Below Deck Down Under’s Captain Jason Chambers knows how to run a tight ship, which is precisely why he enlisted the help of Below Deck OG Ben Robinson to head the galley on Season 4. However, it turns out that said hiring was a pretty last-minute decision.
In Chef Ben’s first confessional on the Below Deck Down Under Season 4 premiere — set to air Monday, Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. ET/PT n Bravo and stream next-day on Peacock — he explains that just one week before the first charter, he ran into Jason and took him out to lunch at the Outback Steakhouse … “because he’s Australian.”
As luck would have it, the timing was perfect, as Jason explains: “My chef just dropped out just before the season, and Ben was the first solution that came to mind.”
The meetup was also serendipitous for Ben, who tells producers, “He needed a chef, and I needed an escape, and I thought, ‘Why not?’ In essence, we saved each other.”
Returning to the yacht life, Ben hopes for a perfect “distraction” from life on back on land.
To sum up the upcoming season in three words, “I’M BACK BABY,” as Ben’s official bio puts it.
Related: Ben Robinson Reveals How Kate Chastain and Daisy Kelliher Differ as Chief Stews
What Chef Ben Robinson has been up to since he last appeared on Below Deck
Ben’s last stint on the Below Deck franchise came during Season 4 of Below Deck Mediterranean, though he hasn’t rested on his laurels. “I’m really enjoying my freedom these days because I have a successful catering company,” he says in the above Below Deck Down Under preview. “However, my personal life has not been quite as successful.”
For instance, Ben is no longer engaged to his now-ex-fiancée, Kiara Cabral.
“This might come as a shock to everyone, but I am actually single,” the award-winning British chef continues. “Fairly recently, I broke up with my fiancée, having spent $50,000 on a wedding I didn’t attend.”
“It’s odd when your future’s been solidified, for it all to vanish into this air. [But] Yachting was a big part of my formative life. It’s actually nice to come back to it,” he concludes.
Related: Ben Robinson Addresses *Those* Kate Chastain Baby-Daddy Rumors
What to expect from Chef Ben on Below Deck Down Under Season 4
Ben’s fellow department heads aboard the Katina include Chief Stew Daisy Kelliher and Second Officer João Franco.
“As tension between Daisy and Chef Ben heats up, João’s growing feelings for Daisy and loyalty to Chef Ben collide, threatening to sink João and Chef Ben’s seven-year-long friendship,” the Season 4 announcement teased. “With veteran heads of departments clashing and chaos mounting, Capt. Jason realizes that more experience also means bigger egos, proving that even the pros can go overboard.”
In the kitchen, Chef Ben will be getting help from Sous Chef Alesia Harris. However, the announcement continued in-part: “In his grand return to the galley, Chef Ben demands perfection. When Sous Chef Alesia doubts her ability to meet Chef Ben’s relentless standards, she questions her future onboard and reaches her boiling point.”
Learn more about Chef Ben’s personal life ahead of Below Deck Down Under Season 4.
