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Despite receiving sizable tips throughout the season, the Below Deck Mediterranean Season 6 crew ended the season with about $132,385 in total tips. And while $132,000 is a decent amount of cash, no other Below Deck Med crew has ended the season with tip totals below $140,000.

However, Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2 also saw a significant tip drop from the previous season. Could coronavirus (Covid-19) be the culprit? What kind of season-ending tip totals did the Below Deck Med crews receive in the past?

‘Below Deck Med’ Season 6 crew received close to $40,000 less in tips

The Below Deck Med Season 5 crew ended the season with $171,500 in total tips for their six-week season. This meant the season 6 crew received about $40,000 less in total tips from the previous season. Not taken into account were potential additional costs associated with quarantine for charter guests, which may have dinged overall tips. Despite the significant decrease season over season, the season 6 crew saw a string of decent tips throughout the season.

The Below Deck Med Season 6 total tips were the lowest in the series
The Below Deck Med Season 6 total tips were the lowest in the series |Laurent Basset/Bravo

The Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2 crew, who also filmed during the height of the pandemic saw a dip in tips. Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 1 crew actually received a higher tip total than the Below Deck Med Season 6 crew. They ended their first season with $143,000 in total tips. Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2 crew ended with $106,450 for the six-week season. One big difference between the pandemic Sailing Yacht and Med seasons was that a few charters on Sailing Yacht were impacted by Covid. One charter was cut short when a guest became ill. And another charter never showed up because of a positive test.

Which ‘Below Deck’ seasons had the lowest in total tips?

Until Below Deck Season 6, the crew from Below Deck Med Season 3 held the record for the lowest total tips at $142,760. Season 2 was better at $145,500. Otherwise, tip totals were in the $150,000 and above. Below Deck Med Season 5 saw tips explode.

Other seasons that lagged in tips were Below Deck Season 1 at $56,650 and Below Deck Season 2 at $113,500. Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2 has the second-lowest tips, followed by Below Deck Season 2 and now Below Deck Med Season 6.

‘Below Deck’ crew dish about the money (honey)

Tip money is gravy for many yachties. A few Below Deck crew members dished with Showbiz Cheat Sheet in 2019 about how lucrative the business can be, especially when it came to tips. “On charter boats, tips can be as much as €4,000 per person, per week and in some cases even more,” João Franco from Below Deck Med Seasons 3 and 4 said. “We’ve heard of crew members that rack up €40,000 in a summer season each, just on tips!” €40,000 shakes out to about $45,000.

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The big downfall was the amount of money yachties can spend while on charter. “In between charters or after a long charter season, some yachties will spend a couple of thousand euro in over a weekend,” Franco explained. “Yachties are also known to grow accustomed to this type of money.” The Below Deck crews were seriously hindered in their in-town explorations during the pandemic. So if they received lower tips, did they save more?

Rhylee Gerber, who also spoke to Showbiz Cheat Sheet in 2019 said yachting allowed her to live on a dime.  “I was able to stretch the two months I worked on My Seanna on Below Deck, plus about 60 days working in Alaska,” she recalled. Another bonus of being a yachtie is most of your expenses are covered by the yacht owner. “If I wanted $60 face cream, it would be paid for,” she laughed.

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