Captain Jason Chambers has opened up about the emotional aftermath of the sexual misconduct incident during Below Deck Down Under Season 2.
The Below Deck spin-off made headlines when Luke Jones was fired for a near sexual assault on Margot Sisson.
Laura Bileskalne was also fired for defending Luke and her behavior with Adam Kodra.
Chef stew Aesha Scott and Captain Jason have been praised for their swift actions to ensure the crew’s safety.
In fact, Captain Jason was just named The Guardian in Us Weekly’s Reality Stars of the Year issue.
The captain used the opportunity to talk about the show and the Season 2 scandal.
Below Deck Down Under star Captain Jason Chambers talks aftermath of the sexual misconduct incident
It should come as no surprise that Captain Jason has been flooded with messages since the Below Deck Down Under episodes aired in August. Captain Jason admitted to spending hours a day replying to them because there were so many stories relating to the episode.
“I’m trying to do as much as I can. There’s a lot going on out there and this actually brought to light a hell of a lot. The amount of feedback that came to me — I’m pretty overwhelmed,” he expressed.
Captain Jason gave a shout-out to Aesha and the production team on Below Deck Down Under for how the situation was handled. The Bravo personality knows he can’t do his job without them.
“There’s so much work [that] goes into it. As a yacht captain, I know what logistics are and I do a hell of a lot of it. But to actually see the production go behind the scenes while allowing me to do my job and not interfere with me, it is quite amazing,” the captain shared.
Years of experience helped Captain Jason navigate the situation very carefully. He admitted there were other moments on the show during Season 2 where, if he didn’t have the experience he has, the captain would have acted differently.
“I didn’t think it was going to have as much of an impact as what it did at that time,” he admitted.
Captain Jason dishes Below Deck Down Under
Along with opening up about the near sexual assault, Captain Jason talked about the show in general. The captain was questioned during Season 1 for being too friendly with the crew.
His leadership style was vastly different from Captain Lee Rosbach‘s or Captain Sandy Yawn‘s. However, Captain Jason stands by his style, declaring the people he works with are his friends and his family.
Captain Jason also acknowledged that Below Deck Down Under has helped expand the Below Deck fanbase.
“I’m talking to a lot of people that their husbands and boyfriends are only watching the show Below Deck Down Under. They weren’t in the franchise before,” the captain dished to the weekly magazine.
The interview with Captain Jason comes out hot on the heels of Luke Jones seemingly addressing the scandal for the first time.
Next up for Captain Jason Chambers is BravoCon in just a few weeks. As Monsters and Critics previously reported, Captain Jason and Aesha Scott are up for The Bravos awards, so be sure to vote for them.
Below Deck Down Under is currently on hiatus on Bravo. Seasons 1-2 are streaming on Peacock.