Captain Lee Rosbach is dishing about what it was like to film a season of Below Deck without Kate Chastain.
During their six-year stint as co-workers on the hit Bravo show, the captain and his long-time chief went through a lot together. Captain Lee referred to Kate as his right-hand and openly admitted to giving her preferential treatment at times.
Over the years, Captain Lee and Kate became synopsis with Below Deck. Fans and the captain were shocked last winter when Kate announced that she was leaving yachting behind.
Below Deck without the infamous chief stew has been on fans’ minds since her departure. The wait is finally over, and fans will get to witness a whole new era for the show.
It was also a new venture for Captain Lee, who recently chatted with Entertainment Tonight about doing the show without his friend.
Not prepared for Kate’s exit
Although Captain Lee did know Kate was exiting Below Deck before the rest of the world, he was not prepared for her choice. They had a long conversation regarding her decision. The captain was left flabbergasted after the chat.
Captain Lee admits Kate leaving hit him really hard. Not just because of their close bond, but also because of what it meant for him and the show.
“I started to think about the ramifications of it, you know because they were huge. It’s kind of like, OK, she’s gone. So, where does all this weight fall now? Am I ready for this?” Captain Lee shared.
The reality of doing Below Deck without his partner-in-crime was soon something the captain couldn’t avoid. Before he knew it, the Bravo show was filming in the Caribbean.
Life on My Seanna
There was good news for Captain Lee regarding filming Season 8.
It turns out that he did have a familiar face on his crew, bosun Eddie Lucas. Not that Eddie filled the void left by Kate, but his presence certainly helped.
Captain Lee admitted there was a learning curve for him and the rest of the crew. The uncertain chemistry was something that unnerved the captain as the first few days of filming began.
“I didn’t know how the chemistry would work between my new chief stew and myself, or between my new chief stew and everyone else,” he shared. “When you work with somebody as long as I worked with Kate, you can you get a sense for how she’s going to interact with certain people in certain personalities.”
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Captain Lee to adjust to his new crew and chief stew, Francesca Rubi. He hopes viewers will give Francesca a chance and not compare her to Kate. The two women are vastly different.
Below Deck Season 8 premieres Monday, November 2, at 9/8c on Bravo.