Natalya Scudder's team is threatening a guild grievance after the reality star was forced to endure a windowless holding cell with zero sparkling water options before her sudden removal from the country.
The rollout of Natalya Scudder's unexpected stateside exit has hit a major snag. Sources close to the "Below Deck" season 7 and 8 alum confirm her reps are exploring legal action against the Department of Homeland Security, citing an "appalling lack of basic production amenities" during her overnight hold at a U.S. detention center.
Insiders tell Teh Grep that the unscripted star was subjected to working conditions that wouldn't pass muster on a CW pilot, let alone a Bravo flagship. Scudder was allegedly denied access to a dedicated hair and makeup trailer, forced to share a concrete "green room" with several non-union detainees, and provided a catering spread that one source described as "literally just a lukewarm bologna sandwich in a plastic bag."
We expect a baseline level of hospitality when our clients are forcibly removed from sovereign soil.
The PR disaster comes at a tricky time for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which has spent the last fiscal year quietly trying to rebrand its holding facilities as gritty, immersive transit hubs. But industry watchdogs note that DHS completely failed to issue a call sheet for the deportation, leaving Scudder's publicist scrambling to book a red carpet photographer for her unceremonious arrival at Sydney Airport.
Reps for Bravo declined to comment on whether the detention center security footage would be acquired for a Peacock exclusive, though early tracking suggests a standalone "Below Deck: ICE" spin-off could perform exceptionally well in the key 18-49 demographic.