‘Below Deck’: Has a Third Stew Ever Returned To the Show?
Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean has welcomed the return of a slew of deckhands and chefs but how many times has a third stew made a repeat appearance on the series? Only once.
Thus far, the only third stew to appear on the show more than once is Amy Johnson, who was the third stew during season 2. Johnson’s first appearance as third stew was filled with anxiety. She was shunned by chief stew Kate Chastain and second stew Kat Held.
But Johnson remained professional and returned the following season in the second stew role. She and Chastain not only made peace but became friends. Johnson also tried to mentor third stew Raquel “Rocky” Dakota.
More second stews have made a return
At least 3 second stews have returned to the franchise thus far. Second stew Kat Held helped to launch the series and appeared on both season 1 and season 2 in the second position. She recently became a topic of conversation after chief stew Hannah Ferrier from Below Deck Med was fired for having unregistered prescription valium on board.
Held too had unregistered prescription anti-anxiety medication during season 1. She exhibited loopy behavior during the charter, forcing her to ultimately come clean to Captain Lee Rosbach about the meds. She was not fired, but later admitted she was actually drunk on charter.
Aesha Scott from Below Deck Med appeared as second stew for two consecutive seasons. Scott was actually the third crew member to take over the second stew position during a rocky season 5. Christine “Bugsy” Drake also returned as second stew twice. However, she was promoted to chief stew during season 5 after Ferrier was fired.
Only two chefs have made multiple appearances
Chef Ben Robinson has made the most appearances on the series. He was on Below Deck four times and Below Deck Med twice. Robinson helped to launch both series but revealed he’s probably finished with Below Deck. “Sadly, I don’t think we’re going to be doing a ton more of Below Deck,” he told 30A . “I kinda gotta grow up a little bit. Just something that’s more sustainable.”
Chef Adam Glick appeared on Below Deck Med twice and was the crossover cast member for Below Deck Sailing Yacht. He too seemed to be finished with yachting. “I think that the learned lessons for me, in the long run, is that after 12 years living and working on the open ocean, I’m f**king over it,” he said when he appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
“I’m ready to have a ranch, I’m ready to live my life on land and grow a beautiful garden,” he continued. “And do the things that I want to do, like feed people organically over a fire. And none of those things can I do on a boat.”
Plenty of deckhands have returned multiple times
The deck team almost always has a familiar face. Bosun Eddie Lucas who returns to the show for season 8 was a constant for three consecutive seasons. David Bradberry also made two appearances on the show.
Kelley Johnson initially appeared as the second engineer and was promoted to bosun. Also, Nico Scolly and Ashton Pienaar were deckhands and were promoted to bosun for the following season. João Franco and Malia White from Below Deck Med also appeared as a deckhand and returned as bosun.
Colin Macy-O’Toole became a fan favorite who did two seasons as a deckhand on Below Deck Med. Rhylee Gerber also appeared on deck for two seasons of Below Deck.
