8 Signs Gary King Is A Producer Plant (Is His Bad Behavior Fake?)

With Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 5 on the horizon, Gary King may have been invited onto the crew as a producer plant. Gary debuted on the series during the show’s second season as Captain Glenn Shephard’s First Officer after Paget Berry left season 1. After his first appearance, he earned the label of a playboy on the sailing yacht. Gary hooked up with many women during season 2 and carried this behavior into each subsequent season he’s been a part of. Fans thought his actions were creepy and problematic, though he was never fired.

After starring on Below Deck Sailing Yacht in season 4, Gary was accused of sexual misconduct by a former makeup artist who worked on the series. The allegations made headlines, though production notably didn’t fire him from the show. Even after the accusations were revealed, Gary returned for season 5, though they weren’t the first time his behavior was questioned. The First Officer acted out numerous times across his many seasons on the show, hinting that he was brought back to the cast to act as a producer plant.

8 Gary Brought Up His Off-Screen Romance With Daisy On Camera

They Vowed To Keep Their Hook-Up Private

In an attempt to cause drama on Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 4, Gary revealed that he’d hooked up with Daisy Kelliher. The two yachties have worked alongside one another since season 2, though viewers were not aware of their romantic history with each other. When Daisy formed a boatmance with Colin Macrae, the yacht’s chief engineer, Gary grew jealous and revealed they had a past. The First Officer insisted that Daisy had feelings for him and was hooking up with Colin to get back at him while he was sleeping with Stew, Mads Herrera.

“Gary and I slept together when the season ended last year in Minorca, and we also slept together when we went to Disneyland.”

Instead of letting his friends carry on in their romantic relationship, Gary had to sabotage their connection by claiming Daisy wanted to be with him. The Chief Stew admitted she had feelings for both men but didn’t want to be “one of [Gary’s] 10 million girlfriends” and that he “wouldn’t know a real connection if it slapped him in the face.” Daisy said she asked Gary to keep their hook-up to themselves away from the cameras, but he couldn’t resist creating a hectic reality TV moment. He sabotaged his friendship with Daisy for the show, which is further proof he could be a producer plant.

7 Gary Is Always Hooking Up With A New Woman Every Season

He’s Had Too Many Boatmances To Count

The First Officer has hooked up with many women during his time on Below Deck Sailing Yacht. Gary joined the crew of season 2 with a girlfriend at home but found no problem getting involved with not one but two women, Sydney Zaruba and Alli Dore, during the charter season. By the third season, he infamously hooked up with Ashley Marti and went on to flirt with Gabriela Barragan and Scarlett Bentley. During his most recent appearance on the show in season 4, he hooked up with Mads while admitting his feelings for Daisy amid her relationship with Colin. Gary may not be keen on monogamy, and that’s okay, but his behavior toward women isn’t. There were eyes on his behavior before the allegations came out, and now they’re at an all-time high.

6 Gary Inserts Himself In Drama

He’s Attracted To The Drama Of It All

Gary has been at the center of Below Deck Sailing Yacht ’s main conflict since season 2.

There was no need for Gary to reveal he’d hooked up with Daisy in season 4, especially if they agreed to keep their sexual past private. However, he couldn’t risk wasting the opportunity to assert his dominance and ensured the show’s main storyline centered around himself. Throughout season 4, Gary had an odd boatmance with Mads that rubbed many viewers the wrong way.

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They had an instant connection with each other and began hooking up at the beginning of the charter season. Despite their chemistry, Mads made it clear that she didn’t want a romantic relationship with the First Officer. When Gary realized she didn’t want to be his girlfriend, he blamed her and said she led him on. He got incredibly angry with her during one moment when Alex Propson said she was on her period. Gary attempted to confront Mads in front of Lucy Edmunds after he chatted with Alex and told her it was her obligation and “common decency” to tell him if she was having her period when he “went down” on her. He should have had that conversation with Mads privately but chose to embarrass her in front of other crew members because of his personal feelings.

5 Gary Doesn’t Come Off As Genuine

There’s Something Off About His Presence On The Show

There’s something about Gary that doesn’t come off as genuine. He’s portrayed as a happy-go-lucky womaneater on Below Deck, though he’s had some rough moments on the series as well. He notably gets upset on deck quite often and has been known to demean his crew. Overall, Gary’s lack of self-awareness makes him appear incredibly disingenuous.

After the sexual misconduct allegations came out, he doubled down on his actions and defended himself. Instead of defending himself, though, Gary should recognize that he hasn’t acted perfectly in the past and has shown signs of bad behavior which have led viewers to believe the allegations against him. If he showed some compassion — on and off Below Deck Sailing Yacht — it would be harder to believe he was a producer plant.

4 Gary Is The Most Talked About Cast Member

Gary Has Been All The Talk Since He Was Accused of Sexual Misconduct

There’s no doubt Gary has emerged as the most talked about cast member from the Below Deck franchise in the past few years. Reality TV unfortunately rewards bad behavior a lot, and he’s been brought back to the show season after season because he is a controversial crew member. Even though he stirred up a lot of conflict in season 4, he was invited back for the show’s fifth season.

Gary was seemingly filming for season 5 before the accusations came out, resulting in him still being a part of the crew. However, the Rolling Stone article included a statement from Bravo and Below Deck’s production company, 51 Minds Entertainment, proving they were made aware that the allegations were going to be publicized. The filming period for season 5 is unknown, but it’s assumed Gary had finished filming the series before the article was published in August 2023.

3 Gary Likes To Stir The Pot Between Cast Members

He Loves To Create Conflict

Gary stirred the pot to no length in his love triangle with Daisy and Colin during season 4. There was no reason for him to break the Chief Stew’s trust and reveal they had been intimate other than to cause drama with the chief engineer. Gary’s jealousy overcame him, and he created a rough dynamic among the crew by admitting he had feelings for Daisy. He went as far as to claim she wanted him and was using Colin to get his attention. Putting his relations with Daisy aside, it wasn’t right for him to bring that information up to embarrass Colin. He was friends with everyone involved but didn’t care about their feelings when he brought that information to the cameras.

2 Gary Knows His Romantic Endeavors Are Of Interest For Viewers

He Gives The Viewers (And Producers) What They Want

Since he joined the Below Deck universe, Gary was labeled the “Playboy” archetype. It was astonishing for him to hook up with his co-workers when he had a girlfriend in season 2. Gary enjoys attention from women and hasn’t been known to turn anyone down on the show. He invites the controversy that comes along with being the Playboy on his boats. Gary knew the viewers would be interested in his off-camera relationship with Daisy, which is likely why he brought it up on the show. He will stop at no cost to produce a shocking reality TV moment, which is another reason why he’s been a part of the Below Deck Sailing Yacht cast since season 2. Without him, the show would have had less drama over the years, which is likely in the franchise’s best interest.

1 Gary Seems Like A Different Person Off-Screen

Viewers May Not Know The “Real Gary”

Whether Gary is a producer plant or not, he’s certainly formed a good relationship with the show. Every reality TV personality plays up for the cameras, though the First Officer takes his persona to the next level. Gary knows he’s the Playboy of Below Deck Sailing Yacht , and he plays that part to the best of his ability each season.

Viewers will likely never know what type of person he is off the show, but there’s a chance his behavior is much different off-screen than on-screen. With the news of the allegations and backlash surrounding his casting, Gary should retire from reality TV and focus on his life away from the Below Deck cameras. It would be refreshing to see a new First Officer step into his shoes and breathe new life into the spin-off.

After years of being on Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Gary could be a producer plant. His actions over the years have raised red flags with viewers and made some question his behavior. Gary will make his return to TV with season 5, though it certainly could be his last with the franchise.

Source: Rolling Stone