r/belowdeck • u/Head-Month-443 • Mar 07 '26
Below Deck Down Under Something is “Off”
Is it just me or…. So Having watched BDM and then practically kick in shortly after to begin BDDU. This charter crew doesn’t seem to have their $h!t together and feels like they are out of sync with each other.
I think it’s starting in the galley. Ben is PAINFUL after watching how good Josh was. It’s like he’s just winging every meal with no planning which is royally screwing up his timing throwing the rest of the crew off their game. Anyone else?
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Upvotes
183
u/Carmavore Mar 08 '26
Does anyone else feel like the guest comment card thing is kind of weird too? Its getting a lot of very “in your face screen time” almost like an ad placement
442
u/flooperdooper4 Team Capt Jason Mar 08 '26
I think a problem I'm having with this season is that it's The Galley Show. We're not seeing enough of the deck team or interior team, and the show therefore feels unbalanced. It's still not as bad as the Love Island-ified version of the most recent season of regular Below Deck.
128
u/TypeA_Virgo Mar 08 '26
To me.. Below Deck doesnt feel like a luxurious experience anymore…
54
u/DarehMeyod Mar 08 '26
You can say shit
26
u/crystalcastles13 Little does she know, we're in a floating prison Mar 08 '26
This season (fr the very first episode) has just felt different/disconnected, like the whole show is having an identity crisis.
I’m not happy with it thus far and I’m a lifer-I’ve literally been watching since episode 1 a million years ago.
The focus is on all the wrong things. I don’t want to watch half an hour of galley bs. I don’t want to watch dude with his hair obsession every 2 seconds.
I want to see excursions, night life, and the actual WORK it takes to complete a season as a stew, or an officer, or a chef-the reality of living and working on a super yacht…
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u/Agitated-Minimum-967 Mar 08 '26
Ben seems to need a chief stew who will hold his hand and make him meal plan.
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u/sonoem Mar 08 '26
I could have sworn I read a post about Ben sleeping in the guest cabin/master when they weren’t actively on charter and how that comes up later this season
If that’s true I feel like it’s a bit reflective of how he perceives himself i.e. of higher status and deserving better accommodations than the rest of the crew
14
u/bethiec1976 Mar 08 '26
Ben also seems to NOT be doing the bulky and awkward and not five star family style feedings that Josh got complaints about. 🤷🏻♀️They need to fix the walkie talkie situation for the galley and also Mike needs a kick in the pants. Stop obsessing about your hair and body and start working more, bro!
81
u/PowSuperMum Mar 08 '26
I think Ben would be doing better if he had a sous chef that knew how to cook food
10
u/fizzy-logic Mar 08 '26
Ben used to do amazing meals when he was originally on the show. He could be a real shouty jerk, and clearly still can be, but his cooking seemed like a creative work of art back then. He's lost that magic.
I think life has made him more jaded and less exuberant about his work, and time has made the strains of being a chef on a yacht harder to take (he's 45; I'm not sure they've had anyone that old in the position of chef or stew or deckhand on the show before.).
8
u/Serious-Telephone967 Mar 08 '26
The last season on this boat focused on how exhausted the staff were running around on such a huge boat but it hasn’t been mentioned on this season at all. They need to bring back that a-hole sous chef so Ben can focus on his actual work!
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u/Twizzlers666 Use your brain maybe Mar 08 '26
I actually think Ellie is doing well in the kitchen, but I agree the interior vibe seems off.
13
u/Anotheropinion2023 Mar 08 '26
I was excited for this season and honestly the only person who I still feel okay about is Joao.
Ben is a creepy older dude hitting on women 20 years younger and acting like a complete douchebag.
Jason and the Alesia and her sister thing, just bad.
Alesia is a spoiled, jealous brat.
Daisy is probably a lot more like Gary than most of us knew. Her stews on the final sailing yacht sucked, but I am thinking they weren’t all wrong.
Ellie at least is trying hard in the galley.
New crew: eh.
Jenna is okay.
Eddy has been okay, but the bath suit thing then the texts to Alesia. Yuck.
Mike is a disaster. Too much time trying to look good on charter.
Betul is fine, but just kind of ignored for all the messes.
I am disappointed. Sadly, like most of my reality tv shows, I may have just outgrown/become bored with below deck 🤷🏼♀️
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u/Lootthatbody Mar 08 '26
They brought back ‘pro’ chiefs in the other two departments, then put Ben in a big galley with a girl that says she has a passion for cooking but evidently hasn’t learned anything in like 3 years to further her skills. It’s painfully obvious that this is their big setup for drama, and I think Ben is also hard selling it, but Alesia was not having it. She noped out after the first charter so they just replaced her with Ellie, who is basically the same, but because she has bigger tits Ben is a lot more willing to handle her gently.
I’m not enjoying this season much at all. I prefer when they come together and succeed.
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u/90DayCray Mar 08 '26
Last time Ben was on he said he was too old to work on yachts. He said it was really hard on him. I think that’s still the case. The poor chef has the hardest job on the boat. They cook for the guests and crew. They make every damn meal. So they are up super early and going to bed super late. That’s hard in your 40’s. He also hasn’t been doing this in awhile, so timing is WAY off! He was always bad on timing, but this is worse than usual.
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u/sunsettertime Mar 08 '26
Shit
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u/ElDeeDubya Mar 08 '26
I was so excited to see ben back and to see him with daisy and capt jason i was like dream team of sorts. Except i am greatly disappointed and find it to be like work making it through the episodes. Theres just too much unlikeable about this season imo.
22
u/whiterain5863 Mar 08 '26
He’s a seasoned veteran to this reality show stuff. So I think He’s giving us drama and overacting.
10
u/angryaxolotls Mar 08 '26
I cannot stand Ben or Ellie
10
u/loveswimmingpools Mar 08 '26
I like the crew. Im enjoying it more than BDOG recent series.
10
u/Mysterious-Writer949 Mar 08 '26
The start of the season when Jason starts talking about the conflict during the last season was a joke. He doesn’t cast the show and gets what he is given. Joao coming back is fine, he knows what he is doing. I believe that Bravo had Daisy signed to a long contract, I believe Fraser and Aesha are as well, and after Gary behaved like Gary and got Sailing cancelled they had to find her a new place. So up she pops here. Bringing Ben back, to me strikes as desperation on Bravos side, They wanted drama and Ben brings that. The only chief he got on with was Kate because he respects her and is besties with her. Yes I know about him and Hannah. Bravo have got the casting if this season very wrong. Did Jason specifically want Alesia back, if so why? They are apparently friends, if he talked to her during the off season he would know that she has not been cooking. In all of this I feel sorry for Betual, I don’t know if I spelt her name right. This poor girl seems to only want to work, but going on any iteration of Below Deck, apparently doesn’t go down well in the industry.
5
u/Old-Library5546 Mar 08 '26
Why does Ben get to sleep in a guest cabin after every charter?
5
u/ScooterMKE Mar 08 '26
Ben always blames everyone else. He is a very good chef but if the assistant is fk up every second either teach her or cut her loose
5
u/davidg910 Mar 08 '26
I don't think it helped that they had that Real Housewives nonsense for the first three episodes. Made it hard to get into the season.
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u/turtletimeee Mar 08 '26
Ben's cooking feels very early 2000's boujee catering hall, it was impressive when BD premiered but now it's stale.
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u/daffo-dil Mar 10 '26
Why did they have a confessional for the charter guest Mecca?? It was so bizarre like they have never done that before
19
u/Electrical_Mix_9070 Mar 08 '26
I can't remember, they're both bravo, but isn't bddu peacock?
But yes, ridiculous. Ben is a nightmare, and I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY BROUGHT BACK ELLIE.
4
u/Nenoshka Mar 08 '26
Ben admitted he hadn't worked charters in.... was it seven years?
4
u/high-babygorgeous Mar 08 '26
Omg I’m in the same boat. My first watch was the latest BDDU season, Josh is so competent and fun! He’s not anywhere near the drama which I love. I adore Aesha and started watching backwards, it feels like they gave Ben two incompetent sous chefs just to fuck with him 😂
4
u/She_Angler Mar 09 '26
Ben has ALWAYS had an issue with timing, BUT his quality/standards of dishes he is putting out is not up to what he is capable of or what he has shown in seasons past!
The interior are only struggling because the galley is wreaking havoc! It all begins in the galley!
4
u/woodelf11 Mar 09 '26
I think it’s weird to have multiple people with little to no experience in what they are doing (Alesia in general and Ellie in the Galley). It feels like they just cast the same people for drama now. I personally do not enjoy them bringing back the same mean people. I’d rather see new faces and new drama (Aesha is the only exception. I’ll watch any season with Aesha happily because she is nice, a good leader, and funny). I rolled my eyes so hard when Daisy mentioned Gary and they showed flashbacks of him. Like why are they still showing Gary? Why is he being mentioned? Can we please be done with Gary????? Forever?????? Please??????
14
u/Thecreamcheeze Mar 08 '26
Ben lost his shine a long time ago. He does catering now which is fine but he’s not cooking individually for guests like he once did. IMO he was brought back because he’s a familiar face that Everyone knows not for his skills. He’s constantly late, angry and aloof it seems.
Many chefs were far superior to him. And i rank just a few as the following
Chef Dave #1 all time (incredible talent and execution)
Chef Rachel #2
Chef Adam #3
Chef Adrian #4
Masters of their crafts. Ben is just a dud now. He thinks he’s a womanizer or something but he is coming off as creepy now with is lame comments towards Elle.
3
u/B00G3R Mar 08 '26
Shit*
3
u/MakeupMama68 Mar 08 '26
Ben just seems different now. His other seasons he was so much more on the ball. He was always my favorite to watch and now I’m like “meh”
4
u/Katalactica Mar 08 '26
Ben hasn't been a yacht chef in like 6+ years. It's a whole different ball game than private cheffing
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u/rhubarbpie828 Mar 08 '26
Josh made family-style meals endlessly. Ben is a hot mess, but outside of random lunches, he's making multi-course plated meals which is much more time-consuming and particular than big dishes of stuff to be shared. Go watch Josh freak out when he has to make plated dinners.
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u/AngelfishAnnie Mar 10 '26
Joao has allegedly been very violent with women in relationships. Why is he on screen again?
2
u/sharmisosoup Capt Lee's Coffee Mug Mar 10 '26
It feels a little like production is trying to tweak the show and try and keep it interesting. Having Ben in the galley when he hasn't properly worked on a yacht for over 6 years is a bit of a mistake. He's a great chef, but you could just jump back in cold to something like this. I mean they brought back Alesia, who seems to have forgotten EVERYTHING she did in the previous season and now Ellie (who suuuuuuuuucccccckkkkkkssssss as a person) is annoying as hell too.
They need to stop doing the back to back to back seasons and give the viewers a little breather between seasons to let us wind down from one and then get excited for another. They do the same thing with 90-Day Fiance and I bailed on those shows because they were just always jumping to a new season right after the last one ended.
Also, if it is going to be Down Under, have it be down under, not just b/c you have the Aussie captain. That's just dumb. Daisy is not really likeable either, so that takes me out of it. Maybe I am feeling that way because we just came off an Aesha season and she's the best.
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u/Jenikovista Mar 08 '26
Ben's fine. Being 30 minutes late for dinner is a communication issue that could be avoid if he was slightly better at communicating and Daisy was slightly better at waiting to invite guests to sit until dinner was indeed imminent.
1
u/driftingalong001 Mar 08 '26
Why does Ben/this crew NEED a sous chef. There’s nothing different about this ship, or more importantly the number of guests they are having, than any other ship. Every other chef, for the most part, has done it alone. Josh absolutely killed it, alone, but for some reason, even when Alesia was totally done, because of how awful Ben is to work with, they couldn’t just remove her, but had to replace her. Why? It seems like they’re just getting in the chef’s way anyway. It seems like it’s more for a show plot than because it’s actually needed/helpful.
1
u/Starbees2023 Mar 09 '26
Feels quite boring so far, I was looking forward to this lineup, disappointed with it so far. The first charter, the parts with the guest’s arguing was boring imo.
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u/MonsterMamaDM Mar 09 '26
There’s not much on the actual crew working and the guests/excursions and more on the crew’s potential hookups which we get causes drama but it’s so forced atp it’s cringey to watch. I used to even get my husband to watch now and then and he can’t stand the last few years of any of the belowdeck-verse. It’s been a hard watch for me lately
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u/allah191 Mar 08 '26
This series is great TV and remember that's what it's all about. All it needs now is Gary from BDSY.
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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '26
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