What Are Preference Sheets on ‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’? All About the Fan-Favorite Tasks

As if the crew on Below Deck Sailing Yacht aren't tasked with enough things to do, there is one entertaining activity that they must confront each season, multiple times. And that activity is preference sheets.

What exactly is a preference sheet? Which of the crew members is responsible for getting the assignments on the sheet done? Here are all of the details.

A preference sheet is essentially a laundry list of charter guests demands. It depends on what the guests want, but usually, the entire crew ends up having to work together to get all of the tasks done.

Because they want to make sure the guests have the best experience possible, the crew does everything humanly possible to fulfill their needs. But, sometimes, the preference sheet requests can be pretty challenging.

On Season 4 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Chef Illeisha Dell was tasked with fulfilling a preference sheet request for a 10-course meal. Because there is only one chef onboard at a time, she alone had to create the concepts, cooking, and plating.

Then, the rest of the crew was in charge of serving all ten courses to the guests. This request definitely goes down as one of the most strenuous preference sheet tasks in the history of the series.

But, preference sheets do end up having their benefits in the long run. If the crew can rise to the occasion and accomplish the tasks, they are usually rewarded.

For example, when the 10-course meal charter was served, the guests tipped incredibly well. The tip was $30,000 — “the biggest” they had ever received, per Daisy Kelliher, the Chief Stewardess of Season 4.

For the crew, it can take them a while to go through the preference sheets and set a course of action to give the charter guests what they want. Yet, all of the guests are usually not on the same page.

While half of the guests might want a fancy steak dinner, the other half could be strict vegetarians. These accommodations make it more difficult for the crew to make everyone happy.

This dilemma doesn't just happen on Sailing Yacht, but also on the original Below Deck series. Chef Ben Robinson publicly aired out his frustration when it came to difficult preference sheets.

He said, "I’ve read a series of eight preference sheets, and not one of them would agree on one plate of food. And it’s kind of absurd." This back-and-forth can also be a frustrating experience for the guests.

Nevertheless, preference sheets are a fan-favorite part of the series. Season 4 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs Mondays at 8 and 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.