The Below Deck franchise launched in 2013. It featured wildly lavish guests and their exhausted crews, making it a series like none other on the air. People loved tuning in to see how these wealthy humans vacationed. They also enjoyed learning about how this industry worked. However, in recent years, the storylines have shifted to the sexual, making this series an entirely different beast altogether.
As of late, the storylines on Below Deck are centering around team boning rather than team building. Production is running with this narrative by getting close-ups of every tongue in every mouth. And do not get me started on the sounds that we now hear whenever the crew members have the wherewithal to at least shut their doors before engaging in their trysts. It’s hard to say when Below Deck started turning into a borderline x-rated series, but, in my opinion, this shift is threatening to sink the entire franchise.
Below Deck has become just another generic hookup show
Before this franchise ever debuted, the term “boatmance” never entered my vocabulary. But thanks to Below Deck, this term is now one that I write about almost every week. Nowadays, most seasons feature at least one of these short-lived romances on board. And, thanks to their long working hours and tightly-knit confines, these happenings are also commonplace in the yachting industry.
Overall, I don’t mind watching these storylines. They are true to the field, and they are also fascinating to watch, as these crew members typically start falling into a heavy case of like by week one. However, when these romps are noncommittal and ever-changing, it blurs the line, making us question whether we are watching a yachting series or a generic hookup drama on Bravo.
Take, for example, Below Deck Season 12, which is currently airing. As noted by several cast members, this season is the most incestuous one yet. However, I would prefer to label it as messy, manipulative, and gross. Instead of seeing any sweet love stories, (mostly) everyone is hooking up with the first yachtie that they see on any given day.
As a result, Below Deck is starting to feel like an entirely different series altogether. It now feels like every week mimics an episode of Love Island USA, with short bursts of dinner services and water toys on the side. While I am here for sex positive interactions, I am not here for this being the main running storyline on Below Deck.
Yes, we still have some of the same original narratives from Season 1. The stews are still fighting, and our chefs remain temperamental. But these storylines are currently fading into the background of this presently over-sexualized series.
Below Deck needs to return to being more about the job and less about the sex
Below Deck originated as a series about the yachting industry. The cast included certified members from this field, all working to rise to the next level in this enterprise. It was captivating. I remember watching Season 1 thinking, “Why did no one tell me that this was a tangible career option?”
I was not the only one who felt this way. Based on the impressive ratings, many spin-offs quickly formed. Currently airing are four iterations of Below Deck, each led by phenomenal Captains who all seem to love what they do.
Since many of us have desk jobs, yachts and outrageous vacations are not our norms. So, people like me started tuning in each week to see impressive showings of wealth, colorful feasts, and all of the components of this highly niche manner of travel. Because, minus any lottery wins, this series is the closest thing that we will ever get to that new money life.
But sadly, our time spent lurking behind the curtains of the rich is lessening. Instead of work scenes and affluent guests, the focus is now on the crew’s nights out, complete with all of their drunken hookups. The Below Deck ball has gotten dropped, and I, for one, hate it.
Below Deck is streaming on Peacock. In the UK and Ireland, Below Deck streams on Hayu.
TELL US – DO YOU ALSO MISS THE OLDEN DAYS OF BELOW DECK THAT FOCUSED ON HARD WORK, NOT HOOKUPS? OR, ARE YOU LOVING THE RAUNCHY SIDE OF THIS SERIES?
