Bravo Below Deck Mediterranean season 1 cast.
A cast member from “Below Deck: Mediterranean” season 1 has been found dead at his home.
TMZ reported on October 28, 2021, that Captain Mark Howard was found dead at his home in Florida. The outlet later acquired a police report explaining that Howard’s wife, Susan, found her husband’s body in their home when she returned from a six-day trip at an out-of-town dog show.
“The [police] report says Mark was covered in boxes that had apparently fallen, and his body was laying up against a shelf,” TMZ reported. “Cops say there were also blood droplets on the floor and blood on the side of his face — though it was not clear if he had suffered any trauma.”
Howard was at the helm of the Ionian Princess for the 2016 debut season of the show, a spinoff of Bravo’s hit show “Below Deck.” He only appeared for one season and was replaced by the show’s first female captain, Sandy Yawn, in season 2.
‘Below Deck’ Cast Members Share Condolences After News of Captain Howard’s Death
RIP Captain Mark Howard.
You were a joy to be around 💕
Tiffany Copeland (now Jones), who appeared on the show as the third stewardess under Howard, shared two photos of Howard with the caption, “RIP Captain Mark Howard. You were a joy to be around.”
Dave Quinn, the author of the tell-all book “Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It,” tweeted his condolences to Howard as well.
“Sad news, Bravo fans. Captain Mark Howard — BELOW DECK MEDITERRANEAN’s season 1 captain — died on Thursday. May he RIP,” he wrote.
Chief Stewardess Hannah Ferrier shared her condolences in an October 29 post on Instagram.
“Rest In Peace my friend. You were a great captain, friend and colleague. Always the gentleman 💗 You will be missed,” she wrote.
Deckhand Danny Zureikat wrote on Twitter, “R.I.P Captain Mark Howard. My thoughts and prayers are with Mark’s family during this difficult time. Gone from our sight but never from our hearts. “O Captain! My Captain!”
None of the other cast members from season 1 — Bryan Kattenburg, Ben Robinson, Julia d’Albert Pusey, Jen Riservato or Bobby Giancola — had commented publicly about the captain’s death at press time.
‘Below Deck Mediterranean’ Was Full of Drama & Captain Howard Pulled No Punches: ‘I Don’t Trust You’
One of the biggest storylines of “Below Deck Mediterranean” was the work ethic (or lack of it) from Danny Zureikat, a deckhand aboard the yacht. Zureikat was constantly crossing the lines with charter guests including sending secret notes and taking photos of and with women in bikinis. He consistently butted heads with all of the crew, as seen in this season 1 clip from Bravo.
“When it came to Danny, you know, he wanted to be there for TV,” fellow deckhand Bobby Giancola told Showbiz Cheat Sheet in August 2021. “I mean, and I would say that that sounds a little bit of like cop out, but he overexaggerated things. You know, and we had so many talks with him and he would cry to us, say, I want to make you guys proud. And we were like, dude, so do we!”
Eventually, Howard had to step in and confiscate Zureikat’s phone. When that didn’t curb his behavior, Howard fired him.
“I don’t trust you either,” Howard said during episode 12. “You have been toxic to this boat ever since you arrived and your work is subpar. This is not the business for you.”
Another “Below Deck” captain, fan-favorite Lee Rosbach, spoke of Howard’s decision to fire Zureikat, agreeing with his leadership skills.
“Capt Mark is an outstanding mariner with out a doubt,” Rosbach tweeted in 2016 when the episode initially aired. “No one knows how they might react until they are in that [situation].”
He followed that tweet up with a humorous take on the cast of season 1 and how Howard handled the drama throughout the season.
“Not my circus, not my monkeys, every Capt. has his own way of handling things. I would never 2nd guess Capt Mark,” Rosbach tweeted.
READ NEXT: Malia White Reveals Cheating Scandal Details on ‘Below Deck Med’