Sous chef Alesia Harris is back for another season of Below Deck Down Under. She’s still green, but has she improved between Seasons 3 and 4? Unfortunately, this answer seems like a no. And due to her failings, she’s already trying to quit.
Only two episodes have aired, but Alesia’s white flag is still waving. Chef Ben Robinson’s galley is clearly stressing her past her breaking point. But will she quit? Well, thanks to the TO BE CONTINUED sign at the end of Episode 2, fans had no idea, but in the final few moments, Alesia did seem pretty set with her decision.
However, during Season 3, Alesia worked underneath Tzarina Mace-Ralph. Their communication skills were wildly different, which caused tensions in their galley. Yet, Alesia stayed the course until the end of the season, where she actually made out with Tzarina during their final night out on the town. So, if history repeats itself, this Season 4 cliffhanger could really go in any direction.
Alesia Harris struggled under Tzarina Mace-Ralph on Below Deck Down Under Season 3
When Season 3 debuted, Alesia wasn’t a part of the cast. But after Tzarina’s first helper walked the plank, on came Alesia. Working in her favor, Alesia replaced a guy who made Tzarina see red, so at least Alesia wasn’t him. However, Alesia was a very, very inexperienced chef, as Tzarina quickly realized.
Overall, Alesia presented like a “prep cook,” not a fully qualified sous chef. She couldn’t master certain tasks Tzarina needed, which started leading to conflict in their galley. And as the weeks crept by, Alesia also started growing weary of Tzarina’s moods. In general, she felt like she was “walking on eggshells” whenever Tzarina was nearby.
Not helping matters, Tzarina was also at odds with Lara Rigby, Season 3’s chief stew. So, when Alesia started having problems with Tzarina, she leaned heavily on Lara. Their friendship made Tzarina feel like the odd lady out, but Tzarina finally sat Alesia down and apologized.
Regardless, Alesia’s skill sets remained weak. But despite her tears and stressors, Alesia stayed on until the end of the season. And then, at the end of Season 3, she noted that she was “going to apply for culinary schools.” She also announced her end goal to “become a head chef one day.”
Alesia seems to be faring no better under Chef Ben Robinson on BDDU Season 4
Now, Alesia is back for Season 4. However, in Episode 1, she confessed that her Season 3 goals were a bust. “I am probably having a bit of an identity crisis because [I didn’t go] to culinary school,” she confessed in her talking head. That decision “was a huge mistake,” Alesia admitted.
As to why Alesia never pursued her culinary school dreams after Season 3, she noted that her “mum persuaded [her] that cooking wasn’t her thing.” So, she headed to Whistler, Canada instead for their ski season. And after, Alesia “forgot about cooking altogether.” Therefore, she is now on a “mission” to “cement [her] adult life” by learning everything that she can in the galley.
But, unfortunately, due to her lack of training, Alesia has already burned her hand and ruined several dishes. She’s also struggling with basic concepts, like knowing which pans to use and cutting lemons into “medallions.” She has even overfilled Ben’s muffin tins, resulting in a trash can getting fed these scraps instead of their guests. And, like Tzarina, Ben can be rather quick to frustrate, so his words are cutting Alesia so deeply that she’s already ready to quit.
Will Alesia quit?
At the end of Episode 2, Alesia sat in the wheelhouse, telling Captain Jason Chambers, “I’m doing my absolute best, and I can tolerate it for a certain amount of time. But it’s three days in, and I’m losing my head. I’m really sorry, but I’m waving the white flag, and I can’t do it. … It would be a better boat if you had someone who had a better skill set than me.”
So, will Alesia quit next week? According to the newly released sneak peek for Episode 3, no, she will not. To try and reframe things in Alesia’s mind, Captain Jason will remind her that their yacht is momentarily “understaffed.” But as their season progresses, “it’s actually probably gonna get better when [Ben] gets on top of things.”
Before this season, he further stressed, he had a vision of Alesia “learning so much” in Ben’s galley, so he’d “be so disappointed” if she quit. Then, in this same reel, we see Alesia confronting Ben, saying, “I love you, Ben, and I really respect you. But I don’t want to be here. I actually f*cking hate it.”
In his confessional, Ben quips, “She’s saying that she respects me and that she wants to quit at the same time. It feels terrible. I should be a good boss and a good leader. And if someone’s gonna quit on me, that’s not good for me.”
Thankfully, these two will soon be on the mend (for now).
Below Deck Down Under is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – WILL ALESIA THREATEN TO QUIT AGAIN?
