have speculated that the reality show is scripted. Each season is set on a luxurious super yacht and follows a familiar formula that thrives on high levels of drama and the mere threat of danger striking.
After a combined 20 seasons of Below Deck and its spinoffs, certain aspects of the reality franchise have become predictable, including irritating tropes about which fans have vented on Reddit. From repeated storylines to casting specific archetypes to questionable editing choices, fans would like to see the worst tropes set sail from Below Deck for good.
Beach Picnic Mishaps
Since Below Deck films in exotic locations, one of the most popular guest requests is to have a gourmet meal served on a small, typically secluded, beach. While the concept seems simple enough, it requires the interior and exterior teams to work together, and their poor communication usually leads to finger-pointing and numerous back-and-forth trips in the tender.
Many fans on Reddit have expressed how tired they are of the drama associated with these outings, especially over something so simple. As one Redditor puts it, "The fate of mankind depends on the execution of this beach picnic, and we forgot the napkins." Sometimes even a small language barrier is to blame since Hannah once referred to the napkins as serviettes, which confused Jess.
Food Critic Fake Outs
While it may be easy to rank the chefs on Below Deck, they should also be commended for enduring unreasonably rude guests, who are often critical about their food and insulting to the gourmet cooking, even when it was catered to their every whim.
As an editing trick, Below Deck likes to show a guest asking to speak to the chef before a commercial break. Redditor GathywithaG describes this overused trope: "We're all left on a cliffhanger... do they hate it?! We return from break to find out they actually LOVE IT!!" While it's nice to see positive , the unnecessary suspense is getting old.
Overdressed For Dinner
Whether it's a themed dinner set for the guests or a night out at a restaurant and club for the crew, everyone seems to dress to the nines for dinner. Spending hours getting dressed, putting on makeup, and styling hair can make guests and crew run late for dinner, which can cause drama with the people who had to wait on them.
Reddit BlueonBlack26 hilariously notes, "Getiing WAYYYY overdressed for dinner... where are you goinnnn." The guests and the crew obviously know they will be on camera, but it still seems like a lot of effort, especially for the crew to enjoy some pasta and espresso martinis at a local restaurant.
The Slide And Water Toys
Since the dawn of the Below Deck franchise, there has been one mortal enemy that all deckhands must learn to slay: the slide. Season after season, entire crews whine about the physical labor and bicker about the proper methods to set up the notorious slide, which hangs over the side of the super yacht. This broken record has only gotten worse with the addition of every "water toy" on the market.
One exasperated MacGyver" solutions to stop the slide from losing air, to worrying about Captain Lee untwisting the slide shortly after recovering from surgery, the inflatable monstrosity has caused more anxiety than any of the water toys, including the jet skis.
Docking Drama
The majority of the Bravo audience likely hasn't been on a yacht, let alone worked on one. While the complexities of docking should be explained, it shouldn't be reiterated so often. After 20 seasons of docking, even a casual fan will understand the inherent possibility that something could go wrong, even if it usually goes off without a hitch.
Of all the Below Deck leaders, Captain Sandy is the most vigilant about explaining the process, since she allegedly never hit anything until Season 7 of Below Deck Mediterranean. Redditor whiterabbit818 mimics Captain Sandy by explaining, "These docks are so tight, and we need to time it just right, so I need Malia and her team to be ON ... cut to pulling in, nothing happens."
Drunk Alter Egos And Blackouts
Crew on Below Deck typically have a "work hard, play hard" mentality. But while some just want to let loose a little, others are determined to get blackout drunk, wreak havoc on the crew, then blame their actions on their "drunk alter ego." After drinking too much, some of the worst crew on Below Deck exhibit violent behavior and/or commit unsolicited sexual advances.
Below Deck's recurring problem of alcohol abuse goes far beyond nicknames like Smashton and Jezebob, and usually leads to, "drunken, belligerent, relationship-destroying brawls that are swept under the rug... because everyone was blacked out and couldn't exactly what happened," as Redditor DoneDidThisGirl phrases it, which is a serious problem that the show's producers capitalize on.
Changing Clothes
The premise of Below Deck relies on how difficult it is to live and work not only in the same place, but in very tight quarters, which could make it hard to find a second of alone time. The cameras in the extremely tight crew cabins have captured some important conversations, but more often than not, the voyeurism in the edits of the footage feels more intrusive than the lack of privacy on Big Brother.
Several fans on Reddit have spoken to this point, including ClarkDoubleUGriswald, who writes, "Them showing the crew changing/undressing ... I just feel like it's invasive and usually unnecessary." Almost every episode shows the bosun, chief stew or captain asking the crew to go change, which would be enough to get the point across, without making the crew strip on camera.
Poor Work Ethic
It's easy to spot the hard workers from the crew who just want to travel and be on television. Several of the interior and exterior teams refused to follow clear instructions from their superiors, and a few blatantly lied on their resume or CV, which wasted time and tip money, but more importantly, disregarded the safety of people on board.
While inexperienced crew put lives in jeopardy, the stubborn cast were also infuriating to watch, because as Redditor Matt10L explains, "They're too fixated on 'how' they're being spoken to versus 'what' they're being told to do." Some key examples of this pretentious mindset are third stew Laura Betancourt telling Chief Stewardess Kate Chastain to "check herself," and Kelley Johnson talking back to Captain Lee about cleaning the salt off the windows of the superyacht.
Captain Lee's One-Liners
Captain Lee has long been a fan favorite, because he's tough but fair with his crew and his guests, and he makes safety No. 1 priority. His no-nonsense way of handling issues is juxtaposed by his bizarrely detailed one-liners, which show his creative way with words, while painting vivid pictures.
Redditor bravoandburritos notes, "I agree with Lee's one-liners, they were few and far between the first season, and that's why they were funny." Captain Lee's quotes had a southern charm that appeared natural in the early seasons of Below Deck, but when they started to pop up in every episode, fans felt the difference, and wondered if they were scripted by the writing staff at Bravo.
Recycling Dangerous Footage
One thing viewers have Below Deck is that danger could strike in a moment's notice. When the kitchen catches on fire, the super yacht potentially hits something, or a crew member or guest gets hurt, the show's editors insist on looping the traumatizing footage in every single commercial throughout the season.
Regarding one of the most extreme events in Below Deck history, Redditor Idsniego explains, "Ashton almost drowning was previewed for half the season as 'Next time on Below Deck.' I joked ... that it was never going to actually happen." Even though the accident was gravely serious, by over-exposing the audience to the footage, viewers started to believe it was all hype, and not a life-threatening reality.