Skip to main content

Revealing the total amount in tip money the Below Deck crew receives at the end of the show has become a moment where viewers see the true fruits of the crews’ labor.

Captain Lee Rosbach, Rhylee Gerber, Kate Chastain, Simone Mashile, Courtney Skippon, Brian de Saint Pern, Kevin Dobson, Tanner Sterback, Ashton Pienaar
Captain Lee Rosbach, Rhylee Gerber, Kate Chastain, Simone Mashile, Courtney Skippon, Brian de Saint Pern, Kevin Dobson, Tanner Sterback, Ashton Pienaar | Karolina Wojtasik/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank

The Below Deck Mediterranean Season 5 crew ended the season collectively making $171,500 in tip money, which was $14,292 each. And while $14,000 is a staggering amount of money just in tips, crews make an even higher amount during an actual season. After all, a Below Deck “season” only lasts about six weeks.

Using the amount from Below Deck Med Season 5, the crew would end up making closer to $40,000 each in tip money alone if they worked a typical season. A yacht season lasts about four to five months. The Caribbean season covers the winter months, while the Med season begins in the summer. Making $40,000 in tips during a single season sounds pretty accurate as João Franco from Below Deck Med recounted a crew that made about $45,000 during a summer season.

João Franco said some crews can make $4,800 per week

Below Deck crews look thrilled when they receive $2,000 or more in tip money for a charter. Keep in mind, Below Deck charters are only a few nights and days. So making more than $2,000 for a few days of working 24/7 is a fantastic payout. Despite being heavily discounted, Below Deck charter guests are encouraged to tip on the advertised rate.

Most actual charters run at least a week. Franco told Showbiz Cheat Sheet he recalled a crew that made about $45,000 in tip money during a single summer season.

“On charter boats, tips can be as much as €4,000 per person, per week and in some cases even more,” he shared in 2019. “We’ve heard of crew members that rack up €40,000 in a summer season each, just on tips!” The euro to dollar conversion works out to nearly $45,000 U.S. dollars.

Tip money alone can help yachties create an amazing nest egg

Knowing what he knows now, Colin Macy-O’Toole said he would have embarked upon a career in yachting immediately out of college. “I’d probably start right out of college at age 22 and then put in about five years of work on yachts,” he told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “Depending on where you live, you could even save enough money to buy a house.”

Using the base calculation of $40,000 per season, Macy-O’Toole would have had close to $400,000 if he saved all of his tip money working year-round for five years.

Related

‘Below Deck Med’ Season 6 Charter Guests Paid $40,000 to $45,000 To Be on the Show, Plus Destination Revealed

Yachtie Kelsey Miller told Business Insider she and her husband saved enough money to purchase a home after working on a yacht for only two years.  “On the boat, we had basically no expenses,” she said. “Our groceries were paid for, our uniforms were paid for, our toiletries were paid for, and we had a rental car wherever the boat was docked.” The couple even received health insurance.

While all expenses are covered, it still doesn’t stop yachties from blowing their earnings. “Yachties are also known to grow accustomed to this type of money,” Franco said. “In between charters or after a long charter season, some yachties will spend a couple of thousand euro in over a weekend.”

Best in Entertainment