‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’: Will the Series Score a Season 2?
After a respectable first season, Below Deck Sailing Yacht appears to be ending with a bang. Crazy guests, a rocky romance, and crew drama seemingly set the show up for the saga to continue.
The season finale airs Monday, May 25 at 9/8c, followed by the crew reunion on Monday, June 1 before the premiere of Below Deck Mediterranean. Like other recent Bravo reunions, the gathering was filmed via teleconference due to the pandemic.
Ratings typically dictate if a show will continue. Housewives executive producer Andy Cohen said declining ratings was why The Real Housewives of Miami was canceled. “The reason that we let it go was, I remember the ratings went down toward the end of the season,” he said on an Instagram story. “Which never happens. Like it went down for the reunion, and if it’s going down toward the end that’s just never a good sign.”
So are the ratings there for another season? And can they even film considering some areas of the world are still locked down?
Ratings jumped during the crew shift
The series ratings appear to be ripe for a second season, especially since they’ve been on the rise. Ratings rose sharply when deckhand Parker McCown left the show and Chris Miller came in to replace him. The ratings also increased as crew drama began to build. The romance between chief stew Jenna MacGillivray and chef Adam Glick experienced some serious turbulence, stew Madison Stalker was overworked and guests became crazier (hello, awkward guest proposal).
The series truly found it’s footing after episode 13 with the crew shift. “S01E13 – 1.348 million viewers (0.47 18-49 demo) *series high*,” Bravo Ratings tweeted. After the shift, the ratings remained buoyant as viewers returned every Monday to see what unfolded.
While episode 13 was the high thus far, the ratings remained in the general neighborhood. The season finale hints at a possible drug bust and the guest is not happy.
Can they film another season this year?
Many productions are stuck with a big question mark about when to safely continue or begin filming. Season 8 of Below Deck managed to film most of the season, only reportedly cutting the season short by a few days.
The series filmed during the summer but is it safe for production to move forward? Private summer charters appear to still be booked, but postponed, according to Robb Report.
“We are operating on what can be referred to as an ‘open-ended postponement,’” Toby Maclaurin, Ocean Independence’s sales director, told Robb Report. “Many guests have entered into discussions about postponing their charters until a more convenient time of the year.”
He said postponement means some people are planning for an autumn trip. “While times are uncertain, isolation has by no means diminished peoples’ appetites for travel,” he said. “And we expect that as we settle into this new normal, people will still be eager to experience yacht charter when they are able to.”
Casting agents put out a call for the series too
Another indicator that Below Deck Sailing Yacht will film another season is a recent casting call. “Now casting 🌟EXPERIENCED🌟 yachties who have worked on SAILBOATS for @belowdeckbravo!! Know someone who’d be amazing (even if it’s you!)?!” casting agent, Diana Wallace shared on Instagram. The post asked candidates to share their CV, photo, and “a bit about yourself and your experience!”
The post received a decent public response as prospective sailing yachties were interested in joining the show. While some of the cast may be interested in another run, Glick seems to be finished with the show.
“I think that the learned lessons for me, in the long run, is that after 12 years living and working on the open ocean, I’m f**king over it. I’m ready to have a ranch, I’m ready to live my life on land and grow a beautiful garden. And do the things that I want to do, like feed people organically over a fire. And none of those things can I do on a boat,” he said on a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht season finale is on Monday, May 25 at 9/8c on Bravo.
