Gina Ragusa is a reality TV expert who specializes in series such as Below Deck, Southern Charm, Vanderpump Rules, Ugliest House in America and more.
Grim as it sounds, Below Deck crew jobs can be dangerous — especially for deckhands and engineers handling heavy equipment on unstable seas. One misstep can lead to serious injury or worse. Fortunately, no one has died on the job while filming the show, but there has been at least one horrific close call.
During Below Deck Season 6, deckhand Ashton Pienaar was dragged into the ocean after stepping on a towline, which wrapped around his ankle, pulling him off the boat. Quick-thinking cameraman Brent Freeberg dropped his camera and released the line, freeing Ashton and saving his life — and likely his foot. Captain Lee Rosbach later told the crew, “We were within 30 seconds of him dying.” While there have been no on-the-job deaths, the Below Deck franchise has experienced at least one off-camera cast tragedy. Captain Mark Howard From 'Below Deck Mediterranean' Died at Home While no one has died on the show, the series has experienced one loss. Below Deck Mediterranean Season 1 Captain Mark Howard died at his Florida home in October 2021 of hypertensive cardiovascular disease with chronic alcoholism. Captain Mark was 65. Chief Stew Hannah Ferrier, who worked with Captain Mark during season 1, remembered him as"an amazing captain" and expressed surprise when she learned he had died. “And it was so strange because Nadine actually messaged me," she told Showbiz Cheat Sheet."And she said like ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, honey, Captain Mark has passed.’ And I woke up to that. So literally my first instinct was oh, I didn’t know that they were in talks with him to do another season.” Captain Mark only appeared in the first season of Below Deck Med. Captain Sandy Yawn took over the helm for season 2 and is currently the captain of the series. What Are the Real Dangers of Working on a Show Like 'Below Deck'? Close Kate wasn't exaggerating when she said the job can be deadly. Working in the maritime industry has a higher fatality rate than working in other industries, according to the Centers for Disease Control's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Approximately 400,000 workers are employed in the maritime industry, who face, in cases of water transportation, a 4.7 times higher fatality rate than in other jobs. Commercial fishing, seen on the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch, is considered to be one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States. Some dangers include boat collisions and fire. But falls on deck can turn deadly. The Guardian wrote an exposé in 2018 about some of the dangers lurking on deck, pointing to one case where a 24-year-old deckhand fell from a harness while cleaning the boat. The deckhand suffered severe brain injuries and later died. In another instance, a crew member was driving a tender that collided with another small boat. The crew member went missing, presumed dead. Related 10 Below Deck Employees Who Didn't Deserve to Be Fired We're still shocked at these 'Below Deck' firings! Posts 1 While shows like Below Deck are designed to give viewers a peek into the"upstairs, downstairs" world of superyachting, production has additional safety protocols in place. For instance, Captain Jason Chambers recently shared that alcohol consumption has been curbed for the new season of Below Deck Down Under – this comes after a crew member was almost sexually assaulted when the crew returned to the boat after drinking too much. But producers have long maintained that they keep a keen eye on cast and crew, especially when drinking can turn dangerous. Former Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck Down Under Executive Producer Nadine Rajabi said she has zero tolerance for violence on her show. “I’ve had to go out and stop the situation," she recalled on the Melissa Rivers’ Group Text podcast about crew trouble during a previous season."There’s a lot of times like that where I will not tolerate that. And it’s not OK. It’s unacceptable and those are the times when I will step in and go this isn’t OK or you’ve got to let people go in those situations.” She added, “No violence. Never violence. Racism, sexism. Any of those things. There’s times where I’ve been prepared if there’s somebody that I feel is too drunk, and they’re in danger. I’ve been prepared where I’ve gone out, and I’m like, 'Hey, get out of the jacuzzi. This is not okay.'" And while cameras are always rolling on the show, as seen with Ashton's accident, the dangers are still ever-present and can still pose a risk, regardless of how hard production works to keep the crew safe. Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Your comment has not been saved Like Follow Followed Below Deck TV-14 Reality Release Date July 1, 2013 Writers Mark Cronin Cast See All
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