The charter guests you see on the show are genuine charter guests. They pay their own money to secure a space within the six weeks of filming time each season. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars to charter any of the superyachts featured in the series.
The cheaper yachts from Below Deck can be chartered for $140,000 a week. The most expensive ones have charter costs close to $300,000 per week.
According to Chastain, Below Deck's stars really do expect to be tipped thousands of dollars each time they welcome new guests. "On a yacht of that size, [a good tip] would be $5,000 a person, for seven days of work.
The cast earns money working on the boat, which is supplemented by tips from guests and their involvement in the reality series. In May 2022, Eddie Lucas sparked a conversation about paychecks when he revealed that he won't be coming back for season 10 of Below Deck after appearing in six seasons.
Based on past seasons of the show, the cost of a 3-day charter on a luxury yacht can range anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000 or more.
Do Yachties Earn Tips? Yes, yachties can earn quite a lot from tipping. However, a yachtie who works onboard a charter yacht will end up working with limited time off and for longer periods.
Considering their characters and behaviour, one might assume they're all actors. However, in truth, they are actually genuine guests! It's important to emphasise however that the production team of Below Deck do vet the charter guests.
But the mega bucks go to the top dogs, Captain Lee and Captain Sandy, who on a 185-foot superyacht make between $150-$210,000 a year.
Captain Lee Rosbach has always begrudgingly said that Below Deck guest Timothy Sykes delivered the highest tip ever. Sykes tipped the Below Deck Season 5 crew $35,000, after initially appearing on Below Deck Season 2.
I promise production covers a meal and a drink per person." This confirms that production pays for their meal and one drink only and that certain elements are played up for TV.
The first officer would assume command of the vessel, all essential crew sleep on board, 1st officer, and 2 engineers. Production crew sleep off the boat and work in shifts. There are no charters that are not filmed. I hope this helps.
Below Deck: Crew Received No Tip Only One Time In All Franchise Seasons. Below Deck fans may remember that the crew received no tip once. That was because Captain Lee kicked the guests off the yacht for breaking rules. The Below Deck crew received no tip only once.
Captain Lee demystified the tipping process further on Twitter, sharing that every member of the crew gets an equal cut of the tip, including the captain, as well as the couple of Below Deck crew members who have typically not appeared on camera, such as the first officer and engineer.
Respect the crew who don't feature
Whilst it may look like all the yacht's crew are included in the show, the boat's first officer and engineer are not generally seen on screen. They stay on board to ensure the smooth running of day-to-day operations, but don't typically get involved with any of the charter drama.
Featured under the name Valor, she is actually called BG and is owned by Canadian entrepreneur Bobby Genovese. Delivered in 1990 to a design by Frits De Voogt, BG can accommodate 12 guests and 11 crew members.
Below Deck's chief stews are some of the hardest workers on yachts. They're the team lead for anything relating to the guests on the interior (aside from the chef).
Erica Rose and Charles "Chuck" Sanders drew the ire of staff and viewers alike after leaving a tip of $6500 for the entire crew of Parsifal III. The tip amount was apparently the lowest in Below Deck history.
But the mega bucks go to the top dogs, Captain Lee and Captain Sandy, who on a 185-foot superyacht make between $150-$210,000 a year. Then you have to add on the tips, reportedly average at around $15,000 per person for about six weeks of work.
How much Below Deck crew make. Per Refinery 29 and Crewfinders, a second and third steward(ess) on a yacht the size of My Seanna would earn an average of about $5,000 per month. Meanwhile, a chief steward(ess) like Kate Chastain will be taking home around $5,500 to $6,000 a month.
Captain Sandra Yawn is a world-renowned captain in the yachting industry with over 30 years of experience.
They welcomed daughter Lauren before their split.
Q: Is Below Deck scripted? A: No. The direct answer to this question is a definitive 'no'. Nobody appearing on the show is reciting lines from a script, nor is anything staged in the strictest sense of the word.
During off-season, yachts can schedule yard periods, haul-outs, and major projects.
In short… for the most part, yes! Ultimately, however, your Superyacht work experience is how you make it; and by proving yourself a hardworking and dedicated crew member, you'll be sure to have as much fun and success from your career on the ocean as those on Below Deck – most likely, even more!