The Untold Truth Of Below Deck Mediterranean

Below Deck Mediterranean hit our screens in 2016, and follows the lives of a yacht crew and the charter guests they have to entertain. Much like its parent Bravo series Below Deck, Below Deck Med takes viewers on enviable journeys to idyllic locations, serving up some hefty drama along the way. Basically, the spin-off continues to prove that it's every bit as addictive as the original, and not only because we'd all love to charter a yacht that comes fully staffed with a ridiculously good-looking crew.

While chief stew Hannah Ferrier is the only crew member to appear in all four seasons, as of this writing, Captain Sandy Yawn has become indispensable since joining the show in its second season. And with recurring crew members like Colin Macy-O'Toole and Ben Robinson, fans of the series continue to tune in to find out who's fighting, who's falling in love, or who is failing at their job, each week. From terrible crew members, to relationship mishaps, to unexpected career paths, to seriously fussy guests, join us as we explore what goes on behind-the-scenes of Below Deck Mediterranean. 

If you thought the boat's crew looks seriously busy whenever charter guests were on board, that's because they are. Speaking with Decider, chief stew Hannah Ferrier revealed that while the show is filming, she's often so busy that she forgets to eat. Ferrier explained, "People didn't realize that I never eat until I ate and then they're like, oh, wait a sec, we never see her eat. Season 1 I lost 18 lbs, Season 2 was 12 lbs, Season 3 was about 16 lbs, and this last season I lost about 8 or 9 lbs, but nothing crazy. I lose a lot of weight when I'm filming." As well as constantly trekking all over the huge yacht to ensure that guests have everything they need, literally forgetting to eat had a huge impact on the chief stew's wellbeing.

Ferrier also revealed that when Below Deck Mediterranean first started filming, she "felt really uncomfortable eating on camera," which is more than a little understandable, especially as almost every aspect of her life was being broadcast on television. There is a plus side to running around so much and forgetting to eat though. Per Ferrier, "People are like, 'How do you stay fit on the boat?' I'm like, have you watched the f***ing show? Are we watching the same thing? Because all I do all day is run up and down stairs. Like, all day. So yeah, I work out enough."

One of the stars of Below Deck Mediterranean's fourth season was Anastasia Surmava, who started out as third stew but stepped into the role of chef when Mila Kolomeitseva was fired. And despite doing a great job in the galley, Surmava appears to have left yachting behind altogether since the show stopped filming. Speaking with Decider, Surmava revealed that she's opened an eco café in Sri Lanka with its own yoga studio. The former third stew explained, "It's called Ajna which means the third eye chakra. I met my business partner back in July and he was like, when you're done with your boat stuff can you move to Sri Lanka, and we built it from the ground up." 

And for anyone worried that Surmava has given up on her culinary dreams, Surmava told Decider, "I'm the executive chef and creative director of this company." Basically, she's putting her multitude of skills to great use in her new business. And if you're thinking of visiting Sri Lanka anytime soon, Surmava seems excited about her business's future plans. "We got great reviews, people loved it, and I'm going back in September to finish building everything and then train my staff on the rest of my menu and staff it with yoga teachers and rock it," she told the outlet. She's on dry land now, but she's still in the high-end vacation business.

It might be impossible to imagine Below Deck Mediterranean without Captain Sandy Yawn, but avid fans will remember that the spin-off's first season had a very different lead in the form of Captain Mark Howard. The stoic and traditional captain was the opposite of Captain Sandy in many ways — most notably, in his totally different, and much more formal relationship with the crew. However, chief stew Hannah Ferrier still has fond memories of her former captain. In August 2019, Ferrier shared a much-needed update on Howard to the Daily Dish. She said, "Captain Mark and I, we send a message maybe once a year, just to touch base." She continued, "I really like him," which as fans of the show will know is seriously high praise from the sometimes thorny chief stew. 

But as for what became of Howard after he helped launch the inaugural season of the popular sister series, Ferrier is as in the dark as the rest of us. She joked to the Daily Dish, "I don't really think I knew what he was up to when I was working with him, let alone three years later." Below Deck's beloved Captain Lee also tweeted his support for Howard when he wrote, "Capt Mark is an outstanding mariner with out a doubt." But it appears that Season 1's captain has left the world of reality TV behind him, as of this writing, at least.

One of the absolute rays of sunshine on Below Deck Mediterranean has to be Colin Macy-O'Toole, whose rapping and general lovely behavior can even make João Franco act like a decent human being. But professional musician Macy-O'Toole apparently had his doubts about joining the show in the first place. Speaking with TV Series Hub, he discussed his first season on the show and said, "The first week I realized I didn't belong. I'm the only one that didn't work on a yacht before, but luckily my crew were great teachers and cared a lot and took time out of their day to teach me something new and made me feel really comfortable." But despite gradually getting used to living on a yacht, there was one thing that never improved: "MY BED. It was the size and comfortability of a coffee table," he quipped.

While Macy-O'Toole downplays his musical abilities, fans have seen him rap on the show. As he told TV Series Hub, "I've been involved with music since I was 5. I'm proficient in piano, saxophone and vocals. I made 3 New York State All-State ensembles in high school and earned a Bachelor's degree in Music Education!" Throughout Season 4, the deckhand put his music skills to great use by posting rap recaps on his YouTube channel.

In June 2019, The Washington Post reported on the inner workings of Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean, explaining how the charters on TV's most famous yachts work. The outlet reported that, on average, charters are three-days long, and guests pay for their trips, albeit at a discounted rate, "still costing a group anywhere from $35,000 to $75,000, according to yachting industry estimates." Along with the heavy discount, guests are expected to provide "a 10-15 percent cash tip to the crew" at the end of each charter, the exact amount being revealed each episode, and related back to the level of service the staff provided.

Alongside any salaries the crew members receive, which are likely to be in line with yachting industry standards, tipping is expected. Reporting on published rates for one of the vessels featured on Below Deck Mediterranean, Bustle claimed, "Since chartering the Ionian Princess starts at $167,000 per week, that means even for a one-week charter, the crew can expect to share another $8,350 to $25,050" in tip money. Not bad a week's work.