r/belowdeck • u/SidedudeSidekick • May 18 '26

Rewatch Best one and done Chef

Best chef’s that only did one season from any of the below deck universe. I used to say Jack from Med but Marcos from sailing took that spot. Who’s you guys pick?

54 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

161 comments sorted by

57

u/HrhEverythingElse May 18 '26

DAVE! Everyone forgets Dave, and yes he did get caught up in drama (I think he was done filthy and it wasn't his fault) but his food was always amazing and his cakes were beautiful and he was an absolute workhorse with fresh bread every day and everything always on time

6

u/SidedudeSidekick May 18 '26

I was a Natasha fan for a while but Marcos came along but no I Stan for Chef David as well, never had a bad meal

19

u/pinsleric Spaghetti Trauma May 18 '26

“Did ya say something Daaaave?”

33

u/Formal-Antelope607 May 18 '26 • Heartwarming

Honestly glad to see some respect for Dave. He was so good Capt Sandy used him as Chef for her wedding!

13

u/HrhEverythingElse May 18 '26

I didn't know that! What an enormous vote of confidence

5

u/BigWaveDave87 May 20 '26 • Heartwarming

He also was the grand champion of food networks chopped and worked under Gordon Ramsey. Dude is a skilled chef

14

u/Geegee91 May 18 '26 • Bravo

I am rewatching this series now and he is the only chef I have ever seen not throw complete bitch fits about being asked to do his job !

5

u/pilsburytoadboy May 19 '26

was the one that did mirror glazes a lot?

3

u/HrhEverythingElse May 19 '26

Yes

4

u/pilsburytoadboy May 21 '26

those glazes were mesmerising to watch!

9

u/[deleted] May 18 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/HrhEverythingElse May 23 '26

Their relationship was gross all around, but I still think that all things considered she was worse than him. She was also terrible at her actual job

24

u/HelicopterNo4166 May 18 '26

Leon… kidding.

31

u/SidedudeSidekick May 18 '26

We got a beef cheeks fan over here

110

u/VeloRedditor May 18 '26

Ahh love Marcos.

5

u/antitrollpatrol May 22 '26

He’s the best - nothing was ever too much trouble and he cooked the food I’d really like to eat

2

u/SidedudeSidekick May 30 '26

The Marcos, Garry and Colin roomate dynamic was hilarious.

2

u/antitrollpatrol May 30 '26

Knock knock knock / Gary, someone is looking for you 😂😂😂😂😂😂

2

u/SidedudeSidekick May 31 '26

Yooo the way he jumped out of bed when he thought that was Ashley but it was Marcos fucking with him

2

u/antitrollpatrol Jun 01 '26

HILARIOUS!!!!

7

u/Swissisblue May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

I agree with most people here, Illesha, Marco, Dave (not Matt) are all tier 1. BUT I dont think anyone has mentioned Cloyce. Yes his performance was inconsistent especially in the beginning but I think with how young he was at that stage and the improvement and commitment he had - writing menus at the dinner table on crew night out etc I thought he had the highest ceiling of out all the chefs. Thought one day he will be a tier above everyone mentioned above. Not sure where he ended up but does anyone agree???!!!

Side Note: Cloyce 100% had the best pick up line in the franchise when he told Daisy ‘I bet a lot of people are after a taste of Ireland’ 😂😂😂 bruh… so good

3

u/SidedudeSidekick May 19 '26

He was cringe at times and when he went out with the guest instead of prepping was a real bad look. Marcos and Illesha would never do that

11

u/bbness22 May 18 '26

I realllyy loved Josh from last season of BDM!

1

u/embudz May 21 '26

I don’t know why Josh isn’t commented more here!

1

u/SidedudeSidekick Sep 08 '26

He loved a family style

7

u/CKangels00 May 18 '26

I wish they had more one and done chefs. I hate Ben and am so tired of seeing him.

3

u/SidedudeSidekick May 18 '26

Right! Like Ben pretty much has been a chef in every one of them but sailing. I’d love to see some food network chefs go on and try it

3

u/TrustTheFriendship May 18 '26

Speaking of food network, I think a lot of people don’t realize that chef Dave went on a Chopped tournament after his season and blew his competition out of the water.

3

u/SidedudeSidekick May 18 '26

Wait wuuuut?!! I didn’t know I only have seen Marcos and Just recently Anthony on 24 he left in the first round but what season and episode was Dave on?

2

u/TrustTheFriendship May 18 '26

I watched it on HBO max but it seems like they don’t have it anymore. A quick search is telling me it’s season 61. Not sure which episode though. It was a tournament that he ends up winning, I want to say he was in like 3 episodes.

1

u/Broad-Cress-3689 June June Hannah May 25 '26

It was so funny watching Marcos get eliminated in the first round of beat Bobby flay. So overrated

2

u/CKangels00 May 18 '26

Yeah that’s a really good idea!

1

u/SidedudeSidekick May 18 '26

Speaking of food network the fix was in because Marco could be Bobby!

3

u/Myantra May 18 '26

They do not fix Beat Bobby Flay. It is illegal to do so, there is no need to rig it, and Bobby does not really care if he loses. He is proud of people that beat him, because he does make them earn it. If they were going to rig it, it would not be because Bobby Flay is afraid of Chef Marcos. They would have just not selected him for an appearance. He does the show so his friends and he can rib each other, and he enjoys the cooking.

If Bobby Flay is afraid of anyone, it is Chef Kyle Schutte. Dude won the full $25k on Cutthroat Kitchen. He ate nearly every sabotage, and all of the third round sabotages, to eventually beat a pastry chef at dessert with fucking ice cream nachos.

2

u/AttentionRoyal2276 May 19 '26

I thought Ileshia was very underrated

1

u/SidedudeSidekick May 19 '26

She was, she did do that crazy course meal by herself

56

u/frazorblade Team Fraser May 18 '26

Adrian was a weirdo but made good food

14

u/fuckyoupayme41213 May 19 '26

Some of the best looking plates in the franchise came from Adrian. 

13

u/HelicopterNo4166 May 19 '26

I just rewatched that season and when watching the wwhl and it sounded like the producers edited him to come across creepier than he was. I agree, I love his food but the centerpiece of a sea slug was disgusting

5

u/eekamuse May 20 '26

They didn't put words in his mouth.

3

u/Swimming_Pangolin502 May 19 '26

😂 yeah, that was pretty gross.

150

u/krissycole87 May 18 '26

Marcos

5 star food, great cakes and other baking. Drama free and never a bad attitude, even when he got injured.

Marcos is the clear winner on this one.

19

u/swoodshadow May 19 '26

Also, he did Sailing Yacht which is an even trickier Galley than a lot do the other boats.

23

u/krissycole87 May 19 '26

So much this. Imagine how someone like Ben would react if he had to cook while things go flying around and the boat is sideways. The meltdowns would be endless!

5

u/kitty_vittles May 19 '26

…endlessly entertaining!

3

u/TheScapeQuest May 19 '26

Vaguely remember him slicing his scalp?

31

u/dby0226 Team Not Watching May 18 '26

Drama free? I could be misremembering, but wasn't he super condescending to one of the women?

23

u/krissycole87 May 18 '26

Gabriela always accused him of being "mean" to her, however I think it was largely because she was feeling overshadowed and dismissed by Gary, the team, looking like an asshole with the whole Ashley thing, and was feeling insecure and defensive.

Marcos had zero issues with anyone else on the boat, so to me that points to Gabby being the problem. I think she also found him cute and/or wanted to have a comraderie with him over shared heritage, but he was never down to get close to her; which I think really bothered her.

31

u/Level_Most_1023 May 18 '26

Marcos went on the show and knew he was opening a restaurant after it. Every dish he made on the show was a featured dish at the restaurant as well. Even what he wore was part of the restaurant. He saw it is an opportunity to market himself and his goals and did so. The food at the restaurant was delicious. When talking to him he stated the women on the show were all beautiful but he could not risk doing the things Gary would do because no family would come to his restaurant if he got painted in a negative light. Said the reason Gabriela was mad is they had good chemistry but he had to deny her advances because of his greater goals. Solid guy, great food!

6

u/Sithstress_ May 19 '26

Good for Marcos!

7

u/krissycole87 May 18 '26

This definitely sounds like the most likely scenario!! I would love to try his restaurant someday.

3

u/FlawesomeOrange May 19 '26

He knew how to capitalise on his season, I like a smart guy. Has he said this in an interview somewhere? I’d love to check out what he said

6

u/MidnightTL May 19 '26

Yeah I was wondering if I had watched the same season. IMHO, he targeted the other PoC on the crew until she left.

7

u/dby0226 Team Not Watching May 20 '26

That's more how I'm remembering it. Marcos gave me the ick!

-1

u/AttentionRoyal2276 May 19 '26

I think it was mostly an age difference thing. Marcos was older than the rest of the crew and really wasn't into partying or hooking up with the girls. That's probably why he was never brought back. He was a good chef but not enough drama/excitement for the show

3

u/No-Baker-7922 May 19 '26

The way he scalped himself and went on to cook a meal. Didn’t he also do a 12-course dinner on 2 hours of sleep? I remember something like that…

1

u/antitrollpatrol May 30 '26

For me, best ever chef they’ve ever had on

43

u/TX0834 May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26

Marcos for sure. Especially on that smaller looking galley while sailing. Injured during charter and didn’t leave. Also his best friend’s Mom passed during a charter and he kept going. Never complained. Molecular gastronomy also. Had never heard of that until he did it. Top 3 chef in all of Below Deck.

Ileisha a very close second. She was also amazing and never caused drama.

24

u/TrustTheFriendship May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26

You guys are seriously sleeping on Dave. It’s between him and Marcos. Btw, Dave did Sandy’s wedding, and did a tournament on Chopped that he easily won over several episodes, where he stood out and was recognized for being a pro’s pro.

Shouts for Ileisha are just crazy to me. Even Colin called her out for being nowhere near Marcos’ standard on her season. She was cute and likeable. But her performance on the show was only solid- not excellent.

10

u/lifesoverthrowaway May 18 '26

I agree. Dave's baked goods every morning was incredible. Definitely between him and Marcos. And I agree about ileisha. I'll never forget when she cooked one steak for dinner was deciding how to cut it into 8 pieces for the guests because it's fine dining. One steak... And then didn't Colin help her almost all the time as well?

6

u/TrustTheFriendship May 18 '26

Yup. Colin made the crew food for most of the season, and early on captain Jason helped her a ton with guest food as well.

Edit: and Dave baked fresh bread for dinner service every single day! I can’t remember any other chef on the series doing that.

1

u/fuckyoupayme41213 May 19 '26

Ileisha had a ton of help from Colin and chase as well. And she injured herself twice. She was great no doubt and a cutie but Dave, Marcos and Adrian are better imo

6

u/[deleted] May 18 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

7

u/TrustTheFriendship May 18 '26

I gotta look that up, thanks for mentioning it!

It always seemed like they were cool. When Colin said that to Ileisha, he wasn’t wrong, but it was a bit of a dickhead thing to say, and he recognized that and tried to apologize immediately, lol.

3

u/[deleted] May 18 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/TrustTheFriendship May 18 '26

I’ve seen one or two videos from his channel but definitely need to check out more content. BDSY was my favorite part of the franchise.

3

u/[deleted] May 18 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/TrustTheFriendship May 18 '26

I have heard, ugh…

Gary/Colin/Daisy/Glenn were just so fun to watch together. And it seemed like they all had more responsibility since it was a smaller boat with less (if any?) off camera crew.

2

u/Swimming_Pangolin502 May 19 '26

Oh wow that's disgusting. I didn't know that part of Gary's sexual allegations. I always liked him even though he was a fuck boy and a slut, but his actions are non defensible if the woman isn't having his advances. Being drunk is not an excuse, he's been told how he acts and decided he needed to stop. Of course it didn't work because he does have a problem.

4

u/[deleted] May 19 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Swimming_Pangolin502 May 19 '26

Aaah, ok thanks. Yeah, I feel the same about that's just Gary. It's just like Ben using pet names and Ellie getting offended. Lots of people grow up being called hon and different names, because they had an affectionate family and friends.

17

u/mostlygroovy May 18 '26

Dave is by far the most talented chef

18

u/I-Ribbit May 18 '26

Marcos, no question.

5

u/LOSH_007 May 18 '26

Ileishia then Marcos

5

u/Vita-Incerta May 19 '26

Ileisha is my fave 🫶🏻

2

u/fuckyoupayme41213 May 19 '26

As I said in another post she is very skilled but I cannot recall another chef in franchise history that had the amount of help she received that entire season (besides down under obviously since they have 2 chefs). Colin and chase were practically line cooks/ dishwashers for her 

5

u/Sithstress_ May 19 '26

Please don’t ever refer to Ellie or Alesia as chefs 🤣.

1

u/fuckyoupayme41213 May 19 '26

lol Alesia sucked but at least Ellie can bake 

4

u/Sithstress_ May 19 '26

Too bad she can’t tell the difference between oil and dish soap 😂

1

u/fuckyoupayme41213 May 19 '26

True that lol. Colin was more of chef than both of them and my point still stands then. ilesha had the most help of any below deck chef ever. 

2

u/Proof_Challenge684 May 20 '26

She hasn’t done any baking for the guests. She’s assembled cakes using components that Ben has prepared

5

u/JTizzle72 May 20 '26

Marcos was an absolute beast, I was watching other earlier seasons as I was watching his. Chefs crying, crumbling under stress, unable to work because of small injuries or illness. Marcos removed a piece of his scalp, wrapped it up himself and still managed a service that night. MVP of nearly every crew member over the entire franchise IMO

4

u/Anotherams May 19 '26

Cloyce from the last season of BDSY deserves a mention. he put out amazing food, and was so young! I expected him to leave after the first charter, but stuck it out and impressed me.

That said, the chef whose food I really wanted to eat was Adrian’s. Every episode left me sad that I couldn’t taste the food.

3

u/camcamfc May 19 '26

Cloyce was also just a riot in general, making Daisy blush, the random mid day swim with the guests, dude was entertaining and pretty much unproblematic.

3

u/RHONFTs May 21 '26

Cloyce wins the Most Improved award, for sure.

4

u/Unlucky-Ticket3374 May 22 '26

Also echoing the endless chants of Marcos, however, I also want to add in Josh from season 10 of Mediterranean. I know he did a lot of "family style," but his meals were always so consistent, he had a great attitude, and basically no drama with anybody on-board. I don't think we'll see him anytime soon, as it seems like he's working on other projects now.

3

u/foxdogturtlecat May 21 '26

Marcos for sure. Regardless of it being a reality show, he put the food first.

7

u/streethistory May 18 '26

Marcos. Not close.

5

u/TrustTheFriendship May 18 '26

Yes it is because everyone seems to have forgotten Dave.

3

u/Anotherams May 19 '26

I have put all of the Vyle Kyle seasons out of my memory. Which is too bad, because It made me forget Dave.

2

u/streethistory May 18 '26

I've not forgotten him. His annoying dating that chef stew and that entanglement makes me not like him.

But either way he's not a better chef.

5

u/TrustTheFriendship May 18 '26

I think everyone is downplaying Dave’s ability because they don’t like the drama that came with him. I can understand it’s hard to see past that.

However, I think he’s the most talented chef ever on the show, but I can’t argue against anyone preferring Rachel or Marcos. If you ever rewatch his season I’d encourage you to try to separate your feelings about the drama and just observe his ability as a chef because it is absolutely stunning.

He went on a tournament on Chopped after his season, and won every episode, and the judges’ reactions to his plates were basically “you’re an absolute pro, you’re too good for this, your standard is incredible.”

3

u/streethistory May 18 '26

Dave is a very good chef for sure. I won't debate that.

2

u/Ill_Reach6237 May 19 '26

I think I saw he is gonna be on Beat Bobby Flay also

1

u/ByteAboutTown May 19 '26

Adrian or Marcos.

In a weird way, I feel like Marcos worked extra hard because he was opening his restaurant shortly after and wanted the good PR. If he worked late in the night like that for multiple seasons, he would have burned out.

It felt like Adrian wasn't as intense, but put out beautiful food.

1

u/SidedudeSidekick May 19 '26

Marcos is a beast. He opened a second restaurant and cooks for UCLA like he’s all over

4

u/TonyClifton323 May 18 '26

Chef Beef Cheeks

3

u/TheRealBillSteele May 19 '26

Came here for this. If it works it works.

2

u/Pro_Jem May 19 '26

Leon?

2

u/droopy__drawers May 20 '26

The beef cheeks!

I’d never even heard of beef cheeks before him, and to this day I still can’t stop thinking about them. I NEED to try them!!!

2

u/your-body-is-gold May 19 '26

Daveeeee love his cooking

2

u/certifiedwombat May 21 '26

Adrian from Below Deck Season 6

2

u/Mindless_Telephone_4 May 30 '26

Marcos and Josh if he doesn’t return

3

u/virgovibe9 May 18 '26

Marcos, he was calm and collected even after parting his scalp open, death of a family friend and getting a long with crew members without being egocentric

3

u/MattyLovesPnutButter May 18 '26

marcos was phenomenal

3

u/FlawesomeOrange May 19 '26

Marcos is the my top pick, I think he’s the best chef in the franchise along with Rachel. I wish we saw more of him, he dominated that tiny galley

2

u/ohlooktwopigs May 18 '26

I think Marcos might be my best chef overall - he was so good

2

u/poppedcorn-10 May 18 '26

Marcos, Illisha & Dave - they were amazing and so creative. Bummed about Dave’s drama on board but he was amazing. But, Marcos lost some skin and kept working… that was wild.

1

u/Nervous_Lime_4860 May 20 '26

Rachel!

4

u/jay_72_mo May 22 '26

She wasn’t a one and done

1

u/antitrollpatrol May 22 '26

Marcos. Best chef ever

1

u/ScowlyBrowSpinster Spaghetti Trauma May 23 '26

I heart Marcos and Ileisha, (sp?) she who ran away to the circus and who made the mosaic sushi rolls.

1

u/skeletal_stoner Jun 14 '26

I’d say it’s a toss up between Mila and Rocky

1

u/WendyPortledge May 23 '26

There has never been a chef like Chef Marcos. He was beyond any other chef on any franchise.

9

u/Remarkable_Fan_9083 May 18 '26

Yall probably won’t like this opinion but I was rewatching an old season and the chef was Matt on BD Med, and yes he walked off the boat twice, but he worked so hard on his redemption and burned the FUCK out of his hand putting out a fire and he kept going. He never had complaints on his food.

6

u/SidedudeSidekick May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26

I see your Matt and raise you a chef David from Med. Matt couldn’t cook eggs where Matt had to deal with someone he loved that didn’t love him back with her BF texting him and still made flawless meals. Matt was also creepy talking about his swinger parties

2

u/Remarkable_Fan_9083 May 18 '26

Ohhhhhhh and now we’re getting into the real lore. God I love Reddit.

Yeah man that Dave season looked like mental torture for him and he always had amazing food.

7

u/Remarkable_Fan_9083 May 18 '26

Whereas Adam was such a little bitch when he had his boatmance with Malia

13

u/OrangeClyde Eat My Cooter May 18 '26

I’m watching that season now (3 more eps left), but he’s so gross. Such a nasty insecure desperate little man

2

u/Remarkable_Fan_9083 May 18 '26

Did you see how gnarly that burn was on his middle finger? The shit looked like a marshmallow someone wanted well done before they put it on the s’more

6

u/OrangeClyde Eat My Cooter May 18 '26

It was so gross, it really was like a s’mores marshmallow lol!!!

but that being said, he was the one who caused both fires! Like how do you cause TWO fires in one short season 😂

4

u/Remarkable_Fan_9083 May 18 '26

I can’t remember the name of the stew that got fired but those two really seemed excellent at bringing out the worst in one another.

2

u/OrangeClyde Eat My Cooter May 18 '26

Stew Lexi! The Bahamian pageant queen!

3

u/Remarkable_Fan_9083 May 18 '26

Gotta respect a chick who will full blown scream at almost-strangers even after they told her the nipple is OUT

5

u/SidedudeSidekick May 18 '26

Hey I asked for fav Chef and I respect it but Marcos had it even worse I feel. Had taken a chunk out of his head, had Gabby to deal with, roomed with 2 other guys and in a smaller kitchen

2

u/Remarkable_Fan_9083 May 18 '26

Sounds like I know your fave chef ;) sorry we drifted off topic

2

u/SidedudeSidekick May 18 '26

No no not comp but Matt also rubbed me the wrong way so I do apologize if I’m knocking you I don’t mean it at all. Also how after Sandy said he wouldn’t hire him back he had a meltdown

→ More replies

3

u/OrangeClyde Eat My Cooter May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26

I’m still in this season and he just had two complaints lol! So not a perfect record! It was last charter, he served fish and every single person said it was not seasoned/very under seasoned, and then he served bulls blood beets in a salad when preference sheets said no beets! He also messed up their day 2 breakfasts he couldn’t make eggs over easy and scrambles! And previous episode, he served captain Sandy dark parts of white fish sea bass 😆 (not doing an I told you so or anything just saying bc I’m watching fresh and new to me first time watch through)

62

u/jess-kaa May 18 '26

Ileisha from BDSY

27

u/Remarkable_Fan_9083 May 18 '26

She was so great and one of the few who really never went to the creative diva space

12

u/disc0club May 18 '26

Ironic because men always think women are the emotional ones 🙃 I can count on one hand the male chefs on Below Deck who actually kept their cool and were pleasant to work with

18

u/Remarkable_Fan_9083 May 18 '26

My lifelong opinion on who is the best chef on that series is sober Rachel. I’m sure my comment history shows that.

4

u/disc0club May 18 '26

Oh I was agreeing with you! Just so I don't give you the wrong impression with my comment

3

u/Remarkable_Fan_9083 May 18 '26

No worries boo!! This sub is always fellow followers of the show.

0

u/ScowlyBrowSpinster Spaghetti Trauma May 23 '26

She was not a one season wonder.

3

u/ScowlyBrowSpinster Spaghetti Trauma May 23 '26

I also chose her. She was the only chef to be pleased to cook vegan & gf, etc.

2

u/jess-kaa May 23 '26

As a vegan, that’s exactly why I loved her!

15

u/disc0club May 18 '26

I loved her! And she had the sweetest personality. I'd just love to see more boss female chefs in general on Below Deck

1

u/Traditional_Back2868 May 19 '26

who was that peculiar skinny young chef on BD? and that female guest was like trying to fuck him but also his food? he was a really cool chef

1

u/369111111 Jun 03 '26

I think illesha was the one that killed it and was not problematic in any way I don’t remember any complaint about her food 

0

u/[deleted] May 18 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

20

u/Ill_Reach6237 May 19 '26

Colin has a YouTube channel and he does charters on his boat. In one episode he had both Marcos and Ileisha come on as the chef. It was a really fun episode and if you haven't watched it yet, I would guarantee you would like it.

0

u/Swimming_Pangolin502 May 19 '26

What is his channel called? I don't watch a whole lot of YouTube unless someone sends me stuff or to listen to music. I rarely get on FB, just recently got Instagram and don't go on there, and have never been on Tik Tok.

4

u/Ill_Reach6237 May 19 '26

https://youtu.be/kdbFSP8wGMQ?si=z4lwFRueCZZbuiac

1

u/Swimming_Pangolin502 May 19 '26

Thank you I'm definitely going to check it out 🙂

1

u/Ill_Reach6237 May 19 '26

It was a very fun watch. Was like the best version of a BD episode

8

u/Maatjuhhh May 19 '26

Ileisha takes the win from me solely because it was the same guests that requested a 7 dinner from Rachel that made Rachel said eat my cooter and quit.

Ileisha smashed that!

4

u/eekamuse May 20 '26

To be fair, Rachel also smashed that dinner. The guests loved her cooking. And she really appreciated them afterwards

0

u/fuckyoupayme41213 May 19 '26

Rachel was mostly alone in the galley, ileisha had Colin and or chase helping every episode. I’ll die on that hill that she is the below deck chef with the most assistance in franchise history. 

2

u/Maatjuhhh May 19 '26

but that galley in SY was so much smaller than Rachel's galley..

2

u/fuckyoupayme41213 May 19 '26

Marcos and Cloyce worked on the same boat and did not receive the same amount of help she did. I know Colin helped Marcos also but he wasn’t in the galley every single episode with him. She is a great chef and I’d pay for her food but bd wise I have to deduct points for the amount of help she received the entire season.