Below Deck’s Gabriela Confided in Captain Glenn When She Hit a Rough Patch – ‘He Kind of Gave Me Dad Vibes’ (Exclusive)
Gabriela Barragan said that Captain Glenn Shephard was such an amazing leader and captain, she felt comfortable confiding in him when she struggled a bit on Below Deck Sailing Yacht.
Barragan said Shephard gave her “dad vibes” and he always knew the right thing to say when things got a little tough on the boat. She also shared a few thoughts on some of the crew and said she definitely binged Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 2 before she was cast on the show.
Captain Glenn gave Gabriela ‘dad vibes’
Barragan felt honored to work for Shephard. “[Shephard] is 100 % as endearing and lovely on the show, in real life,” she told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “It was just really an honor to work for a captain with his tenure. And a captain who has been working on this boat for almost his entire career. Pretty much he’s been on Parsifal for about 13 years. He knows his stuff and he’s just really cool to be with. And he’s like Daisy [Kelliher]. He doesn’t micromanage. He trusts his team. And when you have superiors that trust you and your abilities, it gives you more confidence too. That’s definitely how he is. And I loved working with him.”
She added, “He kind of gave me dad vibes so when I was having a little bit of a hard time, I felt comfortable talking to him about it. And he always knows the right things to say, considers everyone’s point of view and perspective, and makes you feel like this is a safe place. And you know, we’re going to get through this.”
Gabriela shares why she liked working with Daisy
Barragan said chief stew Daisy Kelliher runs a tight ship but doesn’t micromanage her team. “I love the way Daisy trusts her team,” she said. “She definitely gives you a chance. It kind of reminds me of how when I was a bartender in New York City where they throw you in and watch how you work. Sink or swim. And then you’ll get respect.”
“And that’s how Daisy is,” Barragan recalled. “She’s like, you can do this and she lets you do your thing. She doesn’t micromanage and she’s very supportive and she’s very complimentary, which is new for me. I’ve never had people tell me ‘good job’ or like, say, ‘I’m so happy with our team.’ She’s like that. I really love that about her.”
Barragan also laughed about how first mate Gary King seemed to kiss just about everyone on the boat.
“Gary will kiss anything,” she laughed. “But I definitely didn’t think he would hit on me and I didn’t think I was his type. I’m a little bit older and a tomboy. I always think of myself as one of the boys and I forget. And like Gary is just my buddy. So I was a little bit surprised when he was being quite flirty with me, like, ‘Wait what’s going on here?'”
She also watched ‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’ Season 2
She did her homework and watched the prior season. But Barragan didn’t let any opinions drive how she interacted with the crew this season. “I absolutely watched [Below Deck Sailing Yacht] Season 2 at the beginning of Covid and they’re all stuck on the boat and not moving,” she said.
“I got to watch it in its entirety and I was on the edge of my seat and very emotionally invested in all the characters,” she continued. “Fell madly in love with Colin [MacRae], who is a serial monogamist. So don’t even bother.”
“Before I joined Parsifal I was a freelancer, I join these boats all the time,” she shared. “And I’m always the new person. So I went into it like, not these people who were on TV. Instead, this is just another freelance position. This is another temporary contract. And so because I know how reality TV works in a sense, I didn’t judge anybody based on what I saw the season before. Everyone had a blank slate, in my point of view.”
Below Deck Sailing Yacht is on Monday at 8 pm ET on Bravo.
