A cast member from the U.S. reality TV show “Below Deck” has been arrested in Turkey over a fight in the resort city of Bodrum that left a 17-year-old dead, local media reported Thursday.
Joao Franco, 36, and his brother Carlos allegedly became involved in an altercation with shopkeepers in Bodrum last Saturday evening, according to the private Demiroren News Agency.
Franco, whom the agency identified as a yacht captain, appeared on the Bravo channel’s “Below Deck Down Under” and “Below Deck Mediterranean” from 2018, as well as “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.”
The brothers were intoxicated and an argument broke out when they started swearing, Demiroren reported. During the subsequent fight, teenager Muhammet Koyabakan fell and hit his head on the ground. He suffered a severe head injury and cardiac arrest but was revived at the scene, according to the regional Voices Newspaper.
He was taken to a hospital but died on Monday.
The Franco brothers, who are Portuguese nationals, were detained and later formally arrested.
News reports did not specify the charges against them, but Demiroren said they told police they were attacked and acted in self-defense. They denied hitting Koyabakan.
Bodrum, a port city on the Aegean Sea, is a favored spot for wealthy yacht owners. Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos are among the billionaires who have visited in recent years.
“Below Deck” follows the lives of crew members aboard luxury yachts as they interact with each other and their guests. The show premiered on Bravo in 2013.
In his official bio on Bravo, Franco said he has eight years of experience in the yachting industry.
“I’m a jack of all trades and a master of none,” he wrote.
Earlier this year, Franco told the Majorca Daily Bulletin that he and his brother started a business making recreational vehicles in South Africa before transitioning to yachting.
“The show neatly mirrored my real-world career progression. Across the four series, I moved from deckhand to lead deckhand, bosun, and finally captain,” Franco said in the interview. “I never wanted to be a deckhand forever, the goal was always the bridge, so I spent every spare moment doing courses to move up.”
Fred Jagueneau/Bravo via Getty Images 