Kate Chastain May Just Be in the Most Unexpected Below Deck Friendship Ever
The former chief stew has a "really funny friendship" with two other Below Deck alums.
Season 7 of Below Deck was not an easy one for longtime chief stew Kate Chastain. However, something good did come out of all the intensity: two great friendships.
Kate shared during a recent interview with Decider that not only has she kept in touch with Courtney Skippon and Rhylee Gerber from last season, but they also make up quite the trio of pals. “The really funny friendship is between Courtney [Skippon], myself, and then Rhylee [Gerber] thrown in there,” Kate said. “I feel like I’m the happy medium between the two opposites: Rhylee and Courtney.”
The gushing about Courtney didn't stop there. “I don’t like to repeat it a lot but I think she’s way funnier than I am, honestly,” Kate shared. “Courtney’s pretty darn perfect. Her moral compass is so on-point. She’s the sanest person ever. It’s refreshing."
Kate, Courtney, and Rhylee appeared to bond last season of Below Deck as tensions between the male and female crew members on the yacht rose. They even snapped a pretty iconic-looking photo after filming the Season 7 reunion in New York City in January.
More recently, Courtney showed Kate "a true act of friendship" when she posted a TikTok of herself lip-syncing to the former chief stew reacting to Season 7 charter guest Jemele Hill's apology during an interview in the January 27 episode of Below Deck.
Kate confirmed that she would not be returning to Below Deck following Season 7. Even though she told Decider that this week's announcement of Below Deck Season 8, which premieres on Monday, November 2 at 9/8c, "does feel like seeing my ex," Kate said that she is also looking forward to watching the new season. "But of course I’m excited to see the new season. I only wish the best," she said. "I can’t wait to see how Captain Lee [Rosbach] handled it in my absence. I need to know who brought him his Cheerios and how his pants were ironed.”
However, Kate has plenty of other projects on the horizon. See Kate dish on Season 5 of Below Deck Mediterranean in a special Watch With Kate episode on Tuesday, September 29 at 9/8c. Kate will also be appearing and serving as an executive producer of the new late night talk show Bravo's Chat Room, along with Summer House's Hannah Berner, The Real Housewives of Potomac's Gizelle Bryant, and The Real Housewives of Atlanta's Porsha Williams, who is also an executive producer. The new series premieres Sunday, September 27 at 10:30/9:30c.
Of course, that means Kate has three new friends, thanks to Bravo's Chat Room, a group she called "a dream team of ladies” during her interview with Decider. “I’m just excited because it feels like a girl session, especially at a time when we’re not hanging out with our friends as much,” Kate said. “I’m excited to have three other amazing, iconic, dynamic Bravo personalities discuss all things Bravo. And also, I’m not doing the nautical puns thing as much anymore, but we’re all in the same boat."
