If you’re feeling a little cold in these winter months, Below Deck Down Under is here to warm you up. Season 3 sees Captain Jason Chambers take the Motor Yacht Katina, the largest vessel in franchise history, to a new destination of the Seychelles off the coast of Africa. He welcomes Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph and Deckhand Harry Van Vliet back aboard.
Rounding out the rest of the team handling these charters are: Bosun Wihan Du Toit, Chief Stew Lara Rigby, Deckhands Johnny Arvanitis and Adair Werley, Stews Brianna Duffield and Marina Marcondes de Barros and Sous-Chef Anthony Bird. The Aussie looks to have his work cut out for him with this largely new crew.
Here, Chambers briefs us on what’s to come.
Given the promos and advertising for Below Deck Down Under, Bravo has really put you out there as this sex symbol. How have you adjusted to this role?
Captain Jason Chambers: It’s far from me, personally. The primaries run with it. I’m a captain, and this is the bit they are using. I find it a bit cringe, but let’s just go with it. I try not to watch it. I am flattered.
What was it like going to this exotic destination of Seychelles?
It’s exciting to me. This was part of my bucket list. I gave up big boats. I was driving huge boats, and I gave that up to do more remote locations around Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, and Australia. To actually go to such a remote location like the Seychelles, I couldn’t think of anything better. For me, it was a bucket list thing. I love diving. I’m an avid diver. There are so many marine conservation zones around the Seychelles, it’s fantastic. There are 115 islands there, and they are so close to each other. We got to go to quite a few islands. To actually bring the audience to somewhere totally different, to bring them to Africa. If I had my own show, I’d be cruising around the world to remote locations. So, this is the best I could have gotten out of the show they could have given me.
You mentioned working on big vessels. How was it getting to captain the 60-meter Katina?
I’ve driven a lot bigger vessels than that, but this boat has a lot of uniqueness about it. It’s a big boat, has a shallow draft, and moves around in the wind a lot. It was hard to maneuver. It had a lot of entertainment space too. For the size of the boat, the interior was probably a lot bigger than it should be. The interior crew had a hell of a lot of work to do. Not only that, when we had some weather coming through, it wasn’t like we lost the value we give to the guests. We could actually entertain the guests in so many other spots in the vessel. It was perfect for this show.
BELOW DECK DOWN UNDER — Pictured: Captain Jason Chambers — (Photo by: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo)
Tzarina is back as a chef. What can you tell us we’ll see from her as she takes on this bigger space? She’ll also be working with a sous-chef in Anthony, which brings a unique dynamic.
It’s an extra crew member and an extra story to tell. Not only that, it’s with Tzarina. She is in her own head a lot. She is a great chef. She really puts out some great food. If anything Tzarina has a problem with, it’s herself. That’s because she wants to put out the best. Now she has the opportunity to put out the best, but now she has to work with someone else and manage someone else. It’s a great story to tell. She is not just in a galley by herself. Tzarina now has someone to talk to besides herself all the time. That has to be great. I think you’ll see that. I think the audience sees Tzarina not only put out great food but manage people around her.
Harry also returned. He has his sights on becoming a captain one day. How do you think he has matured?
Harry is fun. He is vibrant and from Australia, so I have a heartstrings for him there. He does step up. He did grow a bit of hair on his chin this year, so I saw some growth. He is a good character and good to have on board. I know I have his loyalty, so that’s good for me. We will see some progress. The audience will see him grow. He has gone off to do some great certifications in the industry. He has not only grown on the show but off the show as well. He has trained in some of the hardest places to get your certificate. He has challenged himself to get better.
During the premiere the crew finds the galley was infested with weevils. When you get on the boat, is there an inspection done ahead of time, or is it really a surprise with the condition the boat was left in before you all get on board?
That’s the unique bit about the show. My challenge is I don’t know the boat or the crew. I meet the crew, the food turns up and the guests turn up and we’re right into it. Behind the scenes, production is setting up their stuff. We still have the previous crew on board, so we do have a previous chef. We do come to a point where certain hygiene levels are expected and should be maintained. We should be able to walk in and see probably the most disgusting thing I’ve seen on a superyacht when we have a 24-hour turnaround. I know Tzarina wouldn’t be expecting to have to see the galley in that condition. It surprised us all. The previous crew that walked off deck before that were being fed rice from that same bin. We were shaking our heads.
What challenges can you tell us we’ll see in terms of the deck team? It looks like we’re getting butting heads, mistakes are made and maybe even one that could cost a crew member their job.
As much as you are going to enjoy what is happening on the interior, you’re definitely going to enjoy what is happening with the exterior as well. There is a lot of bravado that happens outside on the deck. There is a lot of chest pounding every season and on every boat. I really only get to see a lot of it when the audience does. I don’t see how much ego there was out there and game playing there is. I’m looking forward to seeing it as well, but I will tell you there are things that happen that just blew my mind. As a captain, I’m relying on the deck with the responsibility to be future captains or high-level performers. Some of the things that happened shook my head. I had to go back to training wheels and start again.
BELOW DECK DOWN UNDER — Pictured: Captain Jason Chambers — (Photo by: Fred Jagueneau/Bravo)
There is a scene in the first episode where you are putting on your own contact lens, which I remember Aesha Scott helped with. How is it for you to build new bonds with the staff, but also see one you worked with so much to go to another boat and captain?
Aesha and I got along so well. I do miss her. I know why she left. She has gone on to finish her story she has started. Her and Sandy [Yawn] get along well, so I’m happy about that. It’s good to watch them there. She is still a part of the Bravo universe, which is fantastic. She could always come back. You never know. It gives me the opportunity to bring in someone new and have the audience meet someone else. Crew does move on. Captains have to move on. We can’t have the same crew all the time. Growth is within us. We all move on for our own reasons, so I can’t be a selfish captain and hold anyone back. You have to accept it and deal with it. I have been doing this for two-and-a-half decades. I don’t have a white picket fence or a home with all my mates next door. My mates are my crew, so this gives me an opportunity to meet new people.
What can you tease about the charter guests we’ll meet this season?
Lara brings a lot of experience. I was so excited to get that experience that would blow away. She doesn’t know the environment and the Below Deck system of going in, getting things going. Nothing is set up for you. You’re on the run. Aesha had that ability and understanding of limitations and worked within that. You’ll see Lara wants to be a perfectionist. Her standards are very high. She needed to adapt. There are the struggles Tzarina will have with working with other people. I can’t speak much about the charter guests, but we had some great charter guests. We had some fun times. I’m still in touch with many of them.
How do you look back on this season and what you experienced as viewers get ready to watch?
I’m so grateful. This whole franchise has provided me something I can look back on and even pass on to my mom and dad. They get to see me on a boat. This franchise really delivers. Every crew member that comes in and wants to be perceived or shown a certain way. After a couple of charters, the fatigue sets in. They crack. The real them comes out. It might be who they are at that time and what they were going through. It gives them a chance to look back in a year’s time and watch the show and see how they could be a better person under these conditions.
This was probably the hardest I’ve ever worked mentally and physically than any time in my career. I look back and really pat myself on the back for the patience and empathy I feel I have for my crew and where I am in my life. I’m proud of myself, holding it together. From Season 1 to now, it has taught me what a stable and prepared mind can do because I know what’s ahead. If I can get through a season without losing my sh*t, I’m very happy. I’m sure Bravo wants me to lose my sh*t, but I don’t want to. You can’t hide it. You just have to come in prepared. You’re going to see crumble, lose everything, and work to put it back together and make it to the end of the season. Or they will look back and see the show and say, “I could have been better.”
Below Deck Down Under premiere, February 3, 8/7c, Bravo
