Captain Jason Chambers continued to prove that he runs a tight ship when he demoted Jenna Woudberg from her second stew position on Below Deck Down Under Season 4.
Some off-charter drama surrounding Jenna’s love triangle with Chef Ben Robinson and Eddy Hounsell was ultimately what landed her in hot water during Episode 16. As Daisy Kelliher recapped for Captain Jason, “It was wild. … [Jenna] was climbing over furniture, slamming doors, screaming at Eddy. I f–kin’ told Jenna, I said, ‘Stay away from him. Just stay away from him.’ She couldn’t help herself. She played the two of them against each other and ruined everyone’s night. Like, every single person was involved in it.”
The morning after the intense incident, Eddy had also walked in on Jenna and Ben under the covers in the M/Y Katina chef’s bed, prompting the deckhand to seriously consider quitting his job on the vessel.
RELATED: Chef Ben Robinson & Jenna Shed New Light on Late-Night Meeting in Bed (EXCLUSIVE)
Afterward, Jason declared in a confessional, “I can’t believe what I’m hearing from Daisy right now. Jenna has been a solid second stewardess, very professional. And what I’m hearing is… Well, it’s leaving me in shock. If Eddy left, we’re left with only two crew members on deck. And I cannot run the vessel with two deck crew. One night of drunken petty drama. This could threaten the season.”
A bit later, he added, “I’m at my wits’ end. And although I’m upset at the whole team, Jenna’s behavior last night put her at the epicenter of my decision I have to make. Taking a stripe away from Jenna, it’s a wake-up call.”
Captain Jason Chambers explained his decision to demote Jenna Woudberg
Having taken some time to think on the situation, Captain Jason eventually informed Daisy of how he’d decided to address Jenna’s behavior.
“I’ve got a second stewardess that created a s–t storm,” he explained to the chief stew. “Jumping on couches, slamming doors, that’s not second stewardess behavior. That’s immaturity on her end. I know this happened off charter, but when it starts to affect the crew, I have to step in. … I just want this lesson to be learned for her.”
That’s when he asked Daisy to bring Jenna to the bridge, so he could reveal her fate directly.
RELATED: Captain Jason Makes a Damning Statement on Two Crew Members: “I’ll Make Changes”
“I don’t like getting involved too much in personal stuff, but the last 24 hours I’ve had two people come to me with concerns,” Captain Jason told Jenna. “We nearly lost Eddy. That’s a concern. It’s starting to affect my team. I’m not penalizing you. I want you to learn. I’m gonna take away your role as second stewardess.”
On the Below Deck Down Under After Show, Captain Jason further unpacked his decision, adding, “It’s not so much what Jenna did; it’s what actually unfolded as a crew.”
He elaborated, “I just knew that sounding her out was also an opportunity for other people to start feeling some empathy for this crew. … I see some good value in Jenna being a good stewardess in the future, and she’s been very loyal to Daisy. And I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think there’s an opportunity for her to come back and learn.”
How Jenna Woudberg reacted to Captain Jason demoting her on Below Deck Down Under
When Captain Jason broke the news during the May 18 episode, Jenna responded by saying, “I have to take responsibility.”Â
After leaving the bridge, she broke down into tears during a chat with fellow stew Alesia Harris. “This is really not how I wanted to end this season,” Jenna lamented to Alesia.
Daisy, meanwhile, also checked in on Jenna, who told the chief stew, “There’s nothing I can do about it, really, except take it.” Daisy, meanwhile, brought up that she was free “to hang out with Ben” if she wanted to, but Jenna replied, “No, I’m over all that s–t. I just want to do my f–king job right now.”
On the After Show, Jenna admitted, “I f–ked up so bad for everyone to see,” even referring to her own behavior as having been “despicable.”Â
“If any captain was awake while I was shouting and screaming, he could tell me, ‘Walk off the boat,'” she added. “If Jason saw my actions, I think he could have fired me.”
Finally, Jenna concluded, “I should never make somebody feel so uncomfortable that they want to leave a boat. That’s why I got demoted.”
As the remainder of the charter season plays out, find out why Captain Jason recently fired another crew member on Below Deck Down Under Season 4.
