Why Below Deck Adventure Is The Franchise's Most Dangerous Series Yet - Exclusive
"Below Deck Adventure" is the newest successful "Below Deck" franchise spin-off, as Bravo's yacht crew heads somewhere they've never been before — the frigid fjords of Norway. The Mercury's chief stew Faye Clarke spoke with The List in an exclusive interview about her experience navigating challenging charters in a cold climate, especially while hosting super adventurous guests. From keeping them safe while paragliding — sitting in a harness while navigating a parachute through the air — to abseiling (repelling off of rock faces) — the crew certainly had their work cut out for them.
Clarke told The List about the new show, saying, "I hope it entertains the viewers, and I'm sure it will." She also clarified for the loyal fans of the franchise, "This is something they have never seen with "Below Deck" before — the excursions, the adventure." Clarke dished on the wildest moments of the season, and how the freezing waters and dangerous cliffs of Norway kept the crew on their toes.
The chief stew was prepared for the worst
Faye Clarke served as chief stew for the first season of "Below Deck Adventure," and luckily, she shared a leadership style with Captain Kerry. "Captain Kerry [and I] are quite similar in a way because he has a laugh and a joke ... I like a bit of banter," Clarke told The List. "Also, he did health and safety training as soon as we got on the boat. If I went to him with anything, I know he would think it through and then act accordingly."
This training was necessary in Norway's unpredictable environment, and it soon became clear to the chief stew that she would need to stay on top of protocol for the guests' safety. "Although I'm out there and I'm bubbly, I'm a very caring person," Clarke explained. "I'm like a mom to everybody, and I panic and I worry."
Guests' adventurous requests sometimes presented challenges, especially when other members of the crew weren't as cautious as Clarke. "That was a lot of pressure for me because the boys would be like, "Let's just do this." And I'm like, "Yeah, but if somebody breaks their ankle ..."
Still, Clarke told us that she would go on another charter with Captain Kerry. "I don't think Kerry had ever navigated a boat around Norway before, so a lot of pressure was on him. He did really well ..."
Some adventures almost ended in disaster
Clarke's ultimate goal beyond keeping guests safe was keeping them entertained, along with the viewers at home. Still, some of the charters' excursions were riskier than others. "Well, this is freezing-cold water. People are paragliding off of cliffs or abseiling over cliffs ... We don't know where we are. The drama that you'll see is not exaggerated," she said.
A photoshoot in a cave was one of the season's challenges, as were extreme sports. Clarke even had a scare with one of the guests on the charter. "We nearly lost one guest over the side of a cliff because the person she was paragliding with just didn't have her head on that day, and I was sitting there thinking, "Oh my god. Oh my god."
More traditional charter activities also required the occasional rescue mission. "Even [on] the horse riding excursion, one of the guests had a fit and was like, 'I can't do this. I can't do this,'" Clarke told The List. "So we had to go rescue her, try and get her back by foot to where we had to be. That's just horse riding, let alone all the other excursions we did."
Though the chief stew gave us this sneak preview, fans will have to tune into the rest of the season for all the excitement and danger "Below Deck Adventure" has in store.
The next episode of Below Deck Adventure airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.