Eddie Lucas of Below Deck fame is dishing on the series after revealing he will not be returning for the show’s 10th season.
The reality TV star, 37, discussed his unceremonious exit from the series in an interview with the New York Post.
‘I was not invited back to do another season,’ he said. ‘I actually didn’t even get a phone call from them saying they hired someone else — which kind of goes to show what the production entails. Everyone on Below Deck is expendable.’
Opening up: Eddie Lucas of Below Deck fame is dishing on the series after revealing he won’t return for the show’s tenth season
Lucas also discussed the salaries on the show.
‘There is somebody monetizing off of the show, but it’s definitely not us, ‘ Lucas said. ‘Below Deck — regardless of it being the most popular show on Bravo — we are the lowest-paid cast members.’
He continued, ‘While we do get paid better than a normal yachtie, of course, we are still not getting paid what people like the Housewives are making, which is a little frustrating, because they’re not really working — they’re just going out to dinner and fighting.’
In-depth interview: The reality show star, 37, discussed his unceremonious exit from the series in an interview with the New York Post
Not getting paid big bucks: ‘There is somebody monetizing off of the show, but it’s definitely not us, ‘ Lucas said. (l-r) Ben Robinson, C.J. Lebeau, Kathleen Held, Adrienne Gang, David Bradberry, Alex Taldykin, Samantha Orme, Eddie Lucas
Members of the crew also reportedly have to get specialized licenses for what they do while many other reality stars do not.
Without a show to film for the first time in years, Lucas bought a house in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, for over the asking price of $330,000.
‘The goal has always been to settle down, put some roots down, buy a house,’ he said in the interview. ‘But it’s been difficult to be able to try and do that and for a lot of people my age and my generation, with housing prices the way they are, student loan debt at an all-time high, it is difficult.’
Longtime cast member: Eddie Lucas was a cast member on the show from seasons 1 to 3 before rejoining as a first officer in season 8 and 9. (l-r) Emil Kotze, Kate Chastain, Eddie Lucas, Captain Lee Rosbach, Amy Johnson, Leon Walker, Raquel Bartlow, Connie Arias
‘The yachting industry that I did gave me more of a foundation to be able to reach those goals, but I still have student loans to pay off,’ he continued.
Eddie Lucas was a cast member on the show from seasons 1 to 3 before rejoining as a first officer in season 8 and 9.
He was part of a controversy during the most recent season after one of his co-stars, Heather Chase, used the N-word on camera.
Though some accused Lucas of moving past the incident because he never brought up the incident on screen, he claimed he was told ‘to not talk about it and not bring it up anymore.’
Controversy: Lucas was part of a controversy during the most recent season after one of his co-stars, Heather Chase, used the N-word on camera
Source: | Dailymail.co.uk
