When chief stew Daisy Kelliher and second officer João Franco approached chef Ben Robinson about his recent behavior on board M/Y Katina (including drama over baking cookies for guests), Ben ultimately stormed off. However, he revealed more about why he felt triggered by João and Daisy during Below Deck Down Under Season 4, Episode 14.
“I’ve basically been betrayed by f—king every person in my f—king life,” he vented to producers during the May 4 episode. “All my friends. All my girlfriends. My ex-fiancée. It’s hard. I have trust issues.”
He continued, “I feel like I attract that though. I think I attract people that betray me.”
Ben was of course reflecting on his breakup with fiancée, Kiara Cabral, which according to him, ended with infidelity just before filming for Below Deck Down Under Season 4 began. He revealed during the Feb. 16 episode: “I caught her—she had been seeing one of my friends for a very long time.”
After walking away from Daisy and João in the May 4 episode, Ben admitted he felt they’d been unfaithful to him as friends and fellow heads of department. “I was quite taken aback by the animosity towards me,” he confessed, and later added, “I feel like a sucker. They are building [in] unison against me.”
Ben Robinson, Daisy Kelliher, and João Franco unpack Ben’s feelings of betrayal
Ben’s been open throughout Below Deck Down Under Season 4 about why he was “really sensitive” upon his return to the Below Deck world.
“I’m more sensitive because everyone’s just f—king let me down, that’s why,” he confessed to producers during the Feb. 16 episode. “I lack faith in humanity. That’s it—yeah. F—k.”
But Daisy argued during the May 4 episode that she wasn’t personally attacking Ben. “I can call you out, and still want the best for you,” she told producers. “Ben is a great chef, but we can always do better. And it’s my job to demand excellence in all areas, including the galley.”
RELATED: Captain Jason Shares Rare Insight Into Behind-the-Scenes Crew Drama (EXCLUSIVE)
As Ben and João talked again during the crew night out, João explained to him, “You don’t understand where everyone else is coming from.”
When Ben asked, “Why wouldn’t you take my side?” João argued that he had, and tried to give Ben advice: “Stop thinking everyone’s against you. Take my word, I’m not against you.”
Ben later apologized to Daisy for being “defensive,” and Daisy reassured him, “I always have your back.”
Ben Robinson explains why Jenna Woudberg and João Franco’s hot tub talk “baffled” him
João found himself in hot water with Ben, literally, for a second time during the May 4 episode, after Daisy exited the hot tub, leaving João and stew Jenna Woudberg behind to chat alone. Ben grew angry when he saw them together on CCTV in the crew mess, and even approached them by the hot tub.
In case you need a refresher, the chef and stew had found themselves flirting all charter season, with Ben calling Jenna a “breath of fresh air” on the Below Deck Down Under After Show. Ben even admitted that Jenna was helping him get his “mojo” back post-breakup.
During the May 4 episode, Ben conceded his sensitivities were affecting him again. “I’m absolutely baffled by relationships right now. I’ve learned people generally will let you down,” he confessed to producers. “Jenna’s meant to like me, and João’s meant to be my friend. I’m bloody confused by it.”
RELATED: Chef Ben Robinson & Jenna Shed New Light on Late-Night Meeting in Bed (EXCLUSIVE)
Later, João asked him, “Were you upset when you saw myself and Jenna chilling in the jacuzzi?” Ben tried to brush it off, replying, “It’s okay. Dude, she’s an attractive woman.” But João let him know he “misjudged” the situation. “Most of the conversation we had, we sat there talking about you,” João pointed out. “I think she likes you.”
While he was happy to hear the news, Ben admitted he was going to proceed with caution. “I just—I need to be very careful about who I f—king spend time with,” he told João. “Like, the next girl I choose I would like to have a family with. I already f—ked it up. I wasted five years of my f—king life.”
Get all the details on who Ben is dating now as he spills the tea on his new “better half.”
