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‘Below Deck’ Crossover Cast: How Many Yachties Have Jumped Series?

Gina Ragusa — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 16:47:05 +0000

Below Deck Down Under viewers were likely surprised when second officer João Franco from Below Deck Mediterranean joined the cast. But he’s not the first crew member to jump series and cast crossovers seem to be happening more and more within the franchise.

So which crew members started in one Below Deck series and jumped ship to another?

‘Below Deck’ crew member crossovers who launched a new series

The original Below Deck series was such a success that production company 51 Minds launched Below Deck Mediterranean. But rather than kick it off with an entirely new cast, they included original chef Ben Robinson to set sail alongside new chief stew Hannah Ferrier and Captain Mark Howard.

Robinson appeared on Below Deck Med once more as the relief chef on season 4. Chef Adam Glick took over on Below Deck Med for seasons 2 and 3. He then became the crossover cast member to launch Below Deck Sailing Yacht.

Glick seemed ready to hang up his epaulets after Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 1. But he credits his work on the ocean for the business he has today. “Cooking on yachts taught Adam life-long skills, how to cook the highest-end food, how to fish and understand all things ocean, how to source food locally and quickly, how to think on the fly and run his own restaurant at sea. His years of experience in the industry have kept him busy and his clients happy. Yachting is nice because it transitions so easily to some land-based jobs, if it is ‘yacht quality’ it’s good enough for just about anyone,” he shared on his website.

‘Below Deck Med’ and ‘Below Deck Down Under’ swap crew members

Recent crossover Below Deck cast members have come from Below Deck Med and Below Deck Down Under. Below Deck Down Under Chief Stew Aesha Scott was a second stew on Below Deck Med twice. She was the crossover cast member to launch Below Deck Down Under.

Scott also worked with Franco on Below Deck Med Season 4. So when he showed up on Below Deck Down Under Season 2, her reaction was, “Oh João!” and an eye roll. They feuded after he needled her for how she dressed on a night out with the crew. Plus she didn’t appreciate his judgment.

Another Below Deck Down Under to Below Deck Med crossover is Tumi Mhlongo and Luka Brunton. Mhlongo became a breakout fan favorite on Below Deck Down Under Season 1 for her no-nonsense but friendly approach to the job. Bravo announced she will be the chief stew on Below Deck Med Season 8.

Also crossing over from Down Under is Brunton. He recently joined Down Under after deckhand Adam Kodra was fired. He also knew Scott (he dated her sister) and recently announced he would be on Below Deck Med as lead deckhand.

Below Deck Down Under is currently airing on Bravo every Monday. Below Deck Med Season 8 will premiere on Monday, September 25.

Captain Lee’s Favorite ‘Below Deck’ Charter Guests, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, Accused of Lying About ‘Blind Side’ Adoption

Gina Ragusa — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 12:53:57 +0000

Captain Lee Rosbach once said that Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, who rose to fame being portrayed in the book and film The Blind Side, were his favorite Below Deck charter guests of all time.

The Tuohys’ story of how they adopted an underprivileged child who eventually played in the NFL was heartwarming. But now Michael Oher, who the Tuohys claimed to have adopted, said the story was a lie. Oher alleges that the couple lied about their intentions to adopt him, and instead put him in a conservatorship. This essentially removed his legal rights. Oher said he never received any royalties or money from the film.

He is now suing the Tuohys. When asked for his thoughts on the latest news about the couple, Rosbach only said, “They were one of my favorite charters ever.” So why did Rosbach say Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy were one of his favorites?

Why did Captain Lee love having Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy on ‘Below Deck’?

Rosbach reiterated the Tuohys were his favorite charter guests on Twitter. The captain is often asked about his favorite and least favorite charter guests. During a Stars Marketing event, he shared why he loved having the Tuohys on board. “They were just my favorite because they were so much fun,” Rosbach told a live audience. “They just had a zest for living. And all they wanted to do was have a good time!”

Rosbach also loved Leigh Anne’s nickname for her husband. “Seanie,” Rosbach laughed. “And he just hated that.”

Leigh Anne claimed she did ‘Below Deck for her husband and Sean Tuohy

In a blog, Leigh Anne claimed that she wasn’t a big fan of boats, but her husband was. “My husband Sean was raised in New Orleans, LA,” she shared.

“Boats have always been a part of his DNA. He loves all things water related,” she continued. Me… I don’t like anything about a boat… so when the Bravo TV show Below Deck came a calling… I said ugh! He would love this boat… we accepted the invite and he loved it. Our experience was relaxed, non confrontational and all cupcakes and cart wheels. We made new friends and had no drama! Sometimes you just take one for the team!”

Which ‘Below Deck’ season did Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy appear on?

The Blind Side couple joined Rosbach and the Below Deck crew for a season 5 charter. Chef Matt Burns’ culinary skills were put to the test during their charter, while lead deckhand Nico Scholly dealt with rank issues when Rosbach brought in bosun E.J. Jansen to lead the team.

The episode was appropriately called “Blindsided” and Leigh Anne said it was a trip of a lifetime. “It was great to unplug, relax and make some new friends,” she shared in a 2017 Instagram post. “Don’t let @captain_lee_rosbach fool you… he’s got a big heart and is giving back and making a difference. We wanted to bring everyone home with us!”

‘Below Deck’ Real Life Charter Tips START at $23k – and Can Reach $40k

Gina Ragusa — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 20:03:47 +0000

A huge part of every Below Deck charter is finding out how much tip the crew receives. Below Deck charters are discounted and typically span for only a few days and nights. But the tip is almost always scrutinized as being too low or celebrated when the guest is a big tipper.

A decent tip on Below Deck is usually anywhere between $18,000 to $20,000. Tips of more than $20,000 are on the larger side and crews have seen some tips of $30,000 or more.

Despite $30,000 or more being considered to be a great tip on Below Deck, $40,000 crew tips are very possible for chartering a superyacht in the “real world.”

Real charter tips start at $23,000

A decent $20,000 tip on Below Deck is sort of “meh” in the real yachting world. Based on what it would cost to charter one of the Below Deck yachts for a week, guests would end up leaving about $23,000 for the least expensive yacht based on the suggested 5% to 20% average.

According to Rightboat, the least expensive yacht to charter is Mercury from Below Deck Adventure. The usual cost for a weekly charter is $184,000, which means a $23,000 tip would be appropriate. Chartering Sirocco from Below Deck Mediterranean Seasons 2 and 4 is about $194,500 and a $24,313 would be expected.

The most expensive Below Deck Med yacht to charter for a week is Lady Michelle for $275,000. A $34,375 tip would be in range.

Parsifal III, the only sailing yacht on Below Deck Sailing Yacht usually charters for about $254,000, which means the crew would receive about $31,000.

2 ‘Below Deck’ yachts are the most expensive to charter – which means the higher tips

The last few seasons of Below Deck have featured some of the most expensive superyachts in the franchise. My Seanna, featured on Below Deck 6, 8, and 9 costs $275,000 for a weekly charter.

But the most expensive Below Deck yacht is the St. David. This vessel was also the largest yacht to date in the series. Featured on Below Deck Season 10, the superyacht is $325,000 per week and the crew should receive a $40,625 tip.

“Working on a yacht can be a lucrative industry, especially for those lucky enough to get handpicked for Below Deck,” Piera Carchedi from Rightboat said.

“Charter guests of a yacht should tip the staff between 5 and 20% of the cost of the charter,” Carchedi added. “Using this figure, we’ve revealed the average tip for each yacht featured on the Below Deck franchise. This means the average tip for St. David, the most expensive yacht to charter on Below Deck, would be $40,625.”

Below Deck Down Under bosun João Franco told Showbiz Cheat Sheet that clearing $45,000 in tips during a single season can happen.

“On charter boats, tips can be as much as €4,000 per person, per week. And in some cases even more,” he revealed in 2019. “We’ve heard of crew members that rack up €40,000 in a summer season each, just on tips!”

Prajjé Oscar Jean-Baptiste Reveals Why Captain Sandy’s ‘Project Runway’ Design Was Extra Challenging [Exclusive]

Gina Ragusa — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 13:32:11 +0000

Was the Project Runway playing field even on the Below Deck episode? Designers Prajjé Oscar Jean-Baptiste and Anna Zhou both ended at the bottom with their designs for Captain Sandy Yawn and Captain Jason Chambers.

Meanwhile, Bishme Cromartie dominated with his chief stew uniform for Aehsa Scott. Also, other crew designs impressed the judges, but they allowed for more liberty because of their lower rank. Ultimately, Anna went home for Captain Jason’s look.

Prajjé recently told Showbiz Cheat Sheet he loved working with Captain Sandy but felt that he had quite a few limitations, not only with uniform design but with a captain’s uniform.

The ‘Below Deck’ captains were especially challenging

Prajjé is a Below Deck and Captain Sandy fan. “I know Below Deck. I watch the show. I think they are fun that they work and they go out and go crazy,” he said. “But you got the two captains, you can’t really have fun.”

Prajje Oscar Jean-Baptiste, Captain Sandy Yawn| Zach Dilgard/Bravo

Tackling the uniform challenge was a first for Prajjé. “I haven’t worked so much with a uniform per se,” he said. “But one thing I will say working with Captain Sandy was that once I realized that OK, you have a captain here. While everybody is trying to show one boob here, one leg here, I couldn’t really do so.”

“So she did allow me to create something that she wanted to wear,” he continued. “I remember the entire time she loved it. She loved the look, she even said ‘I wanna put in a request to actually wear this on the boat.'”

Prajjé said his main goal was to make Captain Sandy happy

Prajjé was also trying to impress both the judges and his client. “So it was a bit of a challenge trying to do that challenge, but not too much impressing the client because the client was happy,” Prajjé said. “The client loved the work, but it was so much like, how do you do both? And in trying to still deliver on the challenge part. And I think that’s why it was challenging.”

He also admitted that when Captain Sandy requested some “bling” he knew he was in for a few hurdles.

“There were a lot of things, sparkles were the first one,” he recalled. So Prajjé wondered if Captain Sandy could mix it up and consider a skirt or dress. “She said, ‘I wouldn’t get caught dead in a dress.’

So how did Prajjé ultimately create Captain Sandy’s look? “My business is based on private clientele,” he explained. “I wanted to speak to the client first.”

But he knew the parameters were firmly grounded in uniform design. “We had to see where we could go with this but not so much pushing it,” he said. “All the direction that I pushed for Sandy that was the complete opposite of her, she was like ‘No absolutely not.’ I wanted to put on a beautiful dress, but she was pretty much, ‘This is what I like.’ But she was fun.”

What did Prajjé wish he could have changed in Captain Sandy’s look?

He spent time talking to Captain Sandy to create her look. “I learned that very early on and everything I picked for her was based on our conversation,” he said. “She was fun, she wasn’t into basic anything. She likes to stand out on her own. We talked about not looking like the same people, we even share that. If I go to a club, and somebody’s wearing the same shirt as me, I’ll go ahead and change it. She goes, ‘I usually have one in my car!’ So we kind of connected in that.”

In the end, Prajjé designed a captain’s uniform that had style and function. “I designed her pants so she could put her hands in [the pockets] while her walkie is there without going too far,” he recounted. “So I tried to give her all those things in a look that she’d actually like.”

If he had it his way, Prajjé would have changed the pant style. “One thing I wish I did fight Captain Sandy about was her pants,” he said. “Originally I did want to make it a wide pants. And I think she was like, ‘No, it would make me look like a cow.'”

So he worked within the parameters, which he said was somewhat limiting. “Once we went down the lists of ‘don’t do’s,’ my creative list was half full of everything,” he laughed. “But once we went over that, I knew exactly what she does not want, it was very easy to design for her.”

He added, “She was super fun. Her title, I guess is what made it stiff in a way. But I was very happy to have her.”

Project Runway is on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.

Kate Chastain and Captain Lee Dish the Dirt on ‘Couch Talk’: Could This Be the Hit Kate Wanted With ‘Chat Room’?

Gina Ragusa — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 12:58:30 +0000

When Kate Chastain helped to launch Bravo‘s Chat Room during the pandemic, she envisioned spicy banter delivered evenly amongst the Bravoleb hosts. But what ended up happening was red flag chemistry, which prompted Chastain to step away before the show was sunsetted.

She returns again for another talk show-type format, spilling tea on a variety of Bravo shows – similar to Chat Room but more in the format of Below Deck Galley Talk. Chastain also has only one co-host; someone who she’s already established strong chemistry with – Captain Lee Rosbach.

Bravo recently announced Couch Talk with Captain Lee and Kate where the Below Deck alum will watch “Below Deck Down Under S2, Ultimate Girls Trip S3, RHOC, RHOM, Project Runway, RHOA, RHONY, Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake.”

The format feels similar to Chat Room but with the warmth and chemistry of Below Deck Galley Talk. However, Chat Room was Chastain’s first return to Bravo after leaving Below Deck and the show had tremendous potential.

Kate Chastain wanted ‘Chat Room’ to be a hit

Chastain was optimistic about Chat Room before it premiered in September 2020. “I’m just excited because it feels like a girl session, especially at a time when we’re not hanging out with our friends as much,” she told Decider.

Kate Chastain and Captain Lee Rosbach | Bravo Media

“I’m excited to have three other amazing, iconic, dynamic Bravo personalities discuss all things Bravo. And also, I’m not doing the nautical puns thing as much anymore, but we’re all in the same boat. Except actually, I like to remind Hannah Berner constantly, I’m like, at least you didn’t have to work or wear polo shirts. She’s younger than me, she’s the only one I can give a little s*** to. The other two, I’m like, ‘Whatever you say, tell me how it goes!’”

Also, as an executive producer of the show, she had a vested interest in the show’s success. Bravo’s Andy Cohen was also a producer and Chastain predicted that the show would have some heat.

“Andy has always been very generous with advice, and I’m so thankful for that,” she said. “I think we had a good laugh about the fact that just because all the ladies are so lovely doesn’t mean we’re going to agree about everything. And I can see it. I know it’s not going to be just a tea party. We’re going to be spilling tea, but not sipping tea.”

Unfortunately, the Bravo personalities did not mix

Perhaps the Zoom format cut into the hosts’ chemistry, but Chastain ultimately found that filming Chat Room was a “miserable” experience. She left the series before it ended.

“I didn’t really feel like explaining my reason for leaving Bravo’s Chat Room immediately after I left because I just felt like if I told the truth about why I left, people would assume I was just giving an excuse, but truth does always eventually come out,” Chastain told Us Weekly.

“Sometimes it happens quicker than you think it’s going to. And after Summer House went through its season, I think Hannah’s [Berner] character was revealed more,” she said. “And then as of just as recently as last week, I think Porsha’s character has been revealed a bit more. … It was a miserable enough experience that I don’t even like thinking about it, but when people ask, I’m happy to be polite and obliged to answer.”

Couch Talk with Captain Lee and Kate premieres on Monday, August 14 at 10 pm ET/PT on Bravo.

Andy Cohen Reveals Baby Gift He Sent Kate Chastain – ‘She’s Great’

Gina Ragusa — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:54:04 +0000

Bravo producer Andy Cohen sent one of his favorite baby gifts to Below Deck‘s Kate Chastain after her son Sullivan was born.

“I sent her one of my favorite gifts, which is a Doona,” he told Showbiz Cheat Sheet during an interview about Fresca Mixed. “It’s a collapsible stroller that turns into a car seat. And so I sent her that, and she’s great.”

Ryan Lochte, Christian De La Torre Angelica Conti Kate Chastain, Geraldine Moreno, Stephanie Lagrossa Kendrick, Quentin Giles | Jocelyn Prescod/Peacock via Getty Images

A Doona stroller makes smooth 360 turns and is safe for newborns. The stroller costs about $550 and add-ons like car seat covers are available.

Chastain’s son was born in May 2023 and she eagerly anticipated his arrival. Chastain shared the first public photo holding her son in the hospital and captioned it, “Hard Launch: Sullivan Cay.”

Most recently she posted a TikTok holding her son and swaying and walking around the house. “10 weeks later I think I’ve figured out how to get him to sleep.”

Kate Chastain says they ‘have our s*** together’

After the “hard launch” into motherhood, Chastain joked on TikTok that they are getting their ‘s*** together.”

“I’m happy to report that we have our s*** together around here,” she said. “And we’re getting into a routine finally. In the morning, after we enjoy our episode of Dateline in bed, Sullivan loves Dateline, it’s his favorite. When I was pregnant I would listen to it on a loop so ‘Murder! The dead body was murdered!’ It soothes him so that’s fun.”

“But then he goes to vision school,” she continued, showing the TV with large dots on it and Sullivan in his baby seat in front of the TV. “I thought I was being a bad mom. But also wanted to use my own arms again. But then my friend who is an eye doctor saw this on my Instagram story and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, good job mom I’m so impressed. Those are the best eye exercises you can do for your infant.’ So, he’s gonna have the best vision ever.”

What other gifts did Kate Chastain receive from celeb and Bravo friends?

Chastain received baby gifts from some of her co-stars from The Traitors. “Cirie [Fields] that was on Traitors on Peacock with me—she won Traitors—she was one of the first to send me a present and she sent me gorgeous, immaculate Ralph Lauren outfits,” she told E! News. “I’ve received La Mer from Brandi Glanville. She was like, ‘You’re going to be getting baby gifts from everyone, this is for you. Stay being a MILF.'”

@actualkatechastain
♬ original sound – Kate Chastain

She also said motherhood is definitely harder than being a chief stew. “I thought after being a chief stew on yachts I was like, ‘Oh, being a mom, how hard could it be?'” she said. “It is so much harder than being a chief stew on yachts. It really is, but I love it.”

“I guess what really surprises me is it’s not just feeding and diapers,” Chastain said. “Also the number of diapers surprised me. At my baby shower I asked my cousin, ‘So, how many diapers a day, like 3, 5?’ She’s like, ‘Oh no, no, no, no, no.'”

Arie Luyendyk Jr. Is Not Beefing With Below Deck’s Kate Chastain After ‘The Traitors’ – ‘She Really Did Make the Show’ [Exclusive]

Gina Ragusa — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 10:43:00 +0000

No beef here! After what ended up being a spicy reunion between The Bachelor‘s Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Below Deck‘s Kate Chastain on The Traitors, Luyendyk said he is in a good place with Chastain. In fact, he thinks she was a big reason the Peacock series was so successful.

“She kind of came after me in the after show tell all,” he told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, referring to the explosive reunion.

“But I don’t know. I feel like we had a good relationship. We follow each other on Instagram,” he continued. “I feel like it’s all cordial, and ultimately, Kate is really good at making TV. And she’s a really good person. And I feel like without her, the show definitely wouldn’t have been what it was. She really did make the show and she was really fun to hang out with, even though she got our their nerves sometimes. But I’m really happy that I met her and, I think we’re in a good place.”

Why were Arie Luyendyk and Kate Chastain beefing?

At one point during filming, Luyendyk referred to Chastain as a “cancer” on The Traitors, mainly because she made it clear she wanted to leave.

Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Kate Chastain | Peacock

“It was just because so many people thought she was a traitor, and I kind of felt like she wasn’t. But she was such a distraction that it kind of made it hard to know what was going on. So I think that was kind of the main thing,” he explained.

He was also in it to win it and revealed an advantage he had over the rest of The Traitors cast. “Well, I was one of the only people who could speak Dutch. And there was a Dutch version first of all,” Luyendyk said.

“And everyone got a subtitled version of the Dutch show, but only the first two episodes,” he explained. “So I was able to watch the whole season in its entirety. So I had a little bit of a strategic advantage going in. I felt like I did have a leg up and so I really, really kind of flew underneath the radar for as long as I could. And that’s kind of the name of the game in the beginning.”

Arie drops a little castle tea from ‘The Traitors’

The nineteenth-century Ardross Castle may have been the perfect setting for The Traitors, but Luyendyk revealed the property had some help thanks to production.

“The art department does an amazing job,” he said. “And those sets, just like The Bachelor and The Traitors, they have an entire team, and they spend months preparing for the show. It was really interesting how intricate the art department was on The Traitors. A lot of that castle they had painted and did the complete decor. And so I think that castle, before production moved in, it looked a lot different and it was pretty cool to see what they did.”

Being a real estate agent, Luyendyk was also curious about how much it would cost to buy a castle in Scotland. “I was really interested in the real estate of Scotland, to be honest, because you can buy one of those old castles on a ton of land for like $1 million to $1.5 million. Prices that would just blow your mind. And I was like, ‘Wow, well, maybe I needed to move to the Highlands with my family and live in a castle.'”

The “catch” is that most of the castles require more than $1 million in renovations and most don’t have functioning plumbing or electricity.

He joked about if he did plan to move, he’d use Scotch Brand to reduce some of the stress. “I typically give my clients a few things in the moving process. I have Scotch shipping tape or packaging tape. This is called a Box Lock tape. This is a really great tape. It’s super adhesive. So that’s like number one most important thing is a really good tape,” he shared. “Secondly, we have the Cushion Lock protective wrap. So this would replace any sort of plastic products. It’s pretty cool. You stretch it out, it turns into kind of a honeycomb wrapped around a protective out of your items that you’re trying to protect and save a lot of space in the box.”

‘Below Deck’ Oysters: Were Rocky’s Grenadine Oysters Trying to Be Chef Ilesha’s Oysters with Mignonette Sauce?

Gina Ragusa — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 00:57:00 +0000

Chef Ilesha Dell designed a lavish meal on the Below Deck Sailing Yacht finale complete with oysters topped with mignonette sauce.

The guests devoured the meal, raving about every single dish, including the oysters. Dell’s oysters almost resembled Rocky Dakota’s Below Deck Season 3 oyster creation. Dakoka designed an oyster appetizer topped with a drizzle of grenadine. The guests politely didn’t eat most of the oysters – in fact, the primary vomited.

So what is the difference between mignonette sauce versus grenadine on oysters? And should chefs never put grenadine on fresh oysters?

‘Below Deck’ oysters grenadine vs. oysters with mignonette sauce

Contrary to the reactions of horror on Below Deck Season 3, it isn’t totally bizarre to drizzle grenadine over fresh oysters. Some chefs consider grenadine to be a creative compliment to the briny delicacy. The sweetness from the grenadine is meant to offset the savory appeal of the oyster to create a harmonious balance.

Ileisha Dell | Fred Jagueneau/Bravo

Mignonette sauce over oysters is a more traditional approach. Mignonette sauce somewhat resembles grenandine in the reddish color, but the hue is derived from red wine vinegar, combined with finely minced pink shallots. The red wine vinegar and shallots are whisked with black pepper. Then the mixture is drizzled over the oysters.

Obviously the grenadine oysters versus the mignonette sauce oysters provide a completely different culinary result.

The ‘Below Deck’ oysters with grenadine moment went viral

Dakota’s “one night only” as chef went viral during Below Deck Season 3. The chef had suddenly been fired and Dakota, who was a third stew with a culinary background, stepped in for the night. The crew seemed very doubtful that the oysters would be a hit (they weren’t). So former chief stew Kate Chastain did some “field work” after the season wrapped.

She went to a local seafood restaurant, ordered fresh oysters and asked for a bottle of grenadine. “B/c I just need to know. Sidenote: the server bringing it out said ‘I think this is a very bad idea,’ she tweeted along with a photo.

Chastain bravely did a taste test and looked pretty grossed out. “I wanted to give Rocky the benefit of the doubt but….’it’s like a chemical reaction of badness’ just no,” she captioned a video.

Chef Ben Robinson quickly stepped in to finish Below Deck Season 3. But Chastain joked, “Ben was definitely an improvement after Leon but let’s not get crazy.”

Chef Ilesha’s oysters with mignonette sauce were a hit

Dell outdid herself for the final dinner on Below Deck Sailing Yacht. The guests requested an “Anything But Clothes” party and she more than delivered on the food. The meal kicked off with oysters. Cameras zoomed in on the preparation and Dell topping each fresh oyster with mignonette sauce.

@bravotv
The guests are about to have their tastebuds sent on a ten-course cruise to a delicious destination! #BelowDeckSailing
♬ 10 Course Meal Below Deck Sailing – Bravo

“Here we have some cultivated oysters and some wild oysters,” Dell told the guests. “With a pink peppercorn mignonette. The guests’ reaction to the dish was pure delight and they truly seemed to enjoy the oysters. The also marveled at the oyster shell size.

The oysters were followed with a homemade rainbow papadelli with burnt butter sauce.

‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’ Charter Guests Rob and Bryan Prefer Captain Glenn Over Captain Lee

Gina Ragusa — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 14:13:04 +0000

Without going into detail, Below Deck Sailing Yacht charter guests Bryan Guarnieri and Erik (Rob) Funderburk preferred their sailing experience over chartering a Below Deck superyacht with Captain Lee Rosbach at the helm.

The couple originally appeared on Below Deck Season 8 and their preference sheet prompted chef Rachel Hargrove to quit (temporarily). Of course, when Hargrove returned for their charter she found them to be warm and fabulous guests.

The Parsifal III crew felt the same way and chef Ileisha Dell met their preference sheet challenge with gusto. Guarnieri and Funderburk recently emphasized that they preferred sailing and Captain Glenn Shephard.

Bryan and Rob loved Captain Glenn from ‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’

During an appearance on Another Below Deck podcast, Guarnieri and Funderburk were asked to compare their two Below Deck experiences. Guarnieri quickly said, “Oh hands down sailing.”

Captain Glenn Shephard | Fred Jagueneau/Bravo

“Well, we love Captain Glenn. We just love Glenn,” Funderburk added.

The hosts wondered if the couple preferred Below Deck Sailing Yacht because Rosbach could be a little salty. “You could say curmudgeonly could be the word for it [to describe Rosbach],” Guarnieri joked. “Salty captain that fits him to a T.”

Rob and Bryan also preferred Chef Ileisha from ‘Sailing’

Guarnieri and Funderburk had a hard time choosing between their favorite chef but ultimately went with Dell. “I mean, I absolutely adore Chef Ileisha,” Guarnieri said. “I adore her food and I adore her as a person. I loved Rachel. I can’t say anything bad about her food. She’s an excellent chef.”

“And they’re nothing but sweet to us,” he continued, still trying to avoid giving an answer. “We don’t see the tantrums and the yelling until we actually watch the show.”

But when pressed, Guarnieri chose Dell. “I love Ileisha,” he said. “There, happy?”

Bryan’s ‘Below Deck’ preference sheet inspired Chef Rachel’s ‘eat my cooter’ remark

Guarnieri explained that he provides a detailed preference sheet because he doesn’t want to blindside the crew. He likes to give them all the specifics so the chef and crew aren’t left guessing. However, a detailed preference sheet can also translate into a demanding guest, which Hargrove learned wasn’t the case.

But as the coronavirus (Covid-19) was emerging and Hargrove’s stress levels soared, she took one look at the preference sheet and melted down.

“I didn’t really want to leave Captain Lee hanging,” Hargrove to ET. “I just needed a breather and needed to walk off and take a second. Especially for everything that was happening to process it. That was one of the craziest sheets I’ve seen in my life. And then, I’m running as a sole chef? But it really was, I didn’t want to disappoint him.”

“It’s a lot of stress when you got all those cameras in your face constantly,” she added. When Hargrove returned to the boat, she prepared herself for a tough charter and was pleasantly surprised.

Bravo recently shared the Below Deck Sailing Yacht three-page preference sheet that Dell admitted was “Literally a nightmare.” But Dell impressed the guests with her 10-course tasting meal, which she said was tough to create in the small galley.

“Doing 10 courses on Parsifal is brutal,” she shared. “There’s no space, it’s insane to prep, it takes forever to serve, and it means a late night for everyone.”

‘Below Deck’ Stew Sam Orme Disputes EP’s Claim Everyone ‘Quit’ During Season 1

Gina Ragusa — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 20:58:41 +0000

Below Deck executive producer Mark Cronin recalled that the season 1 crew essentially quit following a charter guest drug bust during the first episode. However, season 1 stew Sam Orme remembers the instance very differently.

Bathrobe-clad photographer, Johnny Eyelash and friends were bounced when stew Kate Held found what appeared to be cocaine in one of the guest cabins. Cronin told Showbiz Cheat Sheet that after Eyelash was kicked off the boat, the yacht crew was leery of production.

“The whole cast quit,” he said. “They all basically said, ‘That’s it, we are not doing the show. If you guys are putting our licenses at risk by putting drugs on this boat, we quit.’”

Sam Orme thought the ‘Below Deck’ crew just got a vacation

Orme didn’t recall quitting. She was in the laundry room when Held found what appeared to be drugs. “I was kind of removed from that whole happening,” she recalled on Another Below Deck Podcast. “I don’t know where I was, probably down in the laundry room. And Kat was up cleaning all the heads and found it. So, you know, I didn’t really know what was going on until after the fact. And someone said, oh, the guests are leaving, or the guests are getting kicked out.”

David Bradberry, Sam Orme | Alex Julian/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

But as far as everyone quitting because they didn’t trust production or thought production planted the drugs, Orme said nothing like that happened. “There was no planting of any drugs that I’m aware of,” she said in response to Cronin’s assertion. “In fact, it was a welcome break because we didn’t have to serve people for the next week. We just got some downtime. So I was out playing in the ocean.”

Mark Cronin worried he had a ‘Below Deck’ Season 1 disaster on his hands

Cronin recalled that the yacht crew took the drug bust very seriously and since it was the first time filming Below Deck the crew didn’t truly trust production.

“A lot of these people, they didn’t even have TVs, like they didn’t even know what reality TV was really,” he said. “They’re just yachties, really. Yachting is very important to them and keeping their yachting certifications and their licenses. And it wasn’t a joke. So they were looking at us like, ‘Well, what is this? Are you setting us up? Are these guests coming on here to make our lives difficult on purpose? And are you like to what extent are you messing with us?’”

“I would always say we’re not messing with you,” he recounted telling the crew. “We are not messing with you. These are charter guests. They’re paying. If their check cleared the bank, they’re coming on the show. I don’t do anything with them. I don’t prepare them or anything.”

“And they’d be like, ‘Yeah ok. But I bet this is a setup,’” Cronin said. “And then when Johnny Eyelash came on, it was OK, everything was going OK until they found the drugs. And then the cast was like, ‘Oh, it is a setup, and these guys don’t know how serious what they’ve just done to us is. Meaning us. Meaning the TV show.”

Mark Cronin had to convince the ‘Below Deck’ cast no one planted drugs on the boat

Cronin claimed that he had to convince the cast they weren’t setting them up. “I had to get with Captain Lee [Rosbach] and say, ‘Well, before I can address the issue with the whole cast quitting, we got to get rid of these guys,’” he recalled. “So Lee’s like, ‘That’s right, we’re getting rid of these guys. The charter’s over. We’re going back to the dock.’ So we go back to the dock.”

“Lee kicks them off the boat, and then I stop all the cameras, and we all had to come into the main saloon of the boat,” he said. “And I had to sit everybody down and said ‘We did not put drugs on this boat.’ Those guys, unbeknownst to us, brought something on this boat that’s not cool. I get it. And it’s a disaster. And I didn’t want to end this charter early. I didn’t want this to happen. I didn’t know. It’s no good to me if we could shut down in the first episode either.”