That’s a wrap for Below Deck Down Under Season 4. This season featured several great yachties, but admittedly, some of these crew members had a far better run than others.
Clearly, Captain Jason Chambers had a solid season. He led his crew well, knowing when to fire, demote, and even not promote certain team members. He also served as a father figure for more than one of his employees. Meanwhile, for others, Captain Jason helped them learn new skills to advance their careers, showing that he cares for each yachtie well beyond the time constraints of filming.
So, which of his yachties rose to the occasion? Well, only one of his charges had a perfect season. The rest faltered at least once. But in an overall sense, these are the five crew members who walked away as winners of BDDU Season 4.
Betul Yazici
Betul Yazici deserves a spot at the top of our winners list for BDDU Season 4. For one, her backstory of growing up in a deeply religious and controlling household in Turkey was awful, yet inspiring. As Betul explained, her “father’s mentality was like, women didn’t work, and it was a man’s world. They don’t want us to have rights or words.”
Also, since “There was a physical cycle of violence,” Betul no longer speaks to her parents. “But I teach myself everything,” she shared, because “if you want something, you have to fight for it.” All season long, Betul fought for her spot on deck. She overcame language barriers and even her own fear in Episode 15, when she bravely put aside her worries and helped call out the docking for Captain Jason.
After this docking, Betul joked, “Am I better than everyone?” That answer is yes. Workwise, Betul was always eager to learn new skills from João Franco. And at the end of Season 4, she emotionally thanked both him and Captain Jason for their support of her career growth.
Personality-wise, Betul never missed an opportunity to crack a joke, meow, and even verbally encourage her coworkers, even when her face screamed something else. All in all, Betul was our top winner of BDDU Season 4.
João Franco
In seasons past, João would not have appeared on this list, thanks to how he treated several females on his crew, plus his rather intense alter-ego, “Jezabob.” He used this character at random, especially on the days after his blowups, when he was trying to dodge accountability.
But this season, João finally addressed his past behaviors. “Jezabob” was destructive, he confessed in Episode 1, and to make sure this character never returned, João “cut out what is pulling me down. Alcohol. Because alcohol is the only thing that makes me lose faith in myself and question my actions,” he admitted.
Yes, this season, João failed to properly communicate his non-reciprocated feelings for Elena “Ellie” Dubaich, and that resulted in several frustrating scenes. But his communications with his team were spot on. Additionally, João also inserted himself into the drama, but only when needed, which resulted in a marked change from the João in seasons past. For his growth, both professionally and emotionally, João is one of our BDDU Season 4 winners.
Daisy Kelliher
Did Daisy Kelliher lose her cool more than once this season? YES. However, Daisy started strong, and she managed to maintain her composure, for the most part, until closer to the end, when the galley finally got underneath her skin just enough to make her crack.
But more so, like João, Daisy also has a rough past in this franchise. Her original series was Below Deck Sailing Yacht, where she worked alongside a “toxic energy.” As she explained, she allowed this dark energy to “filter throughout the boat,” and when she failed to have support from her captain, she started to lose her shine on Bravo. Then, BDSY went on what appears to be an indefinite pause, also credited to this same “toxic energy” carrier.
Thankfully, Daisy found a new home on BDDU. Here, her captain supported her efforts, and her interactions with the leader of the deck team were far kinder. Even though Daisy had a few hiccups along the way, she encouraged, led, and reprimanded her team as needed, making her a BDDU Season 4 winner who will hopefully stay on this series for many years to come.
Jenna Woudberg and Barbie Pascual
Rounding out our list of BDDU Season 4 winners are Jenna Woudberg and Barbie Pascual. Jenna is a controversial choice, this writer is aware, and Barbie might be as well, hence their shared section here. These women weren’t exactly friends, as seen during their first interaction, where Jenna revealed which boys liked her on board. Even still, hear me out, they both shone in their own ways this season.
As for Barbie, her work ethic was high, and her growth from seasons past was evident. Likewise, her WTF comments, especially when chaos consumed the yacht, brought levity in the final episodes.
Now, let’s talk about Jenna. Jenna led two guys on, and that backfired spectacularly. However, one of these guys was twice her age, and his antics failed to help matters, like, at all. Then, the other guy was also playing the same game as Jenna, but once he realized that Jenna was also a player, he snapped, which made Jenna and her much-older love interest snap, and then all hell broke loose.
Yet, Jenna paid the price for her late-night tantrum when Captain Jason stripped her of one of her stripes. After, as Daisy stressed in the finale, Jenna never stopped working hard. Instead, she took her punishment “on the chin.” And, in doing so, Jenna earned back her stripe, making her a winner following her losing start on BDDU Season 4.
Below Deck Down Under is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – WHICH BELOW DECK DOWN UNDER SEASON 4 YACHTIES WERE YOUR FAVORITE?
