Below Deck Season 12 Is Sinking Fast & These Producer Mistakes Are To Blame

Captain Kerry Titheradge runs a tight ship, but he relies heavily on the efficacy of his team, which includes veteran Chief Stew Fraser Olender. While Fraser is becoming one of Below Deck’s most reliable chief stews, the rest of the crew hasn’t been as steady. Chef Lawrence Snowden quit during the first charter, necessitating the return of fired season 11 Chef Anthony Iracane, who battles self-doubt as well as unresolved tension with Fraser. Meanwhile, Bosun Caio Poltronieri seems entirely incapable of managing his team. With this much internal turmoil, difficult guests are the last thing the crew needs.

The Adult Film Actors Were Overly Crude In Below Deck Season 12
Their Five-Day Charter Was Grueling
The second charter of Below Deck season 12 was a steep challenge for the St. David crew. Not only was the charter an excruciating five days long, it also included a group of guests from the adult film industry. The guests were unabashed about their sexuality, leaving sex toys scattered around the yacht and requesting lubricant in every guest room.

The R-rated requests, combined with the length of the charter, seemed over the line, even by Below Deck standards.
Below Deck Producers Should Hold The Guests To A Standard Appropriate Tip
Below Deck Season 12 Cast Got "Shafted"
The adult film stars’ charter required the crew to work tirelessly, but they reaped very little reward. Despite enduring a marathon-length charter and the guests’ wild antics, the crew was tipped only $19,990, which amounted to $1,500 per person. Captain Kerry called the tip “pathetic” and noted that it didn’t reflect the crew’s level of service.

The Below Deck crew’s tips are often the source of both anxiety and celebration. While tips should be indicative of the success of the charter, the amount can vary widely, adding suspense leading up to the reveal. However, part of the producers’ process of selecting guests should include mandating fair tips, and so far this season they are failing. A five-day charter deserves a proportional tip, not one that is paltry for even a much shorter excursion.

Below Deck Producers Have Chosen Abhorrent Guests This Season
Captain Kerry Said Charter One Guests Were The Best All Season
     Image via Bravo
The first guests of Below Deck season 12 set the stage for the season’s disappointing choices. The entire family seemed unimpressed by the efforts of the crew, with the primary insulting the chef’s food and holding the team to impossible standards. He even broke out a black light to check the cleanliness of the cabin, demanding the stews re-clean anything he deemed unsatisfactory.

Shockingly, Captain Kerry admitted the first guests were the best they had all season. This suggests the behavior of the guests will continue to decline from an already-low bar. The Below Deck season 12 trailer, which shows Captain Kerry reminding guests that he’s the ship’s ultimate authority, alludes to a charter being cut short because of their bad behavior.

For the safety and sanity of the crew, producers need to put more rigorous vetting practices in place to hold guests to a higher standard. Wild guest antics are some of the most amusing aspects of Below Deck, but there needs to be a limit. It’s not fun to watch guests who threaten the safety of themselves or the crew, are completely belligerent, or act blatantly disrespectful towards the cast.

Below Deck Producers Should Have Had A Housewives Crossover
They’re Missing A Golden Opportunity
rently, the Below Deck season 12 producers should have looked within the network and brought in Real Housewives stars. They know how to act in front of the cameras and have a vested interest in maintaining their reputations. Not to mention, a crossover draws in additional viewers who want to see their favorite Housewives in a new setting. This formula has proven successful in the past, and Below Deck should lean into it further.

Below Deck’s success has the downside of attracting guests who are fame-hungry and attention-seeking. While producers are likely interested in creating as much drama as possible, they need to shift away from inconsiderate and unruly guests. Minor celebrities or proven reality stars are a safer bet, and they can increase viewership with their built-in fanbases. At the very least, producers need to hold guests to a higher standard, rather than rely on them to create unnecessary chaos.

     
Below Deck
 

Release Date
July 1, 2013
 

Writers
Mark Cronin
 

Franchise(s)
Below Deck
 
 Lee Rosbach
 Kate Chastain
 

Creator(s)
Mark Cronin
 
 
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