Samantha Suarez worked on the set of Below Deck Sailing Yacht when she had her encounter with Gary King. Even though Gary’s behavior on the show has always been questionable, nothing he did ever seemed quite as bad as what Samantha had to say about him. The first officer loves having a boatmance, and his relationships were always consensual on screen.
During Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 4, Gary had a relationship with Mads Herrera that many found off-putting. While Mads seemed content with her romance with Gary, there were times when he took things too far with her. Who could forget Gary accusing Mads of being on her period while they were hooking up? This incident should have been enough to get Gary fired from Below Deck Sailing Yacht. Now that a former crew member is speaking up, Gary’s time on the show may be over.
Samantha Worked As A Makeup Artist
While working for Bravo, Samantha was a makeup artist. In her interview with Rolling Stones, the 27-year-old mentioned that she did the makeup for the cast for the talking-heads interviews. This is how she met Gary and the rest of the Below Deck Sailing Yacht crew.
Samantha Worked On More Than One Below Deck Series
Before her gig on Below Deck Sailing Yacht, Samantha initially worked in the makeup department on the original Bravo series Below Deck, set in the Caribbean. She did the makeup for the season 10 crew, which included Ross McHarg. Samantha claims that during one of the car rides back to the hotel, Ross was making inappropriate comments toward her that made her uncomfortable. They were so bad that some of the other men in the car had to yell at Ross to be quiet.
Samantha’s Incident With Gary Happened Last Summer
Samantha joined the behind-the-scenes crew last summer for Below Deck Sailing Yacht season 4. She alleged that when she brought a drunk Gary back to the hotel following one of his interviews, Gary pushed himself against her, not letting her go. Samantha claims she was distraught and immediately got out of there when she had the chance. While she brought this to Bravo’s attention, they didn’t fire him. Bravo put out a statement claiming they investigated the situation and “action was taken based on the findings.” Gary has since spoken out against Samantha in the comment section of his Instagram, claiming she “wanted a platform” and how he’s an “unlucky target.”
Sources: Rolling Stones, Gary King/Instagram
