I’ve seen every episode of Below Deck. Here’s the franchise ranked from most harmless to chaotic

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Below Deck It’s the best reality show of all time. Well OK, Jury DutYou’re up there, I admit it, but Below Covered area It’s been my long-time go-to for turning off my brain and distracting myself from my good friend, the existential spiral.

Personally, I’ve seen every episode of every iteration of the franchise and enjoyed every second. But from an outsider’s perspective, I can appreciate how scary it would be to start franchising. There aren’t just 11 seasons of the original Below Deckbut there are also nine seasons of Below Deck Mediterraneanfour seasons of Sailing yacht below decktwo seasons of Below Deck and a season of Below Deck Adventure. There are 25 seasons of madness on reality TV boats!!!! And I just realized that I spent more time watching this show than I thought!!! I need to find a productive hobby!!!!

So to help you if you are Below Deck-curious, I’m breaking down the best iterations of the show. While the good folks at Reddit firmly believe that you should watch the show in order, I disagree. My judgment is based on which versions of the show have the best bang for the buck when it comes to drama and series length. You are welcome.

But first, if you don’t know the best reality show on the planet, let me fill you in.

What is it Below Deck about?

O Below Deck The franchise follows hard-working crews on luxury superyachts as they sail through some of the most beautiful locations on the planet. Not only does the show follow them as they meet the every need of the extremely wealthy – and often rude – charter guests, but it also shows the behind-the-scenes lifestyle of living and working in extremely close quarters with their peers.

Although it looks like a nightmare on paper, most of these people are young and hot. I’ve always said that if this writing thing doesn’t work out and my relationship goes wrong, you’ll find me working on a boat in the Mediterranean, in a skirt.

Either way, as you can imagine, living and working with your colleagues, coupled with the intense nature of the demands of charter guests, creates a level of drama that is fascinating to watch as a viewer. But best of all, it doesn’t feel contrived or manufactured by the producers like other shows. The setup is just the perfect storm of drama and boy do I love seeing it.

The 5 Below Deck Series Ranked From Least to Most Chaotic

5. Below Deck Adventure

Look, there’s a reason Below Deck Adventure It only lasted one season – it was kind of boring.

Rather than being situated in a hot climate, Below Deck Adventure follows a crew of yachts as they sail through the breathtaking fjords of Norway. The aim of the show was to showcase the adventure activities that the crew and their guests do, such as parasailing, cycling and climbing.

It’s definitely a dream vacation experience, but the series lacks the drama and spice I look for in a brilliant film. Below Deck season.

Below Deck Adventure was not renewed for a new season and I think that’s a good thing because it allowed the Australian captain Kerry Titheradge jump from the ship to Below Deckreplacing Captain Lee, who stepped down for medical reasons.

4. Below Deck (OG)

Below Deck had the most fluctuations in season quality over the years, earning fourth place. While there’s a lot of respect and love for the series that started it all, there have been a few seasons where it feels like nothing really happened (season nine, anyone?).

In command in most seasons is the Captain Lee Rosbach, an old-school sailor who loves funny one-liners and has a no-nonsense attitude. He’s the kind of guy you don’t want to fuck, and I love seeing that happen. Unfortunately, Lee had to step down for medical reasons after season 10, allowing the hot Captain Kerry to step in.

Fortunately, there were some bangers too. Here are my personal favorites;

• Second season (2014): Chef Good. That is all.
• Season Three (2015): A cheeky little cheating scandal and a frank stew.
• Season Eight (2020): Multiple crew layoffs and a tragic event for Captain Lee.
• Season 10 (2022): A brilliant mix of new team, beautiful friendships and lots of drama.

3. Below Deck Mediterranean

Below Deck Mediterranean It’s brilliant. It has the same formula we know and love, mixed with the beautiful background of the blue Mediterranean seas. It’s the perfect setting for television-inspired escapism.

Overall, I feel like Below Deck Med has a slightly sillier vibe. I don’t know if this is due to the Captain’s more relaxed leadership style. Sandy Yawnor the guests browsing the Med. Either way, I love it.

I would also like to note that it was very difficult to choose between OG Below Deck It is Below Deck Mediterraneann, but with so many seasons in between, there were a few seasons that swayed my opinion. So if you’re feeling particularly cheeky and willing to throw all convention out the window. I recommend starting with these seasons.

• Season Four (2019): Good vibes from the interiors team, but they go through a GUN of chefs in one season.
• Fifth season (2020): presents one of the biggest explosions of Below Deck story between two crew members, resulting in a very dramatic exit from the boat.

However, I’m particularly excited for the show’s ninth season as we’ll see Captain Sandy marry her longtime partner. Leah! How cute is that?!

2. Below Deck

Below Deck It really is a gem. Not only does it showcase the beautiful reefs Australia has to offer, but it also has the hottest captain in the bunch at the helm – Captain Jason Cameras.

One of my favorite things about this show is the relationship Captain Jason has with the equally beloved chief stewardess. Aesha Scott. They have this brother-sister relationship that is really fun to watch – especially when many of the other relationships in the series err on the side of romantic.

In any case, Aesha – who has also been I’m a celebrity… Get me out of here – is a fan favorite for her sing-song voice and tell-it-like-it attitude. Plus, she’s just a great stew-in-chief.

Below Deck It currently only has two seasons, but a lot happened in those episodes – including one of the most dramatic and frightening occurrences in the entire history of Below Deck. In one episode, two crew members are fired for two separate incidents of inappropriate behavior.

In one case, a cameraman had to get involved when a sailor tried to sleep with a stewardess while naked after a night of drinking. Damn? Yes. But it’s interesting to see how it all unfolds and how the incident is handled on the boat.

1. Below Deck Sailing Yacht

Sailing yacht below deck It may be one of the most recent iterations of the franchise with only four seasons, but man, there’s a lot of room for those seasons. You see, sometimes on this show, there are duds where the team gets along really well and it’s all sunshine and daisies. For the crew in Sailing yacht below deckThis is not the case.

While the first season is filled with relationship drama between the chief stewardess and the chef, I recommend you start with the second season to get the full arc of the returning characters. One of the best things about Sailing yacht is that in season two there are a lot of lovable returning characters. That’s a small pleasure and it doesn’t always happen.

Plus, the boat itself causes even more drama. Instead of the crew working on a motorized yacht, this fancy ship sees the crew sail the damn thing. This leads to a lot of twists and turns, mechanical dramas and injuries.

And finally, Captain Glen is without a doubt the most lovable captain of them all and is a bloody joy to watch. But, if you didn’t like it, let me just list some of the dramas that happen in the series, without mentioning names to avoid spoilers.

• mysterious pregnancy
• a love triangle
• a cheating scandal
• many, many horrible charter guests

Well, there it is. Below Deck Mediterranean The ninth season has already been released on Hayu and will also arrive on Binge on June 4th. Below Deck on Hayu, but the show is also spread across several other streaming services.

Otherwise, you can watch seasons five through nine of Below Deck Mediterranean and seasons six through 11 of Below Deck on the spree. And on Netflix, you can tune into the seventh season of Below Deck and seasons one and two of Sailing yacht below deck.