Below Deck Down Under‘s newest yachtie, Elena “Ellie” Dubaich, has officially arrived to turn up the heat in Chef Ben Robinson’s galley.
Though Captain Jason Chambers hired Ellie — who previously made a splash as a stew on Below Deck Mediterranean Seasons 7 and 9 — to replace Joe Caron on M/Y Katina‘s interior team, there was a last-minute change of plans. Amid some “personality problems” with Ben, as Jason described them, the captain transferred sous chef Alesia Harris to a stew position, while Ellie agreed to take on the role of galley hand, during Season 4, Episode 3.
“I found out at the airport I was gonna work in the galley,” Ellie revealed on the Below Deck Down Under After Show. “I was waiting for my connecting flight when I got the call from Captain Jason.”
Despite some initial hesitations, she was game to take on the new challenge.
RELATED: How Captain Jason Really Felt About Joe Quitting Before the First Charter (EXCLUSIVE)
“I can barely fry an egg. Like, I am the worst person to be ever taking on this job,” Ellie admitted. “But I already promised Captain Jason I was coming to help out. But I knew that everything happens for a reason, and I just had faith I was gonna do my best.”
Meanwhile, she came “prepared” with pretty much everything except an apron in her suitcase.
“I always travel with a costume,” Ellie added on the After Show. “This charter season, once again, I’ve got about, I think, like, eight bags of lingerie. I’m always prepared for a good time, with costumes, lingerie, toys, ring lights, you name it. I’m good to go.”
As the newbie gets her sea legs, here’s everything else to know about Ellie.
Elena “Ellie” Dubaich official bio for Below Deck Down Under Season 4
Hometown: Škofja Loka, Slovenia
Birth date: July 5
Zodiac sign: Cancer
Years of experience in the yachting industry: 8
Favorite off-boat activities: “Weightlifting and gaining back the muscle mass I normally lose during a charter season.”
Special skills: “I’m a massage therapist, personal trainer, and yoga instructor. I love teaching guided meditations (Yoga Nidra).”
What is your wildest charter guest story from your career? “I was invited by the yacht owner to go on my first helicopter ride overlooking the British Virgin Islands. I felt incredibly blessed in that moment.”
Favorite place you’ve been on charter/place you traveled? “The coolest place I’ve been to on a yacht was Cuba. Greenland, Patagonia, and the Amazon River have also really stood out to me. As far as my own travels, I’ve really enjoyed Taiwan.”
What’s one thing about working and living on a boat that would surprise people? “How hard it is to stop yachting and get used to “regular life.” It’s an addictive lifestyle as there’s few things to worry about — accommodation, food, laundry — as it’s all taken care of. Leaving that behind and coming back to regular life is a very hard transition for most of us.”
Ellie Dubaich revisited her time on Below Deck Med Season 9 amid a major new career update
When Ellie arrived in Canouan, she highlighted her personal growth after Below Deck Med Season 9.
“I am so excited to be on Katina,” she remarked in a confessional from Below Deck Down Under‘s Feb. 16 episode. “Last charter season was extremely dramatic for me. I took some time to reflect, and a lot of it was me getting a bit too emotional, which I need to be mindful of.”
Indeed, various clips rolled showing Ellie pulling rank as “second stew,” leading to major conflicts with fellow yachtie Bri Muller. (She butted heads with chief stew, Aesha Scott during Season 9, too.) Compounding their workplace drama on Mustique, Ellie and Bri also ended up caught in a messy love triangle with Joe Bradley.
After filming wrapped, Ellie announced in a July 2025 Instagram post that she was preparing to start culinary school in September. By December 2025, she revealed that she had completed her intensive “advanced program” at the UK’s Ashburton Cookery School.
RELATED: Go Inside Elena Dubaich’s “Fabulous” Life After Below Deck Med: “Going to the Top”
“I DID IT, I’m officially a CHEF!!!” Ellie captioned her carousel of IG photos, in part. “I started this year not knowing anything about cooking, took a leap of faith and went into the most advanced and intensive school I could find and managed to pull it off. … I now have a diploma in level 4 advanced culinary arts and I CANNOT BELIEVE IT.”
Get even more details on Ellie’s life since she last appeared on Bravo.
