Below Deck Sailing Yacht is the second spin-off to hail from the beloved Below Deck series. Premiering on Bravo in February 2020, four seasons of Below Deck Sailing Yacht have since aired. Season 5’s release date is expected sometime early next year, with a typical start date ranging from February to March.
Every season thus far has featured Captain Glenn Shephard leading from the wheelhouse onboard the Parsifal III. Captain Glenn’s leadership style was a refreshing change of pace for this series. At times, he was hands-on, helping the interior and exterior departments as needed. Other times, he trusted his crews and remained out of the way, eating matzah crackers instead in the crew’s mess.
That said, certain seasons and crews have definitely proven harder for Captain Glenn to oversee. As a viewer, one year in particular was even pretty hard to watch, as it was just toxic, filled with the same narratives in each episode.
With each passing season, this series has thankfully improved. We can only now wonder if Season 5 will follow suit and top them all. All of that said, here are our rankings for each season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht thus far.
#4) Season 1 Failed To Launch
Season 1 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht was unfortunately a huge flop for this series. Chef Adam Glick was the only known face, as he had previously starred on Below Deck Mediterranean Seasons 2 and 3. Onboard, Adam became entangled in a toxic relationship with the Chief Stew, Jenna MacGillivray.
When they weren’t fighting, Adam and Jenna made out everywhere, blocking walkways and cabinets along the way. Third Stew Georgia Grobler sang and played the SAME SONG on her guitar basically every episode, when she wasn’t shooting flirtatious looks at the taken Paget Berry. Paget’s onboard girlfriend, Ciara Duggan, was seen pretending not to care at his reciprocated signs of lust, but she did care, and that was beyond hard to watch.
Paget and Ciara become engaged post filming, but they ultimately called it quits, as did Adam and Jenna. While this all might sound like excellent television, it wasn’t. It was toxic, and many agreed, earning this series a cast overhaul for future seasons. Therefore, Season 1 is ranked the lowest, and fully deserves this bottom spot at number four.
#3) Season 2 Introduced The Staples…And COVID
Season 2 had several messy storylines. On a positive note, three cast staples were introduced in Daisy Kelliher, Gary King, and Colin MacRae. These three were well received, and subsequently returned for Seasons 3 and 4. COVID restrictions and quarantines were also introduced, causing the cast to remain onboard with less nights out on the town.
Daisy and Gary flirted while Gary became involved in his first (of many) love triangles. Alli Dore and Sydney Zaruba both liked Gary, for reasons unknown. Gary was intimate with Sydney first following a drunken night out. He then tried to move on with Alli while continuing to flirt with Sydney.
In the galley, Chef Natasha De Bourg had a few struggles with her dishes and her attitude, but was overall competent. Elsewhere, one relationship turned life-changing post filming. Dani Soares learned that she was pregnant with Jean-Luc Cerza Lanaux‘s child, though he put the stewardess through the ringer with a paternity test. He has since remained hands-off with his confirmed daughter, now aged 2.
Following a dismal Season 1, Season 2 saved this series, but as it continued to pick up watchable speed, we are therefore ranking Season 2 only in the number three spot.
#2) Season 3 Brought A Fun Bromance
Season 3 made us mostly happy. With Daisy, Colin, and Gary’s return, their familiar presences easily lured us back into the series. This season, Chef Marcos Spaziani joined the crew, and he was insanely skilled, alongside being mild mannered.
COVID restrictions still lingered, but were less felt in Season 3. Therefore, the cast was able to hit up many more bars on their nights off, adding to heightened storylines.
Chef Marcos, Colin, and Gary formed a bromance during Season 3, and it was wholesome, giggly, and fun to watch. Meanwhile, Gary formed another love triangle with Ashley Marti and Gabriela Barragán. In addition, he also kissed Daisy, causing many viewers to yell “FINALLY.”
Apart from Gary and Ashley’s drunken tryst one night that was not fully consensual, (as Gary was blackout level drunk), this season was easy and fun to watch. We are therefore ranking Season 3 highly in the number two spot.
#1) Season 4 Saw The Staples Fall, Plus A Solid Crew
Season 4 was a whirlwind. Colin was single for the first time in his Below Deck career, and he and Daisy immediately picked up a flirtation. It was later made known that they had actually hooked up prior to filming for this season. Shockingly, so had Daisy and Gary.
Gary and Daisy went on to date, but as we learned at the reunion, they have since parted ways, with Colin even labeling their romance as toxic. Ouch.
Despite still flirting with Daisy, and also because he’s Gary, Gary became intimate with Mads Herrera. However, Mads refused to label their fling as anything serious. After years of watching Gary hurt hearts, this was pretty satisfying to watch.
Apart from these narratives, the interior and exterior departments were each stacked with strong, kind crew members. Chef Ileisha Dell is now our favorite ever, as she was calm, skilled, and also, a former circus contortionist. Furthermore, Alex Propson gave us the now infamous scene of his drunkenly placed water bottle on Captain Glenn’s forehead, which still makes us laugh.
Despite the breakdown of our favorite yachting trio, this season was gold. We loved every crew member onboard and enjoyed their interactions as a team. In turn, Season 4 was the number one season for the entire Below Deck Sailing Yacht series.
TELL US – WHICH SEASON OF BELOW DECK SAILING YACHT WAS YOUR FAVORITE, AND DO YOU THINK THAT SEASON 5 CAN CONTINUE THIS UPWARDS PATTERN TO TOP IT?
