Many captains and crew have differing opinions on “Below Deck,” but what do early season stars think of the show’s effect on yachting? Nautical series “Below Deck” has long had a controversial reputation in the yachting industry, especially when the series made a splash on Bravo in 2013. Seen as an upstairs/downstairs peek behind the curtain, first-season Chief Stew Adrienne Gang says many captains and crew didn’t love the show because, “We had this amazing little secret that no one else was supposed to discover.” Gang, part of the original team who helped launch “Below Deck” 11 years ago, knew there would be backlash from the industry and braced for the reaction from her peers. She admits to being “terrified” when the show initially aired. “I genuinely thought people were going to throw tomatoes at me because I had heard things and people had said things. I was somewhere, and someone was talking about the show, and they said they thought it was the worst thing that would ever happen in yachting,” Gang recalled. Hearing negative remarks is one thing, but Gang’s experience extended far beyond smack talk about the show. Shortly after the series launched, Gang and a few other season 1 crewmembers experienced backlash during a boat show. A yacht broker invited Gang, “Below Deck” Capt. Lee Rosbach, and Second Stew Kat Held, who appeared on two seasons of the show, to a boat show. “We walked up to the boat and the a—— captain was standing on the aft deck of the boat letting people in, starting screaming at us, and made a scene on the dock,” Gang said. “And refused us entry because of our participation in the show.” Gang recalled feeling stunned but shrugged it off. “It was just Kat and I standing there for all anybody else knew, because not everybody in the industry had seen the show at that particular [time]. They thought he was just unhinged because he was screaming at us and berating us standing on the dock, and we’re both just standing there like, ‘Okay, we can just leave.’ We were invited, but we’ll just go.” she said. Jennice Ontiveros, who appeared on season two as the first “Below Deck” female deckhand, also experienced backlash when her captain wanted to introduce her to one of his former captains at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show shortly after her season started airing in 2014. “We go to FLIBS together and people at that point know who I am. There were a lot of crew. He was standing on his aft [deck], the whole crew was standing there in a line,” she said. Ontiveros’s captain made the introduction, “And I reached my hand out to shake his hand and he just looked at my hand and looked back up at [her captain] Dave,” she said. Completely ignoring her, the captain instead spoke directly to Ontiveros’s captain and said, “‘How’s your day going, Dave?’ He acted as though I didn’t exist. He refused to shake my hand.” “I put my hand down after he didn’t shake it and I looked over at the crew to assess like what’s going on here? And his crew started laughing at me,” she said. “And I thought he’s trying to humiliate me because I’ve humiliated him,” by essentially being on “Below Deck,” Ontiveros said. Ontiveros said not all reactions she received were negative, but “it was really polarizing. You were either treated like trash and didn’t deserve to be on the dock or you were celebrated.” Later that fall, Ontiveros connected with a different captain who was younger. “He was a large-vessel captain and he contacted me and said, ‘Hey, I saw you on “Below Deck” and I am really impressed with the work that you did. I respect you and I have some charters coming up and I’d like you to be on my team,’” Ontiveros said. First season “Below Deck” crewmember Eddie Lucas, who began as a deckhand and eventually became a first officer on the show, agreed that the yachting community didn’t love the exposure. “When the series first aired, I think there was a lot of pushback from the industry,” Lucas, who is currently a tugboat captain and ultimately starred on five seasons of the show, recalled. “Professionals thought we were sharing their secrets, and yacht owners didn’t like we were bringing attention to their luxurious private life. And for good reason, the professionals in the industry didn’t want a bunch of inexperienced dock walkers coming in to fill all the positions on yachts in an attempt to get a slice of the amazing life working on a yacht provides.” Amy Johnson, who was a second stew on “Below Deck” seasons two and three, agreed with Lucas’s assessment that the industry braced itself for what could end up being a misrepresentation of the yachting industry. “There were concerns about how the public would perceive our work and whether it would give an accurate picture of the high level of professionalism expected in yachting,” she said. While the series is still controversial, many “Below Deck” alums believe attitudes have shifted. “People are recognizing that “Below Deck” offers viewers a unique glimpse into an industry that might otherwise seem exclusive or inaccessible,” Johnson said. “The show can sometimes emphasize the drama, which is to be expected on TV, but it also highlights how hard crewmembers work and the challenges they navigate to create those picture-perfect experiences for guests. I think there’s been a growing appreciation in the industry for how the show has attracted new people to yachting and even educated viewers about the hard work behind luxury travel.” Lucas also hopes the show ultimately gives viewers and possibly yacht owners and guests some insight into how hard crewmembers work. “I don’t think there are many benefits that the show has created for the industry, anybody who actually works on yachts knows the show is not realistically what it is like to work on yachts,” he said. “But I hope that the show does illustrate how hard some people do work. And I hope yacht owners or guests watch the show and gain more appreciation for the hard work and dedication of their crew.” Gang, who continues to work in the yachting industry as a chef, says extreme reactions like those she and Ontiveros experienced are less common. “People will still talk s— and I think those people are jealous that they weren’t cast to be on the show,” she said. While that may be true, some new crewmembers said being on “Below Deck” has hindered their yachting career. “Below Deck” Deckhand Ben Willoughby recently shared on TikTok that he’s struggled to secure employment after being on the show and was fired from at least two jobs as a result. “The captain discovered I was on “Below Deck” and needed to speak to the owner,” he shared in a video after appearing on “Below Deck” seasons 10 and 11. “Two hours later, I found out I was instantly fired as that boat didn’t like “Below Deck” crew.”