Below Deck Season 8’s chef, Rachel Hargrove, has no regrets about her behavior on the Bravo show.
The chef will forever be remembered for saying the new catchphrase “eat my cooter” right before she quit, leaving the My Seanna crew in a panic. Fans know Rachel came back and was given a second chance by Captain Lee Rosbach.
Since Rachel’s return, her drinking has become an issue with some crew members, especially bosun Eddie Lucas. First, was Rachel joining another random table. Then, there was Rachel jumping on stage to sing with a band on the crew’s beach day.
It turns out the chef has no qualms about any of it from quitting to crew issues with her to her drinking.
Colorful catchphrase and quitting abruptly
Rachel told Entertainment Tonight in a recent interview that she paid one month’s rent by telling people to “eat my cooter” on Cameo. Yep, Below Deck fans dished out money to hear the chef utter the words that have made her part of reality TV history.
So, no, she has no regrets about saying the phrase. It has taken on a form she never imagined.
“Who knew?! I reached down in the depths for that one. I dusted it off and went, here you go,” the chef shared with ET.
Rachel admits there was a lot of behind-the-scenes happenings that led to her outburst. Italy, where her then-boyfriend Vincenzo lived, became a hotspot for the coronavirus pandemic. Plus, having cameras in her face 24/7 and the preference sheet pushed Rachel’s stress to an all-time high.
“It’s a lot of stress when you got all those cameras in your face constantly,” Rachel explained.
Yes, it’s what she signed up for. However, in the thick of it all, the stress was real and overwhelming for the chef. The respect Rachel had for Captain Lee and not wanting to leave him hanging prompted her return.
As for quitting and walking away from the crew, Rachel deemed it necessary. She has no issues with her choice because of all the stress. It was a necessary move for her to be able to continue with the season.
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Living life unapologetically
It shouldn’t surprise Below Deck fans at all that Rachel lives her life making no apologies, and that includes her stint on the hit Bravo show.
Rachel owns her drinking too. She doesn’t regret talking to another table or singing on the beach day off. The chef calls her actions normal and part of her way of distancing herself from the crew to avoid drama.
“I’m not one of those people who backtrack and try to go, ‘Oh, I didn’t do that.’ Meanwhile, there’s eight cameras in your face and seven up in the ceiling,” Rachel spilled to ET. “So, it’s like, you know, OK, no. I’m gonna own it. It is what it is.”
Chef Rachel Hargrove’s first run on Below Deck was a pretty good one in her eyes. She has even admitted to being down for another appearance.
Below Deck airs Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.
I quit watching because of her……