Zach Gilford shocked Bravo fans when he questioned the Below Deck cast’s work ethic.
“Can I just real quick [get on my] soapbox? These people are so complainey,” Gilford, 42, said on the Thursday, August 1, episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen when asked his thoughts on season 9 of Below Deck Mediterranean.
The Criminal Minds: Evolution star isn’t taking the reality show too seriously, adding, “Their life is so easy and they are like, ‘It’s been 24 hours and I’m on a boat.”
Host Andy Cohen disagreed with Gilford’s hot take. “Well they are working very hard. They actually are,” he noted while guest Heather Dubrow of Real Housewives of Orange County agreed that working on a boat isn’t easy.
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Gilford, however, stuck to his opinion about the Below Deck franchise.
“They are not working that hard,” he continued. “I used to lead backpacking trips in Alaska — 24 hours a day with kids. I didn’t get two days on and a day off. They are in the middle of paradise. Like just work. I will judge.”
Below Deck debuted on Bravo in 2013 with viewers watching the lives of crew members who reside and work on a super-yacht during charter season. The drama on the high seas was so fascinating that the reality series has inspired spinoffs including Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Below Deck Down Under and Below Deck Adventure.
Season 9 of Below Deck Med, which is currently airing, has stood out because of the ongoing conflict between stews Bri Muller and Ellie Dubaich. After initially being at odds because they were both interested in deckhand Joe Bradley, the situation got worse when Ellie accused Bri of trying to sabotage her job.
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“Since you don’t know how boats work, second stew outranks you,” Ellie told Bri during the Monday, July 29, episode. “That is who I am. You are unbelievable. I expect an apology when I come back, otherwise you are going straight to Captain Sandy [Yawn].”
The captain ultimately did get involved when chief stew Aesha Scott asked for her help. Sandy didn’t rule out firing both Ellie and Bri because it wasn’t clear who was telling the truth about the feud.
“Let me give you the big picture. We are here to do a job. We have to have respect in the workplace,” she told the stews on Monday. “If you two can’t work together. I can’t just let go of one, I have let you both go. I don’t know the full story and neither does Aesha. I am here to make sure that you can fix it and continue to do your job.”
Before the tense conversation played out on screen, Bri recalled feeling so much “anger and rage” at the situation, exclusively telling Us Weekly last month, “I was like, ‘If I’m going down, she’s going down with me.’”
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Bri didn’t blame Sandy, however, because she was just doing her job.
“Captain Sandy also handled that in a really good way. I don’t know what I would’ve done personally in that situation but I think she handled that situation quite well,” she added before teasing how the rest of the season shakes out. “I’m just going to say it’s going to be a whole load of ups and downs — a really hectic roller-coaster ride. I think everyone should just buckle up and carry on watching.”
Below Deck Mediterranean season 9 airs on Bravo Mondays at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes stream the next day on Peacock.
