Captain Jason Reveals Infamous ‘Below Deck Down Under’ Mirrorball Disco Helmet Origin [Exclusive]
Captain Jason Chambers introduced a new element to the Below Deck franchise – the mirrorball disco helmet.
After the tip meeting, the makeshift helmet is given to the Below Deck Down Under crew member who missed the mark during the previous charter. The crew member has to wear the helmet out on the town and is usually met with a little laughter and in some cases, annoyance.
Chambers told Showbiz Cheat Sheet the mirrorball disco helmet was created long before he joined the Below Deck franchise. It originally was designed to get a party started.
What is the origin of the ‘Below Deck Down Under’ mirrorball disco helmet?
Chambers opened up about how the mirrorball disco helmet got started.
“We used to cruise around up in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and all these remote places. And we had a helicopter and everything. In a helicopter hangar, there’s not much to do except cruising around and there were a few of us,” he said.
“So we used to have a few little parties in the hangar. We had a smoke machine and music players and stuff,” Chambers recalled. “So we said, ‘We need a mirrorball.’ And one of my deckhands came back from his time off with a helmet, and we made a mirrorball helmet. And that mirrorball helmet got handed down to three or four people over the years.”
The helmet came back to Captain Jason before ‘Below Deck Down Under’
Chambers lost track of the helmet but it made its way back to him before he launched Below Deck Down Under.
“I hired an old deckhand back with me before Below Deck, and he brought it back for me after many years,” he said. “And we used to throw it around and make people dance with it on when we’re on board. People aren’t dancing? Throw it on, it will make you dance. So that was where it came from. But we put a bit of a twist to it on season one and season two.”
Some Below Deck Down Under Season 1 crew members appeared to be annoyed with the helmet. Deckhand Benny Crawley was the first mirrorball helmet recipient and he wasn’t amused. During charter, Crawley complained that the anchor locker was too dangerous and refused to perform the task. As a result, he (reluctantly) received the helmet.
“We got a lot of flack about it,” Chambers said about the helmet. “But all in all, it is good Aussie humor.”
The mirrorball disco helmet quickly became somewhat of a “badge of honor” at the end of every tip meeting with the crew wondering who was going to receive the helmet.
“It’s sounding it out in front of other people, not letting things slide, but not putting people down,” Chambers said of the mirrorball disco helmet. “Just making light of it. I think it sinks in a little bit differently.”
So will the mirrorball disco helmet make an appearance on Below Deck Down Under Season 3? “Hopefully with season 3,” Chambers said.
Below Deck Down Under Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Peacock.
