Below Deck
| Below Deck | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality television |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 39 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production company(s) | 51 Minds Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | Bravo |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | July 1, 2013 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Below Deck Mediterranean |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Below Deck is an American reality television series on Bravo that debuted on July 1, 2013.[1][2] Announced in April 2012, Below Deck chronicles the lives of the crew members who work and reside aboard a mega-yacht during charter season.[3] It shows the crew as they deal with their personal issues in order to make their professional careers work. Each episode features a different group of guests.
Production
Producers booked a five-week Caribbean charter on the 50 meter (164 foot) yacht Cuor di Leone.[4] The yacht was renamed Honor for the series, and is captained by Lee Rosbach.[4] The original crew used for the vessel were given the time off, to be replaced by the cast of the series for the duration of filming.[4] Rosbach and his first officer and engineer stayed on board the vessel to ensure everything went as planned.[4] Chief Stew Adrienne Gang, Chef Ben Robinson and Stew Kat Held had worked on yachts prior to the series.[4] The series was shot over a six week period in September and October 2011.[5]
On August 27, 2013, Bravo announced that the series' first season averaged 1.4 million total viewers per episode, which led the network to renew Below Deck for a second season.[6]
The season premiered on August 12, 2014,[7] and featured four returning cast members from the previous season, including Captain Lee Rosbach, Ben Robinson, Kat Held, and Eddie Lucas.[8] New cast additions included Kate Chastain, Kelley and Amy Johnson, Jennice Ontiveros, Andrew Sturby, and Logan Reese.[8] The second season had the crew working on Ohana, a 153' mega-yacht during the charter season in the British Virgin Islands.[8] The season concluded on November 4, 2014.[7]
Bravo renewed Below Deck for a third season after the second-season finale, which was the highest rated episode of the season.[9] In March 2015, Bravo announced a Below Deck spin-off show entitled Below Deck Mediterranean, which will feature a crew heading to "the world’s oldest cruising grounds, the Mediterranean Sea, for its next super-yacht charter season."[10]
The third season premiered on August 25, 2015. The show followed crew members living and working in The Bahamas on a 161’ mega-yacht called Eros. A sneak peek of the season was released on July 21, with a half-hour preview special which aired on August 10, 2015. The season featured Lee Rosbach, Kate Chastain, Amy Johnson and Eddie Lucas who all returned from the previous season, along with another five new crew members.[11]
In April 2016, the network renewed Below Deck for a fourth season.[12]
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | |||
| 1 | 11 | July 1, 2013 | September 9, 2013 | |
| 2 | 13 | August 12, 2014 | November 4, 2014 | |
| 3 | 15 | August 25, 2015 | December 1, 2015 | |
Cast
Season 1
- Aleks Taldykin — First Officer[13]
- Adrienne Gang — Chief Stewardess[14]
- C.J. LeBeau — Second Engineer[15]
- Samantha Orme — Stewardess[16]
- David Bradberry — Deckhand[17]
- Ben Robinson — Chef[18]
- Eddie Lucas — Deckhand[19]
- Kat Held — Second Stewardess[20]
Season 2
Season 3
- Lee Rosbach — Captain[11]
- Kate Chastain — Chief Stewardess[11]
- Amy Johnson — Second Stewardess[11]
- Eddie Lucas — Bosun[11]
- Don Abenante — Second Engineer/Deckhand[11]
- Connie Arias — Deckhand[11]
- Raquel “Rocky” Dakota — Third Stewardess[11]
- Emile Kotze — Deckhand[11]
- Leon Walker — Chef[11]
Reception
"I’m calling it Saved by the Bell, the Summer Edition: Lost at Sea. (Imagine a very special episode in which one of the Bayside crew finds a baggie of coke on the volleyball court at Malibu Sands and then hands it over to Stacy Carosi. Well, anyone except Jessie Spano, because we all know she’d be so excited that she’d keep it.) But there’s plenty of time to get all royal about it. For now, I’m hooked, at the bottom of the sea."
—Annie Barrett from Entertainment Weekly[21]
The reality show has received mixed reviews from television critics.[22] David Hinckley from New York Daily News was rather negative towards the show by saying that Bravo "make waves with reality series set on a luxury yacht, but viewers aren't well served by a show that's anchored in tedium." Reviewing the first episode of the show, he was not impressed because of the lack of storylines and called the premiere "pretty mundane".[23] Emily Yahr, a critic from The Washington Post, questioned the show's truthfulness and added that the series "seem[s] so scripted--the stereotypical spoiled crew members, the neatly wrapped-up “plotlines”—that it’s hard to take seriously, even in the dubious cable reality show genre."[24] Rob Owen of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was more positive by describing the show as a "fairly entertaining, voyeuristic look at a made-for-reality-TV crew."[25]
David Wiegand, writing for San Francisco Chronicle, noted the show's idea by saying that Below Deck "takes the idea of disparate types thrown together in a controlled environment and capitalizes on two seemingly inevitable results: friction and sexual tension".[26] Neil Genzlinger from The New York Times criticized the casting choices by saying that "the real issue with this series is that the crew members aren’t all that interesting." He also felt that "it's not actually the crew members — the stars of this series — who are unbearable," but the guests for whom "the word “insufferable” was invented."[27] Sandy Malone, writing for The Huffington Post, questioned whether the show is hurting the yachting industry. Malone said, "My conclusion, if this show is going to do positive things for the yachting industry, instead of destroying its reputation for stellar service, a big change had better come with [the upcoming season]."[28]
Broadcast
Below Deck premiered on the Bravo cable network in the United States; the first episode debuted on Monday at 10:00/9:00 ET/PT on July 1, 2013. The preview special of the series aired on June 10, 2013.[29] The first season ran for eleven episodes and concluded on September 9, 2013. The second season of the reality series debuted on August 12, 2014 and ended on November 4, 2014, after airing thirteen episodes. Both seasons featured a "Reunion" episode that reunited all the crew members to discuss the events of the season, as well as a special episode "The Crew Tells All" with unseen footage of the season. The third season premiered on August 25, 2015 and concluded on December 1, 2015 with a two-part "Reunion" episode.
References
- ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 8, 2013). "Bravo Media Sets Sail With New Docu-Series 'Below Deck' Premiering Monday Junly 1". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Digital Ventures. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
- ↑ Hertzfeld, Laura (May 8, 2012). "'Below Deck': Check out the mega yacht that's home to new Bravo series -- VIDEO EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ↑ Bibel, Sara (April 4, 2012). "Bravo Greenlights 11 New and 8 Returning Unscripted Series and Plans First Scripted Premiere for 2013". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Digital Ventures. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Lucy Chabot Reed (May 21, 2013). "The reality of Below Deck on Bravo". The Triton. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ↑ Captain L (July 26, 2011). "Below Deck — Reality TV hits Yachting". Blue Ocean Yachting.
- ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 27, 2013). "Bravo Media Renews 'Below Deck' as Season Finale Earns Highest-Rated Episode of the Series With 1.8 Million Total Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Digital Ventures. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
- 1 2 "Below Deck - Episode Guide for Season 2". Zap2it. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Bibel, Sara (June 26, 2014). "'Below Deck' Season Two to Premiere Tuesday, August 12 on Bravo". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Tribune Digital Ventures. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ↑ Kissell, Rick (October 22, 2014). "Bravo Renews ‘Below Deck’ on Heels of Season-High Ratings". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- ↑ Gerard, Jeremy (March 30, 2015). "Bravo Media Slates 10 New Series, Including ‘Recipe For Deception’ – Upfronts". Deadline Hollywood (Press release). Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Bibel, Sara (July 21, 2015). "'Below Deck' Season 3 to Premiere Tuesday, August 25 on Bravo". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Digital Ventures. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ↑ Ge, Linda (April 27, 2016). "‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,’ ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Among Bravo Renewals". The Wrap. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
- ↑ "Aleks Taldykin — Biography". Bravo. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Adrienne Gang — Biography". Bravo. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ↑ "C.J. Lebeau — Biography". Bravo. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Samantha Orme — Biography". Bravo. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ↑ "David Bradberry — Biography". Bravo. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Ben Robinson — Biography". Bravo. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Eddie Lucas — Biography". Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Kat Held — Biography". Bravo. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
- ↑ Barrett, Annie (July 1, 2013). "Bravo's 'Below Deck': 'Are there any sausages?'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ↑ "Below Deck – Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ↑ Hinckley, David (June 29, 2013). "'Below Deck': TV review". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ↑ Yahr, Emily (June 30, 2013). "Bravo’s ‘Below Deck’: Don’t go aboard". The Washington Post. Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ↑ Owen, Rob (June 30, 2013). "TV review: Drunken and dumb 'Below Deck'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ↑ Wiegand, David (June 30, 2013). "'Below Deck' review: Friction and sexual tension". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (June 30, 2013). "Who Wants to Sail With This Ship of Trolls?". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ↑ Malone, Sandy (September 10, 2014). "Is Bravo's 'Below Deck' Hurting the Yachting Industry? 10 Examples of How Kate Chastain Makes Them Look Bad". The Huffington Post. AOL Inc. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Bon Voyage! Bravo Media Sets Sail with New Docu-Series "Below Deck" Premiering Monday, July 1 at 10PM ET/PT". The Futon Critic (Press release). May 8, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2016.