Talk Nerdy With Us had the chance to chat with Connie Aris about this season of Below Deck, surfing and more. Check out our interview with Connie Below.
Below Deck airs Tuesdays at 9pm on Bravo.
How did you get involved with Below Deck?
I knew Kate from home but we were more buds than close friends. During the times I did see her she was always pushing me to take the leap and get on a yacht. Luckily I finally listened and I gained an awesome friend (Kate) and a dream job out of this experience.
Do you think it’s harder to make it as a female deckhand? What got you interested in the position?
I think it’s definitely more of a challenge being a female deckhand. I feel I can hold my own but there’s a lot of heavy and large things to move around on deck that look a lot easier for guys to do then girls. Not gonna lie…I hide the fact that I wanted to die on half the things I wanted to do…an example would be “The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s” suitcase. Sweetest guests but pretty sure they packed cinder blocks. (Laughs).
What is your dream job on/off a yacht?
My dream job has always been to be a deckhand but when I’m ready to settle down and stay on land I’m looking forward to becoming a special needs/child development teacher.
Do you still keep in touch with the cast mates?
I spend a lot of time with Kate. I keep in close touch with Lee, Emile, Eddie, and Amy. The rest…Meh. I’m fine without them. (Laughs).
What’s your faveoite memory from Eros?
Aside of the awesome crew nights that I half remember, haha, I had a great time taking the female guests on a tender ride around Marsh Harbor. It was so refreshing to just hang out with girls and hear their stories and laugh.
You’re really into surfing and so is Rocky and her mom. Did you guys happen to know each other before this season?
I didn’t know Rocky from surfing. I think she went more towards diving then surfing so I’m guessing that’s why we never crossed paths.
How many charters have you’ve done before this season? What’s your favorite place you’ve been to?
This was actually my first full season working on a mega yacht. Everything else I have done has had to do with small fishing trips and diving on smaller boats.
This season has been crazy with crew members coming and going. Is that normal for yachting?
It’s definitely normal for yachties to come and go, but these may be a little more than normal.
If you could, would you want to be on another season of Below Deck?
HELL YES!! It was an incredible experience and to work with so many personalities…who wouldn’t want to get thrown into a mess. I mean who wants an easy life?!
What can you tease about the rest of the season?
Everyone’s kindness is so out the window. It all just makes me giggle. We’re done. We’re fed up. We need home and sanity. It’s clear. (Laughs).
What was it like having two returning cast members join at the end of your season? Were you able to build relationships with them?
I really didn’t care if they were returning cast members or new ones, it was just nice to have happy awesome people to lighten the mood. I mean don’t get me wrong there was still tension on EROS. Just not as much. And yes I was able to build relationships with both Ben and Dave. Awesome guys
Were you glad David joined? Does Eros need three deckhands to run smoothly?
Before David joined I was not excited at all. We finally would get a good rhythm running with the deckhands and then a wrench would get thrown in because someone new was added and we would have to start all over again. Once he joined, however, he ended up being a huge help and a great asset to our team.
Was there a big difference between Ben and Leon’s crew cooking?
There was quite a difference with our crew meals from one chef to another. Ben cooked us a variety of incredible food whereas Leon cooked us salmon 24/7!!