Born and raised in landlocked Saginaw, Michigan, he discovered his untapped love for the water later in life when he was managing a restaurant in Turks & Caicos and an acquaintance invited him to serve as a mate on a sailboat delivery to earn extra cash. 3,691 Followers, 31 Following, 80 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Bruno Duarte (@bruknowsfit)
Bruno took his passion for hospitality from land to sea and moved on to cruise ships, becoming an officer in guest services and guest relations. After his near-death experience on last season of Coming from a highly academic family, Simone spent most of her childhood focusing on her schoolwork while still balancing her free-spirited and adventure loving personality. Network Canada would often air the seasons in the same time slot as in the US, however not all seasons followed the Bravo! Never a fan of traditional schooling, Kevin enrolled in culinary school at age 14 and quickly excelled. After putting herself through college as an independent student, and simultaneously working for the Governor of Massachusetts; she graduated with a perfect GPA, full scholarship to law school, and a job at a Boston law firm. She moved to Boston for college and had ambitions to become a lawyer. When she found herself unable to find a career path that excited her at home, she left for Europe to attend business school in France. In 2016, those stories were published in her book, Ashton found his way into the yachting world after spending seven years working a desk job and having a “routine” lifestyle in Johannesburg, South Africa. Canadians appearing in the shows included Matt Burns from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada as the crew chef in season V and Courtney Skippon (third stew) from British Columbia in season VII. After working as a lifeguard at the Coppola Winery, he decided to trade the surf and sand for charter yachts to make a more stable career for himself, that still allowed him to travel and explore.
A passionate chef in the kitchen, Kevin has worked on some of the largest boats out of the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
A natural fit for the yachting industry, Brian has been working aboard yachts in the Mediterranean, and is working towards becoming certified to become a First Mate/Officer on future charters. After a traumatic childhood, growing up with the loss of a twin brother and an abusive father, Bruno was forced to be an older brother and father figure for his family. Growing up in a time of political strife in apartheid South Africa, Simone’s mother encouraged her to channel her energy into school; and she received academic scholarships for high school and college. At home, he has a beautiful five-year-old daughter, Micah, that is the light in his life and his main motivation for working so hard. Below Deck’s Bruno Duarte and, inset, Kate Chastain, who he says blocked him on Twitter. Below Deck is an American reality television series on Bravo that debuted on July 1, 2013, Developed by Mark Cronin, Rebecca Taylor Henning & Doug Henning. Network in Canada for the first five (I - V) seasons. Some of Kevin’s earliest memories are in the kitchen with his parents at their house outside Lake Tekapo in New Zealand. As a celebration for her success, Abbi went on a Greek sailing vacation that completely changed her perspective on life and working. Simone grew tired of the mundane office life, and with the influence of a friend in yachting, she left South Africa for the first time to make her travelling dream a reality. After a traumatic childhood, growing up with the loss of a twin brother and an abusive father, Bruno was forced to be an older brother and father figure for his family. Hailing from Lisbon, Portugal, Bruno Duarte joins the M/Y Valor as a deckhand this season. Luckily, a friend was looking for a second stewardess on the charter yacht she worked on, and the rest is history.
The two shows have a faithful viewing audience in Canada - especially since season V when Canadians started to appear in the show as part of the crew. Excited by the potential to become a career yachtie, Ashton traveled to the South of France in search of work, and landed his first job on a private yacht for an Arctic expedition.
958 Likes, 16 Comments - Bruno Duarte (@brunobelowdeck) on Instagram: “2 years ago I started a new journey, that changed completely my life. After the birth of his daughter, he realized he needed to provide for more than just himself, and took to yachting after learning about the lifestyle and payouts. She moved to Boston for college and had ambitions to become a lawyer.
After years of dreaming of exploring the world and learning about new cultures, Brian finally took the plunge into yachting four years ago. Bruno Duarte from Below Deck is making an adult film with his boyfriend, José Lopes, for COLT Studios. With his strong work ethic and perseverance, Kevin moved up the ranks of the culinary world and left New Zealand for larger markets in Australia and the US.