Seasoned fans of the yachting show know parts of Below Deck are fake or staged. That’s why it should come as no surprise that the boat crashes in Below Deck Med season 7 are very likely fake, staged for drama.
Many viewers already suspect fired Bosun Raygan Tyler was put on the show as a plant for Captain Sandy. Now, after Captain Sandy hit two dolphins viewers are scratching their heads. Fans are further suspecting shenanigans because of the two times the boat’s stabilizers fail, too. Viewers wonder why Captain Sandy didn’t get to the bottom of her stabilizers problem after the first incident, if the malfunction wasn’t staged.
Here are x reasons why
1. Captain Sandy Didn’t Stop Backing Up When Storm’s Radio Wasn’t Working
Provisional Bosun Storm Smith stepped up to the plate to lead the exterior deckhand team on superyacht Home. On his first docking, the new leader with a lot of experience ends up failing to help Captain Sandy dock safely.
In episode 7, the anticlimactic second crash into a dolphin occurs once Captain Sandy continues to reverse the superyacht despite being crooked in the approach. On top of that, Storm is using his radio Walkie Talkie appropriately, but Sandy can’t hear him. Instead of stopping and maybe going forward again, Captain Sandy continues to back up.
“She could’ve called anybody else who had a functional radio and said go back right now and trade radios… She could’ve slowed down the process of what she was doing, backing up…” said OG Chief Stew Adrienne Gang on her podcast, Gangplank Report.
Adrienne pointed out that Storm was pushing down on his radio as Captain Sandy instructed, so it was a tech issue. Instead of stopping or switching to go forward again, Captain Sandy kept reversing, bumping the dolphin.
2. Captain Sandy Crashes Boat Twice After Never Hitting Something Before
Captain Sandy had a perfect record never hitting anything with a boat in her decades-long career commandeering superyachts. All of the sudden, Captain Sandy has the stabilizers malfunction twice and hits two buoys in Below Deck Med season 7. Coincidence, we think not. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us.
Perhaps if Captain Sandy hit the dolphin only the first time with an incompetent bosun, it’s plausible. Twice is a pattern.
Also, these dolphin hits are minor bumps compared to Captain Glenn Shephard‘s boat crashes from Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 2.
3. Drone Footage Catches Captain Sandy’s First Crash Seems Sus
Below Deck Med fans found it odd that there was drone footage of superyacht Home hitting the first buoy. It almost looks like they set up extra cameras for a planned slight and graceful bump with one of the dolphins.
Drone footage of Captain Sandy’s first crash with a dolphin in Below Deck Med season 7 (Bravo).
4. Below Deck Med Has Story Production Creating Storylines
At the end of each episode of Below Deck Mediterranean there are credits for segment producers, story producers and editors. They weave the Reality TV narrative together. Furthermore, Below Deck Sailing Yacht star Colin MacRae posted a picture of the BDSY season 3 crew meeting with the show director.
Although a few parts of Below Deck Med season 7 are undoubtedly staged or faked, most of the drama aboard Superyacht Home is real.
Charter guests pay real money for yachting trip and the crew get paid real tips and salary while on the show.
Below Deck executive producer Mark Cronin says the show is authentic, other than adding music for setting the mood and “manipulated” by the interview bites peppered into each episode.
“So we are jazzing it up, but we are telling the true story,” Cronin said in an interview. “We don’t tell anybody what to do. It’s not that kind of show. We don’t have to. It’s like charter guests are coming on, and they’re paying a lot of money: go! That’s the premise of the show.”
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment whether or not you think Captain Sandy really accidentally hit two dolphins in Below Deck Med season 7.
