If you haven’t yet watched the August 17 episode of Below Deck Mediterranean, the following post contains spoilers. Proceed with caution.
Below Deck Mediterranean showrunner Nadine Rajabi had no idea that one of her series’ stars, Hannah Ferrier, had drugs onboard the mega-yacht Wellington while filming the series last fall.
Rajabi learned of the substances when a camera aboard the Wellington caught Captain Sandy Yawn receiving a text message tip-off from Ferrier’s bunkmate, Malia White. “I’m sorry but I have to report this,” White wrote alongside a photo of Ferrier’s monogrammed toiletry bag, a packet of Valium, and what appears to be marijuana. (Ferrier, who declined to comment to Vanity Fair, said on Twitter that the Valium was prescription and the other substance was CBD.)
“I have to be honest. My heart sank,” said Rajabi, who has worked with Ferrier—one of the spin-off’s only two major recurring stars—for five seasons. “It was very shocking.”
Had this been another kind of reality series, a badly behaving cast member might have been promoted, let alone spared, for the sake of drama and ratings. But the Below Deck universe operates differently than most reality shows, keeping production and cast members mostly separate—aside from confessional-style interviews filmed off-site between charters—in part because of the unique liabilities involved with the luxury yacht at the center of production. “Cast members” must work round the clock to operate a mega-yacht in myriad weather conditions while serving (and keeping safe) charter guests, regardless of the demands of the show. As such, producers do not interact with cast members during charter and cannot influence the captain’s decision on how to operate the boat.
“It’s the beauty and the downfall of the show,” said Rajabi. “We’re at the mercy of a boat, maritime law, and nature—which is so different from anything else you ever see on Bravo. We’re seeing it as you’re seeing it all unfold.”
Shortly after Yawn received the text message, she sat down with Ferrier—her longtime coworker and head of interior—and told her that she would have to leave the boat. The issue was not whether her Valium was prescribed. (Ferrier has suffered anxiety attacks during previous seasons.) Maritime law stipulates that crew members must check medications in with the captain.
Not long before new guests arrived for a charter, the mega-yacht Wellington was suddenly down its head of interior. And Below Deck Mediterranean was suddenly without its reliably deadpan costar.
“We have never had anything like this. It was completely unexpected,” Rajabi told Vanity Fair.
Well, the twist was unexpected for Rajabi. White, who was bunking with Ferrier, had her suspicions. “I saw Hannah, on multiple occasions, taking pills,” White told Vanity Fair. “I didn’t know what they were. And then I started to notice Valium wrappers in our trash can. That got me worried—and then, after the panic attack, when I finally saw the package on the counter, I realized it was Valium. That was a little concerning for me.” (Cameras are not allowed in crew bathrooms unless two crew members are present.)
Asked whether she considered confronting Ferrier directly, White said, “It’s not my place to bring up what she’s taking. I don’t have any right knowing her medical history. That’s between her and the captain.”
When White stumbled upon Ferrier’s Valium, however, she knew she had to raise the subject with Yawn. “I think you can hear me say [off-camera], ‘Goddammit,’ because I was just like, Ugh. I didn’t want all this to happen,” explained White. “So my protocol with that is give it to the captain, and ultimately the captain makes that decision.”