‘Below Deck Med’: João Franco Doesn’t Think Producers Knew Lead Deckhand Would Be This Toxic

João Franco from Below Deck Mediterranean doesn’t think producers knew lead deckhand, Pete Hunziker would turn out to be as toxic as he is both on and off the series. In a string of tweets, Franco expressed his outrage over the deckhand’s behavior.

The conversation was sparked after someone on Twitter compared him to Hunziker. Franco took issue with the remark. And while he admits to being appalled with his own drunk behavior, he reminded the person that Hunziker’s behavior was “next level.”

“He is also ‘an experienced Captain,’ talking about how he f**ks the stews that he employs,” Franco tweeted, referencing a moment between Hunziker and second stew Christine “Bugsy” Drake. “Forgive me if I don’t see room for comparison here. either you think less of me or more of him and I’m going defend myself in this case because I won’t take being compared to him lightly.”

Franco says that producers basically roll the dice when it comes to casting

A few fans wondered if Hunziker was cast for shock value. But Franco says producers generally only have someone’s profile to work with for casting.

“Casting is done for ratings, yes, but they look for character, not somebody that is going to cause harm or destruction. These underlying characteristics are hard to foresee by any employer, let alone the casting team,” he wrote in response to the tweet. He added, “They do not know. It’s like going on a tinder date. You see what people want you to see on their profile (cv) and you only find out what they’re like after they get comfortable.”

Others wondered if producers checked Hunziker’s social media. He was fired by the network for sharing a racist and violent meme after the season premiered. “Sure, and my point is they do check social media. As like everyone on social media though, you don’t show your flaws, only your good attributes. It was a racist post after production, not before. I know they wouldn’t stand for that, regardless of the current times,” Franco shared.

Franco is also completely outraged by the deckhand’s behavior

Franco expressed disgust for Hunziker’s behavior too. “Twitter’s word limit is the only reason I cannot fully express my anger towards how f@*cking disgusting Pete is. The little boy needs to grow up! Talking to bugsy about f*@king the stews that work for him- learn to respect your crew and your position, CAPTAIN,” Franco tweeted.

When someone asked if he was outraged by the show, he replied he was simply upset by the deckhand’s behavior. “Outraged by a show? No. I’m outraged by a person’s character traits that is shown, not the show. They get ratings by the show being a real reality show and highlighting a person’s true character, good or bad…, the show ‘doesn’t want it,” they just show real people and events,” he responded.

In fact, Franco shared that there was one crew member he’d love to work with someday. “Kiko is on my very small list of crew I would hire in a heartbeat,” Franco tweeted about the happy chef on the series. “What a lad. Not a bad bone in his body! The pressure is real Sir… you’re doing great- love it.”