Below Deck Mediterranean recently hosted The Traitors winner and MTV reality TV legend Trishelle Cannatella on a charter, and after seeing the way things played out on screen, she spoke out about her experiences. Trishelle, originally a cast member on The Real World: Las Vegas in the early 2000s, joined in on the Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 charter before her time on The Traitors began. Mustique’s crew was hosting a friend of Trishelle’s who’s also a reality TV alum, Brittany Brower, and a group of other guests. During their time aboard Mustique, things weren’t as they seemed on screen.
"I didn’t want to do anything themed"
In a recent exchange with a fan on X (formerly Twitter), Trishelle revealed that Below Deck Mediterranean’s production staff tried to push the drama along and regularly interfered with their charter, as well.
In response to a fan who was asking about production interference, Trishelle explained, “Oh trust me I didn’t want to do anything themed…but it was sort of suggested. They did have other fun things for us.” While Trishelle shared she was more interested in the water toys, like a large inflatable slide, she was hesitant to ask for them, especially with production suggesting more relevant themed activities.
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Trishelle Cannatella Slams Below Deck Med Backlash Against Chef Jono
Chef Jono Doesn't Deserve Criticism, According To Trishelle
Later on, when one of her social media followers criticized Johnathan "Jono" Shillingford on X for supposedly being a bad chef, Trishelle came to the Below Deck Med star's defense, saying Johnathan "wasn't bad" because a lot of the food she and her fellow charter guests were served was on the request sheet. She even said that "some of what he put out was the best I've had." Unfortunately, not everything made it to air, she noted. Trishelle probably isn't paying close attention to social media and Reddit to see the accusations made against various crew members and the producers.
However, she's doing her best to come to their defense when necessary. Someone else pointed out that Johnathan's performance has come under fire lately, which came as a surprise to Trishelle, who called the chef sweet and acknowledged that he has so much pressure placed on him as a chef of a yacht like the Mustique. "He handled himself very well," she said, adding that everything Johnathan made for the guests was so much better and more luxurious than what people typically serve guests at home. As a result, any criticism against the chef is not warranted at all.
Is Producer Interference Ruining Below Deck?
While Trishelle and the group she was with on Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 had their fair share of genuine experiences aboard Mustique, she made it clear that their time spent putting together a fashion show or attending a themed dinner party was more production-curated than requested by her party. Viewers have complained about production interference on Below Deck Med for years, and some have stopped watching. Many feel that some of the drama is manufactured, like when crew members are set up to fail because the crew isn’t fully staffed, or the guests are given directives to be difficult.
Even though the production aspect of Below Deck Mediterranean, as well as all the shows in the Below Deck franchise, is necessary, the amount of interference that viewers see play out on the air is startling. While many are interested in the drama of Below Deck, a lot of it comes from production playing a role in creating situations that aren’t necessarily authentic to what’s actually happening. Even though the drama on Below Deck Med is an interesting part of the series, the production interference itself may not be worth it when it comes to telling the story on screen.
Two Below Deck Med season 9 stars in particular have come under fire in recent weeks for allegedly faking their poor performances on the Mustique. Chef Johnathan has been the topic of much speculation over his duties in the galley. He keeps failing to live up to the typical expectations that a chef on a luxurious yacht should be surpassing. Captain Sandy Yawn has already reached out about having a backup chef on standby in case she needs to fire him. Bosun Iain MacLean has faced the same accusations when it comes to his duties with the exterior crew.
With guests like Trishelle speaking up about their experiences on Below Deck Mediterranean and the rest of the franchise, it’s becoming more clear what’s real about the series, and what’s manipulated. Although there should be some production interference suspected on most reality TV shows, the majority of the content on Below Deck is typically expected to be far more real. Instead of interfering with the stories on Below Deck Mediterranean to make them more dramatic, their production team should focus on the authenticity of what’s happening aboard Mustique, as the crew has enough drama to create quality content.
Below Deck Mediterranean airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on Bravo.
Sources: Trishelle/X, Trishelle/X, Trishelle/X, Below Deck/Instagram
Below Deck Mediterranean is a Bravo reality television series that follows a crew that works aboard a gigantic superyacht during the busy season. The show highlights the challenges of the crew as they serve their high-end clientele. Each season tackles new locations, such as Greece, Croatia, Italy, and France, with some repeating.
