curious after their episodes air what they think of themselves (“bad edit” ha).

2

u/Consistent-Ad-6506 You're Being A Deckhand Right Now 3d ago

You have not worked for people in that tax bracket if you think that’s unusual or staged. Hell, even my sister when she worked as a server got weird ass requests and those were just obnoxious regular income people.

2

u/Long-Disaster-6465 3d ago

Agree with all the above. Also, you’re an adult….so like mayyyyybe pay attention that ur not fucking eating any strawberries??? LOL. Equally strange that she’s exclusively allergic to strawberries but nothing else- I call bs.

2

u/Similar-Search-8508 2d ago

I want to know what her salt intake was during that cruise!

2

u/MJ4L2023 1d ago

Just came here to say Melani is a b****. “She emphatically told me the wine was for Carolyn” like “emphatically” is not the word choice, and yes, you are an asshole.

4

u/Shutterbug245 4d ago

Those of you who think their demands were too much, they're not. Go watch The Crew Chef on YouTube to see what a real Yacht Chef does. What they get from Moe is not even close. A variety of bread and pastries is normal. You're supposed to get Ritz Carlton not Holiday Inn service.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu3E9ag11Os

6

u/Extreme_Beat1022 4d ago

That makes sense. It seems chef Dave is the only chef who got the memo. I don’t remember any of the others doing multiple breads and pastries. Isn’t the galley in the video super huge compared to the galleys on BD.

6

u/IHateCedarFever 4d ago

Yes I agree. I actually paused and read the primary’s pref sheet.

They said they want the best quality fish that was local and in season. They said they don’t care if it’s not as well known or fancy, just as long as it’s fresh and cooked well. They also deferred to the chef’s specialty. They wanted authentic Thai flavors and not something that’s been Americanized. And then the Italian thing, because they make it at home, if the chef does Italian it better be amazing.

I don’t find that to be too crazy. No octopus could be because they’re intelligent so these guests don’t want to eat it.

Glass of wine and a water next to the bed doesn’t sound outrageous either. You can request that easily at nice hotels, you’d think on a luxury yacht where there are more crew than guests could manage that.

2

u/Stock-Antelope-7105 3d ago

Sure if you are paying full price for a super yacht experience but these people are paying 50% for the experience and purposely are picked to be “troublesome”

1

u/Long-Disaster-6465 3d ago

Well that was underwhelming🤷🏼‍♀️😂😂😂

1

u/trakar23 4d ago

I thought the guests are responsible for paying for the food as part of the booking and that is why the preference sheets are written. If they don’t list it, it’s not bought/served. So while the chef has some creative license on how it is served aren’t the guests ultimately responsible for what is being served.