45 Rules the ‘Below Deck’ Cast Has to Follow

Yachties who wants to give reality television a try can find the application for Below Deck posted online as Bravo begins casting for each season. All that’s required is some basic information, a yachting resumé, and a short video introduction.

Since yachting is an international industry, there’s a lot of logistical details involved. All Below Deck crew members are responsible for securing the appropriate visa to work in that season’s filming location.

Potential cast members must provide the proper paperwork that says they are able to work on the boat. “Each of the crew members has to have an STCW, which is a standard set by the maritime industry for watch-keeping and just being on board—it’s basic first aid, firefighting,” Captain Lee Rosbach told Reality Blurred.

Bravo isn’t about to let you launch your political career on their show. In order to join the cast, the contract says that you can’t be a current candidate for public office. You also can’t run for office until a year after your episodes have aired.

The show vets each cast member thoroughly to make sure they can get the job done safely—and they’ll also bring the drama. “It’s almost impossible to find a real functioning crew and step on with cameras and say go,” co-executive producer Rebecca Taylor told The Triton.

The bathroom is the only place a cast member is allowed to have privacy. As such, it’s the only place onboard without cameras. But if there’s more than one crew member in the bathroom at the same time, the camera crew can follow them in.

Other reality shows can lengthen their filming schedule to capture extra footage, but Below Deck can’t extend beyond six-weeks due to the extra expense of chartering the yacht. It’s up to cast members to bring the drama in the allotted time.

While the schedule on Below Deck seems grueling, it’s not as long as a typical charter season. Production typically books the boat for six weeks within a boat’s months-long season— so it’s basically a charter within a charter.

“They spend their real money to be on the show,” executive producer Mark Cronin told Bravo TV. But since it may not be the most relaxing trip, guests that are featured on the reality show get a 50% discount on their charter.

It’s entirely up to the guests what they tip crew members. So if the crew feels slighted by a small tip, that’s all real.

The cost is built into production’s budget, so charter guests are flown in and out courtesy of Bravo. Talk about a nice perk.

There are a number of rooms devoted to production that aren’t shown on camera, nor shown to guests. Production typically sets up their control room in one of the boat’s staterooms, while the actual master suite is also occupied by crew, rather than guests.

Ever noticed the crew members walking around barefoot? There’s a reason. “The crew members and guests are generally not permitted to wear shoes on board the yacht so as to prevent damaging the floors,” Bravo confirms, “which explains why they don’t always look the cleanest after a hard day’s work.”

Sometimes it feels like the onboard drama supersedes the duties of the crew, but it doesn’t. Each crew member has been hired for their actual yachting experience, and is expected to deliver. “These are real yachties. These are people whose careers depend on this,” executive producer Courtland Cox told Bravo TV.