Bravo viewers are well aware of the surprisingly low tips on Below Deck — but what about the shockingly high payments?
During the Monday, November 3, episode of Below Deck Mediterranean, the Bravado crew struggled to please a group of guests who were specifically frustrated with the food. Chef Josh Bingham disappointed them with several dishes, but appeared to win them over with dessert on the last night.
Aesha Scott was still unsure they would get paid properly for their work after noticing how often the guests were in their room. To their surprise, Captain Sandy Yawn revealed that the money they received was much higher than expected.
The crew got $40,000 in full, which meant $4,000 per person. Aesha said this was “the biggest tip” she “ever had on any” of her seasons. The crew even sent the guests a video of them celebrating their success.
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Below Deck, which debuted in 2013 and has spawned several spinoffs, follows the lives of various crew members working and living on super yachts during charter season. The cast earns a salary for working on the boat and shooting the reality series, in addition to gratuity — aka tips — from guests.
While Med got off to a strong start, the OG show recently took a hit when Captain Kerry Titheradge and the rest of the St. David crew were faced with a serious season 12a predicament — the boat couldn’t leave the dock due to an engineering issue. The crew had to find ways to entertain the guests that didn’t involve being out on the water, which ultimately cost them.
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“I am just trying to work out a number that we can discount these guys because we didn’t burn fuel,” Captain Kerry said while on the phone with the yacht agent, arguing that the guests deserved a “20 percent discount” while they were separately discussing whether to leave a tip at all.
“No tip is not a reflection of our group,” one of the guests told another. “It is a reflection of the circumstances.”
Later in the episode, the primary pulled Captain Kerry aside to address their issues.
“You guys have been great, by the way. We have been completely happy but normally when something is significantly wrong — like the boat not leaving — that isn’t a small matter,” he told Captain Kerry. “There is the standard gratuity but I don’t know that the group is going to be happy about doing that.”
Captain Kerry, however, disagreed with the overall assessment.
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“End of the day, it is the service industry,” he noted. “The house makes a mistake — the staff shouldn’t suffer.” Kerry hinted at “compensation on the front end” of the charter but the gratuity was still less than desired.
“Unfortunately, the guests — in their mind — they had punished us for the boat not moving. Which I don’t think is fair. [They gave us] $19,000, which I think is well short,” Captain Kerry told the crew about how they received $1,461 each for their hard work.
Chief steward Fraser Olender later weighed in on what amount he typically expects from charter guests.
“I can tell you for a tip on our charter season, the minimum I would expect [where] you won’t see me crack a smile,” Fraser shared on a June episode of SiriusXM’s Reality Checked with Dorinda Medley and Kiki Monique. “If we are not getting between $20,000 — I’ll scrap that. $25,000 to $30,000 for the time we’ve done.”
Fraser noted he wouldn’t budge on that number, adding, “I don’t care if that’s one day or three days or five. I’m waiting for that amount of cash, and if you can’t or if you’re not coming with that to be expected, just don’t bother. Maybe just go on a cruise.”
Below Deck Med airs on Bravo Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
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