Below Deck
Colin Macy-O’Toole ’10 reflects on his education, reality TV and the seafaring life
Shenandoah University’s very own reality TV good guy, Colin Macy-O’Toole ’10, credits his education for getting him to where he is today. As a music education major, he says that while music is his passion, boats are his life. Macy-O’Toole was a deckhand for the third and fourth seasons of Bravo’s “Below Deck Mediterranean.” The reality television show follows the lives of crewmembers on a mega-yacht to Italy (season three) and the South of France (season four), among other locations, during charter seasons.
From growing his mother’s Twitter following to more than 1,000 to spitting episode recap rhymes on Instagram, Macy-O’Toole has made a name for himself – and for good reason. In his two short seasons with the show, he made friends with all of his cast members (no matter how much drama they caused), offered to give up his position on the boat for a more passionate crewmember, and became the guy women everywhere wanted to take home to mom. Decider’s Director of Creative Strategy, Lea Palmieri, characterizes Macy-O’Toole as “one of the rarest cast members in reality TV show history: someone who lights up the screen every time he appears, making a silly joke, snacking in the crew mess, offering a hug to a friend.” She also describes him as “a perfect combo of chill, nerdy, self-deprecating, and confident,” which is why it is surprising that freshman-in-college Colin was certain he would not make any friends. However, he did make friends and stays in close contact with them to this day.
Macy-O’Toole is still shocked to have been a part of “Below Deck Mediterranean,” laughing as he says, “I went to SU and achieved a bachelor’s degree in music education, and I was on one of the biggest reality TV shows on Bravo about yachting.”
He also admits to “having no idea what I wanted to do,” and hopes that students in similar situations will do things that they are passionate about.
He currently works as a captain and port captain at Sayville Ferry Service in Sayville, New York, where he transports passengers from Long Island to Fire Island. But, “after randomly applying to ‘Below Deck Mediterranean,’ I’ve realized how much I want to stay in the entertainment business.” Macy-O’Toole encourages students to “work hard, make connections and go out and do what you love,” just like he did.
