‘Below Deck Down Under’s Captain Jason Chambers Confirms Chef Ben Robinson Really Did Take Him To Outback Steakhouse For Lunch: “To Be Honest, It Was Good Steak”

Captain Jason Chambers is back on the high seas in Below Deck Down Under Season 4. Instead of cruising around Australian waters, Chambers is taking the motor superyacht Katina to the lush and exclusive paradise island of Canouan in the Caribbean. Determine to have things run smoothly this charter season, Chambers enlisted Below Deck veterans to lead his crew: Chief Stew Daisy Kelliher; Second Officer João Franco; and, Chef Ben Robinson. The immensely talented and notably eccentric Robinson makes his return to galley (and the series) after a 6-year hiatus. However, Robinson was a last-minute addition to the crew.

“We had an emergency when our incumbent chef pulled out about 72 hours before we were set to start,” remembered Chambers. “Ben is someone who is always on people’s minds. He picked up the phone, and he changed his mind about returning to the franchise.” While Chambers praised Robinson’s craftsmanship and wit, he did admit that he wished Robinson would have gone easier on his novice sous chef, returning cast member Alesia Harris. “He might have been thinking she had more training than she actually did,” said Chambers. “She didn’t really know what she was in for.”

Chambers was also excited to work with Kelliher, who comes from Below Deck Sailing Yacht. Of course, he was in touch with her former boss and his friend, Captain Glenn Shephard, about the change. “I reached out to Glenn the minute I could and let him know that I would look after her and treat her right,” said Chambers. While Shephard will no doubt miss her, Chambers can assure fans that Shephard is always Team Daisy. “He was absolutely rooting for Daisy this charter season,” said Chambers.

Chambers stopped by the Decider studio to tease the upcoming season, reveal his policy on boatmances between heads of department, and dish on the season’s chaotic first charter with the Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City.

DECIDER: I thought that you would know peace with such seasoned heads of department in place, but this season looks downright chaotic at times. Did you anticipate any of the drama among them?

CAPTAIN JASON CHAMBERS: No, I didn’t. [Laughs] Look, any time you’re managing that many big personalities, there’s bound to be some wrinkles along the way. I never anticipated the issues that the three of them face as the charters continue, but I was very fortunate to have all three of them onboard. It ends up being a fantastic season; I promise you that.

After a 6-year absence, Chef Ben is back in the galley, and he bailed you out of a little bit of a jam. Why did you think he might be interested in doing another charter season?

He wasn’t interested at all. We had an emergency when our incumbent chef pulled out about 72 hours before we were set to start [laughs]. We don’t have a list of backup chefs ready to go, but Ben is someone who is always on people’s minds. You know, he picked up the phone, and he changed his mind about returning to the franchise.

He had just gone through a breakup, so this also was a chance for him to get away. Ben’s a total professional and a business owner, so he really doesn’t need to do a charter season anymore. It was a blessing for him to pack up his bags and get to Canouan as quick as he did.

Did he really take you to the Outback Steakhouse for lunch?

He definitely took me to the Outback Steakhouse for lunch. To be quite honest, I had a good steak. I might go back there some day. Maybe that’ll be my and Ben’s anniversary thing [laughs].

It’s a huge compliment to you that even though João is a captain himself now, he jumped at the opportunity to be your second officer to learn more from you. Were you flattered?

I was just speaking to João yesterday. He’s a captain again now. He’s got a lot of responsibility. He rings me up. You know, I made my mistakes as a younger captain. It’s important that we pass on our knowledge to those that come after us.

As a captain, you’re always worried about safety issues, especially during those first few charters. To have João on deck was a huge help because he knew what he was doing. I didn’t have to stress because he handled everything. It freed me to up to deal with more pressing issues during that first charter with the Salt Lake City Housewives, like Angie K’s seasickness and broken fingernail.

I know you and Captain Glenn Shephard from Below Deck Sailing Yacht are pals. Did you two have a conversation before the start of the charter season regarding Daisy Kelliher coming over to the Katina from Parsifal III?

Definitely. I reached out to Glenn the minute I could and let him know that I would look after her and treat her right. He just said, “I hope she doesn’t go to the dark side for too long and comes back to sailing.” But look, Glenn is such a good guy. He’s such a professional. He was absolutely rooting for Daisy this charter season.

I am very interested to see how Daisy will fare going from working on a sailing super yacht to a motorized super yacht with an elevator and side balconies. How do you think she did?

Very good. I’d seen her on Sailing Yacht and was impressed. She has my attitude towards working as well.We want to be relaxed with the guests, but also professional. It worked out really well. I don’t know too many other Chief Stews—besides Kate [Chastain] and Hannah [Ferrier]—who can hold their own working alongside Chef Ben.

Ben’s quite the personality.

He is. He’s very smart. He’s very witty. He knows his craft very well. He’s always a couple of steps ahead of you mentally, but he’s always chasing his tail a little bit too. He’s just always in cruise mode because he’s so good. He’s a professional. But Ben and Daisy working together, it’s quite comical. I think the audience are really going to enjoy watching that relationship go up and down, down and up.

Also, Chef Ben looks like he takes advantage of the guest suites off-charter, which might irk Daisy at some point. What’s your policy on crew sleeping in guest quarters?

My policy is: you abuse, you can’t use. Ben might have taken certain liberties a little bit too far, but Daisy gave him the green light. You’ll have to watch and see if she regrets it as the season goes on. I think maybe Ben might have gone a little bit too far, now that I’ve seen the trailer. I saw him drinking red wine in the bath! I’m like, how far did this go? I guess I’ll find out as well.

It’s also clear from the season trailer that Joao and Daisy get involved romantically. What’s your policy on department heads fraternizing with each other?

Boatmances are always going to happen. As long as department heads can put work first and respect each other, I don’t have a problem with some fun on the side.

Alesia is back in her second season as sous chef, and I am so worried about her. Were you surprised to learn that she had not done anything to improve her culinary skills in the off-season?

That’s what she was meant to do [laughs]. Regardless, I still brought her back because she knew the galley and the Katina. Plus, she’s a friend. When I called Ben in last moment, I told him he would have a sous chef. He might have been thinking she had more training than she actually did. I might be a little bit to blame for Ben’s reaction to her beginner skills in the galley. However, Ben needs to watch his Ps and Qs. Poor Alesia. She didn’t really know what she was in for.

Chef Ben is notoriously prickly in the galley. Do you think he should have been a bit softer with Alesia?

Totally. There’s a lesson there for Ben as well. As a captain trying to handle these strong personalities, you can’t come down with the hammer. You have to appeal to their better sensibilities to get what you want. We want respect. We want to enjoy the environment. We want to get big tips and set a good example for the rest of the crew. I spend a lot this season trying to get the crew together and show them the way.

The RHOSLC ladies came on board the Katina like a hurricane. Were you surprised at how instantly chaotic everything became or were you prepared?

We were definitely not prepared for that. I hung out with Heather Gay and Whitney Rose down in Australia . It was like a comedy show. They’re so funny. They’re so beautiful. They’re so polite to anyone they run into. They were quiet. Where did that go the minute they stepped aboard? Also, we usually have one primary guest. This time, all eight women were primary guests. That’s the difference when you’re chartering with Housewives.

I also have to ask: who fished Britani Bateman’s unicorn from sometimes boyfriend Jared Osmond out of the ocean? If you can say?

It might have been a very, very competent captain that was working on the deck and not me [laughs].

So you’ve done a charter with the ladies of RHOSLC…which is the next Housewives franchise you’d like to have abroad the Katina and why?

Daisy thinks it should be the Potomac women. Potomac would be a bit of a ruckus. You know, I’d like to do a bit of a boys’ trip. Bring on the boys. Bring on Shep [Rose] and Austen [Kroll]. I reckon West [Wilson] and Jesse [Solomon] can come along too. They’d send it.

They absolutely would send it.

I don’t think they’d be too difficult. They might just sit in the hot tub. It’d be just drinks after drinks after drinks after drinks, man.

What can you tease about the season ahead?

Ben’s everywhere [laughs]. I’m so glad that Ben came back because he brings so much to the show and to the galley, but we have to work around the drawbacks [laughs]. I can’t wait for everyone to see how that turns out. The dynamic between Daisy and Ben is something to keep an eye on as well.

As the trailer points out, there are almost 40 years of yachting experience between myself, Ben, Daisy and João. We know we have to show the junior crew that the 40 years is actually there because things shatter with the department heads at some point during the season.

Below Deck Down Under Season 4 airs Monday nights at 8PM ET/PT on Bravo