Why Captain Kerry Titheradge Almost Wasn't On Below Deck Adventure

Bravo's "Below Deck" franchise is a hit that doesn't stop serving drama and satisfying our vicarious travel itch. The first series started with Captain Lee Rosbach, a no-nonsense man of the sea who seems so even-keeled we can't imagine what it would take to fluster him. He oversaw the luxurious St. David around St. Lucia as both guests and crew got up to shenanigans. With the popularity of the series, the inevitable spin offs came around and were equally as loved. There's "Below Deck Mediterranean," manned by Captain Sandy Yawn on the famous yacht called "Home." There's "Below Deck Sailing Yacht," featuring Captain Glenn Shephard and there's also "Below Deck Down Under," which offered its own world of drama and excitement. We saw the employment and subsequent firing of Chef Ryan McKeown, who admitted freely that he basically gave up on the job, so he wasn't too surprised when he got 86'd by the show.

But there's another series, "Below Deck Adventure" that, true to its name, follows the cast as they take on Norway and everything it has to offer. The series features Captain Kerry Titheradge, who had mixed feelings about the franchise, but ultimately agreed to take on the monumental task of making passengers happy and keeping viewers entertained.

Captain Kerry Titheradge wasn't interested in appearing on "Below Deck Adventure" at first because the thought of watching a crew work on a yacht seemed so unappealing to him. "The first few seasons of the show I didn't agree with at all," he admitted to TV Insider. "I worked on some of the biggest yachts in the world, and there is no way in hell they want anyone to know about their private doings on board."

But Captain Titheradge soon changed his mind. "As the seasons went on, I really started seeing people looking at this differently," he admitted. "It has really brought attention to younger people that yachting exists. Most crews are international. It's quite bizarre how international yachting is very well-known, but in the United States, it was quite unknown."

If he felt any hesitation initially, that's certainly gone away. At BravoCon 2022, Captain Titheradge was full of juicy teasers and spoilers for the show, which premiered on November 1, 2022. "There's a lot of drama going on," the captain promised, per Bravo. "There's some people that I wish I fired. No regrets. And there's a lot of action in the hot tub." So it sounds like he had a great time.

While Captain Kerry Titheradge was skeptical about Bravo's "Below Deck Adventure" at first, he's convinced now, especially because of the element of adventure. "When I first started speaking with casting, they mentioned they were doing this adventure show with the 'Below Deck' name on it," he told TV Insider. "It really sparked my interest ... Going to these adventurous locations with adventurous guests who want to get amongst it. I could relate to these guests. I absolutely love adventure."

The epic journeys are even more challenging because the crew and guests are navigating the fjords of Norway, but Captain Titheradge understands that this is part of the appeal. He joked with TV Insider that the hardest part of the trip was pronouncing the names of locations. But he also understands that he has to toe the line of keeping guests happy while keeping them safe. "When you think about it, you pay a lot of money to have this adventure, and you want to do something and [if] my first answer is 'no,' it just ruins it," he told Travel + Leisure. So what's his response? "Bring solutions, not problems," is what Captain Titheradge says.