If you’re not watching Below Deck this season, you’re missing out. And I say that as someone who used to watch and recap Below Deck and then stopped because it got boring. I don’t know what they did in casting this season, but they really got a great group of people. It’s seriously so dramatic. We caught up with Rhylee Gerber, one of the deckhands, to talk about her regrets, her relationships with her cast mates, and who’s the best kisser on the yacht. Read the interview below, and tune in to Below Deck on Bravo, Tuesdays at 9pm EST.
What did you expect coming into this show?
I really didn’t expect much. I mean, I was very excited about it because of the experience that I could gain with working on a yacht as well as traveling, and learning something different than what I’m used to. I mean, that’s really what I was thinking about.
How do you think that differed from what ended up happening?
I mean, if you throw cameras into the mix, and different personalities, there’s bound to be drama. I didn’t anticipate being the majority of the drama, but at the same time I can say that I was 100% me all the time. A lot of [what] was highlighted on the show had to do with me not taking sh*t from everybody, and I kind of felt like I took a lot of sh*t. So I just didn’t lay down and take it, I stood up to it.
So do you agree with the way that you came across on camera, or do you feel like viewers didn’t get a fair portrayal?
Well, I mean, I’m not gonna sit there and blame anyone else. I’ve never blamed anyone else for my behavior. I do think that the dramatic personality traits in all of us were highlighted most because that’s what creates good TV. I had reasons to act the way I did, but I did get a little bit more heated than I probably should have.
Is there any fight that you regret?
I mean, obviously it would be in my best interest to have tried to get my point across in a less aggressive manner, but at the same time… not everything is shown in detail. Like, there were consistent jabs at me, or bickering, or laughing. I mean, I regret that I came across like an asshole, and like I was disrespectful, because I certainly do respect ranks. The issue I had with the ranks that I was dealing with was that they weren’t respectful to me.
Speaking of assholes, have you heard from Chandler at all?
Actually, no. The last I saw Chandler was in LA, and we were all kind of getting along—we definitely weren’t arguing. He and I both had nice things to say to each other, but from there he kind of left a bad taste in my mouth because he skipped out on his portion of the dinner bill that I covered. So, I’m not in a good place with him.
Is there anyone from the show that you still talk to?
Yeah, we’ve all still kept in touch. What I have to face is seeing these people give their opinions behind my back when I watch the show, [because] it’s different from what they say to my face. And I don’t know if it’s because they’re intimidated by me, or if it’s because that’s just the type of people they are, but it definitely makes it a little hard to trust and want to be friendly with them. Even though we are still in touch, [and] we’re always cordial with each other, after the things said… it makes it hard for me to want to be friendly with them when I do see them.
Yeah definitely, and even on social media, as we’re watching the episodes, people are still taking jabs at each other.
Yeah, I mean, that’s to be expected but if we’ve made up, you know, and I’ve spoke with Ross and Ashton in depth about this and we both were saying the same thing. When we would talk it was like, this is what happened in the past, and we’ve come over that, we’ve made our peace with it. So as the episode airs, I don’t know what we stand to gain from continuing to be assholes to one another. But at the same time, I feel like they’re very good at still doing that, and I can continue to be an asshole and take jabs at them, or I can embrace my portion of it, which is kind of what I’m trying to do, versus harboring more animosity.
So even though you had issues working with a couple of the deckhands, who was your favorite person to work with?
I obviously very much enjoyed working with Tyler because he brought a breath of fresh air when he came onto the boat. The dynamic between all of us changed. I think my favorite person overall to work with on the boat probably would’ve been Josiah, because he’s kind of easygoing and placating to people’s feelings when you’re one on one.
Who was your favorite bosun to work under?
Oh, for sure Ross. My verdict about Ross is still a little wishy-washy, because I do think from the get-go Ross was the best person for the bosun position. [We have] our issues with each other [with] lying and communication still, which is [also] a big thing we have with Chandler. Granted, he’s a much better communicator than Chandler ever was, but Ross had an issue with telling me one thing and meaning something else, so that caused a lot of aggravation and frustration on my end. But I do think that Ross was the better bosun, hands down. I think that he tries to appease everybody, and deep down he’s a good person.
So, who was a better kisser, Ross or Tyler?
Well, I mean, every time Ross came for me he was drunk, and I was of course drinking too, so I’m going to say Tyler because I got to experience that a little bit more.
What’s it like working for Captain Lee?
You know, I didn’t really get to interact with Captain Lee a lot while we were working. I mean, there was never a time that I went to the wheelhouse unless we were called there. I never went to Captain Lee to complain about anything, and then it’s hard to say how I feel about him in a working environment because I didn’t really get to work with him. Is he my favorite captain to work with? So far on a yacht he’s the only captain I’ve ever worked for, so he’s my favorite and my least favorite.
Favorite out of one, fair enough. So on the episode that I just watched we got a new stew. What do you think of Laura so far?
Um, when Laura came on the boat we all thought she was—well everybody but Ashton, I guess—we thought she was pretty ditzy just because of how she spoke, and some of the things she would say. But you know, it’s a very nerve-racking situation to come in the middle of a charter season, and then go into this group of people that have already worked together and then be as level-headed or as chill as someone like Tyler would’ve been. You know, Laura’s a good chick, and she’s coming in with a very boss-like chick i.e. Kate, and… I think she has a lot to say and it came across rough, but I can understand her position with that because I went through the same thing.
Do you think you would do another season?
Oh, well yeah, my only thought on that is I would love to do another season, on a yacht chartering anywhere. My fear is that I’d still probably be just as mouthy, but hopefully I’m learning more from my experience. I would hope for a better received outcome, perhaps, but the one thing I can promise everybody is I will always be myself. So if you push me enough I’m gonna get in your face about it.
I mean, that’s all we want from reality TV.
Right? It just makes for good TV, and fortunately I don’t have to act.
So if you could fire anyone on the show right now, who would you pick?
From a professional standpoint or from an “I’m pissed off with them” standpoint?
Let’s do both.
Okay so a professional standpoint I guess I would say Laura, because people say she and I both have an attitude and we’re disrespecting our superiors, but I’m also still doing my job and I’m doing it well. The episode showed—and again, I’m only seeing it from what we saw—but it showed that she wasn’t doing the job. So, from a professional standpoint, you want someone there that’s working and doing what they’re there to be doing, which is their job.
From a personal standpoint, I would have to say at this point Ashton. And this is during the season and now. During the season he consistently was frustrated with me—even when I didn’t speak to him or to anybody, he just had a problem with me. I don’t know if it stemmed from him thinking I was happy to see Chandler go, or because I asked too many questions, or because I turned him down for sex. I mean, he just was always frustrated with me, so I do think Ashton does well at his job, but personally I think he helped create a lot of animosity and trigger[ed] my anger.
Do you think that you being a woman has anything to do with why people think you’re being aggressive or that you’re not getting along as well with your male coworkers?
I appreciate that question, but it’s only been in this particular situation in my life that I’ve ever had to think about the woman part, because never in my life did I grow up feeling like I can’t do anything because I’m a woman, or people are holding me back because I’m a woman. I’ve never felt like that. I do understand like, men have certain physical strengths that women don’t have. But in this particular case, it’s so baffling to me to think that… even when Tyler came on as third deckhand, I wasn’t put in positions to help with anchor, or help with anything that was “muscle work.” And so part of me thinks like, maybe that was because I am a woman, or because they were frustrated with me. But either way, people are like, “oh respect your rank.” Well, my rank doesn’t respect me as a woman or as a third deckhand, so it’s kind of like, I don’t know. I have no idea if it’s the woman part or if it’s the overall irritation with personalities conflicting. I’m no feminist by any means, but I am seeing what people are saying on both sides I guess, if that makes any sense.
It does. So what are you up to in the offseason?
Ok, so after Tahiti I of course did my season in Alaska. I love just being there, I love running the charters with different clients and meeting new people. Right now I’m doing the same thing but I’m in Key West because our Alaska season’s only May through September. So, I mean I usually just travel from gig to gig and find whatever interests and excites me.
Anything else you want to tell the Betches readers?
I mean, I would say to people that have such a strong opinion about anybody on the show, remember that it is a show. I just want people to know, this is a drama series, so they’re highlighting the dramatic portions of what makes a good TV episode. And just remember like, you guys weren’t there for the whole thing of it, you know? I am a person, I can get heated just like anybody else, and I can be nice as well. I’m usually more smiley Rhylee than I am mad Rhylee.
Catch Rhylee and the rest of the crew on Below Deck, Tuesdays at 9pm on Bravo.
