‘Below Deck’ exclusive: Captain Lee Rosbach talks season 2 on Bravo and more
Starting up Tuesday night (August 12) at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time, Bravo will be setting sail for another season of fun, drama, and at times even pretty scenery on “Below Deck.” If you didn’t catch the first season, it’s a show revolving around the world of yachting, and the lives of a captain and crew whose duties include navigating and taking care of their boat … and also taking care of some ridiculously wealthy people in the process.
Despite the clientele there is still a down-to-earth feel to the show, and much of that stems from the man overseeing the whole operation in Captain Lee Rosbach. He’s a yachting veteran of the past 20 years who understands the balance necessary to do his job, and you can also attach “father figure” to one of his labels when it comes to how he handles the crew.
Given that he does have so much professional experience, why do a reality show now? What does he take away from it? We wanted to find out answers to some of these questions, so we spoke to the captain recently via email about them, his crew, and more.
CarterMatt – What got you interested in taking part in a reality show, especially about something like yachting that is already a big part of your everyday life?
The show concept intrigued me and I loved the idea of having viewers see the inner workings of this industry – the good and the bad. I never harbored any aspirations to become a ‘reailty tv star,’ and I still don’t see myself as one. When we were approached to do the show, it was just the boat that they were after, but when they saw the amount of experience I had they ultimately became interested in having me as the captain of the ship. I let them know that I would be more than happy to accommodate what ever they needed to make the charter and the series work. One thing led to another and there I was.
Does the presence of cameras / sound / production in general impact the way that you do your job?
It was a little different at first, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable having them around. We had done some photo shoots before, but nothing on this scale or magnitude. It didn’t really affect the way I do my job, because its always the same whether you have a John Doe or a famous celebrity on board, which we have had in the past. You just need to stay focused. After a bit you just have to realize that you have a job to get done, whether they are there or not.
Has being ‘Captain Lee from Below Deck’ brought you in further attention and business?
Being ‘Captain Lee’ has certainly brought me much more attention, and it’s been an adjustment to get used to that. Not sure that I ever will get totally used to it, but it’s easier this year than last. As far as opportunities, I really feel that it has been a net positive for me from a business standpoint, everything has been almost all positive. I do enjoy it.
In the premiere episode, you have to spend a ton of time dealing with some shenanigans [one crew member in particular, which we decided to omit to avoid spoilers]. Is that something that we can expect more of this season?
I think if Im completely honest, when you have young, good looking, young, educated, did I say young, people living together and working hard, in exotic locations with a lot of disposable income, you are going to have shenanigans. To just attribute them all to[aforementioned crew member] might be a bit unfair and as far as how much more of that is to come – I guess you will have to tune in to find out!
Is this show something you could still see yourself doing in future seasons with different crew members?
Of course I would! It has been a great experience for me, one I would not liked to have had pass me by without taking a shot at.
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We are going to have some more coverage of “Below Deck” coming up in the future, so be on the lookout for more of that. Also, you can sign up now to acquire some further TV scoop on all we cover via our official newsletter.
Photo: Bravo