If you’ve spent any time binging the early seasons of Below Deck Mediterranean, there is one name that probably still makes you want to either laugh or put your head through a bulkhead: Danny Zureikat. He was the deckhand who didn't just push the envelope; he basically shredded it and threw it into the Aegean Sea.
Man, was he a trip. One minute he was writing poetry for guests, and the next, he was clashing so hard with Bobby Giancola and Bryan Kattenburg that the tension on the Ionian Princess felt like it was going to snap the anchor chain. People still argue about whether he was just a "people person" in the wrong job or a total nightmare to work with. Honestly, it was probably a bit of both.
Why Danny Below Deck Mediterranean Actually Got Fired
Let’s get the facts straight. Most people think Danny was fired just for being annoying or for that whole poem fiasco. But it was way more than that. Captain Mark Howard—who was actually pretty patient for most of the season—didn't hand over that plane ticket until things got "toxic."
The straw that broke the camel's back? It wasn't just the kissing. It was the photos. After Danny got way too close to a guest named Morgan (yes, the Tilted Kilt model), he was specifically told to keep his distance. Instead, he started showing photos of those guests to subsequent charter guests. In the yachting world, that is a massive breach of privacy and professionalism. You just don't do that.
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- The Poetry Incident: He wrote a love poem about fish for a guest.
- The Hot Tub: He was caught hanging out with naked guests.
- The Phone: Captain Mark actually took his phone away at one point to keep him focused.
- The Dismissal: He was sent packing during episode 12, just before the final charter.
The wild part is that he didn't even agree with the firing. He told Bravo later that he would have loved to stay for that last charter. But let’s be real, his relationship with the crew was shot. When you've got Hannah Ferrier and Bobby Giancola both gunning for you, the writing is pretty much on the wall.
Life After the Ionian Princess: Did He Stay in Yachting?
You might think Danny would have run away from boats forever after that disaster. Surprisingly, he didn't. Right after the show aired, he actually did another season in the Caribbean. He even worked with Aleks Taldykin, who fans remember from the very first season of the original Below Deck.
But that didn't last. By 2018, Danny tweeted that he had worked one of the "toughest yacht charters" of his life. It seems like that was the turning point. He realized the "yachtie" life—the 20-hour shifts, the scrubbing, the hierarchy—just wasn't for him. He was a performer at heart.
So, he moved to Los Angeles.
The Hollywood Pivot and Social Media
Danny shifted his focus to acting and content creation. If you look at his IMDb today, he’s actually stayed pretty busy. He’s appeared in several short films like The Lonely Entrepreneur, Fly a Way in LA, and Don’t Look. He even landed a role in a 2019 horror-comedy called What Doesn't Kill Us.
His Instagram is a bit of a "who's who" of random celebrity encounters. It’s kinda bizarre, actually. One day he’s posting with Shaquille O’Neal, the next it’s Kendrick Lamar or Danny Trejo. He’s clearly leveraged that 15 minutes of Bravo fame to network his way through the LA scene.
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Where is Danny Zureikat in 2026?
As of 2026, Danny has mostly moved on from his reality TV roots. He’s not out there begging for a spot on a Below Deck reunion or trying to get on Winter House. He’s carved out a niche as a "viral content creator."
He’s also leaned heavily into the tech and finance side of things. For a while, his bios were all about being a "Crypto Investor" and "NFT Collector." It fits his personality—always looking for the next big wave. He’s even dabbled in life and health coaching. Whether you find him charming or cringey, you’ve got to admit the guy has hustle.
Real-World Takeaways from the Danny Saga
If you’re watching old episodes and wondering what to make of him, here’s the nuanced view. Danny was arguably one of the best "guest-facing" crew members the show ever had. The guests loved him. He made them laugh, he gave them "MVP" service, and he genuinely cared about their experience.
But he failed at the "crew" part of the job. In any high-stakes environment like a superyacht, you have to be a team player. You can’t prioritize your own personal brand or your own connections over the safety and privacy of the vessel.
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The Lesson: You can be the most likable person in the room, but if you don't respect the boundaries of your profession, you're going to end up with a plane ticket home.
If you want to keep tabs on him today, your best bet is TikTok or his Threads account. He’s much quieter than he was in the "Ionian Princess" days, but he’s still out there, living life "one wave at a time" (his words, not mine).
If you’re looking to follow his path into content creation, start by focusing on a specific niche rather than the "jack of all trades" approach Danny took. It’s much easier to build a sustainable career when people know exactly what you stand for—whether that’s yachting, acting, or just making people laugh.