Daisy Kelliher Finally Reveals If Below Deck Manipulates Storylines Amid Producer Plant Accusations

Below Deck has been facing criticism regarding alleged producer manipulation, and now beloved Chief Stew Daisy Kelliher from Below Deck Sailing Yacht wants to set the record straight. The Below Deck franchise is a series of television shows on Bravo that covers the lives of those who work on major luxury yachts around the world. The cramped and stressful conditions that the men and women aboard the yachts must work in have led to many entertaining seasons. However, Below Deck Mediterranean season 9, which is currently airing, has come under fire for allegedly faking poor performances.

After rumors began circulating that the "real" portion of "reality" was missing from the Below Deck franchise due to alleged producer manipulation, Daisy felt it was time to correct the narrative. She recently spoke to the Daily Express to discuss the recent rumors. She admitted that fans come up to her and ask her if the Below Deck shows are scripted, which she adamantly denied. Check out what Daisy had to say below:

"The most important thing is people always think it's scripted. They think it's directed…It's not. It certainly isn't. And, you know, I often get asked, ‘How do you ignore the cameras? And that's something where every single cast member comes on and wonders how they're going to do that. But when you're in such a high-pressure, fast-paced environment, it is quite incredible… Like, how the human psyche will just concentrate on what you're doing and not on your peripheral. What they've created is quite amazing. And it doesn't need a script, it doesn't need direction. Because of that, it shows what we do when we're in a high-pressure environment: we are just thinking about that one thing. It's very real; it's very organic. And, yeah, a few bits of entertainment. And I hope most people take it lightheartedly. Some people take it very seriously.”

What Daisy Kelliher’s Revelation Means For Below Deck Storylines

Below Deck's Drama Is Organic & Not Scripted For Maximum Drama

In Below Deck Mediterranean season 9, rumors began to circulate that the drama unfolding on the screen was not real but manipulated by the cast members throughout production. For example, Chef Johnathan "Jono" Shillingford has been trained for many years in the art of being a chef. However, when it was time to serve the charter guests, Chef Jono made more than one mistake that a professional chef should not have been able to make. These mistakes included serving cold eggs, improperly cooked meat, and even serving one guest a dish of raw fish that could have killed her.

While it appears that the drama on the screen could be staged, Daisy's illustration of how production works behind the scenes suggests another explanation for Chef Jono's poor performance: pressure can play a significant part in the crew's behavior. The high-stress environment of working on a yacht can lead to ordinary people having reactions that are not unusual on yachts, but it also makes television great for viewers. When Bosun Iain Maclean failed to ensure the safety of the charter guests as they were paddleboarding, this was an actual oversight on his part, not the product of producer manipulation.

Our Take On Daisy Kelliher’s Claim That Below Deck Isn’t Scripted

Below Deck Is Accurately Portrayed

In many instances, it can be hard to imagine that what is being shown on television is actually real and not scripted, and this is even more true when the drama is outrageous. Below Deck has filled many seasons showing the behavior of ordinary yachties, including their crewmates' messups, hookups, and reactions to these events. These actions can make it more believable that the producers guided them along, but the truth is that they are the genuine reactions of the people on screen. The Below Deck Sailing Yacht star's interview assures us that what we see is what we get.