So far, Below Deck Down Under Season 4 is understanding its assignment. In my opinion, it’s taking us back to the good old days of this franchise.
For starters, only two groups of charter guests have come aboard, but both have been memorable. Each group has managed to leave the crew tired and deeply sarcastic in their confessionals, which I’ve loved. In recent seasons, weeks would go by before we saw guests like these. Meanwhile, Season 4 has them stacked back-to-back, leaving little to no dull moments within the crew’s shifts.
Meanwhile, the crew dynamics are proving the right mix of tension and humor. And shockingly, everyone’s actually doing their jobs, though some are stronger than others. For so many reasons, this season is truly giving me life. And, swaying my opinion all the more, there are zero toxic boatmances onboard … for now.
The Below Deck Down Under Season 4 cast includes some veterans
This season, the Below Deck casting department broke the mold. For the first time in a long time, this cast has more returning yachties than not. As a result, it’s so much easier to feel connected to the storylines every week.
In the galley, we’ve got Chef Ben Robinson. He’s already delivering his classically dry one-liners, which another returning alum, Alesia Harris, hates. Alesia started this season in the same role as last, but being Ben’s sous chef wasn’t her cup of tea. So, she quickly left Ben for an opening in the interior department following the very first charter.
Alesia now works under Daisy Kelliher, another all-too-familiar Below Deck veteran. So far, these alums are getting along great. But things will soon shift, as Daisy recently admitted, I wouldn’t say it’s smooth sailing [for her] in my department either.”
Then, taking Alesia’s place in Episode 3 was noneother than Elena “Ellie” Dubaich. Ellie’s never worked in the galley before. But she’s up for anything. For now.
Meanwhile, João Franco is also back, as is Captain Jason Chambers. That’s six returning yachties. And for this, my longtime obsession with this series says, thank you, casting, for sneaking in so many nostalgic members of this franchise.
Annoying guests and departmental dramas lead BDDU Season 4 storyline
When this franchise began, the storylines (mostly) centered around the guests’ ridiculous demands, followed by the crew’s struggles to make things nice for them. That alone made Below Deck fun to watch every week. But as the years passed, a noticeable shift happened. The guests, unless they were overly messy, appeared less frequently, until, that is, BDDU Season 4.
For those of us in lesser-rich circles, we’re also not used to arguing on yachts, social norms be damned. So, imagine my delight when the ladies of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City appeared during Episodes 1 and 2. Watching the BDDU cast attend to these ladies’ needs as they hollered with zero f*cks to give showed us all just how patient one has to be in this industry. As did their next set of guests, who, so far, aren’t having a great charter.
Nothing’s going right for these guests. But also, they’re kinda petty, especially when it comes to their decor. Regardless, we’re only two charters in, and already, I could write a book about these guests’ experiences this season.
I could also write a book on the crew’s journeys thus far. On the negative side, we’ve had a guest lost at sea and ignored walkie-talkies. But on the positive side, there are many teachable moments, both in the galley and in Captain Jason’s wheelhouse, where Betul Yazici recently spoke up about her language barriers. When you combine all of these things, it’s easy to see how BDDU Season 4 is giving us a lot in just a short period of time.
The new Below Deck Down Under has zero toxic boatmances (so far)
In recent seasons, the crew comes aboard and picks out their crushes in the very first episode. That’s also happened on BDDU Season 4. But thankfully, nothing toxic has emerged. Yes, things can change on a dime, I’m aware, but for now, turning on my television every week doesn’t feel heavy, since I’m not watching anyone playing with anyone else’s feelings just yet.
In the last series that aired, the love triangle was hard to watch. Within, two of the yachties gave little to no care for the third. And in the series before that, this same thing happened yet again. This trend of unhealthy behaviors actually stretches back pretty far, but so far, BDDU Season 4 has been love-triangle-free.
Instead, Ben likes Jenna Woudberg. Jenna’s digging Ben, too. But she is slightly jealous that he’s spending time with Ellie in the galley.
Likewise, Alesia and Eddy Hounsell are crushing on each other, but Alesia has a boyfriend back at home. So, Eddy’s about to move on with someone else. These levels of drama, however, are fine and fun to navigate on Below Deck. So, for at least the first four episodes of this season, consider me impressed, because, in the words of Chef Ben, we might be “back, baby.”
Below Deck Down Under is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – ARE YOU LOVING BDDU SEASON 4? IF NOT, WHAT’S MISSING FOR YOU?
