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.
The tip is split between the entire crew, and with anywhere from eight to ten cast members each season, the average tip becomes increasingly smaller with each division. It takes a lot to work on a yacht, and the average tip on Below Deck reflects that at $20,000.
10. 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.
The Sleeping Situation
With a team so large (and only so much room on the yacht), the entire Below Deck production crew sleeps in hotels. When the yacht is docked, they walk to the yacht.
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.
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.
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.
How much does it cost to charter a yacht from Below Deck? 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.
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.
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).
Captain Sandra Yawn is a world-renowned captain in the yachting industry with over 30 years of experience.
Guests really do pay for their charter.
"They spend their real money to be on the show," executive producer Mark Cronin told Bravo TV. But since it may not be the most relaxing trip, guests that are featured on the reality show get a 50% discount on their charter.
In many cases, yachties also benefit from tips and gratuities. Having said that, getting tipped is more common for those yachties who work on board a charter yacht rather than those who have such a position on a private yacht. If you're a new yachtie, you can expect to make around $2,500 per month.
While a chief steward(ess) such as the legendary Kate Chastain will be taking home more like $5,500 to $6,000 a month. For those working on the exterior of the boat, a deckhand would make $3,500 to $4,500 a month and a bosun would nab $5,000 a month.
Each charter and tip is different, so the percentage depends on the crew's performance and the guests' satisfaction. Usually, the captain takes the largest share of the tip, as Captain Lee does.
The Below Deck cast make between $1,000 and $2,000 in tips per charter episode. Bravo only pay the cast a small appearance fee, with the remainder of their salary and wages being paid by the super-yacht charter company. So, there you have it. Bravo don't actually pay the cast and crew much money at all.
It read: "Hi - I'm writing to let you know that the Below Deck Reunion has now unfortunately been canceled. We really do appreciate all of your efforts in the lead up to this, but scheduling issues have since come up that have made it impossible for us to move forward.
How Does 'Below Deck' Star Lee Rosbach Make Money? The beloved but sharp tongued captain likely brings in up to $210,000 a year by helming the yachts featured on Below Deck, Worldwide Boat reports, as that's the salary for skippers of boats in the 150 feet to 177 feet range.
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.
" To put this in perspective, those tips are on top of a fee for charting the yachts. Kate previously revealed to ET that it costs about $150,000 a week to take over the ships. The tips come on top of a regular salary, which differs based on job.
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.
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.
They welcomed daughter Lauren before their split.