It was a given that the Australian spin-off of US maritime reality show Below Deck would feature some local flair. But when Channel Seven news footage from 2019 popped up halfway through the first episode of Below Deck Down Under, I was surprised and absolutely on board.
Nine years ago Bravo released Below Deck, a reality show about the crew working on luxury yachts, catering to the charter guests’ every whim in an effort to attain the elusive big tip. The show is a treasure chest of reality TV subgenres: it’s a travel show, it’s a cooking show, it’s the youthful mess of early Vanderpump Rules (crew) and the narcissistic wealth and schadenfreude of The Real Housewives (guests). It’s class politics, service industry hierarchies, tourism and melodrama. And it’s all on a boat!
