Unlike other reality shows, Below Deck has been a stickler for never breaking the fourth wall. But in a surprising change, producers aired footage of Vinny, the cameraman being (accidentally) pelted with a tennis ball and falling to the ground.
Some of the crew scored a unique opportunity to play tennis with their tennis world-champion charter guest. Deckhands Ben Willoughby and Tony Duarte warmed up before the guests arrived and their volley went awry.
Unfortunately, Vinny is in the line of Willoughby’s pretty strong return. He managed to capture the ball flying toward him – but also his fall to the ground. Vinny ended up flat on his back and the deckhands were on the ground hysterically laughing. Vinny too couldn’t help but laugh, even though he was probably in a lot of pain.
“Right in the gonads!” Willoughby exclaimed in a confessional, describing where Vinny (unfortunately) was hit. “Straight down, camera on the floor.” Adding, “I think that’s game!” The deckhands, still laughing walked over to help Vinny – who had a good sense of humor about it.
Thankfully, Vinny managed to walk it off and continue filming.
The only other time a camera operator appeared on the show was when cameraman Brent Freeburg saved deckhand Ashton Pienaar from drowning. Pienaar was working on the swim platform with deckhand Rhylee Gerber. Pienaar’s ankle became tangled in a line and it pulled him into the water.
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Gerber quickly called “man overboard” on her radio while the crew scrambled. In a follow-up episode, Below Deck producers showed Freeburg put down his camera and release the line from the yacht. This prevented Pienaar from being dragged under the water.
The entire Below Deck crew said Freeburg essentially saved Pienaar’s life. Freeburg appeared on the Below Deck reunion but said saving Pienaar was a team effort. “First let me say it wasn’t just me, I’ve been getting a lot of attention for sure,” Freeburg said. “But it was Rhylee who made the first call, captain for putting the boat out of gear, Ross who untied the lines. So it was really collectively all of us who came together.”
Hannah Ferrier said ‘Below Deck’ production crew won’t even say hello
The fact Below Deck producers shared the behind-the-scenes small moment is significant. Former Below Deck Mediterranean chief stew Hannah Ferrier said the fourth wall rule is pretty strict.
“On Below Deck, they’re very, very, very strict with the fourth wall. So even for myself, I’ve filmed five seasons of it, the camera crew, audio and everything like that, they won’t interact,” Ferrier told In Touch Weekly “They won’t say hello to me. They won’t.”
“If you think about other Bravo shows, they film in a massive mansion or big restaurants or on the beach,” she added. “And we’re in these tiny confined spaces. And they have very big equipment. So it makes it difficult like that.”
