Below Deck Adventure star Captain Kerry explains what sets his spin-off apart
Next summer will mark 10 years since Bravo launched Below Deck, an absurdly entertaining look at the frantic lives and regrettable loves of employees working onboard glamorous luxury yachts. It's been a lucrative decade for the Steven Soderbergh-approved franchise, and Nov. 1 brings Below Deck Adventure, a new spin-off which offers a more extreme look at the seaward-vacation lifestyle.
"It's a totally different set of customers and guests," promises Captain Kerry Titheradge, who will take the helm of motor yacht Mercury along the picturesque fjords of Norway. The setting offers opportunities for action-sport activities which immediately sets Adventure apart from its predecessors. "The Caribbean, there's a lot of beach parties and often people are enjoying inside of the boat, 'cause it's so damn hot," says Titheradge. "In the Mediterranean, it's all about pulling up at San Tropez and being seen." Guests on Adventure will be zip-lining, rappelling, and generally exploring the world outside the hot tub. "We went biking down Trollstigen road, this road that has dozens of hairpin turns," he explains. "They went paragliding, horseback riding. We got classy and did a fashion show in the caves."
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The Nordic location offers its own challenges. Although Captain Kerry describes the area as "absolutely breathtaking," he also notes the 4-degree Celsius water and the dangerous wind patterns. "It's a world heritage area," he explains. "They're very strict on where you can anchor. If you can imagine, like, the depth of the fjords is like the Himalayas, and I've gotta drop my anchor on Mount Everest. If it slides off Mount Everest, I can't get it back up again." If underwater Everest doesn't sound troubling enough, the Captain also notes the unique problems of traveling in an area not as tourist-mobbed as the Med. "For the chef it's super difficult, because [the locals] are not used to catering to our kind of requests," he explains. And there's always the possibility of a language gap. "The Norwegians have got a good grasp of the English language," he laughs. "It's just unfortunate I don't speak English, I speak Australian!"
It's been quite a voyage to Below Deck for Titheradge, who grew up about as far from the fjords as you can in the Australian Outback. "I ended up seeing this job in the newspaper, to be a deckhand on a parasailing boat," he explains. The yachting life was appealing, for obvious reasons. "Back in those days I had hair, you know, the wind blowing through your hair. My previous job, I'm crawling through roofs, dodging killer snakes and killer spiders. When you go on vacation, you already want to be happy. I've just got to maintain expectations you have for you to be happy. You don't jump on a parasailing boat hating your day."
For the guests on Adventure season 1, he has only kind words. That's especially true of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Heather Gay. "The energy that she brought was absolutely incredible," Titheradge promises. "The most amazing place that we went the whole time was where their adventure was, Geiranger. You've got this waterfall behind the town and it kind of splits the town in two. It's like Disneyland for adults."
And since it wouldn't be a Deck season without some workplace drama, the Captain teases that he and the crew "kind of started the show off with a bang." But let's get serious here: Did he participate in that fashion show in the caves? "Someone had to look after the boat, mate!" he laughs.
Below Deck Adventure premieres Nov. 1 on Bravo. Episodes will stream the next day on Peacock.
MakMake sure to check out EW's Fall TV Preview cover story — as well as all of our 2022 Fall TV Preview content, releasing over 22 days through Sept. 29.
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