Below Deck Sailing Yacht producer Jill Goslicky has revealed how crew members are picked to return to the Bravo yachting show.
Captain Glenn Shephard was the only Parsifal III crew member from Season 1 to return for Season 2. The rest of the crew is all brand new, which will certainly make the season more intriguing.
In an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit, Captain Glenn, first mate Gary King, and Jill got real about the new season.
How are crew members picked to return?
One hot topic fans wanted more insight into was how crew members are chosen to return. Jill tackled the topic with honesty, explaining the process isn’t easy, and many people are involved, including the captain.
“It’s a delicate decision that’s made between us, the producers, the captain, and Bravo. A lot of it has to do with what is going on in that person’s life at the time. Do they have compelling reasons for their story to continue on in the show?” Jill revealed in the thread.
The reason some crew members don’t appear on consecutive seasons has to do with timing.
“You’ve seen some instances where cast members take a season off and then come back, for instance. That’s because circumstances are suddenly right for them to make a return,” the producer spilled.
A crew member’s desire to return is also a necessity. Not all crew members are interested in appearing in more than one season, especially if they earned a lot of backlash from fans.
The Adam Glick and Jenna MacGillivray factor
One fan specifically asked why chief stew Jenna MacGillivray didn’t return for another season. After all the fan hate Jenna endured for her treatment of Madison Stalker and her boatmance with Adam Glick, the reason should be pretty apparent.
However, Jill offered more of an explanation to answer the fan question too.
“We absolutely wanted Jenna to have the staying power of Kate Chastain and Hannah Ferrier. In our dream scenario, every cast member we bring on board is such a hit they carry on for seasons and seasons,” Jill expressed. “I also genuinely loved working with Jenna. She gets a lot of flack on social media, but she truly was great to work with.”
Jenna’s romance with Adam played a major factor in her not succeeding on the show. Jill and Captain Glenn agreed Adam and Jenna’s relationship didn’t do either one of them justice, especially the chief stew.
“I think if I’m being honest, Jenna got swept up in a boatmance, and I think in that way, she didn’t allow herself to shine and show how amazing she truly is,” the producer spilled.
Captain Glenn also admitted he wished Adam and Jenna had waited until after the charter season to embark on a fling.
There’s a new crop of crew members on Below Deck Sailing Yacht, and they are bringing the crazy, wild times to the show.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.