Chefs at Sea! Who is the best chef?

Ben Robinson

Below Deck (Seasons 1–4)

Below Deck Mediterranean (Season 1, 4)

Ben Robinson was the first-ever chef on Below Deck, his boastful attitude, killer food and hot temper set the template for all of the franchise’s chefs to come.

During his time on the series, Robinson famously clashed with chief stewardess Kate Chastain, the duo’s love-hate relationship fueling much of the drama in Below Deck‘s early seasons.

He left Below Deck after season 2, only to return to the Caribbean in season 3 upon chef Leon Walker’s exit. He then helped Bravo kick off Below Deck Mediterranean, the second installment of the franchise. Robinson wound up heading back to Below Deck for season 4, and then exiting amid a romance with second stew Emily Warburton-Adams (though the two later split).

He last worked in the kitchen on Below Deck Mediterranean season 4, where he came in as a replacement for chef Mila Kolomeitseva. Robinson now makes regular appearances on Below Deck Galley Talk.

Leon Walker

Below Deck (Season 3)

Leon Walker didn’t make it through a complete season of Below Deck, exiting with only a few charters left to go. His departure came after a fire started in the galley — though he blamed it on his rival Chastain, Capt. Lee Rosbach ultimately pinned it on him.

While Walker may not have lasted until the end, his love of beef cheeks (and his inability to seemingly make anything else but them) lives on as one of Below Deck’s most memorable punchlines.

Adam Glick

Below Deck Mediterranean (Seasons 2–3)

Below Deck Sailing Yacht (Season 1)

Adam Glick’s talent in the kitchen was never a problem, the California surfer churned out some of the most praised food in the history of the franchise (that is, when he stuck to the preference sheet, as #OnionGate proved). Where Glick struggled? His relationships.

In his first season on Below Deck Mediterranean, Glick was involved in a love triangle with lead deckhand Malia White — whom he met before the show began, but kept from producers — and bosun Wesley Walton. She eventually chose Walton, much to Glick’s anger (he wound up hitting Walton during an intense night out).

He mostly stayed out of trouble for his second Mediterranean season, but found himself in another crew-mance in Below Deck Sailing Yacht, when he and chief stew Jenna MacGillivray began hooking up. Their relationship didn’t last, Glick saying that it was “very, very difficult for him.” Viewers, meanwhile, criticized him for his bad attitude and inflated sense of self-worth.

After 12 years living and working on the open ocean, Glick declared he was “f—— over it,” telling Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live! that he was “ready to live his life on land.”

Matt Burns

Below Deck (Season 5)

Matt Burns’ culinary skills kept the guests happy on season 5 of Below Deck. But outside of the galley, the chef wasn’t as successful.

First, he struck out in love with stew Brianna Adekeye on a disastrous beach date. Then he tried to rekindle his romance with his ex-girlfriend, whom he had broken up with before the start of the charter season, but she rejected his advances. At least the charter guests always liked his food.

Adrian Martin

Below Deck (Season 6)

Adrian Martin was a breath of fresh air compared to previous chefs. The yoga-loving, meditating, Sint Maarten-born chef stayed centered during his days in the galley. But his free-flowing nature had a downside when inappropriate comments he made toward Laura Betancourt crossed the line. Martin left the show at the end of the season after taking a gig in New York City as a private chef.

Mila Kolomeitseva

Below Deck Mediterranean (Season 4)

Perhaps the most controversial chef in Below Deck history, Mila Kolomeitseva was fired by Capt. Sandy Yawn during the season’s third charter.

Kolomeitseva shocked viewers from the beginning of her time on the charter yacht, when she licked raw steak and wanted to serve guests nachos made with jarred salsa and canned corn.

She struggled to make pancakes from a box and served canned seafood on the second charter, which led Captain Sandy to take the guests out for their final lunch and put third stewardess Anastasia Surmava — an inexperienced chef — on lead for dinner service.

As she left, she said she wouldn’t give up cooking. “Of course it makes me feel awful,” Kolomeitseva said on the show. “People like me who have big egos sometimes have to be put down to earth a little bit. But it makes me feel like I want to work even harder.”

Kevin Dobson

Below Deck (Season 7)

Kevin Dobson hit rough seas during his time on Below Deck, thanks to ongoing tensions with Chastain.

The two could not seem to get along all season, frustrations between them spilling over when Chastain had Dobson present a birthday cake to guests well after the primary charter guests (and birthday girl) had gone to bed.

By the finale party, things took a turn for the worse. The New Zealander told Chastain he didn’t like her and kicked sand in her face. He apologized at the reunion but didn’t return for another season.

Hindrigo “Kiko” Lorran

Below Deck Mediterranean (Season 5)

Hindrigo “Kiko” Lorran made it halfway through season 5 of Below Deck Mediterranean before Captain Sandy made the call to can him. Things started to go downhill for Lorran when he was criticized for his plating and organizational skills.

He tried his best to step it up but fumbled when guests asked for a dinner built around Las Vegas, a place he’d never been and was not familiar with. Chief stew Hannah Ferrier suggested truffle fries and nachos, which Loran paired with fried chicken and shrimp cocktail. Ultimately, the fried food was a fumble, and Captain Sandy fired him.

He did get redemption, though, staying until the end of the charter and impressing the guests with a fabulous dinner. “I made the guests happy in the end,” he told BravoTV.com’s Daily Dish, after his exit. “I felt great.”

Tom Checketts

Below Deck Mediterranean (Season 5)

Tom Checketts was brought in to replace Lorran for the second half of Below Deck Mediterranean’s fifth season. He came in with a connection to the cast, dating Malia White, the show’s bosun. Their romance was surely put to the test by Checketts’ arrival.

From the jump, he was frustrated and flustered, snapping at stewardesses and stressing about provisions. When White could calm him and give him some support in the galley, Checketts’ food was mostly always praised by guests. But sadly, her involvement came to her own detriment, leading to conflict between White and Captain Sandy.

All in all, Checketts help saved the Wellington crew from disaster, but his relationship with White didn’t last much longer. After the season wrapped, the two announced they had gone their separate ways.

Rachel Hargrove

Below Deck (Seasons 8–10)

Rachel Hargrove’s food has earned rave reviews from every charter guest. Even Captain Lee praised her as one of the best yacht chefs he’s ever worked with!

Originally from Tampa, Fla., Hargrove is predominantly self-taught, though has honed her craft through the years studying and cooking in restaurants all around the world. In the kitchen, she takes no prisoners.

And below deck, she’s the same way — her outspoken personality and no-nonsense attitude lead to clashes with everyone from First Officer Eddie Lucas to Captain Lee himself, whom she famously cursed at before quitting before a charter in season 8 (she came back the next day, after cooling down).

Natasha De Bourg

Below Deck Sailing Yacht (Season 2)

Natasha De Bourg’s time on Below Deck Sailing Yacht may be best remembered for #PitaGate, a name hilariously given to the controversy that erupted after she seemingly exaggerated the number of pita bread slices she made for one meal.

It caused tension between her and chief stewardess Daisy Kelliher, one of the many kitchen-related culinary conflicts the two encountered throughout the season.

In the end, they were able to leave the show as friends and Kelliher had the last laugh, starting a podcast called Pita Party with fellow stews Alli Dore and Dani Soares.

Mathew Shea

Below Deck Mediterranean (Season 6)

Mathew Shea made a splash from the second he walked into season 6 of Below Deck Mediterranean, backing out on the first meal due to a health condition that he later admitted was fueled by anxiety.

Drama followed the Rhode Island-born chef all season long, though not in the galley, where he consistently produced incredible food (even after burning half of his fingers). Instead, he often butted heads with chief stew Katie Flood and feuded with his crew mates — including stew Lexi Wilson, who wound up leaving the show after an intense argument.

Since the season wrapped, Shea’s continued to have conflict with his costars, calling Captain Sandy at the reunion “one of the worst captains I’ve ever worked with in my 15 years on boats.”

Jessica Condy

Below Deck Adventure (Season 1)

The South African chef was undeniably talented, but her perfectionist tendencies often clashed with the Mercury crew, particularly chief stew Faye Clarke. Jessica Condy frequently expressed frustration over guests’ food requests and followed her own rules. Eventually, she confided in Capt. Kerry Titheradge that she felt burned out and considered quitting, but she stayed until the end of the season.

Marcos Spaziani

Below Deck Sailing Yacht (Season 3)

Before stepping on the Parsifal III, Marcos Spaziani had been working as a chef for 10 years, after attending culinary school in Venezuela.

Cooking a combination of gourmet Venezuelan, Italian, Korean and American food, Spaziani’s culinary creations were mostly well received by charter guests — even if his portions needed to be a little bit bigger.

But the thing that set him apart from others? His incredible endurance and dedication to his job were on display when he kept cooking after accidentally knocking his head and scrapping off a layer of his scalp (eww).

Ryan McKeown

Below Deck Down Under (Season 1)

Ryan McKeown has all the makings of a classic Below Deck chef: super talented, super hard-working and super arrogant.

Philadelphia-born McKeown didn’t waste a second clashing with chief stewardess Aesha Scott over time maintenance, and quickly let guests know he wouldn’t be letting them dictate his menus.

“My style of cooking is take the ingredients and let them shine,” he said in the premiere episode. Ultimately, his unpleasant behaviors lead to him getting the boot from Capt. Jason Chambers.

Nate Post

Below Deck Down Under (Season 1)

With more superyacht chef experience than McKeown, Nate Post hopped aboard the My Thalassa as his replacement and had to begin cooking for the guests right away in a disorganized galley. Thankfully, Post proved he was the right fit for the job and managed to foster more cordial relationships with the crew than McKeown.

David White

Below Deck Mediterranean (Season 7)

U.K.-born Dave White joined the Home crew with plenty of experience as a yacht chef, serving up some of the series’ best dishes (despite messing up a few pancakes for former NFL player Dominique Easley). However, his romantic entanglement with chief stew Natasha Webb slightly overshadowed his cooking skills. Their previous off-screen hookup led to some juicy drama, with White sending Webb texts threatening to spill their secrets to

Ileisha Dell

Below Deck Sailing Yacht (Season 4)

Season 4 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht had no shortage of love drama between the crew — from casual flings to messy love triangles — but chef Ileisha Dell stayed far away from all of it, even with deckhand Chase Lemacks setting his sights on her. Instead, Dell docked herself in the galley, crafting exquisite 10-course meals and whipping up guest favorites like johnnycakes.

Tzarina Mace-Ralph

Below Deck Down Under (Season 2)

Tzarina Mace-Ralph quickly became one of the most entertaining chefs in the Below Deck franchise. All the way from Bristol, U.K., Mace-Ralph was witty, unafraid of speaking her mind and self-disciplined, balancing her time making elaborate meals in the galley and forging meaningful connections with the crew. She also had room for romance, with both deckhand Culver Bradbury and bosun João Franco.

Jack Luby

Below Deck Mediterranean (Season 8)

Chef Jack Luby brought 14 years of cooking expertise to Mustique but little superyacht experience. While he shined in the galley and put together delicious fare, the Liverpool resident still had his missteps (he particularly disliked making eggs!). Despite these challenges, Luby stayed focused and out of the drama, especially when it came to the drawn-out feud between third stew Natalya Scudder and chief stew Tumi Mhlongo.

Anthony Iracane

Below Deck (Season 11)

Anthony Iracane had big shoes to fill after Rachel Hargrove wrapped up her three-season stint on Below Deck. When the French chef hopped aboard the St. David, the Frenchman’s cool, calm and collected demeanor seemed promising — until it wasn’t.

Though he got along with the crew, he failed to prepare food on time, delayed the beach picnic and struggled to keep up with the charter’s tiresome pace. Chief steward Fraser Olender had no choice but to let go of Iracane, making him the third staff member to exit that season.

However, it was revealed Iracane was going through personal struggles while filming, admitting in a confessional: “To make amazing food, I need to be very happy, and I’m very sad. So, my food sucks.”

Nick Tatlock

Below Deck (Season 11)

Filling Iracane’s spot, Nick Tatlock may have had a harder time fitting in as the oldest member of the St. David crew. But with 22 years of culinary experience, Tatlock effortlessly impressed guests with his tasty dishes and stellar work ethic. Plus, his quirky, playful personality made him a delightful addition to the show.

Johnathan Shillingford

Below Deck Mediterranean (Season 9)

Despite boasting seven years of yachting experience, chef Johnathan Shillingford has faced rough waters on the Mystique. Several guests expressed dissatisfaction with their meals, leaving crew members to question his level of professionalism. And surprisingly, Shillingford appears unfazed by the negative feedback, showing little effort to improve his performance.