Below Deck is smash hit with viewers and streamers across the world, and the franchise continues to go from strength-to-strength. It’s addictive reality TV.
The fact each season is set on a luxurious superyacht providing a window into the world of the rich and famous sets it apart from other shows, but it’s the personalities and behaviour of the cast that make Below Deck the global success story it is today. From Kate Chastain to Captain Lee Rosbach, these people are now household names to millions around the world.
The carefully curated team of superyacht crew members are everything to Below Deck. They provide a relatable human element to the otherwise aspirational world of superyachts. You root for them, like them and love to hate them – three key ingredients for any popular TV show.
The cast (largely) demonstrate the professionalism of real-world superyacht crew, but the scrutiny placed on their behaviour and on-board relationships ensures drama, bitchiness and laughter. The end result? An exaggerated but wholly entertaining insight into the world of superyacht charters.
The cast are the bedrock of Below Deck and its numerous spin-offs: Without the right blend of crew members, the show wouldn’t be the phenomenon we know and love.
We take a look at four of the most famous captains and crew from Below Deck and its spin-offs, delving into their highlights and overall contribution to the success of the show – without giving away too many spoilers!
In no particular order…
Kate Chastain and Below Deck are synonymous with each other. Chastain was Captain Lee’s chief stew between seasons two and seven of the main series, and became known for her dry sense of humour, no-nonsense attitude and effective management.
Professionalism in front of guests was expected at all times, and she wouldn’t accept sub-par performance from any of her team. If Chastain felt like their work was not to the requisite standard, she wasn’t shy in letting them know. This often led to some entertaining exchanges on screen – which will have pleased producers and viewers alike.
Over the seasons, Chastain was involved in an array of dramatic moments that fans still refer to many months and years later.
In her debut season, Chastain divided her crew – and deviated a long way from the type of behaviour audiences came to expect from her. After a guest offended her, she built a “rocket ship” out of a blanket on their bed. Later, confessing all to Captain Lee, she explained why she did what she did, but her colleagues couldn’t help notice the similar phallic shape the blanket resembled. We’ll say no more on that!
Over the seasons a positive friendship blossomed between Chastain and yacht chef Ben Robinson. Despite some questions as to whether anything romantic would develop between the two, nothing ever happened between the pair – on board. Chastain has since revealed the two had a fling off camera and, despite the casual nature of their hook up, they remain great friends to this day!
Even though viewers didn’t know the full story at the time, they took the pair’s relationship to their hearts and it helped cement both Chastain and Robinson as elite Below Deck cast members.
In season seven, Chastain’s final season on board, she got caught up in a drunken moment of rage from her bosun Ashton Pienaar at the end of a crew night out. During the confrontation, Pienaar punched the window of the van that was driving the team back to the yacht, scaring everybody in the vehicle, including Chastain. She reflected on the event afterwards and expressed how scary it was to be trapped in the same space as Pienaar in that moment.
The season attracted a lot of criticism overall for the misogynistic behaviour of the male crew members towards their female counterparts.
There are many other standout Chastain moments from her long stint aboard the good ship Below Deck, but we don’t want to spoil the fun for anyone who hasn’t yet binged the series!
Chastain announced her departure from the show in 2020, much to the shock of Captain Lee and legions of fans around the world. She decided to pursue life on dry land and has since launched a podcast and featured on other Bravo programmes, including Below Deck Mediterranean Galley Talk.
Kate Chastain, it’s fair to say you’re sorely missed.
Ben Robinson, much like Kate Chastain, is fondly remembered as one of the best OG Below Deck cast members. The British chef featured in four seasons of the main series and two seasons of first spin-off show Below Deck Mediterranean. Across his many episodes, he made quite an impression – both on viewers and his colleagues.
Not only did Robinson demonstrate his obvious skills in the kitchen/galley, but he proved himself to be an excellent character to have on board – he formed good relationships with lots of colleagues and, importantly, wasn’t afraid to flip his lid on occasion.
He has since described working in a superyacht galley as “a pressure cooker”, which goes some way to explaining why we were treated to so many highly charged, emotional outbursts over the years. Among them, the infamous Timothy Sykes tantrum (where Robinson inadvertently served five-star cuisine to Sykes’ basic food-loving girlfriend, resulting in a greatly reduced tip at the end of the charter) lives long in the memory!
It wasn’t just Robinson’s short fuse that thrilled fans; his romantic hook ups on board captured the imagination of the masses too.
Without wanting to give away every detail, Robinson enjoyed flings with a number of cast members during his stints on board, but it was his later-revealed fling with Chastain and the relationship he struck up with second stew Emily Warburton-Adams in Below Deck season four that fans were most excited about. A ladies’ man if ever there was one!
As a full package, you won’t find many more popular Below Deck cast members than chef Ben Robinson. He has continued his culinary career on dry land and now runs a successful catering business for which he travels around the world.
Ben Robinson, we salute you.
Captain Lee Rosbach is the only cast member to feature in every single season of Below Deck, and there’s a simple explanation as to why: He is a legend of the show. Not only is he a great yacht captain, but his interactions with the crew are often hilarious. He is the patriarch of the yacht and doesn’t suffer fools lightly – and that makes for great TV.
Plus, with a nickname like ‘stud of the sea’, he was always destined for Below Deck stardom. It was inevitable.
Captain Lee has captured the hearts and minds of viewers for his personable nature and commitment to delivering excellent charter experiences. He has more than two decades’ experience working in the yachting industry and it shines through in everything he does.
He has found the perfect balance between being a compassionate leader and one that possesses an iron fist. He doesn’t tolerate any slacking and won’t allow the yacht to carry any passengers – besides the ones paying to be there. If you don’t meet the standards, you don’t stay employed. It’s as simple as that as far as Captain Lee is concerned.
However, it’s when there’s drama or controversy that he comes out with some of his funniest lines. So whilst you don’t want anybody to fail, from a viewer’s perspective you’re always looking forward to an opportunity for Captain Lee to make a hilarious quip or cutting remark. There are too many iconic quotes to mention, but one of our favourites is: ‘I’ve never seen such a collective group of ******* idiots in my life’. Classic.
Captain Lee is also a bona fide silver fox which, let’s face it, makes him even more popular among the Below Deck fanbase. What’s not to like?
Keep doing what you’re doing, Captain Lee. We look forward to watching your continued success for years to come!
Whether you like her or loathe her, Captain Sandy is one of the most famous cast members from the Below Deck franchise. We’re not taking sides on this one, we’re just going to present a balanced view as to why she is one of the first names that comes to mind when you think about Below Deck Mediterranean.
Firstly, Captain Sandy is clearly a fantastic superyacht professional. She has more than 30 years’ experience in yachting and is a respected captain – that’s no mean feat. She is also pushing boundaries as a woman within a male-dominated industry. That’s why there are a number of viewers that are fond of her – because she represents them.
However, there have been a series of incidents that have upset fans over the years. Comments made about bosun Malia White prior to season six is one more recent example, while her firing of chief stew Hannah Ferrier was another controversial decision (when you hear both sides of the story).
Some people sit in the first boat and others sit firmly in the second.
Whatever your standpoint though, it’s undeniable that Captain Sandy gets people talking. There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right? This, coupled with the fact she often oversees successful charters, makes her a good choice of captain as far as producers are concerned. It also explains why she’s enjoyed such longevity on the show, featuring in all but the first season of Below Deck Mediterranean.
She may be a micro-manager. She may also be camera thirsty, as some suggest. But she’s also a vastly experienced captain with a track record of success on board.
Captain Sandy may not be universally liked or appreciated, but the series wouldn’t be the same without her. She’s divisive and she’s controversial, and there has to be characters like that on the show for it to reflect reality.
Captain Sandy is a high-profile personality, whether you enjoy watching her or not.
Read more Below Deck articles in our dedicated library. Alternatively, if you're inspired by the thought of working on a yacht, you can search for a Crew Agent near you.
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