Behind the scenes 'Below Deck'

On Monday evening, I received a text message from my friend, Suzanna Spencer, saying that our friend, Randy Oaks of Acrisure, was right at that minute appearing on the Bravo reality show, "Below Deck." As luck would have it, Bravo and Paramount are two of the seemingly hundreds of channels/streaming services we don’t have at home.

So Tuesday morning, on deadline, I searched the internet for info on the show and left a message asking Randy to give me a call.

"Below Deck" follows the crew on a luxury charter yacht as it takes guests cruising in exotic Mediterranean locales. The focus is on the crew and ensuing romance and drama of attractive young adults working in close quarters while providing world-class customer service to anywhere from six to 10 guests.

The guests are like a new age version of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," with emphasis on the rich or at least wealthy and successful. They provide the background to the crew’s escapades.

When Randy returned my call, he laughed and said he hadn’t seen the episode that was actually filmed a year ago in Seychelles, in the western Indian Ocean. The “primary” as the show refers to the main guest who’s invited friends to join him/her on the show, was Eric Rock.   

Eric is a Hayden Lake entrepreneur whose large social media reach in his capacity as a successful life coach and motivational speaker, prompted the show’s production team to reach out to him over a year ago about appearing on the show.

And that’s how Randy came to be included on the guest list, by invitation of his friend, Eric. Other locals who spent eight days filming aboard the 197-foot luxury motor yacht, the St. Davis, were Jim Bobrik, Victoria Chanel and Tavin Gray, and Britni Sternberg of Revv Health.

Randy recalls the foray into the reality television realm as a great experience, even being mic-ed up at all times except in their cabins or the restroom. He said the company, the stunning three-deck yacht and the scenic beauty all around made it easy to overlook the distractions of cameras and microphones. In comparison to the primary and guests who routinely appear on the series, their group likely presented a challenge to the producers as they are all pretty down-to-earth and drama-free in real life.

Their episode will also air on Bravo tonight and Thursday, for those of you who can access "Below Deck." I’ll keep trying!

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A regular feature of Main Street for years was things to do highlights. When the pandemic happened in early 2020 and throughout most of 2021, many events were canceled or rescheduled with little notice. Often, what was published in my Wednesday column would be canceled. So in 2021, I simply dropped the What's Happening highlights out of frustration.

With your help, I'll make an effort now to include a sampling of upcoming events each week. Email events open to the community to me at the email below a few weeks out. I won’t be listing every event, but a sampling of what’s going on county-wide in Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Rathdrum and Hayden.

Please include, date/time/place, sponsoring organization and contact information. Thanks in advance!

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Happy birthday today to Amy Boni, Teri Nipp, Kandi Johnson, Brock Bauman, Rebekah Newbry, Samantha Kraack, Helga Wernicke, Julia Jaworski and Rob Colvin. Tomorrow, birthday cake is on the menu for Brock Bauman (10!), Bette Price, Maycie Goodlander, Barb Eveland, Phil Romans and Jared White.  Thursday’s celebrants are Megan Reagan, Diane Zell, Jerry Moss, Paige Watkins and Donna Pfeiffer. Feb. 22 is the big day for Mark Sales, Tami Crawford, Joseph Louck, Billie Jo Campbell, Jim Clark and Jack Lash. On Sunday, Corinna Hunter, Sydney Knox, Janet Curry, Shawn Telford, Diane Mort, Louise Robeson, Bill Kaufman, Holly McNee, Denise Wilbanks (55!) and Marion Brendis (75!) take another trip around the sun. Starting the week with Monday birthdays are Ingrid Allen, Sheila Wooley, Betty Leonard, Tamara Booth and Barb Koerner. On Tuesday, Ella Allred (20!), Nathan McLeod, Peter Braunlich, Barb Dietrick, Rosalie True and Jimmy Conrow mark their special day.

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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email thoreson.kerri@gmail.com.