Risky Business Below Deck : Onboard the Reality Television Occu-Soap

This dossier introduction begins by describing Below Deck , locating Bravo’s popular franchise within wider reality television traditions. We then focus on the specific features of the occupation-centered docusoap, or “occu-soap,” demonstrating how interpersonal relations between the crew have largely supplanted earlier class-related interests in documenting the bad behavior of elite guests. We contend that this shift creates an opportunity to investigate broader conflicts of labor, risk, and workplace culture. Our individual dossier contributions demonstrate how reality television produces and manages risk and reward for participants, production crews, and reality television fans.