Below Deck Down Under Recap: Slow and Steady Loses the Race

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The first charter of the season was marked by tension between Ben and Alesia, but the current charter presents a different issue: Ben and Ellie are getting too friendly. While this seems like a positive change after their conflict with Alesia, past experience suggests this won’t last. Currently, their close relationship is actually slowing them down. It’s typical for Ben to become agreeable when working with someone he’s attracted to. Officially, he claims he’s learned from his mistakes and is trying a new approach. He’s also decided to drop the title of “sous chef,” as Ellie, like Alesia, doesn’t have formal kitchen training. Ben and Daisy came up with a new title, “Chef Assistant,” which Ellie readily accepted.

Ben is being realistic about needing help with the ship’s kitchen and has clearly explained Ellie’s duties: she’ll keep the galley tidy and assist with cooking for the crew. Ellie quickly realizes her main role is to bring order to Ben’s somewhat chaotic approach. Alesia overhears Ben and Ellie laughing and wonders why, thinking Ben is being harsh. Jason cautions Ellie about Ben’s quick temper, but so far, she hasn’t experienced that side of him. In fact, Ben is surprisingly kind – he proudly introduces João to Ellie as a respected captain and a close friend. It seems all it takes to calm Ben down is a fresh start and the company of someone he finds attractive.

Ben isn’t the only one with a crush! As they get the yacht ready for guests, Jenna and Alesia talk about who they’re interested in. Alesia, though she has a boyfriend, hesitantly admits she’s started to question their relationship after connecting with Eddy, who still hopes he has a chance with her. Meanwhile, Mike believes he and Ellie have a connection and is determined to pursue her. He even asks Ben for advice on what Ellie is looking for in a partner, while Jenna tries to get him to focus on his work. Mike seems to think he can turn the show into a dating show, where everyone talks about their ideal ‘type’ and spends all their time flirting.

Honestly, I have a feeling Ben knows more than he’s letting on. He’s throwing out these random comments – like, he was just looking at pictures of Slovenia – and trying to distract Ellie. Meanwhile, Jason is practically yelling over the radio for them to get ready for the guests, wanting everyone in their whites. Ben keeps saying they have time, but he totally loses track, and they’re so caught up in chatting they miss Jason’s urgent calls. It’s a mess! The guests actually arrive before the crew is even lined up – super awkward. Jason manages to get them on board, and they meet the crew on deck. He apologizes for the delay, which is understandable. But the first guest, a very…particular Christian, immediately jumps in to assure Jason it’s okay, as long as it never happens again. It just felt like a power move, honestly.

Ben is really unhappy about the crew’s lack of preparation, and it reflects poorly on everyone. The captain is concerned they’ll have to work extra hard throughout the charter to fix the issue, and Ben knows to stay quiet and apologize when the captain comes down to the galley angry. This group of charter guests will likely be more demanding than the last – the Housewives were difficult, but they were too preoccupied with their drama to really focus on the service. Now the real challenges begin, and Daisy immediately feels the pressure.

Okay, so picture this: everyone’s supposed to be eating lunch at 2:30, but already things are a little tense. One guest, Annette, is… let’s just say she has opinions. And a lot of them! She immediately complains about the lack of fresh grapefruit juice, then when she gets a Bloody Mary, it’s too sweet. Seriously, she asked to see the ingredients! She decided the problem was the Worcestershire sauce – which, honestly, is pretty standard in a Bloody Mary. Even Jason could tell everyone was getting restless. Ellie was hustling in the kitchen, but Ben was taking his sweet time, and their chatter was making it hard for Daisy to get updates on the radio. By the time lunch finally arrived – almost half an hour late – Annette wasn’t thrilled. Everyone else, though, seemed perfectly happy with it.

João and Mike lead the guests on a snorkeling trip, while Betul, who’s been struggling to understand Jason’s directions, requests a moment to talk with the captain. In a private interview, she explains that the wide variety of accents on board is making it difficult for her to do her job. It’s noticeable that the accents are very strong and different – it’s amusing until it becomes a real issue. Betul shares with Jason that her difficult childhood makes it hard when she can’t understand people, reminding her of times when her family dismissed her abilities. She politely asks the captain to speak clearly. Betul’s strong work ethic and honesty touch Jason, who is reminded of his own daughter. As someone who also learned English as a second language, it was a really moving moment – it’s a terrible feeling to not be understood. Betul is truly inspiring.

This week’s episode focuses on communication, and how talking can sometimes cause problems. During a snorkeling trip, Mike’s eagerness to chat almost leads to a dangerous situation. He was enthusiastically telling guests about the marine life, but didn’t pay enough attention to a strong current that was making it hard for some to swim. One guest, Liz, nearly drifted away, though she was quickly found and wearing a life jacket. The incident greatly worried João, who had asked Mike to monitor the group. Back on the boat, João and Jason decided that next time, João will check the current before the guests enter the water. Surprisingly, Liz wasn’t bothered by the incident – she was too busy enjoying a stingray!

João later met with his team to review safety procedures, emphasizing that guest interaction shouldn’t distract them from their responsibilities. Mike took this as a personal criticism. He’d been eager to work on deck, having previously complained about being stuck inside, and seemed to envision the job as more socializing than hard work. It’s reminiscent of wanting to be on a show like Love Island. While he accepted João’s feedback, he became noticeably defensive when Daisy addressed the team’s issues. He might be going through the typical new-job frustration of feeling inadequate, making him overly sensitive. Interestingly, he argued with Daisy – who had previously turned down his romantic advances – but not with João. I’m simply observing this pattern, not making any accusations.

If I were Mike, I’d be worried about Daisy – she gets incredibly frustrated when things don’t go smoothly. She told Ben the lunch service was too slow and they planned to speed things up for the 8 p.m. dinner. She assigned Jenna, Alesia, and Mike to handle the decorations and continued working. When she checked on them at dinner time, they were still decorating! Plus, the horses they’d gotten for the “Polo and Pearls” night were the wrong type – too slow, according to one particularly critical guest – so they had to be put away. At 8:05 p.m., everything was still behind schedule and the food wasn’t ready. Daisy pushed Jenna to hurry things up, which helped, but the kitchen was still slow. It took 25 minutes between the first and second courses, and even Jason went into the kitchen to try and get things moving. Luckily, the guests skipped dessert, or they would have been eating until very late.

Following a frustratingly slow start to service, Daisy spoke with her team, pointing out that setting up a single table shouldn’t take three people two hours. Mike responded that it was his first time and he felt overwhelmed, even though he’d previously complained about not getting enough shifts. Daisy firmly told him he needed to be proactive and learn to handle multiple tasks at once. She clarified she wasn’t singling him out, but there would always be work to be done. The rest of the team listened without comment. The next morning, Daisy gave Mike a chance to prove himself by having him begin setting up the beach area early. He delivered – when guests arrived, the table was set beautifully.

It’s Christian’s birthday, and everyone on board is determined to have a better day after a chaotic yesterday. They’re hoping for smooth sailing, with guests heading ashore at noon and lunch planned for 1 p.m. The menu, however, is causing Ben some stress – he’s stuck deciding between lobster salad, tuna poke, or another wrap option, and is scrambling to finalize it just before serving time. Meanwhile, Annette is really struggling with the heat, lying on the ground and feeling miserable, surprisingly without her swimsuit. Daisy sends Eddy to get it, but they miscommunicate – Eddy thinks he can bring it with the lunch, while Daisy wants him to return immediately. She fires off an angry voice message to Jenna, demanding Eddy bring back both the swimsuit and the food, both of which were needed half an hour ago. While all this is happening, Christian and Annette’s friends are relaxing and enjoying their vacation. It’s been 45 minutes since Annette asked for her swimsuit, Ben is still making wraps, and Jason is looking increasingly worried. Things are quickly falling apart.

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2026-02-24 07:56