Below Deck Med‘s Josh Bingham had a blast filming season 10 — and he has ideas for possible spinoffs.
As Below Deck Med continues to air, Josh spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about getting to work with Captain Sandy Yawn, chief stew Aesha Scott and his possible ideas for more iterations of the Bravo franchise.
How familiar were you with the show before you joined?
I didn’t know what to expect within the filming part but I had watched the show before — mainly before getting to yachting. I watched the show to see what I was getting myself into. I watched a few seasons with [Chef] Ben [Robinson] and also one season with Gary [King]. I know he’s a bit controversial but the first couple of seasons he was quite funny. But other than that, I didn’t really series too much. I had seen a season of Aesha with Captain Jason. I’d been aware of the show, for sure.
When you joined the show, did you reach out to any Below Deck chiefs or did any of them reach out to you to offer advice?
No one. I didn’t know anyone and no one kind of gave me advice. People in the yachting industry have a weird feeling toward the show sometimes. I just felt there were some judgmental comments coming my way. But I didn’t let those things affect me because it’s my life. I can do what I want with it.
Ever since Below Deck premiered on Bravo in 2013, viewers have been looking forward to more drama on the high seas. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly offer […]
Any worries or concerns about being filmed day to day?
One of the good chefs I watched was on Sailing Yacht — Marcos [Spaziani]. But he worked super hard and did a really good job. But it’s a shame I don’t actually know any of them.
Hopefully this will allow you to meet more.
That would be cool. I think a cook-off would be good for all of us. A Below Deck competition where we’re all cooking against each other.
How long did it take to get used to the cameras?
I actually didn’t know how I was going to feel. I just remember getting on the boat and feeling like I slipped into it fairly quickly. The work just takes over in your mind and you know that you have to get stuff done. I was a little bit worried if it was going to spin me out.
But I felt like I was all right with it — and pleasantly surprised. Because that added stress could really affect things if you’re not comfortable with it. I’m happy that I slipped in fairly, fairly well.
We just saw some pretty difficult guests exit the boat. Was this one of the worst experiences in your days as a chef?
I’ve definitely experienced very, very similar — if not worse — guests. It’s all relative to the situation. It’s in the mix of annoying situations when you’re working for people — especially the ultra-high networth individuals — there’s some very interesting things that they start to do in their lives. They live their life, it’s kind of foreign to us and you start to get used to these lit requests — or people just not being happy or being really picky.
Were you surprised that they gave such a high tip?
I was surprised at that. The primary enjoyed the food and I feel like she’s got such a big heart. It was just the vegan guest that kind of tainted it a little bit. It was very, very sweet that they left that amount.
Why did you walk off?
When they edited it, I was like, ‘I didn’t walk off the boat.’ Then when I watched it back, I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I did.’ When you’re in that enclosed space for 18 hours, I usually do take a little 10 to 15 minutes off the boat at the end of the night. It was just a bit more abrupt. At that time, I was smoking, and I went for a thing.
Is there anything new that you are learning while watching the show back?
Mainly, I felt I knew what was going on within the interior. But the exterior, I had no idea about so many little things that were going on. I heard there was a lot of trouble going on. I haven’t heard so many things in the confessionals that I didn’t already maybe expect to hear.
What did you think about the recent exits and new cast additions?
It did actually affect a lot because I didn’t really connect with some [of the people who left]. I just didn’t feel any kind of bond that was going to go any further than just real surface level chats. So when Joe [Bradley] arrived, I slipped into that infectious energy. He was a good edition. I really enjoyed the shift in personalities.
What did you think about how some people left the boat — including rude comments in the confessional about Captain Sandy?
I saw that and I was a bit like, ‘You’re acting like a spoiled brat.’ She has this rebellious attitude towards life but ultimately when someone is trying to give you constructive criticism, if you can take it then you’ll go far. But if you can’t then you won’t.
Below Deck and its spinoff series have never failed to bring the drama to Bravo fans everywhere since the franchise launched. The original series premiered in 2013, documenting the daily lives of crew members on luxurious yachts during charter season. With each season, the crew members’ personal lives have begun to cross over into their […]
Talk to me about having Captain Sandy as a boss.
She is great and she left me to my own devices, which was nice. Because I know in a lot of other seasons she hasn’t done that. She is a little bit difficult in areas, I have to say. But it was cool to just spend six weeks with her in that environment and get to know her and how she operates. She’s a very inspiring woman within the industry. It was nice to be around that and feel her energy.
What other show in the franchise would you want to go to? Is there another captain you want to work for?
Captain Jason is someone I’d resonate with. I have a strong connection to Bali with family being there and I’ve seen that he obviously often goes to Bali. I feel like he’s very similar minded in that sense. I think we’d get on really well. So yeah, and
Talk to me about working with Aesha Scott.
She’s really great. Off the bat, we both said to each other, ‘Let’s speak to each other respectfully and let’s not shout at each other.’ She appreciated that and she has been so appreciative of me and being very responsive without having to come in the galley feeling scared or nervous. We got on really well in that sense. I feel like it was a good team. She’s just so enthusiastic.
Would you come back for more seasons if you were asked?
It all depends on timings and stuff. Life is really busy but I wouldn’t say no to the opportunity. I guess it’s more about where I’m at and what’s going on in my life. We have got to earn that money. Life is expensive.
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