Emile Kotze, who starred on season three of Below Deck in 2015, is suing NBCUniversal for $850 million, accusing Bravo’s parent network of perpetrating a “coordinated campaign of exploitation, harassment, and deceit.”
Now 34, Kotze was 23 when he joined as a professional deckhand on the popular reality series, which follows the behind-the-scenes drama of a crew working aboard a luxury superyacht.
In an amended complaint filed in New York federal court in October and obtained by The Independent, the South African reality star alleged that NBCUniversal “promised him a benign, career-enhancing experience on a documentary-style program, but instead subjected him to a hostile work environment rife with sexual harassment, manipulation, and dangerous conditions — all engineered for television ratings.”
Most notably, Kotze claimed that producers “orchestrated” a showmance between him and co-star Raquel “Rocky” Dakota, even though he initially expressed hesitation. While the lawsuit said that he told producers he found Dakota attractive, he told them he did not join the show “for a fling.” Despite this, he claimed producers persisted, and “plied” him with “alcohol during downtime and on camera, encouraging him to ‘make a move.’”
On one occasion, Kotze alleged that producers directed him to use a “cheesy pickup line” on Dakota while cameras were rolling. Kotze felt “extremely uncomfortable.” However, producers insisted he say the line, which was captured on film and “later used out of context to paint Plaintiff as a lust-driven youth chasing after Rocky,” according to the lawsuit.
He alleged that the network’s poor treatment continued even after production had wrapped.
“After filming, Defendants defamed Plaintiff by deceptively editing footage to portray him in a false and damaging light, misappropriated his likeness for continued commercial gain without consent, and engaged in a cover-up and retaliation campaign to silence and discredit him when he sought redress,” the lawsuit read.
The Independent has contacted NBCUniversal for comment.
Kotze is seeking between $633 million and $850 million in damages.
In his complaint, he claims $123 million in lost future earnings, arguing that his “once-promising yachting career was destroyed.” He is also seeking “no less than $10 million” in damages for emotional distress. For punitive damages, Kotze proposes a $500 million award to reflect the wealth of NBCUniversal, which he says is “worth tens of billions.”
He is also demanding that the network remove or delete any “intimate images or photos” of him from all platforms, cease further distribution or streaming of season three episodes “containing defamatory or unauthorized content,” and issue a public statement or add a disclaimer to episodes “clarifying that certain portrayals of the Plaintiff were manipulated.”
Below Deck first premiered on Bravo in 2013. It wrapped its most recent season in September and is confirmed to return for season 13 sometime this year. The popular series has spawned several spinoffs, including Below Deck Mediterranean, Sailing Yacht, Down Under, and Adventure.
