‘Below Deck’ and ‘American Idol’ Mashup Magic Rocks the Yacht in Amazon’s ‘Yacht Stops’
Yacht Stops is a new Below Deck-type reality show where American Idol type musicians become yachties while throwing free impromptu concerts in different ports along the Southern U.S. East Coast.
From the mind of Last Comic Standing, Yacht Stops was originally supposed to be about a bus filled with traveling musicians. But Covid-19 had other plans so creator Michael Bloom had to pivot. “I originally met Michael Bloom through ReverbNation,” Yacht Stops musician Angelyn Iturbide told the Sun-Sentinel. “He was doing a casting call. We sent in some stuff, well I did. And he liked it. The idea [for Yacht Stops] was originally Bus Stops. It was going to be about the same thing — touring musicians and the ins and outs of how a tour works, the hard things that we have to go through and endure and also the good things.”
‘Yacht Stops’ turns musicians into ‘Below Deck’ yachties
The yachting spin meant that musicians would have to learn about boating before embarking upon their adventure. “The first week there was boat boot camp,” Iturbide admitted. “It was hard. I honestly heaved overboard a few times. It was not good.”
“The sea is not nice to people,” she added. “If it doesn’t like you, it will tell you. We figured it out though. We had some good teachers. And we got to go on a fishing boat and catch some fish. That was new experience; I’ve never done that before.” Even experienced yachties get seasick. Below Deck Mediterranean viewers watched as stew Kasey Cohen was horribly seasick.
According to the series’ website, the musicians end up juggling between performing concerts and maintaining the boat. “Our Captain will assign these duties accordingly,” according to the Yacht Stops site. “As a result of their duties, the band mates may want to mutiny at some point, but they won’t and despite the implied hardships, these band members will forge a bond not ever possible any other way. They will have each other’s backs when things get rough and will be applauding each other when the job is well done.”
‘Yacht Stops’ could be stopping at a port near you
The series already started dropping episodes on Amazon Prime. The five-member band will spend the next two months, playing at 14 marinas in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Yacht Stops promoted their latest show on Instagram. “We’re coming to @inletharbormarina in Ponce Inlet, FL THIS Saturday May 29th! Show is at 7pm, so come earlier to their restaurant!” Shows typically kick off at 7 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m.
Musician Kelly Morris said joining Yacht Stops is a dream come true. “This is a vacation for me,” he told the Post and Courier. “I’m always busking, always recording, always worrying, always trying to get music out and done. Now I get to have fun playing and singing and collaborating — on a yacht. I can’t believe this is happening still; someone pinch me.”
Yacht Stops is on Amazon Prime and will have 22 episodes.
