The ‘Below Deck’ Franchise Nearly Sunk Its Own Ship This Year – Decider

Congratulations on unwittingly earning your degree in maritime law this year! If youre a dedicated viewer of the Below Deck franchise on Bravo, which includes Below Deck, Below Deck Mediterranean and new series Below Deck Sailing Yacht, you now know exactly what you can and cannot do (and be in possession of) on a big old boat. The course was tough but we all got there. Our certificates must still be in the mail somewhere

Because this year found the reality TV franchise navigating some choppy-ass waters. Ratings-wise, it was smooth sailing (yes, you can expect the puns throughout) as millions of people tuned in from their homes for a fun escape, including celebrity fans such as Schitts Creeks Dan Levy and long-time viewers Jimmy Fallon and Chrissy Teigen. But content-wise, well, where each show docked instead (told you) was in an infamous Port of Drama (cant stop, wont stop).

We already know 2020 was a rough year for us all, and even the Rich People Only world of yachting wasnt exempt. And look, the coronavirus pandemic can (and will) explain a lot of the tolls it took on this current season of Below Deck, which is airing on Monday nights on Bravo. But we watched three other seasons that were filmed long before the world shut down, and theyve got a whole lot more to answer to.

Lets take it back to Season 7 of Below Deck. If youre like me, youve blocked a healthy portion of this out of your mind, so I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it has not even been a full calendar year since weve witnessed the repeatedly vile behavior of the brus. Did you just feel a shiver down your spine too? Yeah, same. In short, the men ganged up and acted like little assholes on a school playground in order to be mean to (and gaslight, v. cool) the women on the show. Perhaps you remember the disturbing moment in the van when Ashton was unable to reach Kate Chastain in the back seat and so he punched a window instead? That aired at the very end of 2019, but the lack of ramifications trickled on into 2020. The season didnt end until February with a super frustrating reunion (save for the modern woman brilliance of stew Courtney Skippon), which was followed by the announcement that Kate would not be returning to the show after six seasons of supreme sass. Woof, all around. What we didnt yet know was that during this same month, cameras resumed filming for Season 8 (which is what were watching now)just as coronavirus was on the horizon.

In fact, it was likely due to coronavirus that Below Deck Sailing Yacht had as large of an audience as it did, as we were all stuck inside while the majority of the season aired, desperate for an escape, or even just a thatll do show we could count on to be regularly available on TV. The show premiered in February with Chef Adam Glick, formerly of Below Deck Med, tying the new series to the existing ones. Except his journey on the show waslets go withnot ideal. Its always important to have an open mind about any shows first season. Even this one, which shouldve been smoother than most, right? But between the odd and unpredictable casting mix (in a bad way) and the lack of any real drama (also in a bad way), we quickly learned that too much of a good thing is very real, even if this thingwasnt all that good.

It wasnt all bad though. Captain Glenn seems like a nice guy.

But this show just could not find the wind in its sails (here I go again!) and we as viewers needed a little bit of time to miss any forms of Below Deck.

Ah! But up ahead was Season 5 of Below Deck Mediterranean. Lets all take a deep breath before we dive into this one.

Ill just mention the name Lara here (again, a shiver down the spine) and move along because really, what even was that? I still dont know if I just feel happy that a person like Chef Kiko exists in the world at all (and his good vibes could be felt through the screen this summer) or if I am full of rage that a misguided Vegas-themed dinner (no but really, WHAT EVEN IS A VEGAS THEMED DINNER) led to his demise and departure from the show, and was ultimately the catalyst forsigh, everything else.

Once Kiko left the boat, Hannah Ferrier had zero allies in her corner. And even though she was on good enough terms with second stew Bugsy (oh yeah, she came back to the show and brought a lot of decorations for both her hair and the table), that was soon tested as bosun Malia White insisted on sharing a room with the new chef (conveniently her boyfriend), which wouldve left Hannah and Bugsy to actually have to deal with each other.

A blow-up about roommates was handled horrendously amongst a group of adults and even though Malia got her way, largely due to her weirdly unbreakable bond with Captain Sandy, on her way out of the former room that she shared with Hannah, Malia organized a magazine-worthy photoshoot of the contents of Hannahs purse which included Valium and a pen that was filled with either weed or CBD depending on who you ask. It doesnt matter. Neither had been reported to the boat at the start of the season and therefore, it was technically grounds for firing someone, though apparently so is You dont seem like yourself on this boat.

The bottom line is: it was beyond disgraceful the way Hannah was forced off of this boat and therefore this show. Maybe she wasnt for everyone and maybe you didnt love her, but you at least loved to hate her. It was dramatic, yesbut it was also despicable the way it all went down. The rest of the season which felt like it was comprised of about 300-400 episodes proved to be a total snoozefest, not in a way that was a relief, but in a way that it just didnt matter what Jess and Robs doomed relationship amounted to and that Chef Toms repeated tantrums were just one big eye roll.

Its wonderful that the Below Deck franchise has seen such warranted success for Bravo, but rolling right into the new season of Below Deck in early November simply felt like a lot. Put on a classic rom-com for a few Monday nights and let us come up for air before we board this new adventure! I miss missing this show. Though everyones always happy to see Captain Lee, its too early to appropriately assess this season, as were only a handful of episodes deep. Its nice to see Eddie Lucas return as bosun so that Captain Lee has a buddy, and Izzy is a promising personality. Francesca deserves a bit more time as chief stew to see what she can do, and despite a real doozy of a charter to kick it all off, overall, the season so far has been fine. Which, in this year, is a true compliment.

In a year where so much felt depressing and disastrous, it was a bummer to realize that included most forms of Below Deck, too. This is not a show that should ever be stressful, it should be (almost) as much fun as the charter guests are having drinking and partying in the middle of a bright blue ocean. From the brus to the bickering on Sailing Yacht to the bullshit of a vape pen (I KNOW YOU HAVE TO DECLARE IT OR PEOPLE CAN LOSE THEIR JOBS), I craved the fun, carefree, frivolous drama that would roll out at least as smoothly as the giant slide does over the side of the yacht. Hell, even the shows recognition in the New York Times felt awfully meh. All this is simply coming from a place of love: we count on this show to entertain us, to delight us, to cheer us up. And when it doesnt, well it feels like being handed a super-thin tip envelope, is all. But as we watch this current season and head into a new year (both Sailing Yacht and Mediterranean have reportedly managed to film their seasons already, so theres even more to come!), even with casts largely comprised of new cast members, I am hopeful for whats ahead for these brilliant Bravo shows. And at least we can always count on Captain Lee.

Below Deck airs Monday at 9 pm ET/PT on Bravo.

Where to stream Below Deck

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The 'Below Deck' Franchise Nearly Sunk Its Own Ship This Year - Decider