VIDEOSOK! Exclusive: 'Below Deck's C.J LeBeau Dishes on His Heartthrob Status, Andy Cohen And His Favorite Bravolebrities
Yesterday we probably got you really excited for next week's premiere of Below Deck thanks to this interview with castmember Dave Bradberry, but now, it's time to introduce you to hottie number two of the show, C.J LeBeau. We had a fun little convo with the engineer of the yacht, who told us about his dream Bravolebrity client, the most diva-like request he's ever gotten from a chartered guest and his tendency to not wear a shirt. Yeah, we thought that last part would get ya. Keep scrolling!
OK!: How did the show come about for you? What was the audition process like?
CJ LeBeau: Basically, I was just sending my resume out online to a bunch of different boat jobs and opportunities and sure enough I got a phone call back from a casting director. I didn’t even really understand that I had applied for a reality TV show on a boat, I just thought I was applying for a boat job! Next thing I knew I was in St. Martin filming a TV show.
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OK!: And what was your specific role on the yacht? You were an engineer, right?
CJ: Yes, I am the right hand of the Chief Engineer and I am responsible for making sure everything works so when you flip a light switch the light goes on, when you flush a toilet it flushes, the generators are going for power, the engines are working to get the boat from point A to point B. You’d be surprised how quickly you will get fired if you have to tell the owner of one of these yachts that he can’t take a warm shower in the morning. laughs
OK!: Did any of those clients ever have crazy ridiculous requests?
CL: You know, I did receive a request that one of the guests wanted to hit golf balls of the back of the yacht, so I actually spent an entire afternoon drilling out the center of golf balls and filling them with Styrofoam and epoxying them shut and building a little tee so that the chartered guest could hit golf balls off the back of the yacht and then they would float so we weren’t littering into the ocean.
OK!: That must have been fun.
CL: It was sort of interesting because I had to test it and figure out what was gonna make them float so I tried a few different things and actually stuffing Styrofoam inside them and epoxying them shut did the trick.
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OK!: Your bio on BravoTV.com says you're the partier of the group. Would you agree?
CL: I like to work hard and play hard. I think a lot of other people on the show were very hesitant and apprehensive to sort of let it all hang out. I’m pretty confident so I sort of let it all hang out and I went out and partied when we weren’t working and I think a lot of the other crew members sort of held back given the fact that it’s going to be on TV, to be honest.
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OK!: So are we going to see a lot of you with your friends and family on the show or is it always work, work, work and partying?
CL: Well, I’m probably one of the busiest people on the boat, however you won’t know that and I think that some of the other crew members that are new to this also don’t understand how much actually goes in behind-the-scenes when you’re an engineer. I’m not serving the guests, I’m not helping in the kitchen, I’m not helping wash the boat down, I’m doing everything else. So there’s a lot of time where if I’m not on camera I’m working basically. It’s a lot of work. I know that other people were able to carve out time to talk to their family members, however I was not.
OK!: Did you ever get sick of wearing that polo shirt in 100 degree weather?
CL: Oh, you’ve obviously watched some of the show! Yeah, I really don’t like wearing a shirt ever, let alone a thick cotton shirt when I’m in the Caribbean and I’m sweating through it in five minutes.
OK!: So does that mean you’re going to be the heartthrob of the show, always the one taking your shirt off?
CL: I have no idea who’s going to be the heartthrob of the show. I just don’t like wearing a shirt (laughs).
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OK!: So you didn’t take off your shirt just for the cameras, you just did it for yourself?
CL: Yeah, I just don’t like wearing a shirt. I grew up in California, I’m used to having my shirt off and especially in really hot weather. I mean I could be 200 pounds with a beer belly and I still wouldn’t have a shirt on. I just happen to have a fast metabolism.
OK!: You guys dealt with the rich and famous on the yacht. Who's your dream celebrity client?
CL: I’ll say for Bravolebrities the cast of the Orange County Real Housewives cause I think that they’re fun and know how to have a good time.
OK!: Agreed! Now that you're about to become a Bravolebrity yourself, are there any others that you look up to and want to meet?
CL: Andy Cohen. He has a wealth of information about reality TV and I think I could probably learn the most from him.
Below Deck premieres on Monday, July 1 at 10pm on Bravo! Are you excited for the show? Think C.J is going to be one of your favorites? Tweet us @OKMagazine!
