New galley hand Elena “Ellie” Dubaich caused quite a stir as she began her first charter aboard M/Y Katina in Canouan during Below Deck Down Under Season 4, Episode 4, with deckhand Eddy Hounsell even joking that “a bombshell” had entered the yacht. But Ellie revealed during the Below Deck Down Under After Show that she had eyes for one yachtie only: second officer João Franco.
“I’m looking at João, I’m thinking, ‘This is my type to a T,’” she shared. “Like, if I was to show you pictures of guys I’ve dated, like they all kind of look like João. Like, they all look the same. I don’t know why! That’s just how it is.”
João admitted he also had a good first impression of Ellie after meeting her in the galley, although he remained mum on whether he had a romantic attraction. “The first time I spoke to her, she was very responsive,” he told After Show producers. “You could see that she brought energy. Genuinely, she brought a lot of good energy. So, it seemed great.”
Ellie Dubaich reveals why she didn’t pursue Ben Robinson after flirty DMs
All the crew also had their eyes on another possible boatmance between Ellie and head chef Ben Robinson during the Feb. 23 episode, after Ben revealed that he’d reached out to Ellie for a date before she was hired by Captain Jason Chambers to join Katina.
Ellie shared more of her thoughts on working with Ben for the first time. “When I first met Ben, I was a little bit star-struck. Because he’s such a big name in the Below Deck world,” Ellie admitted during the After Show. “It’s such an honor to actually have him there, supporting me.”
The two got along so well that they were even late to greet the guests on the second charter.
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Although Ellie previously shared she believed Ben was attracted to her, she explained why she didn’t pursue anything more when she began working in his galley. “I was not looking for trouble,” she told After Show producers. “I was already in over my head just coming into this season, just taking on a job I’ve never done before.”
Ellie also believed she could further her career and learn from Ben. “All I knew about Ben was that he’s a great chef, so at least I had somebody with experience,” she added on the After Show. “And [I] immediately thought, ‘Okay, this person can kind of guide me through things. He can teach me. He can be a good mentor.’”
Ellie opened up to producers during the Feb. 23 episode about how she thought she brought balance to Ben’s galley: “Ben is an excellent chef. I’m not a chef, obviously. But Ben needs structure. He’s very chaotic, and I feel like I’m the person that brings the structure.”
She added that experiencing war in Bosnia with her family, including a bombing when she was just 8 years old, has helped shape how she approaches work today. “The core of my self-worth is based in my ability to overcome difficulty. That’s where I got my organized side from,” she said in the Feb. 23 episode. “That is just the tool I had to help me take a step back from the chaos.”
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Mike Durrant reveals his romantic interest in Ellie Dubaich
It turned out Ellie had yet another potential suitor among the Katina crew: deck/stew Mike Durrant. As Mike helped clean in the galley during the Feb. 23 episode, he chatted with Ellie, and she opened up about her past working in spas.
“I love a spa,” Mike responded. “We’ll have to do a little pampering one night. I’ve got loads of face masks upstairs. I’ll get them out.”
But to producers, Mike revealed his true intentions: “My plan is to go full steam ahead with Ellie,” he shared.
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