The salaries of the Below Deck cast members have become one hot topic among fans. Most reality TV stars get paid to be on a show. It may not be a lot, but there is a stipend.
Below Deck is different, though, because the cast is also working as crew members on a boat. Each person involved has a job, besides being part of the reality TV show. Not only do cast members get paid by the network, but they also get a yacht salary and tips.
So, how much do cast members on Below Deck make per season?
Salary breakdown
Working on a yacht can be extremely profitable. According to a report by RealityBlurb, during a regular charter season, which is months long, the chief stew makes $62,000 to $75,000. The second and third stew salaries run $35,000 to $50,000.
The chef banks between $70,000 and $95,00, while the captain is guaranteed $100,000 or more. A bosun like Ashton Pienaar can make up to $50,000 per charter season. Last but not least are the deckhands, who can pocket $40,000 and upward. All salaries are based on experience, so Captain Lee Rosbach and chief stew Kate Chastain are likely at the top of the salary pool.
It is important to remember these salaries are based on the months-long charter season. The Below Deck season is only six weeks long because it is condensed for television. Cast members would receive a fraction of those salaries since the season is so short.
Bravo does not reveal if or how much it pays the cast members to appear on Below Deck. One Reddit user claims to have inside information that the network pays a small sum to each person.
Tip breakdown
Kate recently spilled the breakdown of how yacht tipping works in the real world. The chief stew admitted that on a typical seven-day charter, each person on the boat should receive $5,000 for a job well done.
Below Deck charters are two days, so an excellent tip is $17,000 to $20,000, which breaks down to around $1,800 per person.
On the Season 7 finale of Below Deck, Captain Lee stated the group earned as a whole $150,000 in tips for the six-week charter season. Broken down, that means everyone walked away with $14,000 in tip money.
Total Below Deck salary
The total salary for Below Deck cast members is a little challenging to figure out for two reasons. One, it is unclear their base salary since the charter season is short. Two, the amount paid by Bravo is not revealed.
What can be taken away from all the available information is the cast makes good money for their time on the reality TV show. The tips alone make it worth a person’s while.
Seriously the current season’s overall tip breaks down to over $2,000 per week. Add in yacht salary and Bravo stipend and cast members can make bank for a few weeks of drama on a boat.
Below Deck airs Mondays at 8/7c on Bravo.