Kate Chastain led Below Deck‘s interior department from Seasons 2-7. Working under Captain Lee Rosbach, the two quickly became one of the best Below Deck Captain-First Stew duos in the franchise. Her ability to do her job well, while providing snarky commentary on the side, made this series what it is today. When Kate walked the plank following Season 7, she left big boat shoes to fill in her wake.
While her humor saw a few personality conflicts formed during her time on-air, overall, she was an excellent Chief Stew. She’s truly provided so many laughs, alongside a slew of quotable moments, throughout her tenure on Bravo. In our opinion, these were Kate Chastain’s best moments, both on and off of the Below Deck series.
Season 2: When Kate Assigned Fonts to The Crew
Kate’s humor was immediately seen during Season 2. Our favorite Kate-ism from her inaugural season was when she assigned fonts to her co-workers in a confessional. Matching each of these fonts to their specific personalities, Kate assigned herself to Times New Roman, as she considered herself “classic” and “assertive.” None of her choices were mean-spirited, more so, they were hysterical, and actually accurate.
Matching each of Kate’s selections, production then came in for the kill, overlaying Kate’s words with specific scenes that helped to support Kate’s choices. Early on, it seemed like the editors knew that they had struck gold in the casting of Kate. As for Kate’s first memorable moment on Below Deck, we think that her fonts confessional deserves the win.
Seasons 2, and 3, and 4: Kate’s Towel Folding for Dean
Dean Slover was a returning charter guest that Kate eventually labeled her “charter guest soulmate.” However, when he first walked onboard in Season 2, they didn’t exactly hit it off. In fact, Dean told Kate that she was “b*tchy.” This angered Kate, who decided to retaliate when tidying up his cabin.
Deciding that since Dean had behaved like a dick, he deserved a dick, Kate got back at her charter guest by folding a blanket on the top of Dean’s bed. Naturally, it was folded into the shape of a penis. In order to avoid getting into trouble, Kate explained that it was just a “rocket ship,” but no one was buying it. Luckily for Kate, and her crew’s eventual tip envelope, Dean laughed it off.
When Dean returned in Season 3, Kate readied his cabin by folding brown towels into the shape of a “palm tree,” which was clearly just another dick. Then, in Season 4, he came back onboard for his final charter with Kate, where he was greeted by towels that were folded into the shape of a double v, for vagin*s. Her ability to push the boundaries created some of Kate Chastain’s best moments on Below Deck.
Season 3: Kate Laughed Off Rocky’s Antics
Personally, I found Rocky Dakota entertaining. Even though Kate struggled with Rocky, she shared our feelings during one particular instance. When Rocky became annoyed following the firing of Chef Leon Walker, she stripped down to and dove into the sea. While everyone else in the crew grew annoyed, or even angry, Kate laughed.
“She forgot her mermaid tail,” Kate joked into her radio. “If it had been anyone but Rocky, I would’ve been concerned, but because Rocky’s a strong swimmer, I’m actually kinda laughing inside,” she explained in her confessional. Her ability to err on the side of humor lightened the tone of this incident, making it just another one of Kate Chastain’s best moments on Below Deck.
Season 6: Taking Charge, and Taking Chandler’s Ice Cream
In Season 6, the deck team was failing. Chandler Brooks, the Bosun, didn’t leave a deckhand on the beach to help pack-up a picnic. The interior team handled it instead. Overall, Chandler’s team needed leadership, which they stressed often.
Captain Lee’s response was to grab a radio and announce, “Kate, you’re in charge. The deck crew answer to you for the rest of the night. Use them until you don’t need them, then dismiss them.” And she did exactly that.
Kate gave each of the deckhands a job, and a schedule, sending the early workers to bed first. However, Chandler treated himself to a bowl of ice cream instead of working. At this, Kate took away Chandler’s treat, causing him to have a tantrum. It was beautiful, and was definitely one of Kate’s best actions on Below Deck.
Season 7: Kate’s Penis Cake Revenge
Following a stressful Season 7 with Chef Kevin Dobson, Kate sought revenge. When the primary requested a penis-shaped cake be served during an all girls trip, Kate encouraged Kevin to create a vertical cake, instead of his classier planned horizontal design. Then, when this guest became a bit too drunk and tired, leaving the table early, the conversation at the table turned incredibly serious amongst the remaining guests.
Kate chose this moment to have an unaware Kevin deliver the cake. He brought it out, sparklers lit and all, to a horrified captain and confused guests. “It was like the most inappropriate time,” Kate recalled, smirking. Kevin’s face made this one of Kate’s funniest moments on Below Deck.
When Kate Decided “To ‘F*ck Sh*t Up” On The Traitors
Following her departure from Below Deck, Kate joined the first cast of a new series, The Traitors. When she realized that there was no way the Faithfuls were winning, she stopped putting in any effort into the challenges that she was supposed to complete. Instead, Kate admitted that she was now here to “f*ck sh*t up.” Kate quickly became witty and calculated, making this one of Kate’s most entertaining showings post Below Deck.
Kate and Ben’s Recent Online Banter
— Kate Chastain (@Kate_Chastain) May 11, 2023
Kate and Chef Ben Robinson briefly dated, but after exiting the series, Kate announced her pregnancy, while Ben announced his engagement, to someone else. After many viewers speculated that Ben was the father of Kate’s child, Kate jokingly commented online that Ben’s fiancé would make the best stepmother. No, Ben is not the father, but Kate’s ability to roll with the jokes makes her one of the best Below Deck personalities to date.
TELL US – WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE KATE CHASTAIN MOMENTS ON OR OFF OF BELOW DECK?