‘Below Deck’ Producers Insist Charter Guests Don’t Do the Show Because They Are Thirsty to Be on TV
Do charter guests sign on for Below Deck to snag their 15 minutes of fame? Not really, says executive producer Courtland Cox.
Even though a slew of guests on the show have been even more outrageous than the crew, the majority of the guests take a voyage on a Below Deck yacht because they can score a reasonable deal on a yacht vacation and have the Below Deck experience.
‘Below Deck’ charter guests seek a fun time and not TV time
“They’re not people that are coming on because they feel like this is a good chance for them to get on TV,” Cox told Bravo. “This is a great experience for them to charter a very large yacht with a very experienced and fun crew and have an amazing three-day charter in an amazing location.”
“I want them to enjoy their charter and not be afraid to ask for things if they want,” he continued. “And I think that at the end of their charters, like, every charter guest we’ve had has said this has been an amazing experience.”
But ‘Below Deck’ has hosted some pretty memorable characters
Despite Cox’s assertion that most guests aren’t mugging for the camera, he pointed out that the series has hosted several unforgettable characters.
“They make for great entertainment,” he remarked about the guests. “Guests are difficult and so I love that.”
A favorite guest is Steve “Foam Man” Bradley from seasons 3 and 6. Bradley, who is also friends with Captain Lee Rosbach, insisted on partying at all costs, even if it enraged Rosbach.
“Steve is 1 million percent Steve,” Cox recounted. “Like, if I could bottle the essence of Steve and inject that into my veins, I would totally do that because he is authentically, 1,000 percent living his life. He finds joy in everything and he has a great time, and when you listen to the yacht crew when Steve was chartering the yacht, they all say, ‘I want to be Steve when I’m 60 or 65,’ because he is just fully engaged in his joy and bliss. So, I love those kinds of guests.”
Dean Slover is another memorable guest
There have also been guests who stirred up trouble with the crew. Dean Slover from seasons 2,3, and 4 began his stint on Below Deck being so annoying to chief stew Kate Chastain, he was the inspiration behind the “rocket ship” blanket fold.
“I love Dean Slover,” Cox said. “Dean’s been on three charters because Dean always comes with his amazing bevy of these beautiful men that come on the boat and they’re in skimpy bathing suits and they look incredible and I’m like, I want to be all those guys. They look incredible.”
“Again, somebody that just fully embraces the joy of it,” he said. “So, I mean, I think the guests that come on and have an amazing time, and you look at them as a producer and go, ‘I want to live that life,’ those are the guests I love seeing.”
