Bravo’s Below Deck series has inspired several spinoffs — but not every one has left an impression.
Below Deck, which debuted on Bravo in 2013, introduced viewers to various crew members who reside and work on a superyacht during charter season. The original series quickly became a major success for the network, spawning spinoffs that include Below Deck Mediterranean, Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Below Deck Down Under and Below Deck Adventure.
The show has since become an example of Bravo’s rare all-year long programming with a Below Deck series airing new episodes at any given moment. While most of the cast has changed from season to season, viewers have gotten invested in some of the mainstays, which are usually the captains and the chief stews or bosuns.
However, not every show has stuck with fans the exact same way. Certain iterations didn’t last longer than a season while others have become more memorable than the OG Below Deck show.
A Guide to ‘Below Deck’ and Its Many Spinoffs
Keep scrolling to see Us‘ ranking of the Below Deck shows — in order from most to least memorable.
1) ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’
When some of Us weren’t looking, Below Deck Mediterranean surprisingly became the backbone of the franchise that earned it first place on this list. A large part of that is Captain Sandy Yawn, who for better or for worse has gotten viewers reinvigorated about Below Deck. It takes a special kind of captain to not always make decisions everyone likes but that keeps fans coming back for more.
Sandy’s priority is being a good captain but somewhere along the way she became Below Deck gold. Everything else is just icing on the cake when Sandy is at the center of every season in the Mediterranean.
2) ‘Below Deck’
The original show paved the way for every other iteration to find its place on Bravo. Without Below Deck — and Captain Lee Rosbach — fans wouldn’t know just how compelling drama on the high seas can actually be.
One reason why Below Deck isn’t at the very top is tied to the show’s decision to fix what wasn’t broken. Captain Lee was the face of the franchise — so it wasn’t easy to say goodbye when he was replaced following a decade on Below Deck. The switch came several seasons after chief stew Kate Chastain left and it was too much change at once for some of Us.
A Guide to Below Deck’s Chief Stews: From Kate Chastain to Hannah Ferrier
3) ‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’
Speaking of shows overshadowed by controversy, Below Deck Sailing Yacht had it all when it originally premiered on Bravo in 2020. Paternity scandals, love triangles and Below Deck alums that overstayed their welcome by making the audience turn on them again.
Captain Glenn Shephard confidently steered Below Deck Sailing Yacht into a successful future but other factors ultimately got in the way.
First of all, Daisy Kelliher‘s messy feelings for Colin Macrae and Gary King sounded like good reality TV on paper but it wasn’t as interesting on screen. The trio actually made it harder to come back around each week because it was exhausting to see them hash out their confusing issues.
Season 4 wrapped up with the promise of more episodes before Gary made headlines for his sexual misconduct scandal. He has maintained his innocence and no official statement has been given on the future of the show but Below Deck Sailing Yacht has yet to release any news about another season since the drama.
4) ‘Below Deck Down Under’
The spinoff set in Australia should have been a slam dunk with Bravo’s favorite hottie Captain Jason Chambers and fan-favorite chief stew Aesha Scott by his side. However, Below Deck Down Under initially struggled because it was premiering on Peacock instead of Bravo meaning viewers didn’t know to look for a new show.
Season 2 was what put Below Deck Down Under on the map but not for the reason anyone was hoping. A shocking consent scandal halfway through the season resulted in Luke Jones and Laura Bileskaline getting fired from the boat, which Below Deck Down Under was applauded for as new episodes continued to cover the aftermath.
Despite the fact that Jason and Aesha received praise for how they handled the situation, there has been no news about the show’s future. It is possible that the drama overshadowed the show itself — and not in a good way.
A Guide to Every Captain in the ‘Below Deck’ Franchise: From Lee to Sandy
5) ‘Below Deck Adventure’
The fourth spinoff was meant to be the most action-packed as guests signed up for thrill-seeking activities along the Norwegian Fjords. After premiering in November 2022, Below Deck Adventure failed to find an audience week to week and subsequently faded out of everyone’s mind.
Bravo never announced the show’s cancellation but it’s probably safe to assume that not many fans were asking for a status update. Instead, Captain Kerry Titheradge was moved to Below Deck and everyone forgot the first failed Below Deck spinoff series.
