Nearly six years after her Below Deck exit, Kate Chastain has maintained close bonds with at least several of her former castmates.
The ex-chief stewardess spoke about the enduring friendships at BravoCon 2025, confirming she was still in contact with Season 3 deckhand Connie Arias, seasons 2 and 3 stewardess Amy Johnson, and, of course, Chef Ben Robinson.
“So, I definitely talk to Ben all the time,” she told The Daily Dish. “Amy Johnson reached out to me — hey girl, hey. And then Connie from Season 3 is actually from my hometown (Melbourne, Florida), so I see her about once a week.”
Kate Chastain sheds light on her bond with Captain Sandy Yawn
Kate revealed she also speaks to Captain Sandy Yawn and her wife, Leah Shafer, “quite often,” despite never working with the captain in a charter season. She has consistently praised the Below Deck Mediterranean boss in press interviews and even attended Captain Sandy’s 2024 yacht wedding.
“I loved that wedding so much,” Kate said on the Below Deck Med After Show. “For one, they only invited 50 people, and I was on that list. So, I loved to be a part of a VIP group. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ I felt very cool.”
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Kate Chastain shares the “secret” to her & Ben Robinson’s friendship
Although she and Captain Sandy have become quite close over the years, Kate’s longest-standing — and most-talked-about — friendship is with Chef Ben, whom she worked with on Below Deck seasons 3-4. Kate expanded on the dynamic at BravoCon 2025, explaining how she and Ben have managed to remain friends after years of ups and downs, and speculation about their relationship.
“I would say that I’ve learned over the years, the secret to Ben and I’s friendship is distance,” she told The Daily Dish. “We just both have big personalities, and we do better when there’s enough space that both of our personalities have enough room. But I always love seeing him, and we actually talk quite often… from a distance.”
Kate Chastain addresses Ben Robinson dating rumors
Kate shed more light on her relationship with Ben during the BravoCon Unexpected Duos panel, where they were asked about those ongoing romance rumors.
“You also had an interesting relationship with each other,” moderator Michelle Collins told Kate and Ben. “There was a lot of speculation that you were a romantic item. Did that ever happen? And, if not, was that ever annoying when people assumed you were, like, together in that way?”
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Ben declined to answer and directed the question to Kate.
“Ben and I worked together. I think we work well together,” she explained. “And we’re great friends. Sometimes we’re not… friends.”
“We do disgraceful things to each other,” Ben quipped.
Get more details about the former castmates’ friendship, and what Ben thinks of Kate’s motherhood journey.
— Additional reporting by Stephanie Gomulka
