Why Didn’t Kate Chastain from ‘Below Deck’ Get Fired for the ‘Rocket Ship’ on the Charter Guest’s Bed?

Although viewers see chief stew Kate Chastain and Captain Lee Rosbach from Below Deck as a tight team, they experienced one instance that could have changed their relationship forever.

Most recently their working relationship was put to the test after Chastain was caught on camera verbally harassing third stew Caroline Bedol. However, Rosbach continued to back his chief stew. He asserted that while he didn’t agree with her approach, he stood by Chastain’s side.

But before Bedol, there was charter guest Dean Slover. Slover pushed Chastain to the brink and she sent him a message through blanket art on his bed. Chastain insisted she crafted a rocket ship, but video shows the shape to be something more phallic than what is seen at Cape Canaveral.

This charter guest pushed Chastain’s buttons

Chastain has seen it all in yachting. But Slover’s uber-demanding behavior coupled with his insistence she needed to smile pushed Chastain over the edge. At one point during his charter, he suggested Chastain take a shot with him before he planned to tell her that her demeanor was scaring the guests.

Since Chastain couldn’t lay into Slover she lashed out doing what she knew best–blanket art. “I have never used my blanket folding to get revenge prior to this, mostly because I’ve never had to,” she told Bravo.”Walking into the master stateroom I was simply planning on doing the anchor as usual, but the next thing I knew I had made…something else.”

She was actually pretty impressed with how “realistic” the shape appeared. Plus she never thought the “rocket ship” would have received so much attention. “Deep inside I knew I would eventually have to face this head on, because it was only going to get harder the longer I waited,” she added. “I just hoped it wouldn’t be too painful, I was still emotionally exhausted from Dean’s oratorical pounding the day before. A girl can only take so much.” 

But it gets very messy

Rumors spread like wildfire on the yacht. The crew became angry that Chastain’s actions could impact the weight of their tip. Chastain and Chef Ben Robinson discussed the situation and he warned her that she could have ruined the charter.

Chastain was annoyed that the crew seemed more concerned about their tip than her feelings. She was genuinely hurt that Slover appeared to come for her. “I have NEVER been told by a guest that I come off as ‘bitchy’ (at least they’ve never said it to my bitchy resting face),” she told Bravo.

“I have experienced plenty of inappropriate and borderline degrading behavior from guests before, but nothing that made me feel as humiliated as Dean’s comments,” she remarked. “It wasn’t even what he said that bothered me so much, but the manner in which he delivered the message.”

This probably saved her job

Rosbach was clearly irritated with Chastain, especially when he learned she lied about the blanket shape. But Chastain’s job may have been saved because Slover told Rosbach he actually thought the rocket ship was hilarious. Plus he tipped generously.

In his Bravo blog, Rosbach reflected about the incident. “Kate, how could you possibly think that you could manipulate me into thinking that you were the victim here? Feigning ignorance? Really?” Rosbach asked in his blog. “I asked you twice and you lied to me. Then, you tried to lie to me again. Then you want to blame the guests for your bad behavior. Your feelings were hurt, so you took it upon yourself to extract retribution for your hurt feelings without regard for the guests, the crew, or the reputation of the yacht.”

He also thought it was rich that Chastain wanted deckhand Andrew Sturby fired for lying when she did the exact same thing. Rosbach added he decided to give Chastain another chance. “Were you worried? I think that was apparent and deserved, but when it’s all said and done, now you want credit for a great tip that you had no clue was coming? Wow,” he wrote.

“You were lucky, nothing more, nothing less,” Rosbach concluded. “You have a second chance, just like Andrew, and I hope you make the best of it. In my opinion, a little humility on your part would go a long way. You are too good, way too good, and too smart to not realize this. I’m trying to be fair with you, yet you get attitude about getting caught doing the wrong thing.”