Elena “Ellie” Dubaich is officially back in the building. She formerly starred on Below Deck Mediterranean, with stints on Seasons 7 and 9. But now, she’s joining the cast of Below Deck Down Under, working as Ben Robinson’s Season 4 replacement sous chef.
However, this wasn’t the job Ellie originally signed up for. Instead, she was supposed to join the boat as a stewardess. So, ahead of her arrival, Captain Jason Chambers phoned her from his wheelhouse. He needed to hear her thoughts on joining his yacht as a sous chef, since his current sous chef was literally threatening to abandon his ship.
At first, Ellie paused, but then she agreed to Captain Jason’s last-minute change-up. So now, Ellie’s in the galley, filling her resume with new skills. Despite her lack of experience, Ellie seems eager and willing to learn from Chef Ben. But will she maintain this same energy as BDDU Season 4 progresses? I absolutely predict NOT.
Ellie is no stranger to Below Deck, and has now joined Below Deck Down Under
Ellie had many highs and lows on Below Deck Med. To start, her stint on Season 7 was short, but her energy was high. So, after a year off, production brought Ellie back for Season 9. However, her second run on Bravo wasn’t all that great.
Ellie joined Season 9 with one goal in mind: learning how to be a chief stew. Yet, that all fell apart once Ellie landed in a toxic love triangle. Likewise, her jealous antics in the interior department didn’t help matters any. So, as Aesha Scott clocked, Ellie wasn’t ready for a leadership position just yet.
And then, Ellie disappeared, only to pop back up in the most recent episode of BDDU Season 4. At the start of this season, well before the yacht ever left the dock, a stewardess left to handle an emergency back at home. So, Captain Jason hired Ellie to take her place in Episode 3. But before Ellie arrived, Alesia Harris, the original sous chef, gave Captain Jason an ultimatum: either move her into the interior department, or she’ll have to quit, leaving Captain Jason with yet another role to fill.
Thinking quickly, Captain Jason called Ellie. He asked her if she’d be willing to join them as a sous chef instead, because he really wanted to keep Alesia. Luckily for him (and Alesia), Ellie said yes. Then, in the final minutes of Episode 3, we saw Ellie boarding the yacht, ready to tackle her new position.
Ellie is set to clash with Chef Ben Robinson as BDDU Season 4 continues
At first, Chef Ben felt bummed about losing Alesia. She was often dejected, which made him feel like a bad boss. But once Captain Jason slapped down Ellie’s CV, Ben smiled. As he revealed, he’d just been in Ellie’s DMs, so maybe, just maybe, he’d manifested this plot twist.
Ellie’s hot, Ben noted. But as the trailer at the end of Episode 3 revealed, Ellie’s also still hotheaded. So, she and Ben are about to argue over everything under the sun, likely making Ben regret his previous manifestations.
“This season, I’m gonna put my head down and stay out of trouble,” Ellie’s voice stated in the trailer. Immediately after, we saw Ellie asking Ben not to “walk on eggshells” around her. “We need to be in a better mood,” Ben later requested, dryly. In response, Ellie argued, “I’ve been in a good mood all day. You’ve been a f*cking anchor dragging us to the bottom, so you tell yourself that.”
Then, Daisy Kelliher entered the frame, reminding Ben that he’s in charge, so why is Ellie trying to run things? Right after, Ben and Ellie argued. But once Ben called Ellie “honey,” Ellie snapped, making Ben wonder, “What the f*ck?”
Finally, the camera panned to a young charter guest. His eggs tasted like soap. In the galley, Ben picks up a bottle and tells Ellie, “You put washing-up liquid on the eggs.” The trailer ends with Ben and Ellie in the wheelhouse, staring down a ticked-off-looking Captain Jason, who may or may not be firing one of these chefs.
Ellie’s taken her culinary training seriously post-show
As evidenced in the trailer, Ellie falters as a first-time sous chef. However, filming for BDDU Season 4 happened in early 2025. And sometime after, Ellie signed up for culinary school. So, at least she’s trying to learn something here.
Regardless, on Instagram, Ellie recently revealed, “I DID IT, I’m officially a CHEF!!!” In her image, we see Ellie sitting on a countertop, wearing a chef’s uniform, happily displaying her graduation “diploma in level 4 advanced culinary arts.”
As Ellie explained, she “joined an advanced program which compressed 2 years of culinary school knowledge into 4 intensive months. I had practically zero experience cooking at the start and had no idea what I was getting myself into, but knew I’d do my best no matter what!” She continued, “I got a chance to learn from Michelin star chefs with decades of experience at the highest level, and they’ve set an incredible foundation for me.”
And in the comments, we spotted Ben, lending Ellie his support. “Nice!!!! Well done,” Ben penned. So, even if Ellie completely sinks this season, she and Ben are at least okay, as is her future in this new field … maybe.
Below Deck Down Under is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – DO YOU HAVE ANY PREDICTIONS FOR ELLIE’S FIRST SEASON AS A BDDU SOUS CHEF?
