Below Deck is a frothy show about the deckhands, stewards, and chef working on a superyacht. The crew are young, good looking, and working and living 24/7 with each other in tight quarters.
What could go wrong?
It’s been airing over a decade, but I only discovered it during the pandemic. Since then, I’ve caught up on all the episodes, watched the various spin offs (e.g., Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck Down Under) and set my DVR to catch the new seasons.
Every time my husband sees me watching an episode, though, he rolls his eyes. I know he thinks Below Deck is stupid and dumb.
But I don’t care. He can watch his sporting events (which seem stupid and dumb to me, by the way) and I’ll keep watching Below Deck.
Especially since there’s more to Below Deck than pure entertainment. It’s making me a better person! Here are the 10 Reasons Why I Don’t Feel Guilty Watching Below Deck:
Reason #1
It inspires me to clean. The deck hands are incessantly washing and polishing the exterior of the yacht. Meanwhile the stews inside are vacuuming, washing dishes, changing sheets, and cleaning bathrooms. All that cleaning motivates me to look around my house for something to wipe down or polish.
Reason #2
Watching Below Deck inspires me to work hard and pursue greatness. The crew is always eyeing a promotion and working hard. It makes me think if I work hard and get along with everyone then I can get a promotion, too.
Reason #3
Watching it has improved my geography. I know where the Whitsundays are in Australia and can identify countries like Croatia and Malta–which I’m not sure I realized was a real country before watching Below Deck Mediterranean. Sorry, Malta!
Reason #4
I’ve become more worldly, too. I can identify so many accents now, like if a yachtie’s from South Africa or Australia. Or if that one’s British and that one’s a Kiwi from New Zealand.
Reason #5
Watching Below Deck encourages me to daydream. Maybe I can marry rich, be born into wealth (welp, too late for that one) or work my butt off and charter a luxury yacht one day. Dream it, be it and all that.
I’d eat delicious food, sit in a hot tub, play with the water toys, and have my every whim catered to.
Reason #6
Below Deck teaches me how to get along with people, from coworkers to customers. For instance, make eye contact. Say please and thank you. Don’t talk about people behind their back. Don’t act entitled.
Reason #7
It sharpens my math skills. At the end of each 3-day, 2-night excursion the customers leave a hefty tip for the crew. At the tip meeting, the captain announces the total, say $20,000, and then I try to calculate everyone’s share before the captain shares the split.
Reason #8
It helps me appreciate my age and NOT my miss my twenties. I’m especiialy thankful I’m not living in close quarters with other twenty-somethings on a boat for 6 weeks with my every word and move captured on camera. Yikes.
Reason #9
It’s filled with Girl Power! Captain Sandy leads Below Deck Mediterranean. Girls become Bosun, lead the interior, and kick butt as deckhands. Girls, aka successful businesswomen, charter the super yacht and bring their friends.
Readon #10
It makes me happy.
Which brings me back to my dear husband and his eye rolls.
What’s that saying he should remember the next time I’m watching my beloved Below Deck?
Happy wife, happy life, of course.
Aye, aye to that!
