‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’ Producer Says Captains Help Hire the Crew
Do Below Deck captains have any say when it comes to hiring the crew? Some captains have shared they don’t hire the crew on the show. But Below Deck Sailing Yacht producer Jill Goslicky said Captain Glenn Shephard collaborates with production to help choose the crew.
“The Captains do have a say in who we bring on, but we all collaborate on who should fill out the yacht crew for each season,” Goslicky shared in a Reddit, “Ask Me Anything” at the beginning of season 2. “The Chief Engineer position, for instance, specifically has to have Glenn’s sign-off each season because that’s a technically skilled job, and the person filling it must be up to the task.”
Captain Glenn contributed to the ‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’ Season 2 cast
None of the season 1 crew members returned for season 2, which is unprecedented. Typically the chief stew will have a recurring role and viewers were curious how producers (and the captains) determine who returns.
“It’s a delicate decision that’s made between us (the producers), the Captain, and Bravo,” Goslicky shared during the AMA. “A lot of it has to do with what is going on in that person’s life at the time. Do they have compelling reasons for their story to continue on in the show? You’ve seen some instances where cast members take a season off and then come back, for instance. That’s because circumstances are suddenly right for them to make a return.”
While Shephard apparently played a role in who returned, he was still nervous going into season 2 with an entirely new crew. “I was a bit nervous for a completely new crew takeover other than myself, but I was put at ease as soon as I met my new team and immediately got the sense that they would all find the same vibe and click to work well as a team,” he shared during the same AMA. “I could tell right away it was going to be a great season.”
Other ‘Below Deck’ captains shared they don’t get to pick the crew
While Goslicky said captains contribute to the crew lineup, Captain Lee Rosbach from Below Deck said he doesn’t get to pick the crew. A fan asked Rosbach on Twitter if he or someone else chooses the crew. “Someone else” he replied. But Rosbach didn’t go into detail about whether or not he’s consulted or has influence over a crew member he feels is not up to the job. He has shared in the past he has the authority to fire crew members on the show.
Captain Sandy Yawn from Below Deck Mediterranean is often asked how crew members are chosen, especially after some interesting crew picks over the last few years. She agreed that chef Mila Kolomeitseva from season 4 was a shocker. “The chef makes or breaks the charter,” Yawn revealed on the Reality Life with Kate Casey podcast in 2019. “Shocking, shocking, shocking!” she said about Kolomeitseva. “I have never in my entire career…when Hannah [Ferrier] told me and I ate the cake, we have to get rid of her.”
Kolomeitseva’s Le Cordon Bleu training didn’t shine through during her short time on the show. In addition to making several meals from pre-packaged boxed ingredients, she was also caught on camera licking a raw steak and had a tough time assimilating with the rest of the crew.
