TV
The debate about whether reality television shows are real or fake rages on. Several guests and cast members from Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck assert the show is extremely real. The general consensus is nothing is scripted and cameras simply catch the guests and crew experiencing a charter at sea. However, every now and …
Published on July 12, 2019
2 min readThe debate about whether reality television shows are real or fake rages on. Several guests and cast members from Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck assert the show is extremely real.
The general consensus is nothing is scripted and cameras simply catch the guests and crew experiencing a charter at sea. However, every now and then, a guest insists the show is fake.
For instance, one charter guest from last season of Below Deck asserted he was set up. Whereas another guest from the same season said the show was totally real. While quite a few guests have had glowing reviews (and said the show is real) this guest said he was set up to play the Below Deck Med villain on season one.
Did this charter guest play the part of the villain?
Back when Below Deck Med debuted in 2016, this group of charter guests appeared in the first season, episodes 10 and 11. The episodes, titled, “Charter From Heaven, Charter From Hell?” and “They Hate Us Cuz They Ain’t Us” featured inebriated, demanding guests.
The crew is rattled as one group of easy-going guests leaves and are replaced by the demanding group from Sarasota, Florida. Jesse Biter, who was the primary charter guest was not chief stew Hannah Ferrier’s favorite. In fact, she referred to him as “vulgar, rude and disgusting,” The Sarasota Observer reports.
But Biter insists he was “cast” to play a part on the show. “I didn’t mind being the show’s villain,” he told The Sarasota Observer. “I hope people realize reality TV isn’t necessarily real.”
Does bad service equal drama?
According to Biter, he received bad service in order to stir up complaints from the guests. “People who know me know this isn’t real,” he told The Sarasota Observer. “Bad service equals complaints equals drama equals good ratings. My mom’s best friend loves the show, and she had a big laugh watching it. The producers wouldn’t be doing their job if everyone on the show were happy.”
In fact, Biter went to Captain Mark Howard and insisted another stew take over instead of Ferrier. Ferrier said in her five years in yachting no one has ever gone to the captain about her service.
Howard supported Ferrier and tweeted, “Hannah Ferrier is a fantastic Chief Stew. This is the request by the charter guests.” But Biter saw the thread and wrote, ” I don’t think she likes Americans.” Ferrier shot back, “I like Americans. But I don’t like rude, obnoxious people – from any country.”
But Biter claimed he and his friends still had fun on the show
Even though he said the show was enhanced to create drama, Biter said he enjoyed being apart of Below Deck Med. “We had a lot of fun. It was a great experience,” he told The Sarasota Observer. “We learned a lot about how a reality TV show is made, which was a lot of fun. A lot of people don’t get it, but it was really a game. And it was fun playing a role.”
Biter even said he has no regrets. “We would definitely do it again. We might want to have more say in how the story is told, but we would absolutely do it again.”
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