Bravo’s ‘Camp Getaway’: Senior Director Claire Sorrels Could End up Making Kate Chastain From ‘Below Deck’ Look Chill
Bravo’s Camp Getaway has all the flavors of Below Deck, which includes a leader who must run a tight ship (or camp).
Like chief stew Kate Chastain, senior director Claire Sorrels’ job is to keep the guests happy at all times, which sometimes means laying into her staff. Chastain has brought a few of her stews to tears in the past, but she typically does it in a controlled, but deadly serious tone.
Sorrels may be taking this notion up several notches as she’s seen tearing into a few staff members. The scene involves a guest’s birthday cake delivery, which apparently was ill-timed on the part of staff members, who are referred to as “social coordinators.”
Making an autonomous decision was a bad idea
Like Below Deck, social coordinators and staff need to follow directions from senior directors. Unfortunately, two social coordinators, Nile Lundgren, and Neely Fortune make the call to deliver a birthday cake earlier than expected because they think that’s what the guest requested.
The guests and social coordinators are enjoying dinner when Lundgren wonders if they should present the cake now even though he was (likely) told to wait. “It’s better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission,” social coordinator Glen North asserts.
Was that the right advice? Lundgren and Fortune decide to get the cake and prepare it for a big presentation. Camp owner and director David Schreiber is seen looking on and seems somewhat concerned. “They told me to serve the cake in an hour,” Lundgren says in a confessional. “But … I’m gonna do what the guest wants.”
Maybe they should have talked to Sorrels first
Lundgren and Fortune prepare the cake for the guests to sing “Happy Birthday.” Lundgren gathers the entire crew for the big reveal. The guests seem happy and enjoy the cake. However, Sorrels is steaming. She explains in a confessional that everything is timed out and planned.
Schreiber adds in a confessional, “All it takes is one moron to change that whole thing up.” Sorrels agrees and in the preview clip, she demonstrates how she handles this misstep.
She demands to speak with Lundgren and Fortune in private immediately. Once the trio reaches a private area Sorrels lets it rip. “I’m going to say this once and only once,” she says. “If I tell you to do something you do what I say. What time did I say to do the cake?” When Lundgren says they were told to wait an hour, she says, “Yeah. When the band was starting after dessert was done. And did you do that?” They shake their heads “no.”
“No, so maybe I’m a bit pissed,” Sorrels barks. Fortune tells her that the guests requested the cake. But Sorrels shoots back, “Yeah? If I say don’t do it, don’t do it! And if you wanna do it, don’t work here.” She adds, “I’m not playing” as she storms away.
David Schreiber says viewers should buckle up for drama
The series will feature loads of fun and frolicking. But like Below Deck, the series also shows tension, which Schreiber says he sees every year at his camp.
“It’s really interesting. I’ll start the season with a pool of about 70 people,” he told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. “We’ll end the season with a pool of 35. People will be like, ‘This isn’t for me’ or ‘This isn’t what I expected.’ And they’ll just not come back. Or I’ll say, ‘You’re not right for us,’ and they won’t come back.”
Why won’t some return? “You have to remember it’s a people business,” he said. “And everybody has a breaking point. I think Camp Getaway exposes everybody’s breaking point. Even I have a breaking point. I think though it goes both ways. I hope my team realizes if someone reaches a breaking point, that they could step away and maybe not take it personally.”
Camp Getaway premieres Monday at 10/9c on Bravo.
