Below Deck Med alum Kyle Viljoen has stood up for Jill Zarin amid the Below Deck drama that has the haters coming for her.
Kyle is no stranger to dealing with trolls after two seasons on the Below Deck spin-off.
That’s one reason he used social media to defend The Real Housewives of New York City alum after her debut on the hit yachting show.
As Monsters and Critics previously reported, Jill was blasted by Below Deck viewers after her first episode aired this week.
However, not everyone has called Jill entitled or obnoxious, and Kyle is one of them.
It turns out Kyle has met Jill, so he set out to defend the former RHONY star amid the backlash.
Below Deck Med alum Kyle Viljoen stands up for Jill Zarin amid Below Deck drama
Taking to Instagram Stories, Kyle shared four slides to share his thoughts on Jill while calling out the trolls.
“LISTEN! After watching the latest episode of BD with Jill Zarin as a guest, I have things to list!” he wrote on top of three of the slides.
Below that were several comments from Kyle defending Jill’s behavior. Kyle declared it “repulsive” the way people were referring to Jill as a “freeloader” before going off on a rant about how paying clients can’t be called freeloaders.
When it comes to Jill asking for snacks, Kyle deemed that helpful for the crew “to manage daily duties,” saying it gives guests “the freedom to help themselves” throughout the day.
“Listen it boils down to profiling and again why I always route for a personality hire in a work place which is able to relate to guests demands, personalities types and working WITH them etc. If anyone knew Jill, you would know she is TV magic and why are we watching reality tv if you not into the reality of it being TELEVISION,” Kyle wrote.
The simple fact is that guests appear on Below Deck not only for the yacht experience but also to make good TV for viewers. Kyle expressed Jill certainly accomplished making a good show.
Kyle Viljoen defends RHONY alum Jill Zarin amid backlash
The former Below Deck Med star explained that a yacht the size of St. David should have five stews to accommodate guests. Kyle also said that the guests should have been informed that the interior was down a stew from their original four.
When it comes to Jill requesting a doorbell thing so guests can request a stew at any time, Kyle revealed that a bell of sorts tends to be given to yacht guests in the real world. That means he doesn’t feel Jill’s request was wrong because it would have improved communication.
During an Instagram Q&A session, Kyle was asked if he felt Jill acted the way she did on Below Deck for the cameras.
“I’ve met Jill and spent time with her, no cameras or audience and she is EXACTLY as she always is. TV personalities don’t act. EVER. It is the truest of emotions in the realest of situations!” Kyle shared. “What I love about Jill- She is unapologetic herself and full of care! She was one of a few collegues that actually did the most during my diagnosis of Steven Johnson Syndrome. Guests dont get paid to be on TV. They are there on their own check. No one peforms for free-not in this economic climate”
Kyle Viljoen is the latest Below Deck star to come out swinging to stand up for Jill Zarin.
Below Deck Season 10 star Barbie Pascual shared an IG video sticking up for the charter guest. Barbie even insisted Jill wasn’t as bad as she came across on television.
Meanwhile, Jill clapped back at the haters claiming the crew didn’t mind her as a guest. The Real Housewives of New York City alum also admitted she won’t be vacationing with cameras anytime soon.
There’s still one more episode of Below Deck featuring Jill. The spoilers for the Bravo show hint it may be the downfall of Anthony Iracane.
Below Deck airs Monday at 9/8c on Bravo. Below Deck Med is currently on hiatus on Bravo.