Below Deck Down Under Recap: Girlboss, Gaslight, Gatekeep

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With only a few episodes left this season, things are getting even more dramatic with the arrival of Barbie as the new stew, taking over for Mike. Viewers may remember Barbie from season 11 of Below Deck, where she had conflicts with chief stew Fraser and a relationship with deckhand Kyle. She came across as spoiled and demanding, and famously left the boat in a drunken state on the last night. Despite her past behavior, Barbie is skilled at her job, and her blunt honesty and somewhat spoiled attitude can be surprisingly charming – in a playfully villainous way. While I always found her funny, she’s hardly the calming presence this crew needs; in fact, she’s likely to add even more chaos.

Ellie and another crew member, Daisy, are currently at odds, and Ellie is feeling isolated. She’s become known as the season’s antagonist and doesn’t have many allies. In a private interview, Ellie admitted she’s hoping Barbie’s arrival will bring a much-needed friendship, complaining about the constant gossip among the crew. This is ironic, considering Ellie is often the one starting those rumors. This week, she tells Ben that Daisy “attacked” her – referring to a recent disagreement about Daisy being asked to leave the galley during a busy service. Ben listens, but he doesn’t fully believe her, knowing Ellie has a history of overreacting. He agrees to talk to Daisy, but also cautions Ellie against creating conflict with the interior team, as their work relies on a good relationship with them.

Okay, so Daisy, Jenna, and Alesia were talking about how Ellie’s been messing with everyone’s heads, especially regarding that whole silly shrimp thing. Ellie’s really trying to make it seem like Daisy is losing it! It’s more than that, though – she’s stirring up drama in the interior, spreading rumors about Jenna and trying to turn Alesia against the others. I even heard Jenna tried to listen in on a conversation between Ellie and Ben, but Betul, bless her heart, was busy chatting about boat stuff and didn’t even notice anything was off. Later, João confided in Daisy that Ellie’s made the galley so uncomfortable, he barely goes in there anymore – and that’s saying something, because he usually loves being in the kitchen! It’s just a lot of unnecessary tension.

At least the kitchen mishap gives Ben something to discuss with his new roommate, Eddy, during their first awkward night together. Ben understands that Daisy can be a bit imposing in the kitchen, but he also knows Ellie is very strong-willed. So, the next morning, Ben listens to Daisy’s version of events while Vinod gets a tour of the bridge from Jason. Daisy explains she would have overlooked the shrimp issue if Ellie hadn’t confronted her in front of the other crew members. Ben assures Daisy he won’t let Ellie cause a rift between them, but he mostly tries to appease Ellie. He doesn’t have a serious conversation with her, simply telling her they’ve all learned from it when she asks if he spoke to Daisy. When Ellie insists she has nothing to learn, Ben quickly corrects himself, saying Daisy learned not to touch other people’s food. He again advises Ellie to choose her arguments carefully. The interior crew could easily make things difficult in the kitchen, so it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep Daisy happy.

He’s trying to subtly support Daisy without causing Ellie to overreact, but I don’t think it’s a good strategy. By taking Ellie’s side and acting like she’s done nothing wrong, he’s just feeding her ego and making the tension between the stew and galley crews worse. If he presented a united front with Daisy, it might snap Ellie out of her unrealistic view of things. Instead, she’s getting more confident – during dinner service, she starts telling Daisy how to serve dishes, even correcting her on the way to plate the lamb shank, to which Daisy pointedly asks if that’s not how they’ve always done it. It seems Ben is still afraid of confronting Ellie, only stepping in when her behavior directly impacts him, like with the rumor about Jenna and João in the hot tub, which Jenna strongly denies. Confused about what to believe, Ben actually asks Ellie if João and Jenna were really being affectionate. He worries he’s making a big deal out of nothing if it’s not true. This whole situation is driving me crazy. Didn’t he go to the hot tub himself to see what was happening? Why can’t he just form his own opinion? They were simply having a conversation!

So, while everyone else was out fishing with Alesia – who honestly seemed thrilled to be around what she called ‘normal, wholesome’ people – Eddy went to pick up Barbie. I immediately got the feeling Eddy was intrigued! Barbie actually shared in a little confessional that she’s done a lot of thinking since last season and is determined not to be the drama this time around. Meanwhile, Daisy was texting with Fraser, and he gave her a heads-up that Barbie is a hard worker, but also pretty stubborn and not someone he particularly liked working with. Jenna’s a little worried Barbie won’t respect her authority since she’s friends with Ellie. But, surprisingly, Daisy asks Jenna to team up and try to bring some positivity to the department. Honestly, there’s been a lot of negativity floating around – and Daisy admits some of it came from her – but she sees this as a chance to hit reset and start fresh. It’s an interesting dynamic, to say the least!

Initially, Barbie seems to be taking after Daisy, hoping to improve her relationship with the chief stew after a difficult dynamic with Fraser. This isn’t good for Ellie, who was counting on Barbie to be a strong ally against the interior team. However, Jenna appreciates having a competent stew onboard – Barbie is quick, takes initiative, and is dependable. Despite being professional, Barbie isn’t shy about getting involved in drama. She quickly picks up on tension with Jenna, especially after Jenna asks about the romantic connections on the boat. Feeling insecure, Jenna admits she’s been involved with both Eddy and Ben, and there are rumors about her and João. This confirms Barbie’s impression that Jenna is arrogant, which she later shares with Ellie. Ellie, known for her strong opinions, calls João and Jenna “snakes,” revealing she was previously broken up with João and that he’s been trying to get back at her ever since. Seeing Jenna as overly confident, Barbie decides to flirt with Eddy in an attempt to disrupt things.

Things get pretty hectic before any real sailing can happen – dinner service is a total scramble with this crew! The guests came back with huge fish from their trip, and Ben ended up filleting them all. They decided on a “Around the World” theme, with each dish inspired by a different country. Barbie took charge of making the tables look amazing, which Jenna was fine with. But things got awkward in the crew mess – João was giving Daisy a shoulder massage, and Ellie totally misinterpreted it as some kind of deliberate move. She actually shut the door between the kitchen and the crew area! After dinner, she thanked João for “keeping it down” during service, saying they were being “really distracting.” His response was classic – he just deadpanned, “We didn’t tone it down, the door was closed.” Honestly, beyond her trying to chat with him, the way Ellie talks to João just feels really condescending, and it’s another sign she’s letting her power go to her head. She seems to have completely lost sight of who’s in charge on the boat.

Later that evening, back at their cabin, Daisy tries to talk to João about the issues with Ellie, but he seems distracted. He unexpectedly asks if she was upset that he spent time with Jenna in the hot tub. Daisy assures him she isn’t bothered, which actually worries João – he wonders if that means she doesn’t see him as a potential romantic partner. She playfully points out they’ve only cuddled once. Daisy is being cautious; she knows about João’s reputation and doesn’t want to create more drama with Ellie. The following night, at a club, João tries to define their relationship, but Daisy makes it clear she’s not looking for a casual fling right now, as her team is struggling. As the season nears its end, it’s becoming increasingly clear that a relationship between Daisy and João is unlikely – she’s too busy and focused on her priorities.

When it was time to bring the yacht in for final docking, João had Betul handle the communication for the first time. She was thrilled, but also a bit anxious, especially since she had to do it in English and worried about stumbling over her words. She took her time, followed João’s advice when needed, and did a fantastic job. Jason and João both praised her afterward. Despite personal tensions among the crew, the charter was a complete success. Brenna, Sujay, and his parents left incredibly happy, giving the experience a six-star rating. At the crew tip meeting, Jason specifically commended Betul for her docking skills and Barbie for her smooth handling of the transition. The crew received a $22,000 tip – $1,692 each – and, thankfully, no one received the ‘helmet’ (a sign of poor performance). It was exactly the boost the crew needed to improve their spirits.

Honestly, watching Eddy and Jenna was a rollercoaster. He kept trying to get her attention, and he admitted to me he was really bothered by her flirting with Ben – especially hearing about what happened in the hot tub. Then Barbie showed up, and it seemed to push Jenna towards Eddy. I couldn’t believe it when I saw Barbie and Ben having a drink together; it immediately sent Jenna running to Eddy, and she sent him this super flirty text – something about missing him way too much. It was so awkward! Eddy, understandably confused, finally confronted Ben, saying he wasn’t mad at Ben for being interested in Jenna, but at Jenna for giving him mixed signals. Ben explained that Jenna came to him when she realized things weren’t going to work with Eddy. We even saw a flashback to their first date, and it hit me – it had only been a week! But it feels like this drama has been going on forever. Eddy showed Ben the text Jenna sent, and Ben started to worry he was being manipulated too.

Everyone initially thought Eddy would come back to Jenna, as he’s always been so eager to please her. However, he was hurt and a bit angry, so when Barbie showed interest in him during dinner, he flirted back. Jenna was furious, and her glares made the whole meal uncomfortable. João, like an older brother, cautioned her that she couldn’t expect to have everyone’s attention. But she became even more upset when, at the club, both Ben and Eddy seemed to be enjoying themselves with Barbie. When Jenna offered Eddy a drink and he refused, Ellie reacted as if Jenna was being unreasonable. The whole situation was unbelievable.

Even Betul, who hadn’t said anything about the others before, points out that Jenna is creating a negative atmosphere. Ben tells Jenna he thinks they should just be friends, feeling overwhelmed by all the drama. As he talks, he gets increasingly upset, and Jenna barely has a chance to respond – it feels like we’re watching his thoughts unfold. He starts calmly, but when he mentions a text Jenna sent to Eddy where she expressed regret about their breakup, he becomes furious. Jenna weakly tries to argue about how she phrased it, but admits the text essentially said that. Ben leaves before she can explain, and the preview suggests things are about to get even worse. Also, did anyone else feel like Eddy and Jason’s hug signaled someone was going to quit?

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2026-05-12 05:56