‘Below Deck’ Producers Put Cameras Down During the Boat Crash but It Isn’t the First Time in the History of the Show

Alli Dore from Below Deck Sailing Yacht admits she was especially shaken when she saw production put down their cameras during the boat crash. As terrifying as that was, this wasn’t the first time production stopped rolling due to a Below Deck crisis.

“And all the cameras went down,” Dore said during a weekly Pita Party Instagram video. “We were dead ship. All the lights went out, everything went down. We had never seen production put their cameras down before. And this was the first time. And that was terrifying. Because that meant it was a real, true emergency.” When did producers encounter another terrifying circumstance on the show? Think Below Deck Season 6.

A ‘Below Deck’ cameraman saved Ashton Pienaar’s life

Thankfully the Below Deck Sailing Yacht production crew only needed a moment during the horrific crash. But a Below Deck cameraman ended up saving a crew member’s life during season 6.

A line wrapped around deckhand Ashton Pienaar’s ankle, dragging him into the water. He was dragged behind the boat as deckhand Rhylee Gerber immediately called “Man overboard.” Cameras captured the crew going into scramble mode. Pienaar ended up being freed from the rope and managed to swim to the tender being towed behind the boat.

While the crew went into emergency mode, cameraman Brent Freeburg was the one who saved Pienaar’s life. He put down his camera and quickly untangled the rope allowing Pienaar to swim away. Once Freeburg confirmed that Pienaar was fine, he picked up his camera and resumed filming.

Producers ride the wild waves along with the crew

Freeburg was called a hero for saving Pienaar’s life. But he was humbled by the sudden praise. “There were a few of us that came together in the very last moments possible, to do an urgent thing. Thankfully, we managed to get it done,” he tweeted.

Freeburg attended the Below Deck Season 6 reunion and he and Pienaar embraced. But again, Freeburg wouldn’t take all the credit for saving Pienaar’s life. “First let me say it wasn’t just me, I’ve been getting a lot of attention for sure,” he said. “But it was Rhylee who made the first call, captain for putting the boat out of gear, Ross [Inia] who untied the lines. So it was really collectively all of us who came together.” He added that he simply assessed the situation and acted fast.

Another Bravo production crew also needed more than a moment during an intense and scary circumstance on The Real Housewives of New York City. The Cartagena boat ride ended up being the boat ride from hell and a producer admitted the excursion was terrifying. “It was so dangerous that we had to put our cameras down,” producer Michael Beck shared on the Reality Life with Kate Casey podcast. It was too dangerous for the cameramen to have the cameras on their shoulders. The most crazy parts of that trip they had to put their cameras down … and it was crazy.”

He added, “The fact that [the boat] didn’t flip was mind-boggling to all of us. Everybody was scared. Some people were crying. I think somebody may have peed their pants literally.”