Below Deckhas a huge roster of cast members that rotate in and out of the crew from season to season, butsome cast members have had shadier pasts than others coming into the franchise. ThroughoutBelow Deck’shistory, there have been dozens of crew members that have stepped aboard superyachts and sailing yachts to work on the show. While most of theyachties who have been part ofBelow Deckhave been working hard to gain experience and find themselves at a higher level after the charter season, some are simply looking for their next gig.
As yachties have been coming and going throughout thevarious spin-offs in theBelow Deckuniverse, there have been many different personality types who have been on the shows. While some of the yachties are all about work, serious and straight-laced throughout their time on the series, others open up about themselves both on the show and to their fellow crew members. Early on in the days of theBelow Deckfranchise, there was more anonymity available for the crew members, butas the shows have grown in popularity, people are more curious about who they’re watching.
ForBelow Deckyachties, it’s usually a smarter move to reveal more about themselves during the season if they’re interested in being on the series in the future. Yachties who talk about their lives and interests, plus engage in the drama are more likely to get asked back for future seasons of the show, while yachties who keep to themselves have less of a chance of being back onBelow Deckin the future. While there are exceptions for the yachties who keep to themselves and can successfully do their jobs,most of the quieter yachties don’t get asked back.
As theBelow Deckyachties are first and foremost there to work aboard the superyachts, their backgrounds aren’t always the most important parts of their stories. Even so, it’s good to know who’s aboard and working with the rest of the crew, especially in case something happens during the charter season. Typically,yachties who deal with drama on the superyachts have had experiences outside of theBelow Deckworld that either triggers something in themaboard or makes them struggle with other crew members. Either way, the drama onBelow Decksuperyachtscan push some to reveal their past experiences.
With some yachties having darker pasts than others, the experiences that the yachties share aboardBelow Decksuperyachts can sometimes make it difficult for them to deal with the drama aboard the vessel. Thoughsome yachties have been able to compartmentalize their experiences, many have struggled from season to season to deal with the drama because of what happened to them in the past.ManyBelow Deckcast membershave had some genuinely difficult pasts.
10Kyle Dickard
Deckhand On Below Deck Adventure
Below Deck Adventurewas one of the more short-lived iterations of the series, lasting just one season before being shelved. ThoughBelow Deck Adventurewasn’t a success for Bravo, the series featured a cast of yachties who had to be more in-depth with their charter guests than on other spin-offs in the franchise.Kyle Dickard was one of the Deckhands aboardBelow Deck Adventure’sluxury yacht, Mercury, which took guests through the Fjords of Norway and then brought them through adventurous activities in the area.
While Kyle was only on the series for a few short episodes, his appearance was an unforgettable one. His behavior aboard Mercury wasn’t something thatBelow Deck Adventure’s Captain, Kerry Titheradge, could tolerate.Kyle spoke disrespectfully to the Captain and the rest of the crew, and ultimately got fired for his behavior. AfterBelow Deck Adventure,Kyle was arrested and chargedfor disorderly conduct and bribery, and has kept a low profile since his appearance on the series.
9Captain Sandy Yawn
Captain On Below Deck Mediterranean
Although Captain Sandy Yawn is one of the most successful people to come out of theBelow Deckfranchise, the Captain had a rough start to life and has shared her experiences publicly. Opening up about her addiction, Captain Sandy has shared with the world that prior to her time working in the yachting industry,she was an alcoholic living a deeply chaotic life. Getting into dangerous situations frequently, Captain Sandy knew that she had to make changes in order to live the happy, long life that she desperately wanted.
While theBelow Deck MediterraneanCaptain has been open about her addiction, she’s also grateful to share that she’s been sober for nearly 35 years and still takes her addiction one day at a time.Captain Sandy has opened upabout not being ashamed of her addiction, as it’s made her who she is today. Though she had a tough road to find herself in the Captain’s chair, she’s happy to have taken it.
8Kate Chastain
Chief Stew On Below Deck
Whilemany now look to formerBelow DeckChief Stew Kate Chastain as the gold standard, her time on the series and prior to her appearance wasn’t always spotless. Kate’s time onBelow Deckwas polarizing for some, as her behavior wasn’t always what viewers expected.Kate’s easy rapport with Captain Lee Rosbachwas great, but her blunt, honest behavior with the rest of the crew didn’t always make for easygoing relationships. Kate could be overwhelming, but she was great at her job, which made her indispensable onBelow Deck.
Kate’s past wasn’t always the easiest, especially beforeBelow Deckchanged her life and made her a Bravo-viewer household name. In 2016, Kate and her girlfriend at the time, Ro Hernandez,had a violent altercation that culminated in law enforcement getting involvedin the situation.Kate was arrested for assaulting Roat the time, and while the details of the incident weren’t brought to the public, many were concerned about the potential violence seeping intoBelow Deck.
7Rhylee Gerber
Deckhand On Below Deck
Although Rhylee Gerber was great representation of a female Deckhand working aboard aBelow Decksuperyacht, her time on the show may not have been the most representative of all female exterior crew members.Rhylee was a big personality, and her time onBelow Deckseason 6 andBelow Deckseason 7 was memorable to say the least. Though she wasn’t the most positive presence on My Seanna during her first charter season with the crew, she did manage to come intoBelow Deckseason 7’s back half with a better outlook.
Rhylee’s attitude aboardBelow Decksuperyachtstook the other yachties off-guard and didn’t make them interested in working with her. Rhylee was overqualified for the Deckhand position, having worked at a Captain’s level on smaller vessels in the past, and she didn’t feel any discomfort making that clear to the rest of the crew. WhileRhylee’s overconfidence and poor temper weren’t great onBelow Deck,they’d been worse in the past and given her a lot of trouble in her previous positions, bringing her to a lower level on the reality TV superyacht.
6Ross Inia
Deckhand/Bosun On Below Deck
AlthoughRossInia was only a part of theBelow Deckcrew for one season, his time on the series was memorable and his behavior after the show was even moreso.Ross was the Lead Deckhand onBelow Deckseason 6, leading the exterior crew of My Seanna for the first half of the charter season untilBosun Chandler Brooks was fired by Captain Lee. Chandler was let go for his poor management skills, and Captain Lee asked Ross to step in to fill the role for the rest of the charter season.
While Ross’ time as the interim Bosun wasn’t great, he managed to work through issues he had with the rest of the exterior team and ended the season on a decent note. Sadly, after Ross leftBelow Deck,things took a turn for the worst.Ross was arrested for assaulting a police officer shortly afterBelow Deckseason 6ended, and though he could’ve chosen to speak on the incident during the show’s reunion, he chose not to comment. Many felt the respect they had for the Bosun was lost after his altercation.
5Caroline Bedol
Stew On Below Deck
Another member of theBelow Deckseason 6crew, Caroline Bedol, was the Third Stew aboard My Seanna during the memorable season. Caroline, who was working with Josiah Carter under Kate, struggled throughout her time on the series, but it wasn’t clear what was going on with her from charter to charter, as she wasn’t forthcoming about her issues. It appeared thatCaroline was enjoying her time aboard My Seanna, as she loved the spontaneous nature of working aboard the superyacht, but she often got into fights while working with the interior team.
Though Caroline appeared to be having a good time aboard My Seanna,she surprisingly chose to quit and leave the superyacht suddenly in the middle of the charter season. Without giving much of a reason as to why,Caroline left the interior teamand seems to have retired from the yachting industry entirely. While she was easily replaced by Laura Betancourt onBelow Deck,Caroline’s bizarre decision to leave is one of the shadiest disappearances the show’s ever seen.
4Kyle Dixon
Below Deckseason 4 brought Kyle Dixon, a Deckhand working aboard Valor, into the fold after the first few episodes of the season.Kyle was filling in a spot left behindwhen Trevor WalkerleftBelow Deckafter being demotedfrom Senior Deckhand to Deckhand, but he was a welcome addition to the exterior time aboard Valor. While he was good at his job, Kyle’s personal issues aboard Valor became a problem, as his relationships with the rest of the crew created unnecessary tension.
WhileKyle’s behavior while he was workingaboard Valor wasn’t an issue, the romantic relationships he appeared to want to pursue were a problem. BetweenBelow Deckseason 4 andBelow Deckseason 5,Kyle’s engagement ended and he fathered a second child with another womanwhile trying to get back with the birth mother of his first child. His chaotic personal life led to a dip in his work, and after leaving the series, Kyle continued to be a bit of a mess.
3Ruan Irving
Bosun On Below Deck Mediterranean
Although he was only featured on one episode ofBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 8, BosunRuan Irving is still one of the messiest crew membersthat the series has seen in recent years. Ruan didn’t have enough time on the series to give any indicator into how he would perform as a Bosun, and his time on the show was spent more theoretically. While he was dealing with some issues in his paperwork with Captain Sandy, Ruan appeared to have problems verifying his ability to be employed.
Ruan wasn’t able to get his paperworkin order, and it came to pass that the majority of his paperwork wasn’t legal or verifiable, making it impossible for him to work aboard Mustique. While Ruan was pushing to get himself aboard Mustique for the charter season,Captain Sandy couldn’t take the risk of employing him with bad paperwork. While the Bosun was fired fromBelow Deck Mediterranean,he ultimately was able to work his way up to Captaincy elsewhere.
2Adrienne Gang
Although she wasn’t on the show for long,Below Deckseason 1’sChief Stew Adrienne Gang left a mark on the series.Adriennewas part of the first-ever crew onBelow Deck,working as the Cheif Stew of Honor. Leading the interior team, comprised of Stews Kat Held and Samantha Orme, Adrienne was working beneath Captain Lee, and did her best to keep her cool aboard the superyacht while filming a reality TV series for the first time.
WhileAdrienne’s time onBelow Deckwas a bit messy, she’s one of the more memorable figures fromBelow Deckseason 1. Getting into issues with the majority of her fellow crew members, Adrienne struggled during her time on the series, and ultimately wasn’t asked back for another season of the show. AfterBelow Deck,Adrienne continued focusing on the show as a part of her career, as she hosts aBelow Deckthemed podcast, but has moved away from working as a Chief Stew and gone into the culinary side of superyachts.
1Samantha Orme
Another member ofBelow Deckseason 1’s original crew, Samantha was one of the Stews working on the interior team of Honor. Though she was experienced in working with luxury superyachts,Samantha had a tough time working aboard Honor during the charter season. Struggling withBelow Deckseason 1’s Chief Stew Adrienne, the pair had some serious personality clashes as Adrienne tried to discipline her Stew, which Samantha didn’t appreciate.
While Samantha had a tough time with Adrienne, her other relationships on the superyacht were far more interesting. She had a short-lived romantic fling with one of the engineers, C.J. LeBeau, but things fizzled out after a terrible kiss.Sam’s quick wit and fun choices on Honor made for an exciting storylineonBelow Deckseason 1. The Stew became one of the fan favorites of the season, but declined to return toBelow Deckfor another season.
Sources:Ross Inia/Instagram,Adrienne Gang/Instagram
Below Deck
Below Deck is a popular reality TV franchise that focuses on a group of crew members as they work on luxurious yachts and cater to their client’s needs. After the original series proved to be a success, Bravo developed a handful of spinoff shows including Below Deck Selling Yacht, Below Deck Adventure, Below Deck Down Under, and Below Deck Mediterranean.
