Below Deck Down Under Has Made A Major Crew Change, And I Hope The Franchise's Other Shows Take Note

When Below Deck Down Under’s second season ended, fans weren’t sure if they would see Captain Jason Chambers again. That was due to the sophomore season being marked by sexual misconduct/assault allegations regarding various crew members. Ultimately, Bravo chose not to hold the unfortunate season against the fan-favorite Captain Jason Chambers — who was not involved in the allegations. What is changing, though, is that as Season 3 hits the 2025 TV schedule, a major crew member is being added.

For the first time in Below Deck franchise history, a sous chef has been added to help aid the consistently overworked chef. This is definitely a massive milestone, and I hope the other shows take note.

Who Is Below Deck Down Under's First Sous Chef?

The crew sizes always differ from season to season and show to show in the Below Deck franchise. So its amazing that after 12 years on the air, a sous chef has finally been added to the ranks of the culinary team. Anthony Bird was introduced in the first episode of Below Deck Down Under Season 3 alongside the rest of the new crew, including the returning Head Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph and deckhand Harry Van Vliet.

As much as fans have begged for a sous chef to be added to help alleviate the workload for the underpaid crew members, Head Chef Mace-Ralph seemed more apprehensive towards the idea. Upon first meeting Bird, the two got off to a rocky start, which, honestly, was to be expected, given the kind of drama that accompanies a reality TV show like this.

Bird asserted that his skills would be enough to assist during guest meals and that he could work as a team alongside Mace-Ralph. The latter had other plans, though. Not wanting to compromise her name or the guest experience, Mace-Ralph regulated Bird to hand the crew meals and dishwashing duties, which frustrated the young sous chef.

This is only the season premiere, so it’s understandable that both talented chefs are butting heads. I have high hopes that they’ll figure it out and realize that they are there to help each other instead of competing against one another. And, should they eventually mesh, they can set a standard for other spinoffs.

Why I Hope The Other Shows In The Below Deck Franchise Follow Suit

There are a few reasons why other BD shows should consider a sous chef. First off, for years now, fans of the franchise (like myself) have been vocal about the lack of help the chefs on board the super yachts receive. Not only are they responsible for cooking up gourmet, multi-course meals for difficult guests with varying palates and preferences every day, but they’re also tasked with feeding the crew and keeping the kitchen in a clean and organized state. There have also been instances in which the Head Chef has been woken up during their allotted breaks and rest times to make additional meals for demanding guests.

It’s a lot of responsibility for one crew member to bear. Occasionally, members of the interior team will step in to help but, without culinary experience, that sometimes leads to more stress. And, in some instances, it causes more drama that can even end with the chef being fired — which happened on Season 11 of Below Deck.

With an additional kitchen team member, the two chefs could split responsibilities, allowing them to get more work done and even have some much-needed downtime. It would also help aid the nonsensical drama that sometimes occurs between the chef and interior team since they wouldn’t former wouldn’t need to rely on their help so much.

And, of course, it also adds potential for more drama, as fans saw with the premiere episode of Down Under. Not only will there be tension between the two chefs, but it also adds an additional person to get swept up in boat romances and other drama. Nevertheless, the addition of a sous chef could be invaluable for the points mentioned above, and one can only hope that this becomes commonplace within this franchise.

You can catch new episodes of Below Deck Down Under on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo or by streaming them with an active Peacock subscription the next day.