Finally, reality shows are not about self-absorbed good-looking people finding their one true love on national television. Below Deck is a reality show that focuses on young people working and living on a million-dollar yacht. The show was first aired on July 1st, 2013, and recently released its tenth season in November of 2022.
Created by Mark Cronin, Below Deck casts crew members that replace the original crew of the boat and take on their jobs for six weeks or so. Lee Rosbach, the captain of the yacht, has been the only constant member of the crew. The show brings together a band of yachties who share the passion of wanting to work on a yacht and help them get the same experience.
Every episode of the show introduces a new group of clients that will be on the yacht, and the crew members’ task is to keep them entertained, providing any and all kinds of service, all the while getting to experience the life of a yachtie and exploring the exotic corners of the world.
The show garnered quite a positive response from its viewers for being authentic and raw and has managed to put different versions and spinoffs of the show over time. The show is available for streaming on Netflix.
Below Deck Season 10 Episode 15 Storyline
The show has a pretty easy format to follow. It brings together a band of yachties and divides them into two categories of stewards and deckhands. Team stewards, led by Kate Chastain, are the service providers. They are the ones who deal with the beds, food, drinks, and entertainment of the clientele. Team deckhand, on the other hand, deals with everything outside of the boat.
They do everything from cleaning the yacht to taking the guests on a snorkeling trip. The entire premise sounds simple enough, and only so much could go wrong on a yacht. But that is the catch, and nobody will watch a show about a bunch of people working on a boat.
And here is where the makers introduce a drop-dead gorgeous bunch of yachties, all single and emotional, in the middle of practically nowhere. There is also a sprinkle of disgustingly rich guests who also have their heads stuck up in their asses, who manage to bring along loads of obstacles for the young crew.
The show’s tenth season has received a lot of praise and has been called possibly the best season. The season is set on the biggest yacht in the show’s history, St David, led again by Captain Lee. Recently released episode fifteen of the show kicked off with Captain Lee taking control of his boat back from his replacement Captain Sandy Yawn.
The episode also introduced a new stewardess to the crew, Leigh-Ann. The guest for this episode was Jake Clopton and friends. They are a bunch of rich nobodies who love exercising their power and showing off their money to people who just want to do their jobs peacefully. Typical.
The episode also took forward the romance between Katie and Ross, with Katie still being a bit hesitant in fully trusting him. Leigh Ann’s late entry into the show seems like a trouble for Fraser and his position in the team. Leigh-Ann has also seemingly taken it upon herself to be the sole cause of all drama in the show.
Ben was involved with Camille, who was fired by Captain Yawn, and had clear chemistry with her also finds himself in a romantic triangle with Leigh-Ann and Camille. It will be interesting to see how far Leigh-Ann will pursue Ben in the following episodes.
The episode defined the level of patience the crew members needed to have while dealing with certain rich kids. Jake Clopton and his friends are demanding in the meanest way possible and act like entitled brats throughout the episode.
Be it during dinner or while being in their quarters, or when the crew prepared for them to spend time on the beach playing games, the guests just had to show their petty, rude selves, and it was unbearable to watch.
The episode had its fair share of drama, with Ben having a thing for Camille but also engaging in heavy flirting with Leigh-Ann. Katie has her trust issues when it comes to Ross but is also fully involved in Ben and Leigh-Ann’s business. The episode ends without any major problems, but the next episode definitely reeks of drama for many of the yachties.
Below Deck Season 10 Episode 15 Review
Below Deck follows the lives of yacht crew members during the yacht charter season and how the young group finds a balance between work and play. With a completely new crew brought to the yacht, fans of the show have been obsessing over the different dynamics between the crew members. With the mess that the previous season was, season ten feels more normal and pleasant.
This is not to say that season ten has been free of drama. A lot has happened in the show throughout the episodes, with Captain Lee leaving the show temporarily, the possibility of a feud between Captain Yawn and Captain Lee, Camille getting fired, and Leigh-Ann’s entry to the show in its recent episode.
The recent episode was steaming with romance and tension between the crew members setting down a trap for future drama that may be caused. But that is the thing with this series. Viewers are always left suspecting some upcoming drama, but it never really hits. The cast that replaces the original crew is talented enough to avoid trouble, but they do anything even remotely risky to bring some depth to their jobs.
The emotional drama involving the yachties is not all that interesting for one to watch ten seasons. The conflicts shown in the show are not enough to feel emotionally invested. The essence of reality shows lies in the over-the-top drama and active and aggressive fights, as pathetic as they may sound. This show lacks in that department.
The tension in the show occurs mostly while the crew is working. The show may lack the vulgar fights and drama, but it makes up for it with the pressure the crew faces while working in such a congested space. Seeing them try to entertain snobby guests and maintain that smiling face overwhelms them and the audience.
The show has also successfully portrayed the kind of treatment women working in this field get. The blatant sexism and harassment towards them are hard to see. The rich guests who star in the show are probably the worst part. Almost every guest that has been on the show has shoved their money in our faces, and honestly, it is getting a bit overdone.
Our Verdict
What is not working for the show is the fact that every episode involves a new set of filthy rich guests, the names of who we are expected to know within the first five minutes of their introduction, and the fact that the show brings a new crew for every season and the audience is made to understand their relationship dynamics yet again.
This is not to say that the entire show is downright boring; it is just milder in terms of drama, tension, and conflicts. The episode feels much less scripted though it is surely edited in a way that adds to the intensity of the emotions. Katie having trouble deciding on what she wants from Ross but still having the headspace to involve herself in a relationship that does not affect her is annoying.
Her forcing Ben to come clean to Leigh-Ann about Camille, not knowing that Leigh-Ann is aware of Camille’s existence but is deliberately choosing to ignore it, is pathetic. It also feels as if the makers have brought in Leigh-Ann into the show, especially after Camille gets fired, and Leigh-Ann throwing herself on Ben right from the start was also done only to keep the chaos going.
This episode definitely felt like it was setting the premise for conflict in future episodes. The episode has a perfect blend of uncomfortable relationships, unsatisfactory drama, and staggering views.
Our Rating: ⭐ (3.3/5).
Also Read: 16 Best Movies and TV Shows of Jim Parsons
