Hayley De Sola Pinto from Below Deck once experienced a tough shift where she felt so overwhelmed that she hid in the toilet and even considered jumping overboard. In an interview with Daily Star, the redhead shared her struggles during her first few days on deck. She confessed, "The next day was also a very long day because we picked up the charter guests. I remember on day two, I was hiding in the toilet for about five minutes, calling people and saying, 'I can't do this, I cannot do this, I don't know who I think I am!'"
She further added, "I was terrified! When I saw all the cameras on the boat, I thought, 'Oh my god, this is happening!' It had been all I had been thinking about for the four months prior. I was completely overwhelmed."
Hayley contemplated giving up by the time the second day arrived. She expressed, "On day two, I was seriously contemplating abandoning ship, quite literally!"
Prior to her appearance on the show, Hayley had only experienced brief periods on boats and underestimated the challenges of her new Below Deck position.
"I was certainly out of practice, and even in my previous experience working on boats, it was only temporary. I mainly did stewing work, not long seasons lasting four to five months. It was usually just three weeks, two weeks, or one week at a time. As a result, I didn't have much experience in housekeeping or laundry tasks. My expertise was always in providing service, which is why I didn't excel in those areas."
Throughout her time on the show, Hayley formed a strong bond with Chief Stew Fraser and spoke highly of him, saying he had taught her a lot and was an excellent steward. She remembered seeing Fraser before the season started and had a feeling he would be her Chief Stew.
The first day on the job was extremely busy and demanding. They worked non-stop for 18 hours, and Hayley felt overwhelmed and disoriented. It was like being thrown into a washing machine, with the added pressure of having a camera crew following their every move. The whole experience was incredibly intense.
