by Gina Scarpa

It's too bad Eddie and Dave work outside most of the time on Below Deck, since they're not only drama free but easy on the eyes! Dave, a former Marine, has a great love for adventures on the open sea. His work ethic and passion for making sure guests are happy make him a model employee aboard the Honor. We chatted with Dave today in an exclusive interview about what brought him to the yachting world, being away from his fiance, and whether or not he can see himself staying on board for another season.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did being in the Marines ignite that passion for being on the water and traveling or is that something you've loved since you were young?
A. Dave: A little bit of both! My first trip out of the county was to Mexico and I was a little boy. This was my first trip out of the south and I didn't realize there was much outside of Texas. When I saw the ocean, it was an eye-opening experience. That planted the seed and it was just reinforced when I joined the Marines. When I graduated, I joined and my first station duty was in Japan. For the entire time I served, I didn't wanna come back. It was fun, I was in a lot of coastal countries, and water has always been a big passion of mine.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did you become a part of the Honor crew and Below Deck?
A. Dave: I was referred to it by a friend, I submitted myself and explained myself. I said I'm a hard worker, I'm interesting, I'm likable. I went on to multiple casting levels and to be honest, I didn't take it too seriously when I was being considered for the show. I felt I was under qualified and wondered if I was interesting enough to be on national tv. When I found out I made it and that this was gonna be on Bravo, I hit the roof. I've been a huge fan of Bravo for years. It was a blast!

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Was it difficult to be away from your fiancé?
A. Dave: I've always loved traveling. Up until I started dating Trevor, I wasn't a loner but I didn't mind being alone. He became like my other half. We had to do everything together. We spent 24 hours a day, 365 days together, and this is the longest time we've been apart. I'd say that was the most difficult part. The long hours, the crazy guests, the drama... that wasn't nearly as strenuous as the relationship strain, not being able to talk to the person you care about. Sometimes, I just hated everyone. I just wanted to talk to my boyfriend!

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You primarily worked outside, so you were removed from a lot of the drama. You must not have minded that!
A. Dave: We've have had long conversations about this! CJ actually told us that we were the most boring people on the show. I was like, "Well I don't know if I'd want to be you!" We're nice guys, we're hard workers, and we had Aleks. He told us what to do, we did it, and there wasn't much friction. I don't think it made it to air but there was talk about Sam and I switching positions, just to alleviate the sheer amount of stress and drama. It overflowed here and there but it was mostly them venting and us saying, "Figure it out!" I'm a former Marine so it's like, if your boss tells you to do something, you do it. If you have a problem with it, you do it, then bring it up after. To me, it's common sense.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: The girls have really been having a hard time working together this season. What do you make of the situation?
A. Dave: From an outside point of view, they were all crazy! They all had very unique, big, diverse personalities. Adrienne initially does come off as a bitch but you get to know her, she's a professional, hardworking girl who cares about the yachting industry and how it's going to be portrayed. That was resonating with her every day that she didn't wanna let her community down. Kat was a little bit of a party girl, she liked to have fun. As soon as quitting time rang, she was the first with the bottle in the hand and she got a lot of flack for that. For a couple weeks, I was really the only support she had. It never interfered with her work ethic. She might've been a little hungover but she was there with a smile on her face. Sam is the sweetest girl in the world when she wants to be - total nice girl next door, the type of girl that any straight guy would wanna bring home to Mom. She's also a little bit of a spoiled brat. It seems like it's her first time having to work, especially for a woman. I think she sees herself more as one of the guys. When you have Adrienne, you're bound to butt heads.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: These guests are quite over the top, especially with their requests. Was there anything that you said no to?
A. Dave: I did a little bit of work in the service industry, waiting tables. I worked in the Marines doing administrative work for very high ranking people. I've done security for Bill Clinton and heads of state. I know how to treat important people. These people renting the boat were our boss, they were the king. I was very used to and equipped to taking whatever request they have and saying, "Anything you want." However, some of the things were just ridiculous! There are vegans in an upcoming episode that was the most passive-aggressive experience of my life and I wasn't even involved. These people were just angry at nothing! Simon, Adrienne's friend, wanted us to wheelchair his entire group around the island while they were drinking. I refused! I think that's when I first started drawing the line. I am not going to wheelchair your drunk ass around! It's disrespectful to people that are wheelchair bound. When Eddie and I were asked to go to the strip club, we were asked to wear our full uniform and I said, "Absolutely not!" I'm not boasting. I'm not boasting but we're not bad looking guys, what do you think is going to happen? I could go on and on and on... it seems like the more money you have, the less common sense to have.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What's been the best part about doing Below Deck and do you want the show to keep going?
A. Dave: I've made great friends along the way. My whole life has been an adventure. Ever since I set out on my own, it's adventure after adventure. I moved here to LA from DC a couple years ago and it's been wonderful. When I stop asking questions and just do it, I'm so much happier. This show has been absolutely wonderful. It was stressful and difficult, but I'm so thankful. Every time I watch the show, a flood of memories coming flying back and it's surreal. I certainly hope there's a season 2. I'm ready and willing. I think I found something in television and entertainment that keeps me interested and excited!

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

Follow Gina @ginascarpa