Gabriela Barragan Says Below Deck Sailing Yacht Is A 'Petri Dish For Drama' - Exclusive
Bavo is currently airing Season 3 of their reality TV show, "Below Deck Sailing Yacht." The series follows Captain Glenn Shephard and his crew of yachties throughout their charter season. While the yacht crew works to keep up a polished appearance for their wealthy guests, the cameras take viewers below deck to where the real drama happens. And, this season promises to be just as full of conflict, "boat-mances," and ship mishaps as ever.
Gabriela Barragan joined the crew of Parsifal III as one of the stewardesses for Season 3. During an exclusive interview with The List, the stew got into all the juicy details. She revealed what it was like dealing with a new crew while in front of cameras for the world to see. Read on to find out why a yacht is the perfect "petri dish for drama," and whether or not the producers manufacture any of that drama for the show.
The crew is like a big family
Perhaps most of the reason a yacht is the perfect setting for emotions to boil over is that the entire crew is living in such close quarters. Anyone who's seen an episode of the show knows that the crew's quarters are quite tight. Gabriela Barragan told The List, "There is no privacy in yachting." She added that because of the closeness, the crew members become like a big family. "It's like living with your entire family in a one-bedroom apartment, where it's so intimate. We're washing each other's underwear and then folding them neatly and putting them back in each other's bedrooms. It's such an intimate setting," she said.
That intimacy can lead to close bonds, like the ones Barragan said she formed quickly with Tom Pearson and Kelsie Goglia. However, it can also be the cause of relationship drama. "You go from zero to a hundred. You've seen everyone at their best and at their worst in a short amount of time because it's a high-pressure environment," she explained. "You make friendships quicker. You fall in love quicker. You hate people quicker than you normally would. It's a Petri dish for drama."
All the drama is real life
It's always fun to watch the messy relationships, confrontations, and other dramatic moments that occur on reality TV shows, like this one. But fans of "Below Deck Sailing Yacht" may wonder how much of that drama between crew members is real and how much of it is played up for the cameras. When asked exactly that, Gabriela Barragan referred to it as the "million-dollar question" that everybody wants the answer to. But fans of the show will be happy to know that none of the drama is manufactured. In fact, Barragan said, sometimes there's "even juicier drama" going on than what we see on screen. She continued, "There are boat-mances that get really messy. There are power dynamic struggles. What you see on the show is exactly what happens off-camera on yachts."
According to Barragan the only real difference is that the drama that happens on Parsifal III is filmed for everyone to see, while other yacht crews are able to keep their below deck issues more discreet. "What happens on [other yachts] usually stays on the boat. People are hush-hush, no one talks about it, but the drama is 100% real and always juicy," she said.
Does Gabriela get involved in the yacht drama?
When it comes to drama and disagreements between crew members, Gabriela Barragan said she wishes she could be "more like a Colin [Macrae], who drops a little seed in someone's head and sits back and watches it happen." But, she said her maternal instincts make her more invested in helping her crew members through their issues. "I'm kind of an empath, so I can feel other people's pain, or anger, or frustration. I want everyone to be happy. If everyone's happy, I'm happy. I'm usually trying to give advice and speak life into people," Barragan said.
However, if you think that means she remains impartial Barragan said that's not at all the case. She said when two of her friends are fighting it can be a "sticky situation ... I'm never a Switzerland. I'm never neutral. I also don't pick sides. I'll break it down, tell you the truth and tell the other person the truth too." To put it simply, she added, "yes, I get involved." But, fans of the show love seeing all those relationship dynamics, and as Barragan said, "If I'm going to be dramatic, I might as well do it on television."
Season 3 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.