Behind the Scenes: The Mystery of Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 5
Below Deck fans were shocked to find out Bravo is premiering Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 ahead of both Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 5 and Below Deck Down Under season 3. Bravo released the Below Deck Med season 9 trailer on Tuesday, April 23, which caused confusion with the fanbase because Below Deck Med season 8 just aired in the fall-winter of 2023. Viewers immediately suspected BDSY season 5 was dead on arrival due to First Officer Gary King‘s alleged sexual assault while filming season 4 in Italy. However, let’s take a look at reasons why Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 5 isn’t canceled and when it’s likely premiering.
News BDSY season 5 was filming in Ibiza, Spain, leaked back in July 2023. The BDSY season 4 two-part reunion revealed Gary and Chief Stewardess Daisy Kelliher were both doing the virtual reunion in the same hotel room in Spain, sparking dating rumors. Their recent Instagram activity tied them to new season 5 crew members and charter guests. Furthermore, Captain Glenn Shephard was on superyacht Parsifal III during the reunion, confirming he was also back for the fifth season, too.
Meanwhile, after Chief Engineer Colin MacRae‘s disastrous end to his boatmance with Daisy, he apparently declined doing a fourth season on the show. Instead, he continued to sail the Pacific Ocean with his girlfriend Brittany Amodeo and post his adventures on his YouTube channel Sailing Parlay Revival. It was likely for the best. Colin and Daisy got extremely heated on the reunion after their boatmance crashed and burned. Fans accused Colin of playing Brittany and Daisy. The Irish chief stew even blocked Colin on Instagram. BDSY season 4 fan-favorite Chase Lemacks also returned mid-charter season for a second year.
Why BDSY Season 5 Isn’t Canceled But Delayed In Airing On Bravo
It’s no secret Bravo and Andy Cohen are facing some serious allegations from former reality TV stars. Faith Stowers (previously starring on Vanderpump Rules) alleged she suffered racism, sexual harassment, and physical assault while on set. Alumna of Real Housewives of New York City Leah McSweeney filed a lawsuit against Cohen and Bravo, accusing them of failing to keep a safe work environment. Finally, The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip star Caroline Manzo is suing the network for alleged sexual harassment from co-star Brandi Glanville.
With all that making headlines, it’s little wonder Bravo would want to delay releasing BDSY season 5. In a Rolling Stone article published in August 2023, former Below Deck makeup artist Samantha Saurez accused King of attempting to force himself on her when she was doing her job of escorting him back to his hotel room to ensure he’d stay sequestered. Suarez alleged King was extremely intoxicated and erratic at the time of the alleged assault. After she dropped him off, Suarez recounted that King was drunk and shouting to other cast members from his balcony. Suarez then told Rolling Stone, King tried to get her to join him in bed despite knowing she had a boyfriend. She then left and told him she’d return to give him water and snacks.
When returning, she alleges King, in underwear, made her go into his hotel room to drop off water and snacks. After that, she claims he forced himself on her and wouldn’t let go, holding her. She then said she pushed herself off him. She claims she opened the hotel door before he came up behind and slammed it back shut. Suarez said at that moment the talent manager called her and King let go of the door. But, she recounted, he tried to stop her leaving again in the hallway by putting his arms around her. After the alleged incident, Suarez said she had a meeting with production. They allegedly said King would be fired if it happened again. Suarez says King then had to sleep on Parsifal III on future breaks from filming.
King already has a reputation for getting drunk and hooking up with female co-stars. Considering all of the similar allegations the network is facing, delaying BDSY season 5’s release makes sense from a PR perspective. Furthermore, BDSY season 5 may need to be edited to remove some risqué scenes with King. Some fans suspect Gary could be completely edited out, like Below Deck Med production edited out fired deckhand Pete Hunziker mid-season when former racist social media posts surfaced. However, King plays a pivotal role in the BDSY series as head of the deck department, so editing him out completely would be much harder.
Additionally, Captain Glenn and other former cast came to Gary’s defense after the star’s appearance at BravoCon 2023 was canceled.
Finally, the prospect of BDSY season 5 being canceled is almost certainly out of the question for Bravo. Firstly, Suarez’s serious allegations weren’t tied to that season. Secondly, Bravo invested millions of dollars into producing the popular show. Thirdly, and lastly, they have hundreds of hours of footage and storylines to choose from, and can easily reduce King’s screentime.
When Does BDSY Season 5 Premiere Most Likely
The average season of Below Deck airs for 17 weeks. The subsequent season typically premiers the same week or the week after. Doing the math, that means Below Deck Med season 9 will finish airing on, or around, September 23 or 30. Thus, the next season of Below Deck will likely air near the end of September or early October. Although BDSY season 5 filmed nearly a year ago, and BDDU season 3 finished filming in Seychelles recently, Bravo may opt to push back BDSY season 5 even later. If the current precarious waters Bravo and Andy Cohen are navigating haven’t died down by the fall, fans should expect BDDU season 3 to premier in the fall. That would likely mean BDSY season 5 doesn’t get aired until mid-January 2025.
