Ben Robinson Dishes on His Below Deck Mediterranean Return: "I Was Nervous"

Ben Robinson is back!

The beloved chef, who appeared in Seasons 1 through 4 of Below Deck and Season 1 of Below Deck Mediterranean, will return to the galley this season of Below Deck Med, The Daily Dish has confirmed. "It was really good. It felt right," Ben said of being back on Below Deck Med during a recent phone interview with The Daily Dish. "It was lovely." 

Ben said the lead-up to his return airing on TV had "a bit of a fairytale feel about it" because it seemed like he climbed aboard the Sirocco so long ago. Still, Ben said that he was "definitely excited" that Below Deck Med fans would finally get to see him back on the show this season. "I'm just sort of awaiting the [onslaught] of everyone on social media. That's kind of crazy, isn't it?" Ben said as he got ready for the fan reaction to his return to Below Deck Med. "It should be fun."

Ben announced his departure from Below Deck in February 2017 following his appearance in Season 4. He recently told The Daily Dish that he felt like a break from the show did him a lot of good, and he is now able to look at things with "clearer eyes." "I feel like I was doing a lot of Below Deck back in the day," Ben shared. "I never really got off the roller coaster, so I was just sort of in perpetual roller coaster mode. So now I'm in a good place."

Though Ben admitted that he "was nervous" as he prepared for the demands of the yacht chef position again, the fact that he was joining the crew while the charter season was already in progress helped alleviate some of the stress. "I'm coming in already feeling the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's much more manageable both mentally and obviously physically," he said. "Since Below Deck, I can safely say I haven't worked that hard. I don't think it's possible for a human to work that hard since I worked about 20 hours a day for six weeks straight. I was obviously a little scared as well at the same time. Can I handle it? I knew I could mentally handle it, but physically — am I physically able?"

Ben has been working on land since we last saw him on Below Deck, running an exclusive catering company where he cooks meals for corporate and private events all over the United States. "I'm really, really lucky. Obviously, I put in a lot of time, a lot of years on these boats. I worked really, really hard. But yeah, it's amazing. I'm very, very privileged," Ben shared. "Obviously, it's been greatly facilitated by Below Deck, so I'm obviously very thankful for that program."

Watch the Sirocco crew spill secrets of the season in the Below Deck Mediterranean Season 4 After Show, above.

See more from the latest episode of Below Deck Med, below.

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Photo: Ben Robinson/Instagram