Former Real Housewives of New York City star Jill Zarin caused quite a stir when she appeared on Bravo’s Below Deck earlier this month, and now Captain Lee Rosbach is sharing his thoughts on the drama.
“Below Deck had a tough week,” Rosbach told his Salty With Captain Lee podcast co-host Sam DeCavalcanti on a recent episode, per Us Weekly. “They had Jill Zarin on.”
Zarin was a guest on the St. David yacht on an episode that aired on Monday, April 1, and she frustrated the crew with her diva-like demands. This included telling stewardess Barbara ‘Barbie’ Pascual to change the ice cubes in her Diet Coke because she didn’t like their shape and requesting a doorbell to buzz the crew members anytime she needed.
“F*** it, drink your Diet Coke hot. I don’t give a s***,” Rosbach said on his podcast.
He also addressed Zarin’s complaints about the bathrooms not being stocked adequately with toiletries. Rosbach noted that toiletries are not put out for guests on charters because “it looks tacky.”
“I wonder if she brought some deodorant for her attitude because it sure as hell stunk,” he joked.
Rosbach served as charter captain for ten seasons of Below Deck before he was replaced by Captain Kerry Titheradge. On his podcast, the former reality star praised Titheradge for her response to Zarin’s behavior and for keeping her focus on the charter’s primary guest.
“You take care of the primary. Everybody else is on their own,” he stated.
After the episode aired, some Below Deck stars came to Zarin’s defense, including Pascual, who said, “I don’t think that Jill was as bad as it looked.”
“I just wanna also say that there were so many other moments where she was super fun and sweet and nice,” Pascual added. “She was right. She just wanted nugget ice in her Diet Coke; that’s not a big deal.”
Rosbach, however, wasn’t convinced.
“Some of the Below Deck stars have since come to Zarin’s defense — including [Barbie] — who after watching the episode back, said, ‘I don’t think Jill was as bad as it looked.’ The only thing I know is the camera doesn’t lie,” he stated.
Below Deck, Mondays, 9/8c, Bravo
