Next Monday, a new stew is coming aboard Below Deck Down Under. If this writer’s hunch is true, we will soon come face-to-face with someone we last saw in 2024 via the original Below Deck series.
Earlier this week, I noted a few hints about this replacement stew. As Elena “Ellie” Dubaich teased in a newly released reel, this yachtie is a female, and she is her “good friend.” As a result, Ellie promised that her alleged friend was “going to have [her] back,” because she was “a ride or die” for Ellie. WHAT COULD GO WRONG?, this writer typed with her sarcasm lock on.
But Ellie might be wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time. Yes, this female could absolutely be her “good friend,” but she might also have a strong sense of discernment. However, the verdict is still out on that one, that is, if she even is who I think she is.
Barbie Pascual is rumored to join Below Deck Down Under Season 4
I am 99% convinced that Barbie Pascual is the new stew in question. Fans met the luxury-loving Barbie during Season 11 of Below Deck. She was a hard worker, which Daisy Kelliher would likely appreciate. But she was very conservative, and when her boatmance fell apart, alongside a few other relationships on board, Barbie chose to exit filming one day early, saying, “I’m gonna go straight to a five-star resort.”
“This is not me quitting, because my job’s done,” Barbie explained in her final confessional. “All I’ve done this whole season is put my ego aside and work on myself,” she added. Even still, Barbie stressed, “Nobody here cares about me.”
After her exit, Barbie called Captain Kerry Titheradge. During their chat, Barbie admitted, “You know, I’m just disappointed that this all went down like this. I’m done, you know? I don’t need to be on a yacht where people are attacking me,” she justified.
Instead, Barbie continued, “I need to work on myself, but I also need to work on myself with people that care about me, not with people that don’t.” Captain Kerry supported her decision. In his talking head, he said, “I feel for her, because she tried.”
And now, according to several signs, Barbie might be joining the cast of BDDU Season 4.
Barbie struggled during her first season on Below Deck
When I last checked online, Barbie and Ellie were following each other. So, Ellie’s “good friend” statement checks out. Now, let’s look at something else Ellie hinted at. In that same reel, Ellie noted that her friend “clashed a lot with her chief stew” during a recent charter season, “so, good luck to Daisy.”
Unfortunately, Barbie also checks this box. During Season 11, she and her chief stew, Fraser Olender, more than “clashed.” Fraser came in strong, noting his desire to be a firmer leader that season. But Barbie lacked respect for his position, he felt.
Meanwhile, Barbie was upset at Fraser. In her opinion, Fraser overly coddled Cat Baugh, even though Cat failed to pull her weight. Barbie eventually spoke to Fraser about this, but Fraser viewed her comments as bullying and unkind.
Fraser even tried firing Barbie. But Captain Kerry shut him down. Her work was getting done, Captain Kerry noted. So perhaps, he explained, all Barbie really needed was an “attitude adjustment.”
These two were never able to find common ground, even with something as basic as a margarita recipe. Their divide was actually a major talking point of their season. Yet, as this thread on Reddit detailed, fans saw both sides of this coin. Fraser and Barbie equally failed, many Redditors said, but as others suggested, perhaps with a different leader, Barbie might have actually thrived.
There are a lot of clues Barbie is the new BDDU stew
So far, Barbie has ticked off two of Ellie’s boxes. She “clashed” with her last chief stew, and she is also a “good friend” of Ellie’s. Now, let’s look at a few other signs that also point to Barbie.
In that very same reel, we saw the replacement stew walking down the pier. Even though her face never appeared, two other Barbie-coded things did. First, Barbie loves the finer things in life. She even brought her own sheets to filming, which made Fraser laugh, but also quietly admit, “Uh oh. We’ve got trouble.”
As Barbie explained in Episode 1, “People definitely think I’m snobby.” And then, the camera focused on her Louis Vuitton and Chanel bags packed inside her suitcase. Coincidentally, this very same Louie appeared, stacked on top of the new stew’s suitcase as she approached the tender to board the BDDU Season 4 yacht.
Likewise, on the right ankle of this unnamed female, we can see a very distinct tattoo. It appears like an anklet. It mirrors the one pictured above, wrapped around Barbie’s right ankle.
Furthermore, Barbie follows every single BDDU Season 4 star on Instagram, minus Alesia Harris and Mike Durrant. But Mike got the boot right before her arrival. So, that one, at least, tracks.
Below Deck Down Under airs Mondays at 8/7c on Bravo. Below Deck and BDDU are streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – COULD BARBIE BE THE NEW STEW ON BDDU? IF SHE IS, WILL SHE SIDE WITH ELLIE, OR WILL SHE BE A MUCH-NEEDED VOICE OF REASON?
