The Below Deck franchise has burned through roughly two dozen chefs thus far. Across the ever-multiplying spinoffs, I’ve observed one glaringly obvious fact: whenever a chef thrives in their galley, they elevate their entire season. But whenever a chef shows up with main-character energy and a chip on their shoulder, they sink their entire season, one toxic meltdown at a time.
Fans hold varying opinions about the revolving door of chefs on Below Deck. As do I. Yet, one thing I can’t deny is that when a capable, gracious chef appears, it’s almost like a shock to the system. Gone are the tirades and backhanded barbs, making way for scenes filled with intoxicating dishes and actual glimpses into the world of five-star dining, the entire reason I first started watching this series in the first place.
Give me a great chef over a toxic one any day. And I can’t help but wonder if fans might feel the same.
Toxic chefs always destroy their season of Below Deck
Toxic chefs tend to sink their seasons of Below Deck via a few recurring patterns. To start, it is not uncommon for any chef, good or bad, to take their guests’ complaints personally. But when Adam Glick on Below Deck Mediterranean took a complaint to the extreme, he ended up spiking his guest’s food with their most hated ingredient, onions, out of spite, and then clashing with his chief stew when she tried to speak to him about it. It was not fun to watch.
In this same series, Tom Checketts, a chef who came on midway through Season 5, responded to his guest’s complaints with temper tantrums. To calm him down, his captain and his then-girlfriend had to enter the galley, talking him down and out of his frequent mood swings.
And who can forget Leon Walker on the original Below Deck series? Not me. Leon clashed repeatedly with the chief stew, made little to no effort to accommodate any food requests, and then, when a fire broke out in a dirty oven he’d neglected to clean, he tried to shift the blame onto someone else instead of owning his errors. To be blunt, Leon made his season of Below Deck frustrating as hell to watch.
I could go on. But the gist remains: toxic chefs have the power to bring down their entire crew, and with it, their whole season of Below Deck.
Inexperienced chefs create drama that takes away the luxury aspect of Below Deck
To give the above chefs some credit, they all knew how to cook (mostly). But for a few seasons, a different kind of WTF-chef appeared in this franchise. These chefs all had one thing in common: they were inexperienced times five. This narrative equally helped sink their seasons because it gave their viewers pause.
Were producers planting problems on purpose? In the case of Mila Kolomeitseva on Below Deck Med Season 4, it sure appeared so. Mila made boxed pancakes, microwaved her steaks, and served dollar-store-looking nachos to her guests, which created several storylines featuring frustrated guests and crew members alike. However, the moment a Below Deck chef’s creations start resembling something akin to dorm-room dining, an illusion of sorts breaks for the fans.
Inexperienced chefs severely undercut the luxury fantasy of Below Deck. Viewers watch this series with reheated leftovers, dinners made on a dime, and/or their favorite takeout boxes, hoping to catch glimpses into dining experiences they may never experience firsthand. But when a superyacht chef fails to deliver these experiences, it cheapens the franchise as a whole. And these seasons are the ones that fail to stick out years later, when fans recall their favorite seasons of Below Deck.
A talented Below Deck chef can create a great season
On the opposite end of this pendulum, talented and rational chefs can absolutely bolster their season of Below Deck. After all, the vibes in the galley extend to every department. When chefs are at odds with their fellow department heads, meal services run poorly, crew members grow hangry and irritable, and tips often suffer as a cumulative result. So, when you have a good chef, well, that changes everything for the season.
Take, for example, the currently airing Below Deck Med Season 11. This season features Chef Joy Lefaucheur, arguably one of the best chefs this franchise has ever seen. In addition to her solid cooking skills, Joy is also fair and kind. And she is quick to adapt whenever a guest critiques her dishes.
When a picky guest noted their disdain for a particular vegetable in Episode 8, Joy modified her recipe accordingly. Unlike one of the previously mentioned chefs, Joy did not act out of vengeance. And as a result, this storyline ended just as quickly as it started.
Joy is still bringing the drama, however. But her drama is the kind I can easily stand behind. Her brand of chaos involves calling out toxic narratives and standing up for oneself. And then, Joy beautifully lays all negative dealings aside on charter, not tainting her fellow yachties in turn.
Joy is a consummate professional on Below Deck. And for that, her season is one of the best ones yet in my book.
Every iteration of the Below Deck series streams on Peacock.
TELL US – CAN A TOXIC CHEF DESTROY AN ENTIRE SEASON OF BELOW DECK? DO YOU PREFER SEASONS WHERE THE CHEF IS AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME? SHOULD PRODUCERS AIM FOR CHEFS LIKE JOY MOVING FORWARD?
