From Silent Crews to Stripping on Camera, Below Deck’s Jenna Reveals Awkward Secrets of Reality TV

According to Below Deck: Sailing Yacht star Jenna MacGillivray, the reality of filming reality TV can actually be pretty awkward. Ahead of the May 25 season finale, the Bravo personality shared all of the behind-the-scenes secrets about what it’s like out at sea while talking exclusively with In Touch. Though it’s no surprise cameras are watching the cast’s every move, you might not know the crew actually isn’t allowed to speak to the stars.

“The camera crew are told not to say a single word to you ever,” Jenna reveals. “So it’s so funny because for six weeks, you’re filming and then on the final day, they’re like, ‘Hey, I’m Travis.’ And you’re like, ‘F–k, you have a voice?’ It’s crazy, but you really keep up the separation between them and you because they’re doing their job and you’re doing your job and you’re just ignoring that they’re there.”

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Though some stars can’t help but let the cameras affect their actions, the Canadian cutie reveals she did her best to simply “forget that they were there” instead of adopting a “different persona.” Eventually, it became an easy task. The one time she always made sure she was mindful of them, though, was when she was changing clothes.

A camera in the ceiling of her shared bedroom meant she was constantly ducking into the bathroom when it came time to put on her PJs, but not everyone was so careful. “Madison didn’t give a s–t,” she teased. “She would always change in front of the camera in our cabin.”

But while the yacht was almost constantly bustling with the sailing crew, the production crew and their guests, Jenna dishes there were a few special moments where she had the deck all to herself. “I would wake up every morning … and would go out onto the bow and just listen to music for an hour, have a coffee and just have that peace,” she says. “I just loved the fact that I could wake up, be on a boat, and just sit and look at the ocean and all the boats going in and out. That to me is complete pleasure.”

Reporting by Diana Cooper

Below Deck: Sailing Yacht airs Mondays on Bravo at 9 p.m. ET.