Go Behind the Scenes of Below Deck: What's It Really Like Filming an Episode?

Time after time, Below Deck has blessed us with shocking crew drama, wild charter guests, and a whole lot of entertainment — and Season 7 is no different! Beyond all the shenanigans that air on the show, there are still tons of behind-the-scenes moments that go unseen... and soon, Bravo will be revealing it all. 

Tune into an exclusive "Behind the Episode" special on Thursday, November 7 at 10/9c to learn the juiciest secrets from Below Deck Season 7, Episode 1: "Man Down!"

While you're waiting on the jam-packed special to air, take a sneak peek at some of the show's best-kept secrets below — and find out what it's really like filming an episode of Below Deck!

Around 50 members of production went to Thailand. According to producers, "People were coming from all over the country and the world, from other shows and projects they were working on."

With a team so large (and only so much room on the yacht), the entire Below Deck production crew sleeps in hotels. When the yacht is docked, they walk to the yacht. When the yacht is anchored, they take a water taxi.

Although Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean film in different areas of the world, both shows share most of the same production crew. 

Over 75 percent of this season's crew had filmed on Below Deck before. Producers say that "people who work on this show tend to stick around." Now that's what you call loyalty.

Knowing the ins and outs of the yacht, especially one with so much equipment on it, is of the utmost importance. Prior to filming, producers do individual safety walk-throughs with the new Valor crew members so they know all the protocols. Better safe than sorry, right?

Producers say it takes two weeks of rigging the boat before they can film anything... a lot of cameras, mics, mixing boards, and more need to be brought on board the Valor. The setup may take a while, but it's worth it to get the best audio and visual quality possible.

Filming on a yacht isn't like filming on a set or in someone's home. Producers say the hallways on the Valor are narrow, making it difficult to film guests getting a tour of the ship. "We like to film as many faces as possible, but ultimately we get caught behind them a lot."

Some guests catch a major case of curiosity after a few drinks — and the producers are definitely onto them. "Charter guests have wandered into production spaces on the yacht by accident — more often than not at night after a few cocktails," producers say, adding, "They try to sneak into our control room to see what's behind the curtain." 

But that's not all! If you want to find out what other secrets are in store, like which yachtie Kate Chastain thought was the most attractive or what excited Captain Lee the most about sailing in Thailand, you'll have to watch the special. Tune in when Bravo goes behind the first episode of Season 7, "Man Down," on Thursday, November 7 at 10/9c.