Below Deck chief stew Francesca Rubi has responded to Captain Lee Rosbach not firing Elizabeth Frankini following the mustard gas incident.
Francesca and Elizabeth have butted heads since Izzy Wouters moved to the deck team and Ashling Lorger joined the interior. Elizabeth has continuously ignored Francesca’s direction to the point it affected the guests on the last charter.
When Elizabeth didn’t take the bleach and soap mixture outside as Francesca requested, it was the last straw for the chief stew. The engineer had to get involved in determining what was making the interior feel dizzy.
Francesca reveals feelings about Captain Lee’s decision
The chief stew admitted on the Below Deck After Show she was not performing her best because she had to micromanage Elizabeth. In turn, the interior crew was not performing at their best.
Francesca needed a change and went to Captain Lee to request a new second stew. The charter was hours away from starting though. Plus the deck crew was down a man because Shane Coopersmith was fired the day before.
As viewers know, Captain Lee said no with good reason. However, that didn’t stop Francesca from being annoyed.
“I have to respect his decision, but it was pretty annoying because I knew that pressure and that weight on my shoulders for the last charters with Elizabeth would have to stay there longer,” Francesca shared.
Changing her tune on Watch What Happens Live
Francesca appeared alongside former chief stew Kate Chastain on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen earlier this week. A fan asked Francesca about the Elizabeth incident and if she was mad at Captain Lee for keeping the second stew.
Viewers were shocked to hear Francesca slightly change her tune regarding Elizabeth. The chief reiterated she was not upset at Captain Lee but then went into a speech about giving people second chances.
It turns out Francesca thinks Elizabeth just needed a kick in the behind. Francesca also believes Elizabeth has excellent intentions and has the potential to be a great stew.
Elizabeth turned out to be the least of Francesca’s problems on the most recent Below Deck episode. An over the top guest preference sheet set chef Rachel Hargrove on a rampage that resulted in her choosing to leave the superyacht.
Now the crew appears to be without a chef and down a deckhand with only hours before the demanding guests arrive for their charter.
Can Elizabeth step up to help in the crew’s time of need? Will she last after the next charter ends?
Only time will tell!
Below Deck airs Mondays at 9/8c on Bravo.