Captain Jason Chambers Is Sailing Into Drama In ‘Below Deck Down Under’ Season 3: “I Had To Manage Everybody Across The Board”

Below Deck Down Under Season 3 has barely set sail, and it’s already delivering boatloads of drama. Captain Jason Chambers is back at the helm, but by his side is a new Chief Stew, Lara Rigby, who is stepping in for franchise veteran Aesha Scott. Luckily, Chambers is also joined by a few familiar faces in Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph and Deckhand Harry Van Vliet, both retuning from successful stints in Season 2. The yachties are aboard the 60-meter super yacht Katina (the largest vessel in the franchise’s history) in the beautiful Seychelles islands in East Africa.

“The Seychelles are a bucket list location for me,” said Chambers. “The islands are very remote and ideal for underwater activities.” One of the most appealing aspects of Below Deck Down Under is that it feels like a “travel show,” transporting its audience to exotic locations that they can enjoy vicariously without ever leaving the comfort of their home. For viewers not interested in the scenery, plenty of on-deck intrigue will keep them invested.

In the season premiere, its revealed that Rigby and Mace-Ralph worked together on a previous vessel. Chambers was under the assumption that it was a largely positive experience and thought the pairing “was going to be fantastic.” “It’s going to be one big happy family,” Chambers remembered thinking. “Wasn’t how it turned out though,” He added sadly. Mace-Ralph also failed to gel with her sous-chef Anthony Bird. “I could feel the tension in the galley,” said Chambers. “It didn’t take long to see those two were not going to get on.”

However, many of the crew members did get along. So well in fact that Chambers dubbed the Katina the “Love Boat” at one point during the season. “It’s actually nice to have the crew connect [and] relationships form. It’s real,” said Chambers. Chambers went so far as to say he’s “glad” when boatmances pop up, despite the heartbreak they can sometimes bring. “I’d rather the ‘Love Boat’ than the ‘Tough Boat,’” said Chambers bluntly.


Chambers stopped by the DECIDER studio to chat about the new season, his new yachties, and why the Katina’s elevator was this season’s “Achilles heel.”

DECIDER: Below Deck Down Under is in the Seychelles for Season 3. What makes this location so special for a charter season?

CAPTAIN JASON CHAMBERS: The Seychelles are a bucket list location for me personally. They’re spectacular. The islands are very remote and ideal for underwater activities. I like the fact that there is still a portion of this show that allows the audience to feel like it’s a travel show. And it was a no brainer for guests to sign up, too. Like, “where are you going?” “To the Seychelles.” Let’s go.

The Katina is a super yacht unlike any ever seen on the Below Deck franchise and a major upgrade from last season’s Northern Sun. What was the biggest challenge driving this vessel?

We had a very difficult vessel in Season 2. It was very old. The Katina has its difficulties as well, but it has so much interior space thatwhatever the weather conditions,we could still entertain the guests. That was important because we had rain and hail as well as shine on Season 3. However, going indoors actually put more work on the interior team, and you’ll see that come out over the season. You’ll see the drama unfold, and you’ll see a few cracks starting.

I was shocked to see an elevator in the interior, and already we’ve seen Lara have an issue with it. Was the elevator a help or a hinderance this season?

I’ve been fortunate to work on some large boats over my 25 years, and I’ve dealt with elevators before. They can be a problem [laughs]. In this case though, I remember talking to Lara about the use of the elevator and the stairs. I thought the stairs might be a hindrance and that the elevator might be our savior. It turned out to be our Achilles heel.

Obviously, this is your first character season without Aesha Scott by your side. What was that like and how did Lara compare?

Aesha and I had a wonderful two seasons together. She was such a support to me. She came up as a chief stewardess on Below Deck Down Under. She didn’t really have much experience at the beginning of our working together, but she made up for that with her vibrance. Sometimes, someone who is outgoing is a better stewardess or a better yachtie to work with.

Lara comes in with a hell of a lot of experience, which also comes with expectations. She really wants to deliver the best experience for the guests. I can’t say no to that. That’s exactly what I want. However, you don’t always get what you want. She had some hurdles to overcome.

Were you shocked to see Lara break down over breakfast service at the end of the season premiere?

I finally noticed the signs that she was struggling a lot later in the season. At first, I didn’t expect to see her so upset. That was pretty much day one of the charter season. Later, I was like, “wow, I missed that. ”There’s a build up that I’m actually getting to see with you because I was completely unaware of it during the season. That’s the best thing about the show. I don’t really see a lot of the drama until you all see it every Monday. So, I’m tuning in and I’m looking for what I missed.

Back this season is Chef Tzarina! What makes her such a great asset in the galley?

It’s always nice to work with someone as talented as Czarina again. She knows what to expect from the guests, and she can prepare for that. Last season, I really had to lift her up a hell of a lot and push her through barriers. It was very much like what Lara confronts this year. Tzarina’s ready to go this season. She’s got it all, and she’s got a sous chef.

Given what we’ve seen so far, it seems like there are rough waters ahead for Chef Tzarina and her sous chef Anthony. When did you realize that they would have trouble working together?

I could see it during that first charter . I could feel the tension in the galley. I’m in the galley a lot. It’s my place to help out. I could see there was a negative energy. It wasn’t a very happy place to be. It didn’t take long to see that those two were not going to get on, but they had to make it work. That’s a story still to be told.

Now, were you aware of Tzarina and Lara’s past working history?

Not before the charter season. When I heard them say that they used to work together on board, I thought: “Great, this is going to be fantastic. They know each other; they can support each other. It’s going to be one big happy family.” Wasn’t how it turned out though [laughs].

Uh oh. What did you think of Lara’s analogy in which she compares herself to “Barbie” and Tzarina to “Weird Barbie.” Have you seen the Barbie movie?

[Laughs] I have seen the Barbie movie with my daughter. Look, to be quite honest, I think Tzarina would be quite okay with being compared to “Weird Barbie.” She’d love it, in fact. Lara saying that just proves that they were never going to be two peas in a pod.

I was so, so happy to see Harry back as a deckhand. What do you think his biggest challenge was this season?

Harry did some certification, so he’s actually picked himself up. He probably came into this season wanting to be a strong leader with a strong deck team. So, he’s going to have a lot of bravado to deal with before he gets to where he wants to be.

On first impression, Wihan seems like a very competent bosun! What are his greatest strengths and weakness?

I think you’ll find my relationship with Wihan was very good. He had some learning to do when it comes to communication on the radio, but he was really trying to put his best foot forward. We had great communication in the bridge. I had good support there.

It’s clear there is unrest between the heads of departments this season. Who was the most difficult to manage out of Lara, Tzarina and Wihan and why?

To be quite honest, I had to manage everybody across the board this season. There’s a story with everyone, but I saw a lot of growth within the team. It’s hard to pinpoint. I had to spend some time with all of them to encourage them toget through the trip as a team. The audience is going to see 3 or 4 crew members really come out their shells this season, and there might be 3 or 4 other crew members who really don’t.

That’s a good tease! On WWHL, Tzarina said this season is “Love Island on a boat.” Would you agree or disagree? Why?

I think I said something like that too in the crew mess at some point [laughs]. I remember walking past and thinking that there was a little bit too much PDA going on. I tagged it as the “Love Boat.” We didn’t have many boatmances in Seasons 1 and 2. It’s actually nice to have the crew connect. It’s real. In yachting, we do meet partners at work, and we do hook up. Relationships tend to form. I’m glad they do, actually. I’d rather the “Love Boat” than the “Tough Boat,” you know?

Also on WWHL, you gifted Andy Cohen with a kimono and a bottle of cologne from your very own line, the Captain’s Lounge. Can you tell us about these two ventures?

I’ve always loved a kimono. It’s what I wear around at night, as you might have seen on the show. So, I thought why not bring Andy into the captain’s lounge [laughs]. He’s invited! He’s a VIP member. As for the fragrance, I usually wear a mix of essential oils, and I wanted to create that scent for others. I worked with someone in Bali to develop the fragrance, and now it’s being made in Australia. I work with Classroom Of Hope, and I’d like a portion of the money to go to a project for the foundation. Hopefully, in a year or so, there will be adequate funds to allow us to do something great. The community we build will have a voice in the project and will be able to follow our story and see the good we all do together. I’m hopeful to have it all up and running soon.

I’m sure fans can’t wait! Lastly, what can you tease about the rest of the season?

Well, we’ve already talked about the “Love Boat,” but I will say that there are too many cooks in the kitchen which doesn’t always work. So, let’s see how that unfolds.