Kate Chastain Explains the Real Reason She "Had to Leave" the Yacht

We have a feeling we're still going to be picking our jaws up off the floor well into 2020 after Kate Chastain threatened to quit Below Deck this season. But at least now we have a little more insight into why the chief stew left the yacht.

In case you need a refresher on the latest Below Deck drama, it all started after things got heated between Kate and Ashton Pienaar during the van ride on the way home from the crew's night out. Their argument continued in the crew mess once they got back onto the boat, escalating to the point where Kate said that she "quit" and promptly disembarked the Valor.

As we saw the conclusion of the incident during the December 30 episode of Below Deck, Kate explained why she stormed off the Valor on Twitter. "I’ve unfortunately learned the hard way that when someone becomes violent the safest thing to do is remove yourself from the situation as it will most likely happen again," Kate tweeted. "Ashton’s behavior was scary [and] I [didn't] feel like anyone was acknowledging that so I had to leave."

Ashton had a different take on why Kate left the boat during the Below Deck Season 7 After Show, which you can view, above. "I would have to be very egotistical to think that the one blowout with Kate and I was the cause of her leaving the boat. I really think that she started isolating herself from the crew. She was getting a lot of negative feedback, and I think that, you know, I was the cherry on top and that whole situation was the cherry on top, and she was just like 'I'm out' kind of thing," he said. "Kate is used to running these seasons where she's the main queen bee. She's got everything under control, she's got everybody under her thumb, and I think this season was a little bit different for her. I think she kind of felt the pressure."

Captain Lee Rosbach Thinks Kate Chastain Should Have Done One Thing Differently During the Van Drama

Kate did eventually return to the boat and resume her post as Valor's chief stew in the December 30 episode of Below Deck. She did so "because I've worked for Captain Lee for a long time, and I'm not gonna let Ashton's poor behavior ruin my reputation," Kate explained during the Below Deck Season 7 After Show.

It looks like Ashton will find himself at odds with another crew member in an all-new episode of Below Deck on January 6 at 9/8c. Watch a preview below, and catch up on the season through the Bravo app.

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