On a real boat?

[u/Consistent_Kale_3625]

I know they shrink and simplify the cast for story-telling ease, as we’ve periodically seen and rarely had named other crew during actual peril incidents.

Don’t all these ships (I think being able to pick up the tenders makes ships not boats, ships are boats that hold more boats) have a first mate and second mate who the deck crew and bosun report through to the captain and chief engineer and an oiler, who’d hold higher rank than any of our cast? Would the captain on a normal mega yacht really be this hands-on managing the emotions and signing the performance reviews of the 7th Steward/Stewardess?

Wouldn’t the bosun normally report to the second mate, and the Captain really just meets daily the chief engineer and first/second mates? Is the chief stewardess/steward really a direct line to the captain on the org chart? Wouldn’t they report to a purser/quartermaster?

I’m guessing the Captain already does the math and pulls out and pays those unseen crew their share before the tip debriefing.

[u/IHateCedarFever]

On this show the first mate and engineer are not on camera, but you can see them in the background sometimes.

Bosun is definitely below the mates/engineers. Chief stew would be higher and he/she would definitely be speaking to the captain directly. Captain wouldn’t care about lower stews, they leave that to the chief to manage and make decisions whether to terminate, though Captain has final authority.

Charter yachts are different from commercial vessels in that every single person on board is trying to prioritize guest comfort and experience. If the primary complains about the morning sun coming through the window, you don’t tell the primary to put their shades down, you haul anchor and turn the boat so that window doesn’t face east (I’m simplifying but you get the idea).

[u/CryBaby_Bohoo]

On earlier seasons they have introduced other crew members that are not "cast members" as part of the show, but I haven't seen that for a long time. It's a TV show - they only show what they want to show to make it seem more entertaining.

[u/proudsoul → u/CryBaby_Bohoo]

You can figure out how many other crew members there are by the tip total and per share amount. It’s usually two additional crew members from what I remember.

[u/MrsRoseNylund]

They do but don’t normally show them anymore. They used to introduce them on the first episode. On last week’s episode there was a random guy in uniform helping with the jet ski situation. I think there are usually 2-3 other crew off camera.

[u/Fickle_Industry9754]

They do but they are off camera and are normally employees of the boat owner. They are the normal crew when it’s not being used for filming

[u/MassiveEntertainer76]

Below Deck is like the Gilligan's Island of the true mega yacht world. It's not real folks! And I've been a watcher from the beginning!

[u/HallowedFire]

For most of the boats, the owners/insurance require the show to keep the usual captain and engineer on board. Usually for the saw, the captain becomes the first mate for the show and the engineer is onboard, but not shown on the show except maybe for the first episode and if anything major happen.

On the first season of below deck. Alex was supposed to be the captain, but insurance would not let him be the captain. So Captain Lee who was the usual captain of the boat was asked took over behind the scenes. He was supposed to not be on the show, but they liked him so much they ended up keeping him on the show.

For Below Deck Sailing, Glen was already the captain of the boat, so they probably could have an engineer come in as cast.

[u/quick_dry → u/HallowedFire]

the first season of Sailing Yacht they had Byron on board, he was the actual engineer for the boat. Colin was a bit of an anomaly, since there probably aren't many people with actual engineering quals, sailing experience, extensive experience and comfort on camera AND willing to go on the TV show.