Former Below Deck Mediterranean alums and charter guests are breaking down the strict rules they must adhere to while filming the hit show. From a firm “no breaking the fourth wall” policy to not being able to play their own music, these rules are no joke.
Per Showbiz Cheatsheet, charter guest Terez Lauren explained that guests cannot interact with the production crew. “They mic you up, and you can’t say ‘Bravo’ [like the Housewives],” she told Another Below Deck Podcast.
But another former guest, Roy Oribson, Jr., relayed that production was breaking their own rules.
“There was no fourth wall because they were like piranha sharks around me,” he said during an appearance on the Gangplank Report podcast. “As soon as I picked up the first drink that I was actually drinking, they were jumping out of closets, and they have earpieces. They all have earpieces.”
According to ex-chief stew Hannah Ferrier, not being allowed to talk to the production crew isn’t limited to guests but also applies to the cast. It’s a rule Hannah admits she broke many times herself.
“The fourth wall when it comes to Below Deck is very, very strict,” Hannah explained on her Dear Diary, You’re Effed! podcast. “Like you’re not even supposed to say like, ‘Good morning.’ Or, ‘Bye,’ or nothing to camera and audio.”
“Actually, it’s a funny story because I had one camera guy that was on every single season with me,” Hannah recalled. “And basically, he would wear this ridiculous pair of birthday board shorts once a year on his birthday. So, he could be filming me and I would be like shaking a cocktail, going like, ‘Happy birthday to ya!’ And he’s like filming me going like, ‘Hannah!’”
When it comes to music, Bravo has a strict rule regarding the guest’s ability to play certain types of music while on charter due to “licensing issues.”
Lee Percenti, another former charter guest, revealed that because of the policy, he and his fellow guests would have “dance parties” in their room just so they could play the music they wanted.
“One of the things was the music,” Lee said on Another Below Deck Podcast. “We had dance parties in our room. Because we couldn’t play music [on camera].”
“We had one song for the wedding that we paid for,” Lee added. “For the rest of the night, I thought they were gonna make us look weird because we’d go in our room and shut the door. We’d open it and be like, ‘Hey we’d like eight espresso martinis. Thanks.’ Shut the door. And go back to the dance party.”
Below Deck and Below Deck Med production have also made their stance on illegal substances and medications being brought aboard the mega-yachts very clear. Executive producer Mark Cronin recalled a situation during Below Deck’s first season where Captain Lee Rosbach had to kick charter guests off the boat after finding cocaine on the group. The situation was such a shocker that the cast thought that maybe production had “planted” the drugs for a storyline.
“I stop all the cameras, and we all had to come into the main saloon of the boat,” Mark told Showbiz Cheatsheet. “And I had to sit everybody down and said, ‘We did not put drugs on this boat.’ Those guys, unbeknownst to us, brought something on this boat that’s not cool. I get it. And it’s a disaster. And I didn’t want to end this charter early. I didn’t want this to happen. I didn’t know. It’s no good to me if we could shut down in the first episode either.”
Below Deck Mediterranean is currently airing Monday nights at 8 p.m. EST on Bravo.