‘Below Deck’ Hit With ANOTHER Tipping Scandal?

Below Deck Hit With Another Tipping Scandal? [Credit: YouTube]

The Below Deck franchise has been hit with another tipping scandal. This time it’s on the Peacock original Below Deck Down Under. Yachties love to work on the sea because they make more than most servers. It’s customary for charter guests to give the crew members a gratuity for their services.

With tipping comes cheap charter guests. Unfortunately, low tips are common in the yachting industry. While it’s an unnecessary evil, there’s nothing they can do about it. When crew members don’t even receive a tip at all, it can bring down morale.

Below Deck Sailing Yacht had a tipping scandal

As TV Shows Ace previously reported, Below Deck Sailing Yacht had its own tipping scandal during Season 3, which is currently airing on Bravo. Infamous charter guests Erica Rose, her mom, Cindi Rose, and her husband, Charles Sanders were the infamous guests who stiffened the crew members. They only gave them $6,500 at the end of their disastrous and frustrating charter.

Erica’s former hairstylist, Janelle Flatt, and her husband Rhett Flatt also joined the charter guests. They were told they didn’t have to tip, which led to the low amount. Their friends became fan favorites when Rhett threatened Charles that he would punch him out for calling his wife a “b****.”

Captain Glenn Shephard On Below Deck Sailing Yacht [Credit: YouTube]
[Credit: YouTube]
Up to this point, both the crew members and viewers grew tired of Erica Rose and Charles. They were criticized for their rude behavior, especially when it came to Chef Marcos Spaziani’s dishes. The cherry on top was when they gave the lowest tip in the show’s history. Below Deck fans demanded the network not to bring them back.

Even Below Deck Sailing Yacht star Captain Glenn Shephard spoke out on the tipping drama. He explained that “it is customary for primary guests to take care of the crew gratuity rather than insisting that their invited guests pitch in.” He also threw shade at Erica and Charles. He joked that if they couldn’t afford to pitch in a tip, then “they should consider chartering a smaller more affordable boat.”

Below Deck Down Under has its own tipping controversy

Deckhand Brittni Burton of Below Deck Down Under spoke out about her own tipping scandal this season. She was the only crew member who didn’t receive a gratuity. After charter guests Eunice left the Thalassa, she gave some of the yachties cash, along with the primary charter guest who leaves a tip for the crew to divide among themselves.

Brittni was the only one who didn’t receive an extra tip. She broke down and cried in her cabin. In an interview with Bravo TV’s The Daily Dish, Brittni shared what she was feeling at that moment.

Being the only female on the exterior team, she felt like she had to work harder to prove herself. When she didn’t get an extra tip, Brittni thought she wasn’t “good enough.” She didn’t receive that validation she was looking for. It was more than the money, it was about feeling like she’s “part of the team.”

Below Deck Down Under Brittni On Tipping Scandal [Credit: YouTube[
[Credit: YouTube]
Brittni doesn’t understand how Eunice determined the extra tip. The charter guests never reached out after the latest episode of Below Deck Down Under aired. Brittni hopes the charter guests will watch that episode to realize how wrong they were not to tip all the crew members. She said it was “not classy” of them to do that to her.

What are your thoughts on this tipping controversy? Do you agree with Brittni that everyone should’ve gotten an extra tip? What do you think the worst tip was? Sound off below in the comment section.

New episodes of Below Deck Down Under drop on Thursdays on Peacock.

Chanel Adams

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