The Psychology of Below Deck

The Below Deck series is cruising as the most flourishing reality television programs going these days. From Bravo TV network, the blend of eccentric cast members, often outlandish charter yacht guests, and travel destinations makes for great entertainment. It makes for even better armchair assessment of the psychology of the Below Deck series.

As the Downton Abbey of reality TV, the special twist on this show is that the focus is on the megayacht staff rather than the affluent charter guests. Similarly, spinoffs Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck Sailing Yacht tantalize viewers with the previously unseen world of diminutive crew’s cabin sizes and shimmering guest accommodations.

The drama unfurls like a mainsail, and we love to watch. Crew roles are assigned with the deck staff, interior stewards, and the captain of course. Power differentials, personality challenges, cultural diversity issues…what’s not to love?

Despite all their vast differences, the common glue between captain, crew, and guests is that they are all bound together in their travels. Think of it like a big socioeconomically diverse family road trip where everyone is trying their best to have a good time exploring the world together.

“Think of it like a big socioeconomically diverse family road trip where everyone is trying their best to have a good time exploring the world together.“

-Psychology of Travel

The Attraction of Below Deck

So, let’s skip the dingy dinghies and stick with the staff of the sparkling superyachts. With all the zany personalities on board in Below Deck, where to start, right? This may come as a surprise, but the best place to explore is the psychology of you, the reality-and-travel-loving viewer.

What makes you want to spend an hour or more of your precious free time each week watching other people at work? What does that say about you? Take a moment to actually see if you can answer that question for yourself rather than speeding ahead.

For many, it’s a way to place yourself on virtual vacation from your own life and stressors. You’re on that yacht for the hour-long episode, thinking about yachting, relationships, traveling, culinary creativity, and exploring exotic scenery. Much like a genuine vacation mindset, gone is your focus on the nagging to-do list or dealing with that annoying co-worker. As it turns out, there are tons of mental health benefits you can enjoy through travel.

How “Real” is Reality TV?

Some ask, isn’t this all scripted anyway? Well, per interviews and social media from the cast, the drama plays out in a very “real” way. Of course, editing can still help shape the angle we view the reality from. So, your personal psychology must include a filter to allow you to emotionally connect with the cast without over-analyzing the idea that you don’t actually, um, know these people…

Enter the chance to enjoy what’s called a suspension of disbelief. That’s just a fancy term to describe that we allow ourselves into the reality of the show. Often, you find yourself imagining you in the situation and how you might respond. We become more accepting of whatever story is unfolding, often expertly crafted by the shows editors (this is a compliment to them, not an insult to you).

This happens for us at a mostly subconscious level, meaning that we don’t say “I’m going to suspend my rational thinking for a moment to watch this television program”. It happens naturally when we watch shows or movies, especially reality television!

Connecting with the Below Deck Cast

Below Deck fans are particularly notorious among the reality television subset for their close emotional connections with the cast. For example, the series brand and cast carry a hefty social media following such as more than 178K Twitter followers for Captain Lee, the self-described “OG Captain” of Below Deck. The personality skills that it takes to be leader of the boat’s interior apparently translate well into social media skills, as former Chief Stew Kate Chastian has some 225K twitter followers and growing.

In fact, the shows are psychologically captivating for one primary reason. It’s not just the yachts for boating experts or the travel destinations for travel experts. The true psychology of Below Deck rests in the show’s ability to engage you in caring about the people.

Viewers are able to generate emotional connections with the cast through identification with their actions on the show. Have you ever found yourself saying out loud “What a jerk!” during one of the episodes? How about “What a cool job!” or “They handled that better than I would have!” For an interesting take on getting into reality television, check out Dan Gheesling’s book.

“The true psychology of Below Deck rests in the show’s ability to engage you in caring about the people.”

-Psychology of Travel

How the Connections Form

Part of this Below Deck psychology is the ever-evolving story lines of the crew throughout the charter yacht season. We see crew interviews complete with personal stories and pictures of loved ones. It humanizes them. So in those interview moments, get ready for your emotional connection with them to soar. The personal history element makes the cast feel more relatable, and the addition of the drama of the show creates a great medium for audience engagement.

Actually, media psychology experts have long known about audience engagement through a range of technology and media. These experts know that reality television viewers have a voracious appetite to learn “what happens next” after the cliffhanger endings and titillating sneak previews for the next episode.

So as it turns out, a cool thing happens when you watch reality television like Below Deck. You find connections through common interests. Not only the emotional connections with the cast, but social connections with each other.

We virtually gather around the water cooler to discuss the latest plots and wildly speculative guesses about what’s next. Social media has opened this avenue, which likely spurred Below Deck to even greater heights of popularity than would have otherwise been possible.

Diversity in Below Deck

Promotion of diversity in all its forms is clearly a goal of production leadership. It’s fascinating to see the range of personal backgrounds for the current and past cast and guests. Too many to list here, in fact. For our limited scope, we focus on geographic cultural diversity.

There’s been a significant South African crew presence across seasons including João Franco and Ahston Pienaar, along with current crew Christine “Bugsy” Drake and Robert Westergaard. They reference descriptions of the inherent beauty of South Africa. Australian Hannah Ferrier has shared some of her history growing up along with references of her Australian pride. Also, Ross Inia shared some pieces of his New Zealand Māori heritage.

The list goes on and the chefs are no exception. Chef Ben Robinson’s wonderfully cheeky British nomenclature give away his roots. Adrian Martin was raised in Sint Maarten and trained in Paris. Born in Brazil, chef Hindrigo “Kiko” Lorran’s infectious culinary optimism and passion for culturally distinct foods have also been highlighted (Moqueca, anyone?).

Most of the crew members have been from the U.S., though even within the U.S. they hail from politically and culturally diverse areas. Current Bosun Malia White has had a slew of challenging interactions with fellow American Pete Hunziker, with each offering a slice of home life in cast interviews sprinkled throughout the season. Other examples include the engaging former cast member and Florida native Bobby Giancola’s genuine expressiveness and firefighter backstory.

Travel in Below Deck

The Below Deck series is amazing from a travel standpoint. We get to vicariously journey to exotic destinations like the Mediterranean Sea and various Caribbean ports. There are subtle hints about sensory material we can’t personally experience through the television screen like repeated references of the heat and humidity in Tahiti. You probably didn’t realize it, but your brain may have instantly created an automatic thought about yourself in similarly humid conditions.

Watching Below Deck is like taking a guided tour on vacation. The tour guide (show editor) takes you to places of their pre-determined consideration to show you highlights they think you will enjoy. It’s a way of exploring without leaving the comforts of home, and minus the awkward conversation with your spouse about local tipping policies for tour guides.

“It’s a way of exploring without leaving the comforts of home, and minus the awkward conversation with your spouse about local tipping policies for tour guides.”

-Psychology of Travel

Below Deck Destinations

There are also some legit destinations that lucky charter guests get to cruise. Snippets of local nightlife during crew excursions show pulse-pounding nightclub scenes. The shows also display a nice range of scenic snapshots interspersed throughout. These offer a glimpse into the colorful travel options on land.

How were these locations, restaurants, and landmarks selected? Unfortunately, we don’t see much of the actual travel decisions in the show. Would love to see more behind-the-scenes about the psychology of travel planning in this show. From a traveler’s standpoint, it would also be nice to get just a little more info about the locations. There’s not much offered about local history, tourism, and local personalities.

Probably hard to find time to squeeze in much tourist info between the drama-filled daily lives of the crew, Captain Lee’s charming displays of discipline, and Captain Sandy’s pioneering demonstrations of leadership. We need plenty of time to access the private lives of the overtly wealthy guests as well, of course!

Final Yacht Thoughts

At the end of the day, the psychology of Below Deck centers on the psychology of you the viewer. The intoxicating bouquet of exotic travel themes blended into personal drama seems to hit just the right nasal notes for travel lovers. So the next time you feel a need to hop on a chartered mega-yacht, consider hopping on the couch instead. Check out the Below Deck series on Bravo TV and enjoy taking some mental travel through unchartered (get it?) territory.

Click here if you’re looking to get your binge-watching on with ways to catch up on watching previous Below Deck seasons.

So what’s your take on the psychology of Below Deck? What questions would you ask the cast and crews? Comment below and remember to sign up for the Psychology of Travel newsletter.

Happy Travels,

Dr. L
Founder; Psychologyoftravel.com

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