When Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph boarded the Katina for Below Deck Down Under’s third season, she knew there was at least one person in her corner.
Captain Jason Chambers helped her navigate some rough waters in Season 2 and the two later formed a close friendship off the boat, but Season 3 brought some unexpected waves, causing friction between the pair.
So, just where do they stand today?
Tzarina Mace-Ralph dishes on her relationship with Captain Jason
Tzarina opened up to The Daily Dish about her relationship today with her former captain, sharing that any drama that went down between them is now just water under the bridge.
“I spoke to Jason about an hour ago,” she said. “I just feel so honored to have worked two seasons with him. And I’m sure we will catch up again in person for some tapas and too much wine.”
Tzarina previously admitted in an earlier interview with The Daily Dish that she was initially caught off guard by the shifting dynamic in their relationship between the two seasons.
“You know, we had a really good friendship, so I think in my head, I thought that I would always be … the person that he goes to and stuff,” she shared. “But then he very much had his Captain hat on, you know, so it was like understanding those boundaries, where I’m like, ‘Bro, we’ve laid on the beach having piña coladas; bro, what you doing?’”
The two had one memorable face-off in Season 3 after Jason tried to cut back on her workload and told her to just reheat the leftover breakfast for a crew brunch rather than make a whole new meal for lunch — but Tzarina had differing thoughts on the issue and was later overheard complaining about the situation to chef stew Lara Rigby.
Tzarina admitted some of the tension between them during the charter actually stemmed from her desire to impress him.
“I think, also, I look up to Captain Jason so much, and his opinion means so much to me,” she confessed. “It’s almost like I care more what he thinks than what the guests think a lot of the time.”
Where does the crew stand with Captain Jason?
Tzarina hasn’t been the only crew member to have kept the lines of communication open with Jason after the boat docked.
Lead deckhand Harry Van Vliet and stew Brianna Duffield told The Daily Dish they have regular check-ins, too.
“I talk to Captain Jason almost every day,” Brianna shared. “He became a mentor to me and has pushed me in my career. He has become a dear friend. I even got to see him on my trip to Bali.”
Jason has also taken Harry under his wing as the Australian native has gone from being a newbie on the deck to a promising leader.
“I am always in contact with Jason,” Harry told The Daily Dish. “We love catching up for a call together and talking about what we have both been up to recently. I am looking forward to having a beer with him next time we bump into each other.”
Where do Lara and Tzarina stand today?
Aside from her regular contact with Captain Jason, one person that Tzarina hasn’t stayed in touch with is her frequent on-ship sparring partner, Lara. The two faced off throughout the season as they battled for control over certain aspects of the crew and meal planning.
When asked where the relationship stood today, Tzarina didn’t hold back.
“Unfortunately nowhere, our ship has sailed,” she told The Daily Dish. “Sometimes people just come into your life for reason and lessons to be learnt, good or bad. Doesn’t mean there’s hard feelings on my side, just means our time has come to an end.”
As Tzarina re-lived the tension as it played out on screen, she said it hasn’t changed how she viewed the situation.
“It’s definitely been validating more than anything,” she shared. “After the season I worked on my mental health a lot and I took blame and accountability for a lot of things that now watching back have been very justified.”
Tzarina Mace-Ralph shares her favorite season memory
For Tzarina, the best part of the season was getting to spend it in the beautiful Seychelles.
“As I child I would look at travel magazines at the dentist office and it was a pinch me moment when I saw the turquoise seas and beautiful scenery,” she said. “It’s something I dreamed of as a child and never thought in my life I would have the opportunity to go. And I guess my dream came true after all.”
Her only regret? That the season didn’t highlight as many of her dishes as she would have liked.
“I totally understand it’s not the ‘Tzarina cooking show’ but it would have been nice to see some of the food that I was personally proud of and put so much hard work into,” she admitted, specifically mentioning her five-tier cake that was “basically like making a wedding cake on a moving yacht” and her eight to 12-course meals.
See where Harry stands with former fling Brianna Duffield today.
