Thankfully, fans can get an idea of what the show’s 1st season has in store.
But as usual, this season of “Below Deck” wasn’t all smooth sailing.
“Below Deck” is really, really successful.
Is it intimidating for you?
I did the absolute best I could.
I don’t have any regrets [such as], “I should have done this.
I should have done that.”
There was so much demand, not just from my guests but from my crew and from my captain.
I was like, “It doesn’t matter about sleep.
It doesn’t matter about this.
It doesn’t matter about that.”
I’m not perfect.
The weather was cold.
It wasn’t perfect, but I gave it my best shot.
I was going to ask about the costumes and events that you put on for the guests.
Did you have a favorite theme[d] party or an event you planned for the guests?
The toga party went really well.
So when it all came together, I was like, “Wow.
This is a pretty good-looking party.”
In part of the teaser, you’re also wearing a traditional milkmaid outfit.
What was that about?
I just had to accept however I looked and keep going.
I do a lot of camping.
I do a lot of traveling.
And the combination of all of that contributed to “Below Deck Adventure.”
So I had to take a lot on the chin, bite my tongue, and get through it.
You have a leadership role as the chief stew.
How would you describe other leadership attitudes on the boat, especially Captain Kerry’s leadership style?
I’m not like that.
I like a bit of banter.
Also, he did health and safety training as soon as we got on the boat.
If I went to him with anything, I know he would think it through and then act accordingly.
He interacted with the guests when needed …
So he’s really diverse as well.
And he’s traveled a lot; he’s from Australia.
He’s professional, but he’s also quite … fun.
So he was the perfect captain to me.
So you would do another charter?
If it was Kerry, yeah.
Heather Gay from “Salt Lake City” went on her own charter.
What can you tell us about her time on board?
Were you a franchise fan?
Was she super funny like she is on TV?
She was so natural.
She said what she thought.
She was so lovely.
Her whole charter and the guests and her friends were perfect.
It happens that I’m flying out to be with her and her friends in three days' time.
They’ve invited me out to stay with them and watch the premiere together.
I’m really excited about next week to go see her.
So you’re going to Utah?
I’m going to Salt Lake City.
Have you ever been anywhere near there before?
I don’t know anything about it.
Apparently, it’s snowing there at the moment.
Had you heard of Heather before?
I’m going to be honest with you.
I’m a worldly girl.
I’m always out doing stuff.
I’m not the kind of girl that can sit still and watch reality shows or series and things.
I’ve always been the same.
My family watch everything; I don’t.
It was quite nice not knowing too much about her so I could be myself.
I could be natural.
I’m happy with the way it all panned out with her charter.
Would you watch “Below Deck”?
Are you going to watch yourself on this season?
What a great question.
There’s been times when I’m like, “I’m not going to watch it.
I’m not,” because then I can carry on with my life and not care.
I know my family and friends know who I am.
They know I put 100% into everything I do.
I want them to be on the edge of their seats.
I want them to laugh.
I want them to cringe.
I want any reaction possible.
I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.
I was just me, so let’s see.
Can’t turn the clock back now.
What’s the most uncomfortable situation I’ve been in with other crew members?
There’s been two.
I had a really, really angry engineer.
I was a cook at the time, so I used to cook for all the crew.
And no matter what I cooked, he was never happy with it.
He would tell me that I’ve put on weight.
He would tell me that I’ve let myself go.
I did actually stand up to him in the end.
Angry engineers, they’ve got quite a reputation.
The deckies, they’re always trying to hook up with stews or whatever.
Horrible almost bullied me.
My captain and my owner actually saw it, and they transferred me to a different country.
They’re like, “We’re assigning you to America.
You’re going to work out on the yachts in Fort Lauderdale.
We’re getting you out of this situation.”
And I never looked back.
Did you get along with the chef on this charter?
Did you compare any notes?
Jess and I are actually the same age.
We are very similar.
She’s a very strong, independent woman.
She’s been working her way, also winging her way around the world.
I’m British [and the] same age as her.
I’ve been doing pretty much the same.
She’s very spiritual.
I’m quite spiritual, but in completely different ways.
Jess will burn lavender.
She’ll hold rocks.
She’ll speak to a healer, for example.
And then I crack on.
There were some heated moments with me and Jess.
She would say, “You girls need to get your s*** together.”
And I was like, “Well, look at the mess in here.
I’m not there to have an argument in the galley.
So towards the end, that was building up and building up, and then boom.
I just lost it one day, and I was like, “No.”
We’re not friends at this moment in time.
We are colleagues, and that’s not how we talk to people.
No matter what pressure you’re under, you don’t talk to people like that.
So that’s when I hit back, but we’ve got a lot of respect for each other.
We went on holiday together afterwards, and I’ve got a lot of respect for Jess.
Safety was an issue this season
I’m sure it’s incredibly stressful being on the boat.
How do you manage the pressure to perform at that five-star level over the course of an eight-week season?
Were there rising tensions?
The guests that we had were so fun and so into the crew.
They wanted to know about us.
They wanted conversations with us.
They were all about adventure, and that’s why they were there.
They weren’t there for that corporate silver service, white-glove service.
They were there for adventure.
They were there to be jumping off cliffs and jumping into ice-cold water.
They were there to drink all day.
It seems like there were a lot of safety issues coming into play as well, yachting in Norway.
Had you ever dealt with anything on that level before?
Although I’m out there and I’m bubbly, I’m a very caring person.
I’m like a mom to everybody, and I panic and I worry.
It’s going to ruin everything.
And I don’t know how to call an ambulance in Norway, things like that.
And I’m like, “Well, this is freezing-cold water.
People are paragliding off of cliffs or abseiling over cliffs.”
They are going through caves and stuff.
The floor is uneven.
We don’t know where we are.
The drama that you’ll see is not exaggerated.
With the excursions, it really isn’t.
Even just being on the boat, it looked like there were some mishaps that seemed pretty scary.
They [weren’t] going to bed because it was daylight all the time.
There was a lot of demand for the interior crew.
Is there any way to manage the exhaustion over the three-day cycle?
Did you guys party in between to let off steam?
That was quite challenging for me because usually when you’re working so hard, you want to chill.
You want a nice shower, wash your hair, tidy your bedroom.
I had to keep going, and I knew that.
I knew that was on the cards.
But I love you.”
“I know you’re struggling, but let’s keep going.
Let’s do this.”
Because there was no room for arguing.
There was no room, no time for moaning.
It was a full-on, full-on season.
Is there anything else fans can look forward to or expect from the season premiere?
Are you nervous about the premiere at all?
I am so nervous about how it goes, but I have to be optimistic.
Like I said before, I hope it entertains the viewers, and I’m sure it will.
This is something different.
This is something they have never seen with “Below Deck” before the excursions, the adventure.
We had a photo shoot, a fashion photo shoot in a cave.
Paragliding off of a cliff.
Oh my god."
I can’t do this."
That’s just horse riding, let alone all the other excursions we did.
It sounds like it’s not for the faint of heart to be on deck.
But I’m sure the viewers will be riveted the whole time.
I hope everybody finds the crew entertaining.
We are the dream team.
So you would go back with the same crew [and] do it all over again?
I’m my own worst enemy, but yeah.
“Below Deck Adventure” premieres November 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
