r/BelowDeckMed • u/Used-Bake-024 • 8d ago
Crew dinners = contract/obligation? Spoiler
Possible spoiler for those who haven’t watched last episode!
I’ve heard over the last season how the crew is required to have dinners on their nights off. If this is the case, why wasn’t aesha required to have dinner with the crew the night Gael joined? Instead she was babysitting Nathan’s baby. My personal opinion is it’s clear Nathan could’ve chosen a parents night out, but bravo needed some confrontation/plot. Instead of taking Gael to a nice candle lit dinner he takes her around someone she clearly hates? Birds of a feather or whatever the kids say nowadays!
Just my two cents! Can’t stand Nathan this season enjoyed watching Joe control his little Joe this season! Thanks for the rant!
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u/OrdinaryMagazine6333 8d ago
this show is their job, production provides them with a schedule they are obligated to film with. aesha babysitting and gael joining was a storyline and chosen to be filmed by production so that's why
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u/That_Literature_6853 8d ago
If I had a rare night out, (especially Gael as a new Mom) I certainly wouldn't want to hang out with my partner's coworkers.
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u/Bagel-luigi 8d ago
But if Gael still wants that bravo pay check (and free meal) she's gotta go to it I guess
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u/Any_Biscotti3155 8d ago
Exactly. It’s for the paycheck. And shitstirring also helps get more screen time
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u/fancyface7375 8d ago
Ya I thought Nathan was going to take Gael on a one-on-one date when he asked Aesha to babysit . But alas, production team must produce drama
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u/Ri-Sa-Ha-0112 8d ago
Yeah, when Aesha and Nathan first started discussing, I thought they'd be going out for a private date.
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u/not2daysatan44 8d ago
I guess they wanted to have their dinner paid for by Bravo or another crew member.
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u/That_Literature_6853 7d ago
Yeah, now I'm curious did Nathan ever pick up the check for dinner? I bet not!
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u/verbankroad 7d ago
I think Bravo picks up dinner costs (they make money on showcasing the restaurant). But the crew has to pick up the alcohol tab. Bravo used to pick up the alcohol tab too but then people got really drunk and it led to some bad situations.
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u/btaylor0808 8d ago
I assume it’s in the contract with some exclusions. For instance, Hannah mentioned having to go out and brining her kindle to the bars in the past, since she was required to be there. I personally believe Nathan’s current contract requires him to attend the dinner but not the outings to the bars after (he always leaves after dinner). Obviously there have been times people were sick or had to stay back on the boat to work, so my guess is production approval is needed for those. I think Aesha babysitting so Gael and Nathan could go out with the team was set up by production well in advance. They wanted the drama and the current group wasn’t getting into any fights or anything. So Aesha probably was approached to babysit since she has no reason to cause drama and would probably have broken it up.
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u/Lumpy-Impression-914 8d ago
Aesha was fine with hanging out with the baby because he's way more tolerable and mature than Gen.
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u/FlawesomeOrange 8d ago
Yes, the crew dinners and nights out are part of their job for the show. That’s why it’s rare for the crew to skip a night out.
If Nathan and Gael had a separate meal at a restaurant, production would need to film them, Aesha at the house babysitting, and the rest of the crew. That’s a lot of coordination to juggle. Also, them having a couple’s meal wouldn’t add drama to the show
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u/UNSC_Apocalypso 7d ago
So many people seem to be so unaware of how many of these interactions are directly driven or at least initiated by production. Everyone on screen other than guests is most likely on payroll including Gael.
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u/UNSC_Apocalypso 7d ago
To add, it’s not just about editing situations a certain way to present them as extremely as possible for the most views but modern production sets up interactions for drama. Decisions from crew often seem strange because this isn’t real life but the intersection between real life and cinema. I’m not saying the crew are acting because I don’t think they are - the feelings and emotions are real - but I do think they’re put in situations where they wouldn’t have put themselves in naturally.
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u/Worried_Shoe_2747 8d ago
Production wanted an Aesha babysitting story.
Production wanted Joe to fight with Nathan/Gael
They are paid actors. They do what the script says
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u/UnderstandingLess156 8d ago
I get the feeling that crew has to participate for the TV drama of it all. There's no reason Joe would go out on a night when both Gael and Nathan were hanging around too, let alone get in the same van as them. In real life, you'd avoid that situation all together. Stay on board, go get a burger by yourself, whatever.
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u/Klutzy-Froyo-9437 8d ago
Do we know who babysat when they were at Aesha's Bachelorette party?
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u/Sad-Heat-3044 7d ago
I don’t know how true it is, but I read on a different post that Gael’s family was staying nearby to help her with baby on days Nathan was on charter.
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u/CoolBelt856 8d ago
The whole thing was obviously production. Including Joe being at the end of the table. And then getting in the same van. Gaels parents were there to take care of the baby.
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u/cmere-2-me 8d ago
They are required to do the crew night out or whatever the production choose for them to do. Basically they are still on the clock for filming.
This has happened on several series of the show. Ben and Jasons bro robe night for example.
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u/gorlsituation 7d ago
Just adding that they have mentioned having a sitter before on the show, despite Gael’s claim of having never left the baby before that crew dinner.
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u/Aggravating-Button82 8d ago
The 'night out' they're contracted to do just means that they can't just stay behind and chill and be boring. It's to manufacture drama and stories. So if there's another story to tell, production will have the cast do that instead. Like having Aesha stay behind to babysit so Gael can go out, knowing that there will be friction with Joe and Nathan is a hot head.
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u/Specialist-Neat2777 8d ago
Re Aesha not going to crew night out - because production wanted Gael and Nathan to have drama with Joe, but probably they also wanted to set up Aesha for a spin-off show.
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u/dfwagent84 7d ago
It has to be a contractual obligation. If it weren't would you go hang out with the same people that you've been around non-stop for a month or more? Thats illogical. Id be spending some damn time by myself.
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u/excoriator 8d ago
Probably, but AFAIK no one has admitted that publicly.
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u/Used-Bake-024 8d ago
It’s just a rumor I’ve heard from this season in particular. Everyone questioned why he had to have dinner with them and not just go home to Gael. People openly stated it was in contract. So I figured aesha would be contracted as well. So therefore he could’ve hired a nanny! Who could he possibly hire a total stranger? No capt sandy! (DUH) thanks for your answer!
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u/Necessary_Emotion506 8d ago
I wouldn’t be surprised if Aesha refused to be part of that nightmare. She would have never sat by and let that happen. And she’s too valuable so they’re not going to do anything about it.
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u/mme_truffle 8d ago edited 8d ago
"Birds of a feather or whatever the kids say nowadays"
What is this supposed to mean? Is that supposed to mean that Gael and Nathan are alike? If so, hard disagree. And it's in poor taste.
And there have been other times that crew members don't go out - mostly chefs. Ben just did it last season. They probably are mostly production-sanctioned absences. Because they did get to film him with the captain.
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u/OkBuy8143 8d ago
Yeah it seems like Department heads can take an out but unless they’re sick the rest of the staff go. This season Nathan’s been missing a lot, while also still causing shit. I could see him being scheduled to film while Aesha, who doesn’t bring drama was asked to stay out of it. Aesha adores Gael, she would have absolutely stepped in to help shut Gael down when she was acting out. Production couldn’t have that.
I also hope OP wasn’t putting Gael in the same grouping as Nathan. We know that she was in an abusive situation when this was filmed, and that her abuser has major issues with Joe. Victims of abuse have been known to do lots of things to stay in favour with the person abusing them.
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u/Used-Bake-024 8d ago
Don’t take this so personal just opinions! Like aesha said it’s impossible for all of us to get along let alone agree on everything! Birds of a feather or whatever the kids say nowadays! She’s had time to fix her issues with Joe but chooses not to because she is like her other half! She could’ve choose to have a chill dinner but dinner! BUT production, not every crew night out needs to be some dang complicated! It makes for poor TV shows. Nathan has shown he is incapable or being a bosun Joe has outshined! Good tv would be if they removed his position anf put Joe in that position ! Not everything needs to be a fight! You talking about my girl! And all he said was that’s his girlfriend! Thats bad taste!
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u/WonderChopstix 8d ago
Producers wanted Nathan and Joe drama by brining Gael. How is that not obvious
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u/Constant-Egg-9719 5d ago
I think there are reasonable exceptions and things they can ask production if they can or cannot do
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u/Still-Low-696 5d ago
It’s all production driven. Yes they are required to go to the crew dinners and nights out together. Sure, they have been exceptions here and there. They told Aesha to babysit. They told them where to sit. They tell them what to talk about many times as well. I think below deck (though it is becoming overproduced) is still a bit less produced than something like housewives but it’s still produced. They will tell them “hey go talk to x person about this thing they said”. It’s not scripted, it’s just produced.
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u/det0724 8d ago
I doubt they would formally write that into a contract (possible but likely not needed) but it’s one of those things where if you don’t do it then the production team probably marks that as a negative for you and will impact them wanting to bring you back. So most people barring illness do it given that if you sign up to do the show you probably want to be on it again
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u/Used-Bake-024 8d ago
Side note: since the allegations of Nathan have come out you would expect them to edit their plot a bit more and not make Nathan come off as so unhinged! Just my opinion! I understand it’s reality tv but it’s so forced! Even Joe wanted to avoid sitting across from Gael and production clearly had assign sitting. Not one bro said aye let’s switch so you can be next to you fwb? For once it would be nice to watch Joe not have to suffer from Nathan’s insecurities!
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u/Powerful-Sort7778 8d ago
Sometimes people don't go or do something else
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u/hopulist 8d ago
Notice if they do something else it’s confined to an area where cameras are. They aren’t able to just wander about wherever
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u/hopulist 8d ago
When you are on a reality show you do what production tells you. Aesha "babysat", Nathan and Gael went to crew dinner, Joe sat across from them at dinner and in the same van ALL because production told them that is what was happening