Below Deck has seen its fair share of outrageous and dramatic guests, but this time Barbie Pascual is defending the appalling behavior of former Real Housewives Of New York City star Jill Zarin. Below Deck is the original series in the Below Deck franchise, a show that follows men and women who work both inside and on the decks of luxury mega yachts. Below Deck‘s Barbie Pascual is a member of the small and often stressed interior crew, which is responsible for cleaning the guest quarters, serving drinks on command, and making sure the guests have the time of their lives on their vacation.
Jill has been receiving backlash for the way she behaved as a guest on board, complaining and giving out unwanted suggestions on how things could be done better. Jill even suggested to Fraser Olender that he order a bell for guests to use when they need service. According to Page Six, Barbie posted a video online to defend Jill, saying, “You guys, I watched the show back, and I don’t think that Jill was as bad as it looked, and I just wanna also say that there were so many other moments where she was super fun and sweet and nice.”
Jill has been known for a long time as an iconic Bravo housewife, but now she’s making waves for her behavior as a guest, not even the primary, on a charter trip aboard the St. David. Jill has been criticized for the way she asked to have a specific type of ice for her soda. In a recent post, Jill captioned a picture of herself and her friends on their vacation, saying, “Thank you @themelindaspringer and @mrnoahspringer for an amazing trip. We made a great show together, but this summer’s trip NO cameras! Love you both.”
Jill laughed about being the one who “always complains” while she was on the boat, but she may have been upset about the backlash. In an attempt to defend herself, Jill re-posted some of the Instagram Stories that Barbie posted saying that Jill was “demanding” but not “rude.” Barbie went on to say that things Jill asked for were “pretty logical“ and actually “normal yacht requirements.” Some of the items that Jill had requested included having a drawer in the bathroom full of basic toiletries and antacids for guests who may not be handling the movement of the boat well.
Barbie has explained that she realizes she dragged Jill’s name “through the mud,” even though she really was not as bad as she seemed. Barbie stated that she wished she could take back what she said about Jill because wanting a certain type of ice for her drink is not as big a deal as she made it out to be. However, Barbie does believe that suggesting a doorbell in order for guests to get service was over the top. Members of the yacht crew have stated that Jill was a friendly guest but maybe a little high maintenance.
Many of the guests who appear on Below Deck have never had the opportunity to enjoy such a lavish vacation. The primaries and their guests have every right to want their service to be held to a high standard because they are, in fact, paying for it. The demanding guests can be frustrating for the men and women who are on board to serve them and to make sure that their every wish and desire is taken care of quickly. Below Deck season 11 is a little over halfway done, but there are still plenty of dramatic charter guests to come.
Sources: Page Six, Barbie Pascual/Instagram, Jill Zarin/Instagram