TV show- "Below Deck"

Phil,

While working for Duncan and Annie aboard "Cuan Law", I had a 100 ton and the boat was registered as 240 GRT...

Suffice to say, I got my 1600 ton based on my time as master w/ a 100 ton on a vessel over 100 tons.

In my experience, your license doesn't necessarily limit you by tonnage - more the insurance company. Duncan and Annie were more than happy to have me run their boat based on what they knew and their insurance company was perfectly amenable to that.

Additionally, having been boarded several times by the CG, I've never been asked to produce a license - the only people ever wanting to see my license has been an insurance company...

That's true you do see some. But that wasn't my point. The first thing they do on tv is start inspecting all of the staterooms for bed bugs on tv with their company shirts on......purposefully, almost as if they were filming a commercial for the company.

Hehehehee, of all of the 100's and 100's of long deliveries I've done. The only person that asked to see my license was a NY state police officer in a 17' Boston Whaler who boarded us for not obeying the 5 MPH speed limit on the Erie Canal which was very lengthy. One of the locks complained about it, because I guess it cut into his tv show because we got to the next lock too earlier. I was in a newish 58' searay with 1100 mans, and the boat idled at around 7.2 knots with 1 engine in gear although it didn't throw much of a wake at all and well within idle speed zone limits. There was no way I could have done 5 mph for miles and miles clutching it the entire way. I explained that I needed to for safe steerage, he understood, and was nice about it after he saw it was a Captain and 60 year old married couple who just purchased the boat. The boat's name didn't help either which was leftover from the last owner....."The Budman" and I think he was expecting a different crowd on board.

Capt J,

To that I would say you are right! That was a little fake. But if I had a company that did bed bugs I might check all of my hotel rooms. But the show did go overboard with that man ripping that bed apart. And lets face it, true high profile customers would not be on that show. Any who, it is mindless entertainment.

Keith

That's probably very natural. All shows have a shelf life, as do the players.

The show was really brilliant reality TV for 5-6 seasons.

I still like Deadliest Catch although I agree it's getting a little dramatic. However it's been very successful to be on it's 9th season.,.... Whereas the lobsterman one only made it a year or so as did the longline show which I happened to like. Wicked Tuna is a heck of a lot more drama, and whining about people in "their spot" and each of the other guys and when the seasons done the top boat has made a whopping $65k.

I kind of like Below Deck, but it focus' too much on the crew behind scenes, whining and this and that, versus showing the guests, and what the guests actually do on the yacht..... and what the yacht does. For all anyone knows it could be anchored in the same spot the entire time almost, and all the guests do is eat dinner and lunch and go golfing once. LOL

Totally agree. Love that show - especially the first 5-6 seasons. All I'm saying is that anything gets a bit tested after 9 years.

For a show - any show - to be on 9 years, let alone 5, is incredible. The Deadliest Catch has been a phenomenal boon for a lot of people, the industry itself, AK and the overall value of Discovery Channel.

(I always thought that the film crews deserved a special Emmy for the shots that they got.)

Isn't that the catch-22? What "guest" that's willing to spend 150K+ for a week of pampered serenity + fun is going to want their valuable, precious private time thrown in with a bunch of under-qualified, emotionally imbalanced attention deprived wannabes - the crew of Honor. Never mind having this experience broadcast to the masses.

Looks like the Producers set out and are trying to make a drama riddled reality drunken-f*ck-fest, which minimizes the uniqueness of the show, life "Below Deck," and maximizes schlock.

We know the head of programming at Bravo...season 2 in the works...

And Keeping Up With The Kardashians is in it's 6th season. Doesn't make it good TV.

So what did you all think of season one? Are you ready for season two? What would you like to see more of? What would you like less of or changed?

I loved season one and am looking forward to season 2.

I am a sucker for any tv show or movie that has a yacht in the plot so I am in hog heaven when the show or movie's plot centers on a yacht to the point where most or all of the footage is shot on the boat.

It will be interesting to see how they manage to top the success of season one.

I will continue to watch just to get my yacht fix so anything above and beyond that will be icing on the cake for me!

How did I not know about this. Heading out on the water today but will have to check this out. Maybe I was just below deck when I could have found out about below deck. We don't watch a lot of tv, other ways to entertain ourselves, but definitely this one is on the agenda now.

That must be a cake job. All you seem to have to do is pay adults to act like spoiled children and the let the cameras roll while laughing all the way to the bank.

So what is your connection to the show?

Ok, now after reading the rest, not excited anymore about it. Will try one episode just to see. It's my same criticism of a lot of the reality shows is it's like they have to make them extreme and it becomes caricatures instead of characters. Even if you're going to script it, make it somewhat believable. Some of the shows they'd all be in jail if it was real. And they always have to have at least one truly disgusting human being. Like why? If the guy was like that why would the others even associate? I mean they take what could be interesting off-beat kinds of people but then make them extreme. Well, at least now I won't go in expecting great tv.

You were probably too sane.