Below Deckhas become one of the most popular franchises in the Bravo-verse, butsome cast members have been stuck with the villain editwhen they don’t deserve quite so much heat. Though there are several differentshows within theBelow Deckfranchiseand all have somewhat different components, they all share the common thread of a team of yachties who are working to serve the charter guests and keep them safe. WhileBelow Deckhas had some of the most interesting villains on reality TV, there are others who don’t necessarily deserve the title.
Beginning in 2013,Below Deckquickly gained popularity with the majority of Bravo viewers, who were interested in the mix of reality TV drama and docuseries that the series provided. Following the crews of superyachts that sail through different waters all over the world, the franchise has produced several series that cover all different areas.Below DeckandBelow Deck Mediterraneanwere the earliest series in the franchise,whileBelow Deck Sailing YachtandBelow Deck Down Underjoined later on, creating several different spaces for yachties to find their niche and createnew connections on aBelow Deckseries.
While some yachties who have the opportunity towork aboard aBelow Decksuperyachtare excited at the chance to build new relationships and gain experience, others are looking for reality TV fame more than anything else. Typically,Below Deckfranchise villains are those who are stirring the pot on the superyachtrather than committing villainous acts, as bringing drama aboard is overwhelming. With manyBelow Deckyachties contributing their brand of drama to the crew, bringing more into the experience can make things difficult for the rest of the crew, who are trying to keep their heads above water.
ThoughBelow Deckyachties have come into the experience expecting a high-pressure situation, many are ill-prepared for just how overwhelming it’ll be aboard the superyachts.Below Deckyachties have to worktheir normal jobs in an accelerated manner, dealing with higher pressure from guests and the rest of the crew, and they’re dealing with the invisible pressures of reality TV on top of everything else.Handing being aboard aBelow Decksuperyacht can be overwhelming,and push yachties to behave poorly even if they’re not typically doing so in other situations.
Although there are some genuine villains that are part of theBelow Deckfranchise, the majority of thecast members who work aboardBelow Deckvesselsaren’t inherently bad. Though they may exhibit some villainous behaviors, they’re not setting out to be the villains they’re edited into. There are some who receive the branding, butdon’t actually deserve theBelow Deckvillain edit they’re given on the show.
8Barbie Pascual
Below Deck Season 11
Although she joined the series in the most recent season,Below Deckseason 11Stew Barbie Pascual made a major impact on the seriesquickly. Memorable for her attitude and work ethic, Barbie was a contradiction from the moment she stepped aboard St. David. Working as a Stew for the challenge and interest,Barbie came from a wealthy familyand made it clear that she enjoyed luxury from the beginning of her time aboard the superyacht.
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While Barbie did have moments of drama, it was clear that she was good at her job and felt excluded from the rest of the interior team throughout the charter season.Barbie clashed with both Chief Stew Fraser Olender, who struggled to deal with her perceived attitude throughout the charter season, as well asher fellow Stew Xandi Olivier. While Barbie had her moments of drama, she wasn’t the villain that viewers seemed to think she was, especially with how hard she worked aboard St David.
7Bri Muller
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9
Below Deck Mediterraneanseason 9 was a struggle in the interior department, and while there appeared to be more than one villain aboard Mustique, viewers were tougher on Bri Muller than they needed to be. ThroughoutBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 9, Bri and her fellow Stew Ellie Dubaich struggled through a love triangle between themselves and Joe Bradley, which pushed the women apart. While Ellie was Bri’s superior,she was holding her position over Bri’s head often, which made the younger Stew emotional.
Bri had several breakdowns throughout her time onBelow Deck Mediterranean,mostly because of the way Ellie treated her throughout the season. WhileBri was in the yachting industry for yearsbeforeBelow Deck,but had never finished a charter season due to her instability and limited skillset. Though Bri struggled during her time on the series, she didn’t deserve to get a villain edit, nor did she deserve to haveBelow Deck Medviewers commenting on her behavior.
6Francesca Rubi
Below Deck Season 8
WhileFrancesca Rubi was a key partofBelow Deckseason 8, the edit she received was harsh even to the most hardened of viewers. Working as the Chief Stew aboard My Seanna, Francesca had high standards that she wanted to keep during her time running the interior department. Though she was clear in the fact that she knew her standards were higher than most other Chief Stews, she was portrayed as far more rigid than she actually was, especially with Stew Elizabeth Frankini.
Francesca’s interactions with Elizabeth were often tense, and though the context wasn’t always readily available forBelow Deckviewers, there was more going on between the two than was shown on screen. With concerns about Elizabeth’s skills being made to look like personal attacks onBelow Deck,it was clear that the show needed a villain for the season, and Francesca’s serious nature made her easy to seem like the villain. Regardless,Francesca’s edit was often misleading.
5Fraser Olender
Below Deck Season 9
AlthoughFraser began his journey onBelow Deckas one of the Stews working for Chief Stew Heather Chase duringBelow Deckseason 9, he quickly moved up into a role of authority. Working as the Chief Stew himself throughBelow Deckseason 10 and 11, Fraser’s attitude has been misleading for some viewers. WhileFraserdoes come off a bit too prim, proper, and buttoned up, it’s clear that he’s serious about his work when he needs to be, but has fun outside of that.Fraser’s performance onBelow Deckseason 11 made him out to be more villainous.
WhileFraser has come off too severe in the past, his most recent charter season made him seem like one of the major villains of the series. Digging into personal issues he had with Barbie that pushed him to seem like he’d be letting her go for his own personal vendettas,Fraser seemed to be taking things too farduring the charter season. When it became clear that he wasn’t actually acting on his emotions, but voicing them to people he felt comfortable with, it became clear that he wasn’t actually the villain he appeared to be.
4Rachel Hargrove
Below Deckseason 8 welcomed Chef Rachel Hargrove, and though she was wonderful at what she did in the galley, she became one of the biggest villains of the series over the next few seasons. While Rachel worked hard in the galley,her relationships with the rest of the crew were difficult at times, and like allBelow Deckchefs, she had a few tough moments during services throughout her time on the show. Rachel was more outspoken than most otherBelow Deckchefs, having some outbursts that were cemented inBelow Deckhistory throughout her tenure.
Although she was incredibly talented as a chef,the interpersonal issues that Rachel facedthroughout her time onBelow Deckwere hard to overcome within edited episodes of the series.Below Deckonly has so much time to tackle the drama they create from episode to episode, and Rachel’s behavior was tough to fit into episodes with any sense of resolution. WhileRachel may have had some difficult behavior, the fact that she wasn’t shown accurately onBelow Deckwas difficult.
3Tom Checketts
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 5
As one of the chefs reporting for duty under Captain Sandy Yawn,Tom Checketts joinedBelow Deck Mediterraneanseason 5ready to work ashe was needed after Chef Kiko Lorran’s departure. Though Tom struggled in moments and had meltdowns throughout the season that pushed the rest of the crew to struggle with communication about his work, he was a skilled chef with a lot to offer. Malia White, who was working onBelow Deck Medas the Bosun aboard The Wellington, was excited on a personal level to have Tom aboard, as they were dating.
WhileTom’s stress-induced outbursts in the galleywere great for drama, the editing onBelow Deck Medoften overlooked the high-quality dishes he created. Instead, the show honed in on his perfectionist tendencies and struggles with provisions, ignoring most of the challenges of joining a crew mid-charter season.Tom’s time with the crew onBelow Deck Mediterraneanwas a high-pressure situation, and the series didn’t necessarily account for that.
2Malia White
As theBosun duringBelow Deck Medseason 5, Malia had a few struggles of her own that led to her being perceived as a villain when she’s hardly villainous. Malia was made out to be the villain of the season whenshe reported Chief Stew Hannah Ferrier’s unregistered prescription medication to Captain Sandy, making it impossible for the Captain not to take action. While there were conflicting stories about the medication, Malia has explained she was doing what was required of her job, not trying to be a villain.
Rather thanappreciating Malia for what she brought toBelow Deck Mediterranean,viewers struggled to see her point of view when it came to Hannah’s personal belongings. As one of the few female Bosuns in the franchise, Malia was vilified for personal action rather than praised for the work she was doing. As a successful Bosun who was working against the misogynistic attitudes of male yachties,Malia should’ve been more respectedaboard The Wellington.
1Ben Willoughby
Below Deck Season 10
AlthoughBen Willoughby has been one of the sneakier members of theBelow Deckcastin recent years, his back-to-backBelow Deckseasons made him out to be far more villainous than he actually is. While Ben’s first season, where he got into a boatmance with Camille Lamb, showed off more of his personal drama, the second season he appeared onthe series edited Ben to be villainousin the majority of his actions.
While Ben reported then-Bosun Jared Woodin’s poor behavior to Captain Kerry Titheradge, the series tried to make it more vindictive than it actually was. Instead, Ben’s actions throughoutBelow Deckseason 11 proved that he was dedicated to his job, trying to keep the crew and guests safe throughout the charter season.Ben’s behavior may have been called outbyBelow DeckCaptain Kerry, but his dedication is often overlooked when he’s discussed.
Source:Fraser Olender/Instagram
Below Deck
Below Deck is a popular reality TV franchise that focuses on a group of crew members as they work on luxurious yachts and cater to their client’s needs. After the original series proved to be a success, Bravo developed a handful of spinoff shows including Below Deck Selling Yacht, Below Deck Adventure, Below Deck Down Under, and Below Deck Mediterranean.
