Is Sailing the Open Seas Worth It? 'Below Deck' Cast Salaries, Explained
With the popularity of the series growing enough for spinoffs in the franchise, many wonder how much the the superyachties earn per season.
Published June 20 2024, 5:49 p.m. ET
Ever since Bravo began its reality TV programming in the early 2000s, it has ballooned into the titan of unscripted television that viewers know and love today. It has created stars and a dedicated fandom large enough for the creation of BravoCon. One would think its stars have very fat pockets because of how grandiose and large the network has become. But that isn't always necessarily true. While some of Bravo's stars make millions in the span of a season, others barely come close to that.
Series like Below Deck has become a major hit for Bravo. It's one of the few series on the network that initially drew in both male and female viewers, which makes it stand out among its contemporaries. With the popularity of the series growing enough for spinoffs in the franchise, many wonder how much the superyachties earn per season. So, how much does the Below Deck cast truly earn? The figures might shock the typical Bravo fan, especially in comparison to other series.
How much does the 'Below Deck' cast make per episode?
While it is unclear how much the Below Deck cast earns per episode, there is insight into how much each cast member earns per month. According to Business Insider, the Below Deck cast makes an average of $5,000 to $6,000 per month, which comes to between $60,000 to $72,000 per year.
Based on that, combined with the knowledge that four to five episodes air per month in an 18-episode season, it seems like the Below Deck average per episode rate is somewhere close to $1,000.
'Below Deck' has earned Bravo a lot of money, but former stars say the pay remains lower than other series.
Former Below Deck crew members have been frustrated with the alleged treatment they've received from Bravo. A former stew from Below Deck's third season, Ashley Marti, elaborated on this during her conversation with Business Insider.
She said, "We're on TV, but technically we're the help. We don't get the same treatment." She isn't wrong, considering that there are multiple Bravo stars on other shows raking in hefty sums each year, while Below Deck's crew earn the average American wage.
Life after 'Below Deck' is often more difficult than prior to being on the show.
Other Below Deck alums who chose not to be directly quoted in the Business Insider article said finding work on other yachts became incredibly difficult after they appeared in the series. Most yachties earn a little more than their Below Deck counterparts, as they are allowed to receive tips from the guests, while Bravo, according to Kate Chastain, collects their tips and wires them, making it taxable income. This means they'd probably earn a lot more money not being on the series than they would on it.