Speaker 1: It's in the news today, but it was actually on
Speaker 1: TV Reload, the podcast last week that long Welcome TV
Speaker 1: Reload listeners. My name is Benjamin Norris, and this is
Speaker 1: your podcast to get all the inside goss on the
Speaker 1: popular TV shows you may be watching from around the world. Undeniably,
Speaker 1: our TV sets are a major part of our home
Speaker 1: entertainment and very little is known about how our favorite
Speaker 1: shows get made. Each episode, I find guests that want
Speaker 1: to dive just that little bit deeper into the shows
Speaker 1: they're currently making so that you can hear all the
Speaker 1: exclusive stories and gain access to the biggest names in television.
Speaker 1: I want to thank you for downloading or subscribing to
Speaker 1: this podcast. I love hearing your feedback, so make sure
Speaker 1: you leave a comment on your chosen podcast platform and
Speaker 1: I'll make sure you feel as included in the production
Speaker 1: of this show as possible. On this episode, I have
Speaker 1: Asha Scott, who is currently starring in season one of
Speaker 1: Below Deck Down Under, which is now being seen on
Speaker 1: Channel seven's new channel, Bravo Asia. Scott made her debut
Speaker 1: appearance as chief stew in Below Deck down Under, and
Speaker 1: this was after successfully completing two seasons as stewardess in
Speaker 1: Below Deck Mediterranean. The series chronicles the lives of crew
Speaker 1: members who work and reside aboard one hundred and fifty
Speaker 1: foot plus super yacht during a charted season in Australia,
Speaker 1: which consists of filming for about six weeks, with the
Speaker 1: cast temporarily replacing the conventional crew. I described this series
Speaker 1: as Housewives on a Boat or vander Pump Rules at Sea,
Speaker 1: but it does have some really entertaining insights into the
Speaker 1: world of what it's like to be on one of
Speaker 1: those super yachts. We will find out what Asia really
Speaker 1: thinks of filming the show, how Asia was cast and
Speaker 1: found herself as one of New Zealand's most famous reality
Speaker 1: TV exports. I particularly love Andy Comen, so I'm going
Speaker 1: to ask a lot about what it's really like to
Speaker 1: work with him behind the scenes. Plus, we'll get plenty
Speaker 1: of exclusives from behind the scenes of Below Deck down Under,
Speaker 1: which will be right up your flagpole if you love
Speaker 1: this type of reality anyway, let's bring Asia into the podcast,
Speaker 1: and I really hope you enjoyed this episode.
Speaker 2: Hi, how are you?
Speaker 3: Oh, I'm very very well, thank you. I'm having a
Speaker 3: great Wait, how are you going?
Speaker 2: I'm so excited.
Speaker 1: I feel like I've been below Deck for the last
Speaker 1: few weeks getting excited to chat with you today.
Speaker 3: Oh, I thank you. That's so kind of you to say.
Speaker 3: Have you been enjoying it?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I absolutely love it, and I'm excited for Australia
Speaker 1: to get on board with this because kind of has
Speaker 1: this new home on Channel seven.
Speaker 4: Yeahes, They're weird for you guys to suddenly see your
Speaker 4: own country on such a popular show.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, and interestingly enough, I hadn't actually watched any of
Speaker 1: the Below Decks, and I found myself at dinner with
Speaker 1: Hannah and I didn't really know who she was, and
Speaker 1: so she was sort of explaining the show, and it's
Speaker 1: another world.
Speaker 4: It's really really cool and I feel so I honestly
Speaker 4: feel so grateful that I'm a part of it.
Speaker 3: It's just the best thing that's ever happened to me.
Speaker 1: Really well, Australia's now can obviously have more access with
Speaker 1: you than ever before. How do you describe this show
Speaker 1: to people who haven't seen it.
Speaker 4: I guess it's a reality show that follows the lives
Speaker 4: of the crew on Soupiochts, and I think that the
Speaker 4: reason it does so well is well a because soupi
Speaker 4: yachting is getting so popular that everyone, I guarantee everyone
Speaker 4: you talk to in Australia New Zealand knows someone that
Speaker 4: has gone and worked on the super yachts.
Speaker 3: It's almost a rite of passage now. And I think
Speaker 3: that it.
Speaker 4: Also just does so well because there's something in it
Speaker 4: for everyone. You know, you've got the sex, the hot people,
Speaker 4: the drama, but you've also got the tourism, the beautiful views,
Speaker 4: You've got the technical side of how how are yacht works?
Speaker 4: How do you do all the lines? There's just something
Speaker 4: for every interest.
Speaker 1: You get stopped a lot. I mean I'm assuming that
Speaker 1: you would now get stopped a lot around the world.
Speaker 1: I mean it's one of the most watch shows. What's
Speaker 1: the most common question that you get asked from? You know,
Speaker 1: people that approach you on the street.
Speaker 3: Do you know what? Still?
Speaker 4: To this day, so many people are like, what happened
Speaker 4: to you and Jack? And the thing is, half the
Speaker 4: time they asked me that when my boy's standing next
Speaker 4: to me, and you know, it's not that he minds,
Speaker 4: but it's like people really loved that story.
Speaker 3: People really really.
Speaker 4: Loved that whole thing. And I don't blame them. We
Speaker 4: were pretty funny and season four was so entertaining.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I feel like we're all just way too invested
Speaker 1: and we forget that your life does in between the seasons.
Speaker 4: I know, and I think that people often do forget
Speaker 4: because I, like, you know below, Dick has done so
Speaker 4: well and it's airing on channels globally all the time,
Speaker 4: and you forget that with the reruns, someone might have
Speaker 4: only just watched season four for the first time, so
Speaker 4: you can understand why people still get caught up in
Speaker 4: these old stories.
Speaker 1: Is the Australian series. Is this a good jumping off
Speaker 1: point for people who haven't watched the shoot or do
Speaker 1: people need to go back and watch some of your
Speaker 1: other seasons.
Speaker 3: No, I don't think so.
Speaker 4: I mean, it's one of the beauty of it is
Speaker 4: that every season you generally start with a whole new cast,
Speaker 4: a new country, because they do a different country every time. Well,
Speaker 4: usually a whole new cast, except for when you have
Speaker 4: returnees myself and Jason, But it's.
Speaker 3: Just one of those ones. It's like Coronation Street.
Speaker 4: You can kind of jump into any episode and kind
Speaker 4: of figure out what's going on, which is the beauty
Speaker 4: of it because you never know what's airing people that
Speaker 4: are commitment fobes. With programs you can kind of jump
Speaker 4: and wherever, jump out wherever. But I think the cool
Speaker 4: thing about Australia is that you can watch it and
Speaker 4: see the growth of everyone because even myself season two,
Speaker 4: compared to season one, I feel like I was a
Speaker 4: totally different chief show and I was so proud of
Speaker 4: that kind of growth arc that I had. But I
Speaker 4: couldn't get there if I hadn't learned what I learned
Speaker 4: in season one. And I really like that people can
Speaker 4: follow that journey with me.
Speaker 1: I mean, this show's a real guilty pleasure for people.
Speaker 1: And I'm assuming that you'd watched a lot of shows
Speaker 1: from Bravo before, but what was your favorite reality show
Speaker 1: before joining Below Deck?
Speaker 4: You know what, this is terrible because I well, I
Speaker 4: was working on the boats for so long that I
Speaker 4: actually have barely watched TV all through my twenties.
Speaker 3: But I used to the Amazing Race.
Speaker 4: And I know that it's terrible of me to say
Speaker 4: because it's not a Bravo show, but I just have
Speaker 4: always been into that whole travel aspect, which is why I.
Speaker 3: Think people love blow Dick so much.
Speaker 4: It's so cool seeing different countries and cultures through a show.
Speaker 1: Someone's going to probably listen to this podcast now and
Speaker 1: approach you to do a celebrity version of that show,
Speaker 1: which you would be great.
Speaker 3: Oh my god, please someone give me on that.
Speaker 1: How much of blow Dick from around the World had
Speaker 1: you seen before originally joining that Mediterranean series? I mean,
Speaker 1: were you familiar with it before joining it?
Speaker 4: No, not at all, And I think I honestly think
Speaker 4: that's why I did. One of the reasons why I
Speaker 4: did so well because my friend told me about So.
Speaker 4: You know, I've always been interested in doing some sort
Speaker 4: of reality show. I've always thought it would be so fun.
Speaker 4: And one of my friends actually found the contact for
Speaker 4: the casting agent for me, And even when I'd applied
Speaker 4: for it, I was going through the interviews. I think
Speaker 4: most normal people would kind of do a bit of
Speaker 4: research and see what the show is about. But I'm
Speaker 4: very impol so she'll be right kind of person, So
Speaker 4: I never bothered looking into it. Even when I walked
Speaker 4: into filming, I didn't have to watch any episodes, and
Speaker 4: I didn't really watch an until afterwards, and it wasn't
Speaker 4: until the show came out and I started getting stopped
Speaker 4: on the street all the time. I was like, hold on,
Speaker 4: is this like a real big show or something?
Speaker 3: And then I realized that it was huge.
Speaker 4: So I don't know, I was kind of glad that
Speaker 4: I did it that way because I just think that
Speaker 4: you're so much more authentic when you've got no idea
Speaker 4: what's going on.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that's probably the better way to go
Speaker 2: into it.
Speaker 1: I think if you had any stranger danger or you
Speaker 1: had seen it before, you'd probably pretend to be like
Speaker 1: some of the people that you've been on the show,
Speaker 1: and it might take away from being your authentic self,
Speaker 1: you know.
Speaker 4: Well, and there's the thing, like I don't want to
Speaker 4: name any specific names, but I have worked with a
Speaker 4: couple of people in the past on the seasons where
Speaker 4: they obviously have like watched them all and they've decided
Speaker 4: how they want to come across, and it always ends
Speaker 4: up finding them in the like, you know, blowing up
Speaker 4: in their face because they people get confused about who
Speaker 4: they are. Because you can't maintain this kind of facade
Speaker 4: for a whole season. It's just hard to really get
Speaker 4: to know the genuine you when you're saying what you
Speaker 4: think you should say, or you start to speak and
Speaker 4: then realize the cameras are there and kind of be like, oh,
Speaker 4: don't worry, don't worry. And it's so much bitter just
Speaker 4: to be authentically who you are and people can take
Speaker 4: it or leave it, and if you're not happy with yourself,
Speaker 4: it's kind of sad.
Speaker 1: Well, I think that's why you're so good on this show,
Speaker 1: because like right from the start from me watching you
Speaker 1: your time on this show, it actually does feel very
Speaker 1: much like fly on the Wall type reality TV, which
Speaker 1: is the reality TV that connects with audiences. And I
Speaker 1: think as soon as you start curating how you want
Speaker 1: to sound or what you want to do, reality TV
Speaker 1: produces will tell you that if you're trying to be
Speaker 1: something you're not, the disconnect will be obvious to audiences.
Speaker 4: And that's the thing, Like people aren't dumb, and when
Speaker 4: they watch these like when they watch shows, they can
Speaker 4: tell when you're being genuine or not. And as soon
Speaker 4: as they sniff about that you're putting something on, they're
Speaker 4: going to you know, even if you're being amazing, they're
Speaker 4: going to turn on you.
Speaker 3: So just be yourself and be happy with it.
Speaker 1: Well. The other thing I thought was interesting is you know,
Speaker 1: now that you've done a few different seasons and a
Speaker 1: few different places around the world, do they different How
Speaker 1: do they differ in any way? I mean, does the
Speaker 1: American one different to the Australian one? You know, like
Speaker 1: how do these shows compare?
Speaker 3: Yeah, so I'm not really sure.
Speaker 4: With the regular below deck, it seems like it's pretty
Speaker 4: on point with that part of the world.
Speaker 3: But I just always explain it like the med is
Speaker 3: the med is more.
Speaker 4: That's kind of the home of super yachting, and that's
Speaker 4: where you've got your very strict, very high end service.
Speaker 4: The client towlel tends to be much more demure and withdrawn,
Speaker 4: and you know, that's kind of where I was raised
Speaker 4: in yachting and where I did all of my training,
Speaker 4: whereas in Australia it's much more laid back. Like the
Speaker 4: clients always want. They're like, come come into our hike
Speaker 4: with us, come and do our walk with us, come
Speaker 4: to the jet skiser that they I want to get
Speaker 4: you involved.
Speaker 3: They're very relaxed.
Speaker 4: You still make sure you offer that high end service,
Speaker 4: but everything just has a much more relaxed feel about it.
Speaker 1: Do you feel like there's a preference, like, do you
Speaker 1: prefer the high level energy and maybe more stressful environment
Speaker 1: of working overseas than working here in Australia. I mean,
Speaker 1: what do you prefer now?
Speaker 4: Well, you know, it's hard to say, because I feel
Speaker 4: like in Australia my real personality can come out a
Speaker 4: lot more Like I have a lot more fun with
Speaker 4: the guests, a lot more back and forth. You know
Speaker 4: this one dinner, I even told one of the clients
Speaker 4: to shut the fuck up because I was talking and
Speaker 4: even thought it was hilarious. And you can really just
Speaker 4: push the boundaries of that kind of friendship professional line.
Speaker 4: And I love that because that's where I thrive. But
Speaker 4: then I also I really love in the mid too,
Speaker 4: because I was trained in that very strict black and white,
Speaker 4: high end service and sometimes I do miss that strictness,
Speaker 4: but I I say, I think I'm much better at
Speaker 4: entertaining people, so I'm glad that that part can come
Speaker 4: out in Australia.
Speaker 1: I always want to ask people that are on big
Speaker 1: shows like this whether or not you watch them back,
Speaker 1: and you know, is that something you do like Once
Speaker 1: these episodes are out for the general public to watch.
Speaker 1: Do you feel like you need to watch it to
Speaker 1: understand what they've seen? Like, what's your relationship with the
Speaker 1: show once it's gone to weir?
Speaker 4: Absolutely? So when the when the show is airing, we.
Speaker 3: Get Cyndi episode like just before it.
Speaker 4: So so many people think that we must get Synny
Speaker 4: episodes well beforehand and we can say parts that we
Speaker 4: like and parts that we don't like. But it's really
Speaker 4: we don't have any say, and I think that's part
Speaker 4: of why we get it like just beforehand, so we
Speaker 4: can But I think it's really important to watch it
Speaker 4: just to know what everyone else is seeing and what
Speaker 4: their opinion of you might be.
Speaker 2: What about like embarrassing things that you've seen?
Speaker 1: Do you get stressed if you've watched the episode, say
Speaker 1: a day before the public sees it, and you go
Speaker 1: and try and write to the producers and say can
Speaker 1: you not show that? Do you ever get worried about
Speaker 1: what people have seen? And maybe what's an example of
Speaker 1: something you've done on the show that you think, God,
Speaker 1: I wish I wouldn't have done that.
Speaker 4: No, you know, I really don't regret anything. I'm such
Speaker 4: an open book and I am who I am, and
Speaker 4: it's really interesting because I think that I am one
Speaker 4: of the very few people on the show that think
Speaker 4: that way, because I've had lots of different casts message
Speaker 4: me and call me and they're like, I'm freaking out,
Speaker 4: Like one of my episodes is coming out, I'm so stressed,
Speaker 4: Like how do you handle this?
Speaker 3: How do you do it so well? I'm so scared
Speaker 3: how everyone's going to take me.
Speaker 4: And the thing that I just say to everyone, which
Speaker 4: is what I live by, is I'm like, if you
Speaker 4: have got your family, your friends, your partner, the people
Speaker 4: who have always known you, that love you no matter what,
Speaker 4: then who gives a shit what anyone else in the
Speaker 4: world thinks?
Speaker 1: You know?
Speaker 3: It's like you don't know them.
Speaker 4: You don't know Barbara and Kansas sitting in her lounge
Speaker 4: judging you.
Speaker 3: So I just it's just.
Speaker 4: And also the thing is as well as I don't,
Speaker 4: I never feel sorry for him, because I'm like, you
Speaker 4: literally signed up to something that films you constantly and
Speaker 4: then shows it to the whole world. So you sign
Speaker 4: into this knowingly. So people that start to because there
Speaker 4: have been again I won't say names, but there have
Speaker 4: been many people who have messaged the producers angrily like,
Speaker 4: why do you do this and why do you put
Speaker 4: this in? And it's like you are you literally put
Speaker 4: yourself in this position. So in my mind it's like
Speaker 4: whatever goes goes, and I don't I don't really care
Speaker 4: that much.
Speaker 1: I've just been watching This Morning You with Andy Cohen
Speaker 1: on Watch What Happens Live. You know, I'm obsessed with
Speaker 1: Watch What Happens Live. I love that show.
Speaker 4: I love him, I adore him. I think that he's
Speaker 4: the king of Bravo.
Speaker 3: I really don't know.
Speaker 4: How he keeps up with everyone with all the shows
Speaker 4: so well, and you know, he probably is a bit
Speaker 4: more housewife leaning, but that's absolutely fine. I know that
Speaker 4: he loves Below Dick. He thinks it's a great show,
Speaker 4: and I just always have thought he's really really good
Speaker 4: at his job, and I admire that.
Speaker 1: I love how passionate it he is about these women
Speaker 1: from the Real Housewives series. I mean, it's quite last
Speaker 1: he really does, and I think that makes it so
Speaker 1: much more enjoyable. And he kind of is the voice
Speaker 1: for people and says what to these women, what we
Speaker 1: are thinking at home? He liked that in real life
Speaker 1: is because I can imagine he would just be the
Speaker 1: same on camera as he is off camera.
Speaker 4: I don't get that much time to chat with him
Speaker 4: when we're doing Watchmapons Lives because between ad breaks and that,
Speaker 4: in every ad break, he's kind of going over what
Speaker 4: he has to say Nick, so you know, you can
Speaker 4: have a quick chat term afterwards.
Speaker 3: And he's definitely the same on and off camera.
Speaker 4: But I feel like, because I feel like he's become
Speaker 4: more he'll call you out if you've been an asshole,
Speaker 4: and so I feel like the people that don't like
Speaker 4: him are the people that have fucked up in some
Speaker 4: way and he's called them out, and then I think
Speaker 4: he's the asshole. But it's like he's just calling out
Speaker 4: something that you've done in some other situation.
Speaker 2: Well, this is the reason why we love him.
Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly. I love watching it. It's so entertaining.
Speaker 2: What have we got to look forward from? You coming up?
Speaker 1: What's happening next? I mean, it seems like your life
Speaker 1: is way more exciting than mine. I just want to
Speaker 1: know what's happening for So.
Speaker 4: We have filmed below Dig Down Under season two. So
Speaker 4: my next thing is preparing for that airring, which hopefully
Speaker 4: will be sometime soon in the States and then I
Speaker 4: couldn't say for anywhere else. I'm sorry, but I'm just
Speaker 4: really excited for that to come out and for everyone
Speaker 4: to see what magic was created in season two because
Speaker 4: season one, you know, I just I did find it
Speaker 4: really stressful being my first season in that role. And
Speaker 4: season two, I feel like I kind of feel like
Speaker 4: the season four Asha came back but still being the
Speaker 4: professional chiefs too.
Speaker 3: That I am, but I feel like I.
Speaker 4: Had more of a chance for the silly, for the
Speaker 4: silly and to come out because I was just much
Speaker 4: less stressed than last season.
Speaker 3: I was more used to the role.
Speaker 1: But can you tease us? Can you tease us something
Speaker 1: of what's going to happen in season two?
Speaker 2: We want to know.
Speaker 4: Well, I can tell you that season one I think
Speaker 4: was the first season with absolutely no hookups, and there
Speaker 4: will definitely be hookups in season two. There's going to
Speaker 4: be some drama and there that I don't think has
Speaker 4: ever happened on the show ever before. It's just so
Speaker 4: unpredictable and so up and down, and it's one of
Speaker 4: those seasons with every episode he was going to be
Speaker 4: like what what?
Speaker 3: So I can't why?
Speaker 1: Okay, I've got my popcorn out. I've got my red wine.
Speaker 1: I'm ready to go. Everyone who joins the podcast gets
Speaker 1: asked this last question. What is something from behind the scenes,
Speaker 1: something that we as an audience won't see that you
Speaker 1: can kind of give us as a behind the scenes
Speaker 1: secret on making this show.
Speaker 4: Oh behind the scenes secret. So basically, we fly in
Speaker 4: and we've got about five day, five or six days.
Speaker 4: We were kind of hanging around, getting used to the
Speaker 4: time zone, meeting the producers, all of that kind of thing,
Speaker 4: but we can't see each other. We're sequested in our
Speaker 4: hotel room because they don't they want all of our
Speaker 4: reactions of ours walking on to be real. And I
Speaker 4: guess he's something that I could say is when we
Speaker 4: come on the boat, it's the first time that we're
Speaker 4: seeing the boat and meeting the crew, and it genuinely
Speaker 4: is you join and you pick up charter the next day.
Speaker 3: So it's so stressful because you don't know how anyone works,
Speaker 3: what anyone's personalities are like.
Speaker 4: And then it's six weeks of back to back nine charters,
Speaker 4: and then you finish and you do a day of
Speaker 4: filming promos and then you all buger her off.
Speaker 1: And fly home, return to your normal life, which is
Speaker 1: the same as on the show.
Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly, exactly. So it's full on.
Speaker 4: It's full on, and afterwards you need like two weeks
Speaker 4: of just lying absolutely still, just to recover mento physically.
Speaker 3: It's very intense.
Speaker 1: Well, Asha, I just want to say thank you so
Speaker 1: much for your time. I'm loving you on this show.
Speaker 1: I think you do a fantastic job.
Speaker 3: Thank you so much. I really really appreciate it.