Hi, I'm Paula Sanderson

None of you asked for this and yet here we are.

I present all 101 Below Deck cast members ranked from WORST to BEST.

A handy little guide to help you remember who all these people are…

BD = Below Deck
BD-M = Below Deck: Mediterranean
BD: SY – Below Deck Sailing Yacht
The number after the letters represents the season. If there is a dash between two numbers, the person was on all the seasons between those two numbers.

Ok. Let’s get into it…

101 – Peter Hunziker — Lead Deckhand (ep 1–6), Deckhand (ep 7–20) (BD:M-5)
Got cut from the show for being a racist. Enough said.

100 – Avery Russell — Deckhand (ep 1) (BD-8)
Only was on one episode. Not worth mentioning.

99 – Danny Zureikat — Deckhand (ep 1–12) (BD:M-1)
What a dud. He was terrible at his job and a terrible person. Remember when he tried to hook up with the models… ugh. gross. Get out of her Danny.

98 – C.J. LeBeau — Second Engineer (BD- 1)
He has a very punchable face.

97 – Mila Kolomeitseva — Chef (ep 1–5) (BD:M-4)
What a NIGHTMARE! This woman had no clue what she was doing and was a complete disaster.

96- Leon Walker — Chef BD-3
He was mean. Like just not a good person nor a good chef.

95 – Lara Flumiani — 2nd Stewardess (ep 1–3) (BD:M-5)
She was so rude. Like terrible at her job and a terrible person. Very happy to see her go.

94 – Aleks Taldykin — First Officer (BD- 1)
Another punchable face. Not into Aleks.

The following people are what I’m calling “forgettable deckhands”. These people did nothing worth remembering and really offered very little to the show. Frankly, these guys could all tie, however – I had to put them in some sort of order so here we go…

93- Trevor Walker — Senior Deckhand (ep 1–2), Deckhand (ep 3–4) (BD-4)
92 -Tyler Rowland — Deckhand (ep 10–16) (BD-6)

91 – Andrew Sturby — Deckhand (BD2)
90 – Chris Brown — Deckhand (ep 1–6) (BD-5)
89 – Dane Jackson — Deckhand (BD-3)
88 – Logan Reese — Deckhand (BD2)

87 – Max Hagley — Deckhand (BD:M-2)
He was nice but I forgot about him….

86 – Chandler Brooks — Bosun (ep 1–9) (BD-6)
85 – Don Abenante — Second Engineer/Deckhand (BD-3)
84 – EJ Jansen — Bosun (ep 5–11) (BD-5)
83 – Parker McCown — Deckhand (ep 1–12) (BD:SY-1)
82 – Robert Phillips — Deckhand (ep 8–16) (BD-8)

The three forgettable deck hand girls rankly slightly higher because I do think it’s REALLY hard to be a girl on the deck (because of misogyny not because it’s actually hard). So kudos for them for trying.

81 – Jamie Jason — Deckhand (BD:M-3)
80 – Jen Riservato — Deckhand (BD:M-1)
79 – Abbi Murphy — Deckhand (ep 1–6) (BD-7)
She needed a hair tie…

78 – Christopher Miller — Deckhand (ep 12–17) (BD:SY-1)
He was so lovely. I wish we had more of him.

77 – Robert Westergaard — Deckhand (BD:M-5)
The only reason I remember who is he is, is his relationship with Jessica More.

76 – Travis Michalzik — Lead Deckhand (BD:M-4)
He tried to get with a guest. Insert eye roll, but good try buddy.

75 – Conrad Empson — Bosun (BD:M-3)
Remember when he “dated” Hannah. Lol.

74 – Emile Kotze — Deckhand (BD-3)
You know the thumbs from Spy Kids – that’s what I think of when I think of Emile. Not a lot going on, but at least I remember him… even if it is for being a bit dim.

73 – Shane “Sunshine” Coopersmith — Deckhand (ep 1–7) (BD-8)
Oh, Sunshine. You tried but you were so over your head. Yacht life is not for you… and that’s ok.

72 – Bryan Kattenburg — Bosun (ep 1), First Officer (ep 1–13) (BD:M-1)
You had to deal with Danny and for that – hats off to you.

71 – Mark Howard — Captain (BD:M-1)
The only one season Captain. You just didn’t have *it*. Sandy was a much better replacement.

70 – Tiffany Copeland — 3rd Stewardess (BD:M-1)
Terrible at her job and added nothing to the team.

69 – Sierra Storm — 3rd Stewardess (BD-4)
So nice, yet nothing much going on… not the worst stew, but…

68 – Kasey Cohen — 3rd Stewardess (BD:M-3)
She lied about her CV! She had no idea how to do her job… Dud.

67 – June Foster — 3rd Stewardess (ep 7–13) (BD:M-4)
Oh June. You were a space cadet. If you want to work on a boat… you’ve got to get it together better.

66 – Jennifer Howell — 3rd Stewardess (BD-5)
What a dud. Full meltdowns but will always be remembered for how much Kate butted heads with her at work but also loved her? It was a disaster…. which was great TV.

65 – Elizabeth Frankini — Stewardess (ep 1–3), 2nd Stewardess (ep 3–8), 3rd Stewardess (ep 9–15) (BD-8)
She had no idea what she was doing and Francesca had no idea how to manage her. If only she cared about her job as much as she cared about James…

64 – Jennice Ontiveros (BD2)
We remember her for her relationship with Kelley… and not much else.

63 – Caroline Bedol — 3rd Stewardess (ep 1–9) (BD-6)
She cried a lot and I get it. She was on the outside of the dream duo of Kate and Josiah and that would be hard. But… she was not great at her job so fair enough. They had to ditch her and I also get that.

62 – Jessica More — 3rd Stewardess (BD:M-5)
We could have had less of More… but she had a good little storyline with Robert.

61 – Tanner Sterback — Deckhand (BD-7)
Nice guy. Nothing remarkable. Loved his mom.

60 – Lauren Cohen — 3rd Stewardess (BD:M-2)
I remember her being nice… but nothing else. At least she was good at her job.

59 – Lauren Burchell — Deckhand (BD-4)
She had a crush on Nico. It was fun TV. But nothing too memorable (which in this case is a good thing).

58 – Alex Radcliffe — Deckhand (ep 1–17), Lead Deckhand (ep 18–20) (BD:M-5)
Nice guy, good at his job. I loved his little romance with Bugsy. So weird but in the best way posssible.

57 – Kyle Dixon — Deckhand (BD-4,5)
Was a bit wild and was great TV. He would be ranked lower, but we had multiple seasons which counts for something here. Remember his girlfriend…

56 – Tom Checketts — Chef (ep 11–20)(BD:M-5)
Came in for Malia but then lost his mind. He was good at his job but the show was not good for him. #Awkward

55 – Brianna Adekeye — 2nd Stewardess (BD-5)
She had to deal with Jen. Kudos to her.

54 – Ashling Lorger — 3rd Stewardess (eps3–16) (BD-8)
I only remember her because she was recent, but she will end up forgettable as we get more season. However, again kudos to her for having to pick up the slack for Elizabeth.

53 – Laura Betancourt — 3rd Stewardess (ep 10–16) (BD-6)
She’s only at this ranking because she’s from Toronto and we’ve got to support the home team. Otherwise didn’t really add much and the drama between her and Kate was good but not as crazy as other Kate-Stew battles.

52 – Simone Mashile — 2nd Stewardess (BD-7)
I wish she got a better edit. I think it was hard for her. Kudos to her for being the only Black girls on this list… That would be very hard.

51 – Samantha Orme — 3rd Stewardess (BD- 1)
DRAMA CITY. She made Adriene’s life hell on the boat. Also had a little romance with CJ. She was highly annoying. But memorable. She was an OG and for that she ranks higher than she should.

50 – James Hough — Deckhand (BD-8)
He played poor Elizabeth but that was great TV.

Let’s talk about the threesome… I secretly wished that Paget wold break up with Ciara and go for Georiga because that would have been insane television but because that didn’t end up happening, they fall in the middle of the ranking.

47 – Ciara Duggan — Deckhand (BD:SY-1)
Poor Ciara… I’m going to be a bit mean here, but she’s very home schooled if you know what I mean. I have no understanding why Paget stayed with her – but I also don’t understand why she stayed with him. She needed to stand up for herself more. If I was her friend – I would have told her to dump Paget and move on.

48 – Paget Berry — First Officer (BD:SY-1)
I don’t understand why he was in the middle of the Love Triangle because I don’t get the appeal… but he was disrespectful to his girlfriend and lead Georgia on. Not a fan.

47 – Georgia Grobler — 3rd Stewardess (BD:SY-1)
She comes out on top here because in the end she didn’t get dragged down by Paget. She’s much better off without him.

46 – Ross Inia — Lead Deckhand (ep 1–8), Bosun (ep 9–16) (BD-6)
He was good at his job. He got promoted. He had to deal with a lot. Solid.

45 – Brooke Laughton — 2nd Stewardess (BD:M-3)
Good at her job. João was in love with her. She had a great run.

44 – Kevin Dobson — Chef (BD-7)
The chefs are always in the middle of the drama and being the chef of Kate’s last season makes Kevin memerable. Was he the best, no. What he the worst, also no. 44 is a good spot for him.

43 – Byron Hissey — Chief Engineer (BD:SY-1)
I loved Byron. I wish we got more of him. He was such a breath of fresh air – and yet we didn’t get enough of him. Give us MORE Byron!!!

42 – Jenna MacGillivray — Chief Stewardess (BD:SY-1)
What a mess. I have very mixed feelings about Jenna. The way she treated her juniors – not great. Her relationship with Chef Adam – great TV. She’s unfortunately a one-season Cheif Stew for a reason…

41 – Francesca Rubi — Chief Stewardess (BD-8)
She’s only higher than Jenna because she had the harder job – step into Kate’s shoes. No one was going to do well after Kate, but she tried. Maybe not enough. There were multiple mishaps throughout the season that I felt were her fault. I’m quite curious if they’ll invite her back for S9.

40 – Kat Held — 2nd Stewardess (BD- 1,2)
An OG icon. She was great and helped built up the franchise.

39 – Adrienne Gang — Chief Stewardess (BD-1)
The Cheif Stew that started it all. Her stews couldn’t handle her… and it was great TV. Like just a mess but I was very much here for it. When she showed up in S2 as a guest! Amazing.

38 – Julia d’Albert Pusey — 2nd Stewardess (BD:M-1)
She was so lovely. A joy to watch. But she made Ben cry… Incredible. Power ranking high.

37 – Madison Stalker — 2nd Stewardess (BD:SY-1)
I really loved Madison. I always sided with her over Jenna. Huge fan.

36 – Rhylee Gerber — Deckhand (BD-6) (ep 7–18) (BD7)
ICONIC. Rhylee had strong opinions, feelings, and was not afraid to be herself. Super memorable and I love that she would call out the boys for their misogyny. I would actually have loved to see Rhylee on a boat with Captain Sandy. That would have been very interesting.

35 -Rodrigo “Kiko” Lorran — Chef (ep 1–10) (BD:M-5)
Such a nice guy. Too bad he couldn’t handle it. But I’d pick nice guy chef over mean chefs like Leon any day of the week.

34 – Brian de Saint Pern — Lead Deckhand (BD-7)
He was lovely. I adored watching his relationship with Courntey develop. Was a gem of a deckhand.

33 – Nico Scholly — Deckhand (ep 1–12), Senior Deckhand (ep 12–14) (BD-4), Lead Deckhand (ep 1–14), Bosun (ep 14) (BD-5)
What an arc. We went from Deckhand up to Bosun and it was a great run. Captain Lee loves Nico and that’s good enough for me.

32 – Kelley Johnson — Deckhand (BD2) Bosun (BD-4)
Great guy. Everyone loved him. Stews loved him. His team loved him. The guests loved him… He had a lot of potential and grew up over the seasons.

31 – Jack Stirrup — Deckhand (BD:M-4)
Carisma for dayyyyssss. You could not not smile while watching Jack on TV. Plus his little relationship with Aesha was adorable.

30 – Glenn Shephard — Captain (BD:SY-1)
He’s great. He loves honking the horn for the guests. He’s a good leader. I have no complaints about Glenn and I’m excited to have him back for another season. Glenn’s power ranking has the potential to grow. Let’s see what happens after S2.

29 – Raquel “Rocky” Dakota — 3rd Stewardess (BD-3)
Rocky. What a legend. Love her, hate her, you know her. She was WILD in all the best ways for a TV show. Truly one of a kind. Her affair with Eddie was a scandal. Her mermaid tail was phenomenal. But it’s her exit we’ll always remember her for – diving off the boat was jaw-dropping.

28 – Ashton Pienaar — Deckhand (BD-6) Bosun (7)
There has been a lot of drama on the show, most of it was stupid. Ashton nearly dying when he went overboard was truly the most dramatic thing to ever happen on the show.

27 -Matt Burns — Chef (BD-5)
Controversial pick here. One could argue that putting him in the top 30 is generous, but Matt was the only normal Chef and we’re going to reward that. Plus he’s Canadian.

26 – Bruno Duarte — Deckhand (BD-5)
What a cutie. I just have a lot of love for Bruno. Plus that slide injury was nasty – and unfortunately, I think that means he “wins” for the most dramatic slide moment.

25 – David Bradberry — Deckhand (BD- 1,3)
Eddies’ OG BFF. That’s good enough to put him here.

24 – Bobby Giancola — Deckhand (BD:M-1,2)
Love Bobby. He was fun, good at his job, and had to deal with Danny. An all-around good dude.

23 – Wesley Walton — Bosun (BD:M-2)
His love triangle with Adam-Malia was great TV. He was also good at his job and empowered Malia. I was a fan. I wish we had more Wes. If he had done multiple seasons he would have had a higher power ranking.

22 – Courtney Skippon — 3rd Stewardess (ep 1–10), 2nd Stewardess (ep 11–18) (BD-7)
She was great at her job. Had a cute little romance, but then came out WAY on top when it broke up. I’m a huge fan.

21 – Amy Johnson — 3rd Stewardess (BD2,3)
Nicest person. I want to be her friend. She was such a good sister to Kelley. So as a person 10/10. As a stew – also 10/10. She worked hard and was lovely.

20 – Connie Arias — Deckhand(BD-3)
I adore Connie. She was a dream deckhand, a lot of fun to watch on TV, and when Lee asked her to stay with the ship after the season ended that was such a compliment. I want a Malia arc where she comes back as a Bosun.

19 – Baker Manning — Deckhand (BD-5)
Baker is a dream. She’s great at her job, but she’s just so much fun.

18 – Adrian Martin — Chef (BD-6)
The chill chef. He was one of a kind and I’m very glad we had him for a season.

17 – Anastasia Surmava — 3rd Stewardess (ep 1–4, 13–18), Chef (ep 5–12) (BD:M-4)
A TRUE TEAM PLAYER! When they had to fire Mila, she stepped up and jumped into the kitchen. She also knew when it was time to step back down. She grew a lot from the experience and it was a joy to watch.

16 – Emily Warburton-Adams — 2nd Stewardess (BD-4)
If Ben was willing to go out with her, that’s good enough for me. She was so lovely, so good at her job, and an all-around wonderful cast member.

15 – Josiah Carter — 2nd Steward (BD-6)
His relationship with Kate was wonderful and I think we all fell in love with him. I really want him to come back as the new chief stew for S9. I think he’d be great at it and I’d love to see more.

14 – Colin Macy-O’Toole — Deckhand (BD:M-3)(BD:M-4)
Obsessed. How could you not be?! Cutie Colin is one of the best deckhands the show has ever had and his positive attidue is infectious. 10/10 love.

13 – João Franco — Lead Deckhand (BD:M-3) Bosun (BD:M-4)
João is a great. He really grew up on the show. Jezabob did not. I think ones he cuts his drinking down, he’s going to really become a force. But overall, João is a memorable crew member and I’d love to see him work with Captain Lee at some point.

12 – Isabelle “Izzy” Wouters — Stewardess (ep 1–3), Deckhand (ep 3–13), Lead Deckhand (ep 13–16) BD8
I want to see her on a Sandy ship. I think she’d thrive with her leadership and mentorship. It was so great watching her go from 3rd Stew to Lead Deckhand and find the thing that she was good at. I love Izzy and would love to see her come back as Bosun one day. Love love love.

11 – Adam Glick — Chef (BD:M-2,3) (BD:SY-1)
Adam Glick is wild TV. I’m not sure if he’s a nice guy or if he’s diabolical. He always gets into a relationship with one of the girls and it’s always a mess. He’s just one of those people who I love to hate.

10 – Aesha Scott — 2nd Stewardess (BD:M-4)(ep 13–20) (BD:M-5)
How can you not love her? She is a complete joy. Great TV, great at her job, just an all-around hilarious person with such a big heart. She is a dream cast member.

9 – Christine “Bugsy” Drake — 2nd Stewardess (BD:M-2) 2nd Stewardess (ep 4–11), Chief Stewardess (ep 12–20) (BD:M-5)
The queen of the tablescape. She’s so lovely and yet so weird. She’s great at her job and I truly hope she becomes the next Below Deck: Med Chief Stew for the foreseeable future.

8 – Rachel Hargrove — Chef (BD-8)
So we’ve only had one season of Rachel, but she made it count. She is arguably the best chef the show has had yet her personality is all over the place. You never know what she’s going to say. When she told Captain Lee to eat her cooter… W I L D. I want more Rachel in future seasons.

7 – Hannah Ferrier — Chief Stewardess (BD:M-1-5)
The rise and fall of Hannah is one of Below Deck’s greatest storylines. She was the Queen of Below Deck: Med until she crashed in season five. It was trainwreck television. In many ways I’m sad to see her go – but it was time. She’s since had a kid and I wish her all the best.

6 – Malia White — Deckhand (ep 1–10), Lead Deckhand (ep 11–14) (BD:M-2) Bosun (BD:M-5)
Captain Sandy’s protege. From Deckhand to Bosun, Malia is an icon. She’s great at her job and brings a bit of drama to the show (the love triangle, her only fight with Sandy over Tom). She’s got a great personality. But most importantly – she was the one who took Hannah down and for that, she gets the top spot.

5 – Kate Chastain — Chief Stewardess (BD-2-7)
No one is like Kate Chastain. She set the bar for Cheif Stews in this franchise and is the true star of the show. When she left, S8 didn’t have that same x-factor. We need her snarky commentary. Her ability to drive her stews crazy. Her ‘I’m the Boss’ energy. She hit her peak in season 6 and she was done in S7. I’m so glad Bravo picked her up for her own show and is developing her talent. I really hope this is not the last of Kate Chastain on Below Deck… I’m secretly hoping she comes back as a Primary Guest one day.

4 – Eddie Lucas — Deckhand /Bosun (BD- 1-3, 8) First Officer (ep 16) (BD-8)
Eddie is probably the most loved crew member in the franchise. People fell in love with him in season one and he could do no wrong. Even his affair with Rocky was forgotten after a bit of time. In a dream world, we get a spin-off with Eddie as a captain. I want that full-circle moment for him and for us.

3 – Sandy Yawn — Captain (BD:M-2-5)
Captain Sandy is my personal favourite. The only reason she’s below Lee is that Lee has been around longer and is the OG. Watching her leadership style is a joy. She mentors, she coaches, and she gets in there with her crew. She is pushing boundaries and I love seeing a woman in a leadership role in a male-dominated industry. She deeply cares about her people and about the guest’s experience and she pushes her crew to do their best. I absolutely adore her.

2 – Lee Rosbach — Captain (BD – S1-8)
The OG captain. He’s a bit salty but he runs a tight ship. If Lee gets involved in the drama, you know it’s BIG and someone might get fired. I don’t know if you could have the show without him. He’s that critical to the franchise. He’s one of a kind and unlike anyone else on reality TV. Plus… his One Liners are incredible.

1. Ben Robinson — Chef (BD-1-4) (BD:M-1) (ep 13–18) (BD:M-4)

Of course, the number one spot goes to Chef Ben. No one else is as important to both Below Deck and Below Deck Med. He’s everything you want in reality star chef – he makes stunning food, he loses his temper, he hooks up with the girls, and he keeps coming back whenever we need him. His laugh is iconic, he’s just an all-around breakout star.

I want to see Ben have his own food show where he trains the next generation of Yacht chefs. It would be so good.

What do you think? Who should be ranked higher or lower? Let me know in the comments 🙂