There are different narratives and conclusions that drive Below Deck popular opinions, but unpopular opinions are also points to consider when looking into how each Below Deck season, castmate, charter, etc is remembered.
Oftentimes the general voice of Below Deck fans across social media takes the lead over any other underlying opinions that may exist.
Voicing particular judgments that don’t hold as much weight as others can turn a belief into a hot-button topic that can either bring criticism or debate.
To every viewpoint on a situation there are two sides and one usually becomes the dominating or general experience or thought for most but it is important to touch on the less-talked-about notions to understand the scope of a particular idea or circumstance.
Within the Below Deck franchise there are so many moving parts, shifting cast members, and different angles with which to analyze a situation, and out of that, popular opinions on the cast and how they handled things have been given rise.
With that said, this list of 10 unpopular opinions within the Below Deck franchise examines those general thoughts that often have less weight behind them
1. Malia White is not as awful and fans’ think
Malia came off as both a brat and a rat to most Below Deck Med viewers and she has gotten a bad reputation because of it from her behavior on Seasons 2, 5, and 6. There are those fans out there, however, who don’t think she is as awful as the majority says.
The battles that Malia chose to fight came off as high school to many and she was not afraid to inconvenience those around her to get what she wanted in non-work-related settings. Below Deck critics believe she would regularly try to manipulate situations to her advantage and the way in which she was promoted by Wes Walton on Season 2 over the other candidates also never sat well with most viewers.
There are those Below Deck Med fans out there who admire Malia’s hard work and endeavor to take her position seriously. Malia’s ability to be good at her job and create teachable moments for those working under her has not gone unnoticed by some. The way Malia holds her ground and does not tolerate misogynistic tones are also traits that have won the minority of fans over.
2. Captain Glenn Shephard is the best Below Deck franchise captain
Captain Glenn Shephard from Season 1, 2, and the upcoming 3rd season of Below Deck Sailing is found by many fans to be cool, empathetic, and willing to do every part of the job, but the majority may not choose him as their favorite captain over Captain Lee or Captain Sandy.
What Below Deck fans think sets him apart is his willingness to hear complaints and make changes when necessary coupled with his hands-off approach managerial style that is much different than Captain Sandy or Captain Lee.
Those who believe Captain Glenn to be the best Below Deck captain are the minority but Captain Glenn has also had fewer seasons to shine.
The fact that most Below Deck viewers are accustomed to seeing how things are run on a motor yacht versus a sailing yacht could also be why the majority of fans favor the other two captains.
3. Chef Adam Glick is hot
Below Deck Med and Below Deck Sailing Yacht viewers got several tastes of Adam and his forward and intense personality turned most viewers off, but there are those who can’t deny his good looks.
A lot of people who watched him as chef and watched his behavior outside of the job could not get over the traits they didn’t like about him and how quickly he became unfocused and took his problems out on everyone else.
The expression exists, “cute but psycho” and that is a phrase that many have attributed to Adam who posts thirst traps on social media
4. Hannah Ferrier is more likable than Kate Chastain
Kate got a strong reputation as an unapproachable bully and mean girl during her time on Below Deck. Whereas Hannah came off as untruthful, dramatic, lazy, and scornful on Below Deck Med.
While these bad elements that viewers honed in on are not indicative of their total packages on and off the job, fans still saw redeeming qualities in both.
Kate is beloved more than Hannah by fans of the franchise and the popular opinion is that she was wholly more likable than Hannah for her charismatic interviews, on the job professionalism, and funny analyses of the crew and things that went on.
However, the less talked about argument, is that Hannah was actually more likable than Kate because she was more relatable and entertaining.
5. Jessica More was more to blame than Rob Westergaard for their tumultuous relationship
Rob and Jess’s boat romance played out on Season 5 of Below Deck Med with the bulk of viewers feeling like Rob was to blame. The main theory was that Rob was consistently gaslighting Jess and fanning the flames of her toxic jealousy.
While most agree that it was Rob who set their relationship on a downward slide by love-bombing Jess too early, there are those who think Jess’ immaturity and insecurities are what turned their connection into a disaster.
There are Below Deck critics who think Jess too often played the victim, would lead them into the vicious cycles they got into, and would get colder and more controlling as her jealousy boiled over.
6. The Bru Crew of Below Deck Season 7 wasn’t that bad
While the behavior of the “Bru Crew” made up of Ashton Pienaar, Tanner Sterback, and chef Kevin Dobson on Season 7 of Below Deck was abhorrent, misogynistic, and unacceptable to the majority of Below Deck fans, there are those out there who did not have as much of a problem with them.
This unpopular viewpoint believes that Rhylee Gerber and Kate Chastain were major instigators and catalysts for the behavior that was demonstrated.
The Bru Crew apologized during the reunion which was good enough for some Below Deck fans to not find their behavior as outrageous. On the flip side, the girls didn’t take accountability and instead berated Tanner and Ashton.
7. Lloyd Spencer’s anxiety storyline was excessive
Lloyd Spencer’s main storyline and narrative on Season 6 of Below Deck Med was about his previous bad yachting experiences and the anxiety he felt from that and his push to be more open.
While most Below Deck fans related to Lloyd’s struggle, there were some that felt like his anxiety was highlighted too often in an industry where a main theme of the work is to overcome obstacles.
The fact his drinking and partying with the crew was not discussed as a determinate for any anxiety, or “hangxiety” as it can be referred to, he was feeling also plays a part in the unpopular opinion that his anxiety narrative was too much.
8. Disliking a crewmate because they don’t match the energy of everyone else is a valid complaint
Many Below Deck fans felt like stewardesses like Jessica Albert and Caroline Bedol were treated unfairly by their chief stews and other stewards or stewardesses for not matching their energy.
The majority of viewers felt like the women who were pegged by their coworkers as slow and unenthusiastic were being sandbagged and bullied but the other side of fan opinions points out that complaining about a coworker who acts like that is totally valid.
The unpopular opinion is that a client-facing service industry job like a stewardess on Below Deck does not have room for brooding stewardesses and that being moody can be detrimental to the charter’s success.
9. Chef Rachel Hargrove’s drunken behavior was not as bad as it was made out to seem
A big deal was made out of Chef Rachel’s drunken antics on Season 8 of Below Deck with many viewers and crew members thinking that Rachel had a drinking problem, but there are fans who believe Rachel’s behavior wasn’t that bad.
Compared to some of the inebriated actions of the different crew like Travis Michalzik and Ashton Pienaar, some feel Rachel got too much of a negative spotlight put on her.
The argument is that Rachel is also raunchy when she is sober so drawing so much focus onto her day-off was mostly entertaining and not concerning since she didn’t hurt anyone. The minority opinion is that Rachel was judged for her drunken behavior too harshly.
10. Kate Chastain was a bully and a mean girl
Kate Chastain is wildly loved by Below Deck fans who watched her over her six-season tenure on Below Deck. Her dedication to providing outstanding guest experiences coupled with her sharp and witty commentary and personality are what has set her apart.
While many Kate fans acknowledge that she has faultered some when it comes how she’s managed her stews and gotten along with other crew members there is a school of thinking who only see Kate to be a bully and a mean girl.
Specifically, Below Deck critics think that Kate’s catty behavior overshadowed her merits as a chief stew. Relating to the stews that viewers think she wronged like Amy Johnson, Simone Mashille, Jenn Howell, and Caroline Bedol gives a perspective into Kate that some would say are wholly negative and make her a bad coworker.
What unpopular Below Deck opinions do you have?
Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 3 premieres on Monday, February 21 at 8/7c on Bravo.