It may only be the first charter, but chief stew Lara Rigby is already hitting some rough waters.
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The UK native broke down in tears mid-charter in Season 3, Episode 2 of Below Deck Down Under after communication problems with Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph and the guests’ constant high demands — not to mention the super yacht’s massive amount of stairs — left her feeling like she was drowning in responsibility.
“I don’t deal well with chaos at all,” she told producers.
Why was Chief Stew Lara Rigby upset on the first charter?
Below Deck Down Under’s huge 60-meter boat, the Katina, clearly wasn’t designed with the interior department in mind.
“The yacht logistically is a nightmare. There’s like four flights of stairs,” Lara complained in the premiere. “If I forget something I’m going to have to run all the way downstairs and then all the way back up again.”
Combine that with the guests’ frequent demands and some first charter communication issues with Tzarina about what cutlery was needed for each course — which sent Lara and her team scrambling up and down those stairs a few more times — and it was enough to set Lara over the edge.
The experienced chief stew sought refuge in her cabin, where she broke down in tears.
Tzarina walked in and found her roommate sitting on the edge of the bed, with her head in her hands as she sobbed.
“You OK?” she asked, before kneeling down to embrace her.
“My personal standards are dropping and I hate that,” Lara admitted. “That’s what’s killing me because … I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am.”
Lara freely admitted to producers that when it comes to keeping the yacht shipshape, she can be “a bit too much of a perfectionist” — something she blamed on her own family dynamics growing up.
“My parents got divorced when I was 3,” she shared in a confessional. “My dad remarried and she already had three children. You know, there was a family there for him to take care of and, you know, it became that they were his kids and we were kind of his kids. Being his actual daughter and, like, not having that special kind of treatment is hard because you don’t think that you deserve that time and that someone else is more deserving of it. So yeah, I think I just push myself to the limit to be the best and get that approval from him.”
What cheered Lara Rigby up after breaking down in tears?
Luckily for Lara, there was a bit of “heaven” in her future that helped lighten her mood.
Not only did deckhand Harry Van Vliet pitch in to help the interior team by making guest beds, but Lara was sent to help with a beach guest excursion off the gorgeous African coast.
“This is amazing. This is heaven,” she remarked after stepping onto the sandy beach. “I needed this today.”
When Harry, who also made the trek, asked her how the interior team was shaping up so far, Lara only had good things to say.
“They’re so good,” she told him.
Back on the yacht, model-turned-stew Brianna Duffield waded through “so much laundry” while Marina Marcondes de Barros took care of some prep and got the guest welcome drinks prepared.
“I want to be Lara’s right hand,” Marina told producers. “I’m ready to be here to do whatever she needs. I will not be able to sleep, take a shower, or eat, but YOLO babe, YOLO.”
Brianna was also eager to step in to help.
“Perfectionists can usually be seen as someone that can be overbearing,” she admitted in her own confessional. “With Lara, the way that she just appreciates yachting so much, she is someone I look up to and admire, so whatever she needs, I am here for it.”
By the time Lara returned, the yacht was running smoothly, giving her plenty of time to prep for the laidback cowboys-and-cowgirls-themed dinner that night.
“Last night was a s--t show, let’s be honest. So tonight being a cowboy-themed family style dinner, this is a godsend,” she said in her confessional.”It’s going to be a bit more casual and much easier than 12 flights of stairs.”
To find out whether the smooth sailing continues into the second charter, watch Below Deck Down Under Mondays at 8/7c on Bravo or available streaming the next day on Peacock.
