Below Deck Down Under Season-Premiere Recap: Choosing to Engage

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Welcome back to Captain Jason’s Katina! After a slow and uneventful third season in the Seychelles, the show is getting a fresh start. The producers realized the storylines took too long to develop, leading to repetitive drama. To revitalize the series, they’ve brought on more experienced crew members. The Katina is now ready to deliver a more exciting and engaging season.

The yacht is setting sail from Canouan, a private Caribbean island reachable only by private plane. Jason starts the season by having a drink with his department heads to prepare for the charter guests. While I’m sad to see Tzarina, the quirky but kind crew member, go, I was excited to see Chef Ben return—he’s a Below Deck veteran! He took six years off to focus on his personal life, including a costly wedding that ultimately didn’t happen. Now, he’s eager to rediscover his confidence in the yacht’s kitchen. This is complicated for returning sous-chef Alesia. Ben’s experience is a plus, but while Tzarina was a people-pleaser, Ben doesn’t care much about what others think. He’s direct and a bit harsh, and he manages to make Alesia cry during her first shift.

Last season, Alesia was the star – everyone loved her energy and honest personality. We all saw so much potential in her. However, after leaving the show, despite planning to attend culinary school and focus on her future, she spent the year skiing and exploring a new relationship. It seems her mother discouraged her dream of becoming a chef, which was both harsh and unsupportive, and Alesia ended up putting her career goals aside. A year later, she hasn’t learned any cooking skills, and now Ben is going to challenge her for it. It leaves you wondering if her mother is pleased with how things turned out.

Jason, or Bravo as he’s known, has brought on Daisy, previously from Sailing Yacht, to lead the interior team as chief stew. She’s relieved she won’t be constantly dealing with broken dishes and glasses. Daisy is a direct and efficient leader, though she’s sometimes been known to get romantically involved with other crew members. She’s welcoming new stews Joe and Jenna, as well as Mike, who has a unique role combining deck and stew duties. This type of position is becoming increasingly common within the Below Deck franchise, and often causes friction and miscommunication between the interior and exterior teams. However, Mike seems like a positive and cheerful person. I’ll be keeping an eye on him, though, as I’m wary of anyone who openly describes themselves as a “cheeky flirt” or immediately asks colleagues about their preferences.

So, Mike’s going to be handling the galley in the evenings and pitching in on deck during the day – a schedule suggested by the bosun, João, and honestly, that’s a little worrying. João is…well, he was notoriously arrogant and overbearing, but he’s claiming to be a changed man, trying to rebuild his reputation. Apparently, he owes it all to Jason, who he now sees as a mentor and almost a brother. I’m reserving judgment on that one – we’ll see if this transformation is genuine. As for the crew, we’ve got Eddy, who’s pretty new to yachting, and then there’s Betul, who I instantly adored. Her name means “virgin” in Turkish, and she comes from a very strict background, but she’s bravely chosen to forge her own path and find independence on the sea. She calls herself a strong, independent woman, and she definitely lives up to the billing – she’s already proving to be fun, spirited, and incredibly capable.

Daisy assigns Jenna, who has a couple of years of experience in yachting, as her second stew. Jenna is a dedicated worker, motivated by the goal of eventually retiring. Joe, used to smaller sailboats, is eager to learn from Daisy on this superyacht, but unfortunately doesn’t get to put on her uniform. Just before the first guests arrive, Joe receives upsetting news: her grandfather has been hospitalized. She decides to return to Montreal to be with her family, a decision Daisy and Jason support. However, they’re stressed about starting the first charter with a short-staffed stew team.

The upcoming charter is set to be chaotic for more than just the size of the yacht, Katina. The first guests are the entire cast of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, with Heather Gray as the primary charter guest. The crew is already stressed after reviewing the guests’ demanding preference sheets, and the atmosphere in the galley is tense. While Ben tries to reassure Alesia about her limited experience, claiming even complex dishes are just a series of simple steps, he quickly loses patience when she makes a mistake with a frittata during crew brunch. He isn’t overtly cruel, but he’s far from kind, and pointedly shows her his preferred (and arguably unconventional) method for making it, labeling her error “the fuck-up of the century.” Immediately after, Alesia burns herself, and overwhelmed, retreats to her cabin to cry. She’s understandably worried that if Ben is this critical of crew brunch, he’ll be even more intense when it comes to preparing food for the guests.

It won’t be long before she finds out what’s happening. The women all arrive except for Bronwyn, who shows up a little later with a pool float shaped like a hat. True to form for this group, they immediately start arguing over which rooms they’ll get. While Daisy realizes what she’s in for over the next couple of days, the initial departure goes smoothly. João shows Eddy how to lower the anchors, explaining the process step-by-step. I reserve the right to take back anything I say in this first episode, but I already like Eddy – he seems genuinely kind.

Jenna briefly envied the group of women on the trip – they seemed to be having a blast playfully drenching Britani whenever Jared, her ex, was mentioned. However, by lunchtime, the appeal wore off. Ben, with a stressed-out Alesia helping, put out a lavish spread of snacks like sliders, chicken tenders (served on a paper towel-lined bowl!), and lobster salad. The women quickly became demanding, constantly asking for help with everything from unpacking bags and retrieving lost items to dealing with seasickness and even applying nipple covers. They also wanted constant refills of Champagne and someone to care for Angie, who was feeling unwell. Over lunch, the usual drama started – Bronwyn worried about leaks regarding her divorce, and Lisa began shouting – but everyone decided to take a break and go for a swim. Jason, always a great host, took Heather for a ride on a seabob, which she described as a wild ride.

Okay, things are really falling apart in the kitchen, and honestly, it’s painful to watch. Ben is just relentlessly picking on Alesia. Before lunch, he mocked her knife skills – seriously, a chainsaw comment? – and then demanded she show him her salad prep before service. And then he just… tore into it. The lettuce was the wrong size, he had to explain what ‘dressing’ a salad even meant, and he clearly hated how it looked. By dessert, it was a full-blown disaster. He asked Alesia to help with a cheesecake – she said she could do it, and he rattled off a recipe quickly – and I just wanted to scream at her to write it down! Predictably, she forgot the sugar. Ben was annoyed, of course, but what really set him off was her excuse – she doesn’t cook often! In a private interview, he basically said her claims of being ‘passionate’ about food were just a way to avoid taking responsibility for, well, not knowing what she’s doing. It’s becoming clear this isn’t about the food anymore; it’s personal.

I’m definitely siding with Alesia, and Ben needs to be a lot more understanding. He’s coming across as arrogant and harsh, and the team needs to work together to succeed. That being said, I get where he’s coming from a little bit. Alesia is in her second season as a cook, so saying she doesn’t cook often isn’t a good excuse, especially since she said she loves it. I believe Alesia can handle the job, but Ben is making it harder by constantly pointing out her mistakes and not being patient with her as she learns. I really hope they can start working well together – they could be a great team! Maybe Alesia can use her frustration to fuel her – anger can be a powerful motivator. She should prove him wrong!

While everything else during dinner service was a mess, the cheesecake actually turned out well. Angie wasn’t feeling good, so she went to bed with some crackers, and her cabinmate, Mary, brought her dinner to her room. Things really exploded on the sundeck after the burrata. The guests started a full-blown fight, yelling, throwing water, and breaking glasses – it was complete chaos. Daisy seemed powerless to stop it, and Ben was getting annoyed because he couldn’t start plating the main course until the fight ended. The guests were clearly exaggerating the drama for the cameras, but honestly, it was captivating to watch. This season is shaping up to be incredibly intense. Jason told his team to leave their egos at the door, but it’s already clear that egos will be a major theme, both with the crew and the guests. I’m ready for the ride!

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2026-02-03 05:56