The premiere episode is a fairly entertaining, voyeuristic look at a made-for-reality-TV crew, though it's a toss-up as to who's more obnoxious: the bickering crew or their first guests.
Like so many reality shows, Below Deck takes the idea of disparate types thrown together in a controlled environment and capitalizes on two seemingly inevitable results: Friction and sexual tension.
Below Deck Mediterranean -- Nicely filmed reality show about charter luxury sailing cruises from the perspective of the crew. Several pretty girls among the crew will make this show of interest to the guys, well at least the straight ones. Some interesting dynamics among the crew and a bit of romance too.
Certain elements of Below Deck, a listless docu-series that follows the staff of a 164-foot charter boat, seem so scripted--the stereotypical spoiled crew members, the neatly wrapped-up “plotlines”--that it’s hard to take seriously, even in the dubious cable reality show genre.
The real issue with this series is that the crew members aren’t all that interesting. There are the usual catfights and territorial disputes, as well as some hints that intra-crew sex might happen. But no one really stands out.
The dramas, at least up front, feel pretty mundane. Someone thinks the boss is being too strict and picking on her. Someone doesn’t think someone else is carrying enough of the load.
I genuinely hate myself for enjoying this. It's pure trash TV but I can't seem to stop watching it. More in the way you'd watch a train crash than anything else. And if I have learnt anything it's that you have to be a complete lunatic and a trainwreck of a person to work on a charter yacht.
Capt Lee is acting like a whiny baby. He is a victim of his own ego and hard to watch anymore. The show was interesting when it started but now it’s starting to become mean spirited and full of divas. Ugh!