
Below Deck Continued: The Emile Kotze Lawsuit
From The Bravo Docket by Cesie and Angela
April 15, 2026 · 55 min · Episode 159
About this episode
The episode discusses Emile Kotze's lawsuit against Below Deck's production for creating a hostile work environment and other claims.
Legal team, we’re back with another Below Deck lawsuit. Emile Kotze, a deckhand from Below Deck Season 3, is suing production, claiming that production created a hostile work environment for the sake of TV ratings, including forcing him to engage sexually with another crew member as well as discrimination and deceptive editing. We dive into this lawsuit and share our thoughts on Emile’s claims…are they valid or is this going to be an uphill battle for him? What’s on the Docket? What does Emile’s lawsuit against NBCUniversal actually claim, and why we think he used AI to write it What is included in the Below Deck background check and Emile’s answers to their questions Hidden cameras and how surveillance on reality TV has gone too far (we don’t need to see people in their underwear) Receipts, including emails between him and producers, that Emile provides as evidence Discussion about how much the Below Deck cast makes, and how Emile felt slighted by his pay compared to his U.S. counterparts “The Streisand Effect” and the potential holes in Emile’s claims The relationship Emile had with producers, showrunners, camera crew, and other…
People in this episode
Hosts: Cesie, Angela
Topics covered
- lawsuit
- reality TV
- work environment
- discrimination
- production practices
- Below Deck
Keywords
- Emile Kotze
- Below Deck lawsuit
- hostile work environment
- NBCUniversal
- reality TV production
- discrimination
- deceptive editing
- Streisand Effect
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NBCUniversal
Books & works: Below Deck
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