Bravo Eddie Lucas
Eddie Lucas made waves earlier in 2022 when he called out Bravo for the apparent low compensation received by “Below Deck” stars compared to other shows like the “Real Housewives” and now he’s addressing questions about whether the show is scripted.
“It’s not scripted, but it’s facilitated,” Lucas shared in a recent interview with The Baltimore Banner, explaining that there are a lot of ways to facilitate the drama, including lack of sleep and the casting of crew members.
He said “Below Deck” stars undergo “serious background and psychological testing, where they get to, like, understand what kind of personalities we have, what characteristics our personalities have” to make educated guesses about how the crew will mesh or clash.
“They understand how this Type A personality is not going to get along with this other Type A personality, so let’s take this personality and make sure they’re working together,” he explained. “You know they’re not going to get along.”
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Eddie Lucas Pointed Out the Differences Between Regular Charter Guests & Those on ‘Below Deck’
Despite his comments, Lucas said the facilitation is necessary for the show and part of what makes “Below Deck” great. “If they just said, ‘Oh, we’re going to get a bunch of people who have done yachting before, and they know what they’re doing, put them together,’ there wouldn’t be a television show,” he said.
Lucas also spoke about the usual charter guests and said they’re not normally like the guests from “Below Deck,” explaining that the ones who appear on the show “act a fool.” He said guests are told by producers to be “vocal” about any issues they have or what they want to experience while on charter but nothing is scripted.
Charter guests in the real world, however, stay on the yacht for longer and pay a lot more for the experience given the discount that “Below Deck” guests get. “They’re there to actually relax, and they have time to do it,” Lucas explained. “They want to sit. And they don’t want to do a theme party, followed by a picnic, followed by staying up all night drinking.”
Lucas’ comments echo those made recently by former “Below Deck Mediterranean” chief stew Katie Flood, who said that the guests on the show are “trash” compared to real charter guests.
Eddie Lucas Shared That the Cast Are Really Tired Because They’re Encouraged to Party Instead of Sleep While Off Charter
Lucas also spilled more on the exhaustion that cast members can feel while filming the show, which is part of how drama is “facilitated.” He said in his current position as captain of a tugboat that’s manned 24/7, working two weeks on then two weeks off, he still gets likely more sleep than on “Below Deck.”
He explained that when the cast is off charter, they often want to just get some sleep like in regular yachting, but the producers encourage them to go out and party. He said, “They’re like, ‘Oh, you know, go out, have dinner, have a good time… You’re gonna drink and you’re gonna stay up until four in the morning, and you’re going to like it!'”
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