Below Deck Down Under kicked off Season 4 with one of the largest tips in franchise history. The yachties’ good fortune did not continue when the second charter group’s gratuity amount was revealed, however.
During Episode 5’s tip meeting, Captain Jason Chambers announced that the guests had left an overall tip of $20,000 (amounting to $1,500 per crew member), along with some negative feedback on their comment cards (more on that below). Post-charter, several of the cast members shared their reactions to the disappointing outcome on the Below Deck Down Under After Show.
“It’s quite sad for it to be our second one, after doing so well the first one,” Second Officer João Franco remarked, referring to The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast’s tip of $35,000, which had put a whopping $2,900 in each of their pockets.
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“It’s a good way for us to realize right at the beginning what to change to make things better, so that’s the positive side,” João added. “The negative side is 20 grand and a f–kin’ bad name.”
Chef Ben Robinson, for his part, similarly searched for a silver lining amid the lower-than-expected-tip situation.
“There was a balance,” he pointed out. “The first charter was such a great tip, it sort of balanced out the bad tip, you know, of the second charter. So, I just thought, whatever, you know? You win some, you lose some, and sometimes we break even. And that’s kind of how I sort of justify that one.”
After Jenna Woudberg commented that they were all “still getting to know each other” and had a new crew member (Elena “Ellie” Dubaich) on board, fellow stew Alesia Harris added, “We’re very rough around the edges at this point.”
Deckhand Eddy Hounsell, meanwhile, refused to believe that they were “losing 15 grand,” because one guest “didn’t have a bathing suit for 40 minutes.” He vented, “F–k that.”
Chef Ben Robinson reacts to Captain Jason’s criticism
One of the guests’ primary complaints related to the Chef Ben’s lack of speed in the galley. As Captain Jason informed the cast during the March 2 episode’s tip meeting, “The service was way too long. Ben’s gotta get his systems right there, because I’m really aiming for a hell of a lot more. We can do better.”
On the After Show, Ben explained, “Systems is an interesting word to use. I mean, are we talking about hardware or software?”
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Meanwhile, he once again found a bright spot while shaking off the negative comments.
“I always find solace in the fact that whoever’s telling me what to do, couldn’t do my job with 10 people,” Ben continued. “And by the way, I can drive a boat. I didn’t tell Jason that, but I can drive a boat. I could be making steaks, flipping them, driving the boat, coming back, re-flipping them. And everyone would be like, ‘What a great captain!’ Well, actually, he’s a chef, but, you know, whatever. Not trying to toot my own horn.”
What went wrong during the second charter of Below Deck Down Under Season 4
Upon the charter guests’ departure, Captain Jason read through the mixed reviews they’d left on their newly instituted comment cards. Some gave five stars for service and hospitality, noting that the staff was “exceptional.”
However, there were also several three-star reviews for “overall experience,” with some guests calling out the “speed on dining service,” as well as the fact that the crew “almost lost” one member of their party during a snorkeling excursion.
“We all knew going into this charter that they were going to be demanding, and the reviews do speak volumes,” Jason said at the tip meeting.
“Being late for the arrival wasn’t a very good start,” he added, singling out João for the snorkeling incident. “We spoke about that, but there’s no excuse. That problem could’ve been worse. It’s safety first, really.”
Captain Jason concluded the meeting by saying that he wanted to see the tip amounts increase, “because it’s a reflection towards how we’re performing.”
In the meantime, don’t miss Captain Jason’s unfiltered reaction to his crew’s first error on Season 4’s second charter.
