Below Deck is addictive reality TV viewing, capturing the reality of being on super-yacht.
While many of us dream to even step foot on just one of these luxury vessels, for Australian Izzy Wouters, it’s her day job.
Chatting to The Latch to promote season eight of the series [premieres on November 3 on hayU and Foxtel], Wouters was just as surprised as those watching, at how real the experience was.
“When I was early on in my career in yachting, a lot of people asked me if it was just like being on Below Deck and I had absolutely no clue about what they were talking about,” she admitted. “When I applied, I was sitting on the sofa and googled the show and I realised what it was about, and I thought, ‘Yeah, my life really is like that!’.”
After only having experienced watching reality TV by way of The Bachelor franchise and Love Island, Wouters was shocked to realise that the producers didn’t step in at all.
“I thought it would be quite contrived, but they’re very, very strict about the fourth wall,” she said. “No one really speaks to you at all. It’s you doing your job and the cameras follow you around catching your greatest and not-so-great moments. That’s what is so great about the show. It’s literally you doing your job.”
Proving just how “real” it really was, during filming, production was abruptly shut down due to COVID.
“We had things trickling through on Facebook and it was getting more serious. All of a sudden, you hear about flights being shut down and people not being allowed into the country,” Wouters recalled.
“As soon as there was one case on the island, production was shut down and we ended up not filming the last few charters. Within two days, we were all on a plane home. Francesca [Rubi — an Australian castmate] and I got back just before the borders really closed. We were so lucky that the production was really quick at closing everything down and getting everyone out safely.”
Here, Wouters also talks to The Latch about how she coped with severe anxiety during filming, how she coped with cameras in her face 24/7, and gave some behind-the-scenes intel on the series itself.
Anita Anabel: Hi Izzy, I’m such a closet fan of Below Deck and so excited to see two Aussies representing on the crew this season. Tell me, what can we expect from season eight?
Izzy Wouters: A lot of fun, sand, booze, hard work, relationships, maybe and a bloody good amount of fun!
AA: I’ve seen the trailer and I love how outspoken you are. They’ve really showcased every aspect of your personality. How important was it for you to be yourself on the show?
IW: I didn’t want to leave the show regretting my experience. I never ever could be someone other than what I am because that’s just not a nice way to live. I went into the whole experience just trying to be as open as possible about myself, my story and my personality.
I wanted to entertain people and not give false portrayals or anything like that because people are going to like you for who you are and there’s no point in quieting down.
AA: During Below Deck, as an audience, we really learn so much about you all. What’s something that we’re going to learn that might surprise people?
IW: I think what people will be surprised with me from what they saw in the trailer is that even though I do have a big, boisterous, confident personality — and sometimes I like to have the shock factor with people — in my day-to-day life, I do suffer from quite bad anxiety and confidence issues and I do let that affect me sometimes.
People will be able to learn that, but it was really satisfying because I feel like I was really able to overcome my anxiety and confidence issues and it was huge learning and growing experience.
“In my day-to-day life, I do suffer from quite bad anxiety.”
AA: It’s so important to highlight these struggles, especially on shows in mainstream media and when you are working in such enclosed and dramatic environments. How did you cope when you had cameras in your face all day and were working on a show that is so popular?
IW: When I was filming the show, I didn’t really know how big it really was, so that probably helped. You got so used to the cameras after a while and in a way, it was comforting because if anything was to go drastically wrong then I’m on camera and hopefully someone will come and save me.
It was a really big lesson in myself and in self-soothing and finding coping mechanisms because, throughout a lot of my life, I’ve had a lot of distractions but when you’re on a boat — which is what I’ve done through a lot of my career — you have to really find your own methods of self-soothing or calming yourself down.
So I found that chatting to somebody, listening to music, meditation and mindfulness really helped and sometimes, you just need to have a good cry.
AA: I’m so shocked to hear that you haven’t heard of the series. It’s so popular in Australia.
IW: When I was early on in my career in yachting, a lot of people asked me if it was just like being on Below Deck and I had absolutely no clue about what they were talking about. When I applied, I was sitting on the sofa and googled the show and I realised what it was about, and I thought, ‘Yeh, my life really is like that!’.
“Yeah, my life really is like that!”
AA: You were also filming during COVID. Where were you at the time?
IW: I think just before filming, I heard on the news about ‘this thing called the coronavirus’ and then when we were filming, you’re in this little bubble, oftentimes people who were on the boat didn’t know much about it.
We had things trickling through on Facebook and it was getting more serious. All of a sudden, you hear about flights being shut down and people not being allowed into the country.
As soon as there was one case on the island, production was shut down and we ended up not filming the last few charters. Within two days, we were all on a plane home. Francesca [Rubi — an Australian castmate] and I got back just before the borders really closed. We were so lucky that the production was really quick at closing everything down and getting everyone out safely.
AA: Glad you got back home. Now that travel looks unlikely for a while, what are your plans?
IW: I have absolutely no clue. I’m taking a breather because it’s been a pretty hectic year. Obviously, I couldn’t get back overseas again so I was working in my local hospital which was really full-on throughout the year.
If we can get back overseas at some point, I’d really like to work on a boat or somewhere off the beaten track. Life is so up in the air so I’m going to just roll with the punches and see what comes next.
“As soon as there was one case on the island, production was shut down and we ended up not filming the last few charters.”
Behind-the-Scenes of Below Deck
AA: Do the cameras really just follow you around or do producers step in and ask you to re-film things?
IW: Going into the show, having only had the experience of watching The Bachelor or Love Island, the experience really surprised me because I thought it would be quite contrived but they’re very, very strict about the fourth wall. No one really speaks to you at all, it’s you doing your job and the cameras follow you around catching your greatest and not-so-great moments. That’s what is so great about the show. It’s literally you doing your job.
AA: That makes me so relieved…
IW: That’s what I really like about this show. It’s not glamorised in any way. You aren’t earning $500,000 a year, you’re not an Instagram influencer or model. You are the hired help. You’re just a real working person who is trying to do the best job you can, trying to have fun, and just doing what other people do every day.
I really like that that is represented on TV as well because it’s not unachievable.
AA: You guys are gifted some outrageous tip money. I would never ask you your salary, but do you work on a base and then add the tips on top like any hospitality job around the world?
IW: You get an industry average salary and what I got paid on that boat was probably more than what I would normally get paid on a normal boat. It’s really good. And then you get flushed with tips as well.
If you work a full charter season — you know, five months straight, it’s not unheard of for someone to make $90k in a season. You have to work your ass off for it though!
“It’s not unheard of for someone to make $90k in a season. You have to work your ass off for it though!”
AA: That is seriously wild! So, how did you get cast on the show?
IW: I was on a break, coming off like three seasons, and so I was just on a break for a bit and I was sitting on the sofa, kind of regretting my decision to do that because everyone else was in Europe.
That’s when I googled the show. I sent them a casting video and the next day — and being very embarrassed about the video looking back — the casting director got in contact with me. Five months later I was on a plane, being flown out to Antigua to begin filming. It was amazing.
Below Deck Season 8 is available on hayu and Foxtel from November 3.