There is no shortage of patriarchs, matriarchs and leaders on Bravo’s bevy of reality shows, with heavy-hitters ranging from Below Deck’s Captain Lee to Vanderpump Rules’ Lisa Vanderpump. Captain Sandy of Below Deck Mediterranean is yet another huge figure for the network – and lately, she has some life advice for fans rather than her crew swabbing the decks of super yachts.
Captain Sandy has taken point on Below Deck Mediterranean for four seasons now, but the 57-year-old has been a captain for more than three decades. So she knows a thing or two about life. Recently, she shared some of that life experience with fans on Instagram, urging them to “Wake up, show up, kick ass, repeat,” as well as some other positive affirmations. See her full post here:
Fans of the ever-expanding Below Deck franchise are already familiar with Captain Sandy’s go-getter, positive attitude. She exudes it in nearly every episode she’s been a part of for Below Deck Med. Part of her appeal and storyline on the reality show has been about her persevering in an incredibly male-dominated workspace. She has even lent that feminist perspective to her crew, specifically Malia White, who she helped elevate to the show’s first ever female bosun.
Captain Sandy has demonstrated her belief in the connection between choice and work ethic consistently throughout Below Deck’s seasons. She is even known to jump in and help both the deck and interior teams when they need assistance. This is a far cry from even the likes of fan-favorite Captain Lee, whose reputation is cemented in being a cantankerous hard-ass, with respect.
Things haven’t always been “optimism,” “hopefulness,” and “confidence” for Captain Sandy, though, on Below Deck Med. In fact, she’s been embroiled in a heated social media beef with her former chief stewardess Hannah Ferrier for some time now. She fired Ferrier in Season 5 for having drugs onboard, and both have since been trading jabs back and forth. Captain Sandy said that Ferrier was “beneath her” as chief stew, to which Ferrier took as confirmation that her former boss only pretended to empower women.
Taking Captain Sandy’s advice seems easier said than done for castmates in the dramatic throes of a Below Deck season. A Below Deck Sailing Yacht castmate has recently revealed that she regrets her negative attitude portrayed on the episodes now airing on Bravo and hopes to change that in the future. I’m not naming names – okay, Jenna MacGillivray, Adam Glick, Gary King, and Sydney Zaruba – but some other castmates have and should heed Captain Sandy’s words of wisdom.
There’s nothing quite as rousing as a good leader’s rallying speech. In the case of Captain Sandy, it’s rallying the Bravo fanbase to be more positive than what they see on television.
