Below Deck is heading back with Season 8 in early November. What do you need to know about the returning Bravo series? Below Deck is a whole other show compared to the jaw-dropping drama of the Real Housewives franchise, namely because you can forget those high-end homes. The prime real estate on Below Deck is a yacht and the open sea. So, let’s get to it.
First off, unlike another Bravo series, you can count out on the exit of Below Deck’s long-time lead. Captain Lee Rosbach, whose son passed away last year, will be back for Season 8. He has been the captain since the very beginning of the series, and he will continue to be next season. Here are the other quick things you need to know about Season 8.
Below Deck Will Be Back In November
Fans are getting ready to drop their anchor, aka their bodies in their seats to watch Below Deck. Season 8 premieres Monday, November 2 at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo. Last season the show embarked on its voyage in October of 2019, meaning Season 8 is arriving a little over a year later.
When you consider all of the shows that have gotten delayed due to the coronavirus, it is exciting that a new season of Below Deck (and other shows) is happening. In its case, Below Deck was able to get filmed before COVID-19 caused an industry-wide shutdown and hardcore restrictions, although other shows have found their way to push through.
Below Deck Season 8 Is Taking Place Around the Caribbean
Margot Robbie is not the only one set to make their way to the Caribbean. Like the Robbie-led Pirates of the Caribbean reboot, Below Deck already has its Caribbean journey ready to roar. Expect to take in the breathtaking sights of the Caribbean once again. Long-time Below Deck fans will recall that the Bravo reality series took a Caribbean charter back in Season 1 and Season 5.
Captain Lee was on the Honor back then, but he will be back on Season 6’s vessel My Seanna for Season 8. The second yacht to two-peat in Below Deck’s eight-season history. Even though the yacht is back on friendly seas, it does not mean a smooth ride is ahead for all.
Eddie Lucas Is Back
Eddie Lucas will make what many fans will arguably hope is a triumphant return to Below Deck after stepping away from the series. Lucas left the show after a dramatic voyage in Season 3. Five seasons later, he is ready to get back to it. Is Below Deck sailing into more romantic drama? Or are soother seas ahead on that front for Lucas?
Viewers will have to stay tuned. The trailer indicated that Eddie Lucas, now a bosun (per Bravos’ The Daily Dish), will be having some fun times. Hopefully, he does not take a page out of certain Bachelorette contestants this time around. Five seasons later, Eddie should have a more level head than he did back in Season 3.
Season 8 Will Have Lots Of New Faces
As Captain Lee teased in the trailer for Below Deck, there will be a new crew, chef, and chief stew. Hence, a lot of fresh faces are set to board the luxury liner. Francesca Rubi will be the new chief stewardess. Elizabeth Frankini and Isabelle “Izzy” Wouters will be stewardesses.
From the look of things, Izzy will find herself flirting up a storm with another shipmate. More on that in a minute. For now, you also need to know that James Hough and Shane Coopersmith will be the acting deckhands. It will not be a lot longer before fans get to see where their hands land as Below Deck’s season hits the beautiful Caribbean.
There Will Be Wild Times In Season 8
In the Below Deck trailer for Season 8, there is a visual right out of the first Sex and the City movie that Kim Cattrall did agree to star in. One woman lays out on a dinner table with nothing but leaves and sushi covering her. Other wild sights find a potential argument over water spots on dishes, and Captain Lee lamenting the lack of clothing sported by one person on the ship.
There will also be romance on the boat, which could see it rock for various reasons. Based on the trailer, viewers know that some crazy intense stuff happens in the hot tub, and that news is bound to get around a bit.
The Coronavirus Will Be "A Thing"
Below Deck was filmed just as the Covid-19 pandemic was spreading, eventually shutting down production across the television and film industry. In the trailer for Season 8, it is referred to as becoming a “thing.” Little did the Below Deck crew know that it would change the world, including television production, almost overnight.
The crew is on a yacht, though, and away from much of the danger, assuming everyone on-board was coronavirus-free. For the people on-board, Below Deck’s stars hear the news that hand sanitizer and other necessities are out of supply. To which Captain Lee says in the Season 8 trailer that the world is “going to hell.” Wait until he docks.
Captain Lee Will Have To Go Off
If you watched the TV classic Gilligan’s Island, and thought the captain had a tough job, think again. That captain never had to deal with passengers skinny-dipping in the ocean and having to demand they come back onto the ship. Below Deck’s Captain Lee will have to do just that in Season 8.
Of course, Gilligan’s Island’s captain always had to be a captain to people on land (and on an island, they could not get off of), so there was that. Captain Lee is not going to be messing around. He means business and passengers will undoubtedly clash with what he wants them to do. Hence, reality show drama.
There Could Be Firings
The teaser for Season 8 had Captain Lee proclaiming that firings would be starting up. There are a lot of emotional reactions afterward. Will those get carried out? Below Deck holds the answer. Firings on a ship have to be logistically difficult. Who comes and carts out the fired person?
It is not the set of The View, where someone can get fired, walk off the set and onto dry land. Who will get let go on the open sea as the Covid-19 pandemic rages on land? Below Deck is bound to hit some rough seas with these potential firings -- how they shakeout is for Season 8 to tell.
Thankfully for Below Deck fans, there is a new season. Due to the coronavirus, a lot of other shows will not be returning with new seasons this fall, including Survivor. At this point, Below Deck is a veteran series with all that entails. For long-time fans, the return of Eddie Lucas and the peppering of new faces should prove exciting.
It will be a season that marries the familiar aspects of the series with some fresh ones. Thus, creating an experience to be enjoyed by new and returning viewers. Below Deck will set sail soon! Season 8 starts on Monday, November 2, at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo. The reality show will be one of this fall’s many premieres.
