Meet The Cast Of Below Deck Down Under Season 2
"Below Deck Down Under" premiered the first episode of Season 2 on July 17, 2023, and the season features two familiar faces and a crop of newbies to mix things up. This season's ship is the Northern Sun, a boat from the '70s that has been repurposed into a yacht. At the helm of the ship is Captain Jason Chambers, back for another season. Drama is definitely in store — in the trailer for Season 2, viewers see Captain Jason firing an unknown member of the crew. You'll have to keep watching every week to find out just who is getting sent home and why.
A fan favorite came back to the universe of "Below Deck" for "Below Deck Down Under" — Aesha Scott, who originally worked as third and second stewardess (or stew) on "Below Deck Mediterranean." She was updated to chief stew for her move to the Australian-based spinoff's first season and will continue this position for "Below Deck Down Under" Season 2. In the premiere episode, Scott made it clear that she is going to take charge of her team of stews, and she made good on her promise when she called out bad behavior on the mystery crewmate that Captain Jason fired.
Luke Jones is the bosun this season
This season, the bosun on the Northern Sun is native Australian Luke Jones. He has been working on yachts for seven years. In an interview with Bravo introducing the crew members for this season, Jones said he does not miss home while traveling anymore because he's been doing it for so long. He added, "I honestly feel like the world is my home. Family is key and I'm lucky enough that they love to travel like me."
On Jones as bosun, Captain Jason Chambers told Decider, "Luke did well. He worked hard. Look, I was quite happy to have someone who could just jump in and do the job." He added, "It was really nice and refreshing to start off with someone strong who knew what he was doing and was my support." However, in Episode 1, Jones didn't listen to Captain's orders and fell asleep when he — or another deckhand — was supposed to be working the night shift.
The Northern Sun deckhands are Adam Kodra and Harry Van Vliet
One of the deckhands this season is the wildest casting choice on "Below Deck Down Under." Deckhand Adam Kodra is prone to seasickness and, due to a fear of water, cannot swim. Despite only one year of experience on yachts, he knows how to navigate the stars (of the wealthy and famous variety), which is a good skill for someone working on a boat to know. Kodra is also a native New Yorker and one of two Americans working on the Northern Sun.
The other deckhand is Harry Van Vliet. Another Australian native, Van Vliet has three years of experience on yachts. Van Vliet is the adventurous type and his favorite activities to do when he's not on a boat are, "Scuba diving, surfing, wakeboarding, camping ... anything outdoors" (via Bravo). He's adventurous in other ways as well — in this season's trailer, Van Vliet is shown giving a cheeky belly dance for the crew, enthusiastically saying, "I feel sexy!" in a confessional.
The chef this year is Tzarina Mace-Ralph
What's a luxury superyacht experience without delicious food to enjoy? Although there was chef drama in Season 1 of "Below Deck Down Under" — Chef Ryan McKeown was fired and replaced after multiple guests and crew members complained about him — this season's galley will hopefully run a lot smoother.
The chef on the Northern Sun's crew is Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph. Mace-Ralph is from Bristol, England, and has worked on yachts for four years. When she saw the repurposed Northern Sun superyacht for the first time, her reaction was, "Is this the Antiques Roadshow on water?" (via Bravo).
The trailer for Season 2 hints at some trouble in the kitchen, with guests complaining about their food and at Mace-Ralph battling with insecurity about her cooking abilities. In a voiceover, she says, "I beat myself up. I bet someone else could do this better than me." A scene is then shown where Captain Jason Chambers gives her a pep talk of sorts, saying, "This is us together trying to get to the endgame, okay?" Hopefully, with the support of the captain and the rest of the crew, Mace-Ralph can feel more confident as the season goes on.
One of the stews working under Scott is Laura Bileskalne
Laura Bileskalne is a stew on the Northern Sun for this season of "Below Deck Down Under." Like Harry Van Vliet, Bileskalne has worked on yachts for three years. She cleared up a misconception and told Bravo that people expect the stews and crew members on these luxury yachts to have glamorous lives, but they do not: "We don't have much time in the water. We don't have a luxury life like our guests, even though others think we do."
On Episode 1 of Season 2, Bileskalne had to deal with some rowdy guests who were keen to do whatever they wanted. She informed the (drunk) charter guests that it was not safe for them to swim in the water around their yacht at night. They ignored her and jumped in anyway, causing Captain Jason Chambers to step in and threaten to end the charter tomorrow if they did not listen. The episode ended on a cliffhanger, and viewers can find out if Captain Jason did indeed end the charter soon.
The final crew member is stew Margot Sisson
The only other American on the crew for this season of "Below Deck Down Under" is stew Margot Sisson. Sisson is from Seattle, Washington, and has two years of yacht experience. A past coworker of hers from a previous boat is Chef Natasha De Bourg from another "Below Deck" spinoff, "Below Deck Sailing Yacht."
Chief stew Aesha Scott praised both Laura Bileskalne and Sisson for their abilities as stews. Scott admitted that although Sisson did not have as much experience, "I think what Margot had was common sense. She didn't have the experience, but she took direction really well." Scott explained, "She really wanted to prove herself and show she was a valuable member of the team" (via El Paso Inc.). Scott also said that both her stews ended up in a "love pentagon" with the deckhands and bosun of the Northern Sun. Scott added, " ... I have my wonderful partner, so I can just sit with my popcorn and watch it unfold. The viewers will absolutely love it."
You can watch "Below Deck Down Under" live on Bravo Monday nights or stream it on Peacock the next day.