The Secret About Season 1 Of Below Deck You Weren't Supposed To Know About
Below Deck has been airing on Bravo TV since 2013 and has inspired not one but two spinoffs: Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck Sailing Yacht. But even longtime fans of the hit Bravo series may not know everything about the drama-filled reality show. In fact, some might be downright blown away by one particular casting secret.
In a November 2020 interview with Cosmopolitan, Captain Lee Rosbach, the only cast member who has appeared in all eight of Below Deck's seasons, shockingly admitted that when it came to his captain role, the position was initially meant for his co-star Aleks Taldykin, who was seen only on the debut season of the show.
"I wasn't really prepared to be on a TV show. It all happened accidentally, because I wasn't supposed to be the captain," Captain Lee revealed to the outlet last year. "[Aleks Taldykin] was supposed to be the captain — that's who they hired."
Captain Lee didn't audition for the part
According to Captain Lee Rosbach, he never expected to become a reality star when he did, and would have never pursued such a thing. That said, he did tell Cosmopolitan that he wouldn't trade the experiences he's had with Bravo over the past several years for anything. "It's really been truly remarkable," he admitted.
As for why Bravo decided to select him over Taldykin for the role of captain on Below Deck, Rosbach said that he truly doesn't know what happened. "For one reason or another, it ended up being me," he explained. Although Captain Lee didn't say exactly what led him to join the cast of Below Deck, he confirmed he did not audition for the part. "If it hadn't been dumped in my lap I never would have done it," he said.
Below Deck is expected to continue with a ninth season in the coming months. However, as Bustle reported in February 2021, an official start date has not yet been confirmed by Bravo.