Chef Tzarina Was Surprised by Changing Relationship with Captain Jason: “Boundaries”

Below Deck Down Under’s Tzarina Mace-Ralph admits there’s a lot to unpack when comparing her time on Seasons 2 and 3, including her relationship with the Cap'n.

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Bravo’s The Daily Dish caught up with the English yacht chef, currently docked in Fort Lauderdale, to get the low-down on her sophomore season with the series. Returning with Captain Jason Chambers in command, Tzarina said the contrast in their relationship was night and day between the two seasons.

When asked whether things between Tzarina and her boss had evolved, she said, “Yeah, I personally thought it was a little bit different" — perhaps because the pair “hung out a lot of times off-screen.”

So, what changed?

Tzarina on her changing friendship with Captain Jason
Tzarina admitted that things evolved between her and Captain Jason over time.

“You know, we had a really good friendship, so I think in my head, I thought that I would always be … the person that he goes to and stuff,” Tzarina said in her interview. “But then he very much had his Captain hat on, you know, so it was like understanding those boundaries, where I’m like, ‘Bro, we’ve laid on the beach having piña coladas; Bro, what you doing?’”

Given Jason’s professionalism, it was no surprise that a line had been drawn in the sand.

All said and done, Tzarina found herself facing a new challenge: to meet the captain’s high standards.

“I think, also, I look up to Captain Jason so much, and his opinion means so much to me,” Tzarina confessed. “It’s almost like I care more what he thinks than what the guests think a lot of the time.”

This was “especially” true given the restructuring in the galley, in which Sous Chef Anthony Bird left the Katina, only to be replaced by new sous chef Alesia Harris.

“I want to show him that I can do it,” Tzarina continued.

Looking back at her beef (or veal) with Anthony, Tzarina said she watched Season 3 as it aired, searching for potential room for improvement.

Instead, she found “a nice validation” in light of Anthony’s farewell.

“I put myself down enough anyway, and I kind of thought, ‘Oh, gosh, maybe I wasn’t good enough’ and stuff,” Tzarina said, referencing a mix-up with a veal dish. “Looking back, I was really calm, and really, really patient with him, and I’m actually kind of proud of how I handled it, because inside I was screaming half the time.”

Tzarina can surely be proud of herself, though searching for where things went wrong has never been easy.

“It’s always hard watching yourself back,” she said. “You always imagine it different in your head.”

What will happen on Below Deck Down Under Season 3?
With the end of the season around the corner, Tzarina teased fans with what’s to come.

“I think it’s gonna be really fun for people to watch everything unfold,” she told The Daily Dish. “I did feel like some of the times it was like Love Island on the water — there’s a lot going on, a lot of kissing … unfortunately, not me, but there was a lot.”

In the meantime, learn why Tzarina felt “pushed out” by Sous Chef Alesia, Chief Stew Lara Rigby, and Stew Brianna Duffield earlier this season.