Every Captain needs a First Stew, which the Below Deck series has shown. First Stews can make or break a charter season, as they are an invaluable part of a vessel. They take care of the interior department while catering to the charter guests’ every whim. Likewise, this role also caters to the Captain’s needs, such as delivering their meals, washing their uniforms, and tidying up their cabins.
It’s important for a Captain and their First Stew to get along. A sense of trust must also exist between the pair. If trust is missing, a situation similar to that of Captain Sandy Yawn and Hannah Ferrier on Below Deck Mediterranean will unfold. Their constant fighting and Hannah’s eventual firing sucked to watch, no matter whose side you took.
On the flip side, Captain Sandy and Katie Flood hit it off quite well during Season 6, which took place just after Hannah’s firing. However, Katie failed to return for further charter seasons. However, both she and Captain Sandy are set to appear on Winter House Season 3, so if you liked their pairing, there’s that.
Within these two important roles, mistrust has thankfully not been the norm on Bravo‘s hit nautical series. In fact, several great pairings have actually occurred. To highlight this very fact, these are our choices for the best Captain-First Stew Duos (so far) on Below Deck.
Captain Lee Rosbach and Kate Chastain
Captain Lee Rosbach and Kate Chastain worked together for six seasons on Below Deck. The pair became so close that they now consider each other family. This year, Kate welcomed her first child to the world. As Captain Lee has departed Below Deck, he has joked that he has the time now to babysit for Kate.
These two have always been close. When Kate met Captain Lee during Season 2, he chided that she looked like a charter guest, not a yachtee. With similar snarky personalities, the duo hit it off quickly, becoming each other’s sounding board whenever conflict arose.
Kate knew exactly how Captain Lee took his Cheerios and how he liked his uniform pants ironed. In turn, Captain Lee trusted Kate’s judgement, often siding with her over crew firings and conflicts. On an episode of Watch What Happens Live, he sweetly expressed, “Kate is always going to have a very, very sweet spot in my heart, because we worked together for a long period of time, and she was my right hand. There was nothing I couldn’t delegate to Kate that I could just pass it off and walk away from it, and know it was gonna get done.”
Kate left the series after Season 7, while Captain Lee departed post Season 10. Therefore, Captain Lee had a few charter seasons with other First Stews, though none of them felt like the home he had found in Kate. Currently, the duo has reunited to film Couch Talk, which is a recap type of show that focuses on all things Bravo. For their past and current friendship, we consider Captain Lee and Kate to be one of the best Captain-First Stew Duos on Below Deck.
Captain Jason Chambers and Aesha Scott
Captain Jason Chambers and Aesha Scott have only worked together for two seasons, but already, they are a solid team. To explain, Below Deck Down Under just finished airing its messy Season 2. Working as one, this pair professionally dealt with heavy issues, treating all involved with fairness and grace. These issues ranged from two different sexual assault attempts, to a stew who took to drinking to mask her pain.
On a lighter note, the bantering and sense of familiarity between Captain Jason and Aesha is strong. Throughout their two seasons together, Aesha has helped Captain Jason put in his contacts, dressed him in Budgy Smugglers for the guests to ogle, and wept in his arms when describing her own journey as a sexual assault survivor. In return, Captain Jason surprised Aesha by bringing her boyfriend onboard, which brought Aesha to tears.
Unlike Captain Lee and Kate, Captain Jason and Aesha are still on-air. We therefore hope that this pairing goes on for many more years, as their lighthearted Captain-First Stew pairing on Below Deck is exactly what the viewers need.
Captain Glenn Shephard and Daisy Kelliher
Captain Glenn Shephard and Daisy Kelliher have starred together on Below Deck Sailing Yacht since Season 2. Like the others, these two have enjoyed friendly banters and exchanges. Unfortunately, the verdict is still out on whether or not they will remain tightly-knit.
You see, in Season 4, Captain Glenn was harder than normal on Daisy. Here, Daisy was involved in a love triangle, which was equal parts distracting and painful on the First Stew. At the reunion, these things were addressed, and while Captain Glenn stressed that Daisy deserved his constructive criticism, he also gushed that “Daisy is amazing” and that he’d “love to work with her again in the future.”
At this, Daisy broke into tears. It’s clear that these two have love for each other. As they were once one of our favorite Captain-First Stew pairings, we truly hope that Season 5 shows Captain Glenn and Daisy’s relationship on the mend.
TELL US – WHICH BELOW DECK CAPTAIN-FIRST STEW DUOS ARE YOUR FAVORITE? WHY?
