LOS ANGELES—Seven leading gay stars who appeared on recent episodes of Bravo reality show Below Deck will discuss a much talked about tipping incident that closed out episode 4 of the current season in a live broadcast Tuesday night at BeyondTheDeck.tv.
Presented by CAM4 and airing at 8 p.m. ET, the event—"Beyond the Deck: The Real Story of 'Sausage Island'"—will feature Cade Maddox, Skyy Knox, Jkab Ethan Dale, Tony Genius, Dillon Diaz, Diego Silva and Marcel Eugene, who will discuss what really happened during the infamous episode.
Explains an announcement of tonight's event, "The episode ended with a $19,900 gratuity—one that Captain Kerry Titheradge publicly referred to as 'The Pathetic Tip.' But according to the guys, there’s a lot more to the story. CAM4 proudly sponsored the luxury charter experience for its creators, including full gratuity coverage. The agreed-upon trip was for three days, and the tip reflected that: $20,000—over 30 percent more than the show’s suggested base. When production extended the trip to five days, no new gratuity request was made until the boys were already departing. By that time, it was too late to adjust, and the final edit told a different story. Had CAM4 been given more warning, the outcome would have been different."
“We stand by our creators,” a CAM4 spokesperson said. “They went in with integrity, humor and heart. They played it up for the camera and the show, but the final scene didn’t reflect who they are—or what really happened. The show got their drama. Now the boys get their say.”
“When CAM4 had invited me onto this opportunity, I was so excited and honored,” offered Maddox. “When I realized the situation, I felt awful for the staff, production should not have done that. I reached out privately to the entire crew to apologize, even though the decision wasn’t mine. They were incredible!”
“I found out the real tip amount at the same time as everyone else watching! I was invited by CAM4, and they assured me that all financial matters—including the tip—were fully covered. I was honestly shocked and upset to learn how little the crew actually received,” added Dale. “Watching it all unfold in real time and seeing the feedback was heartbreaking. The crew deserved so much more, and production should have known better. I’m grateful the tell-all is finally giving us the opportunity to share the truth about what really happened.”
The live "Beyond the Deck" event begins at 8 p.m. ET here.
