The Untold Truth Of Ben From Below Deck
Ben from Below Deck made serious waves on the hit show, tussling with chief stew Kate Chastain and cultivating a romance with co-star Emily Warburton-Adams. After bidding bon voyage to the series after four successful seasons on Below Deck and one on its spin-off, Below Deck Meditteranean, Ben Robinson went back to his roots before a shock return to the galley, which had fans foaming at the mouth for the culinary delights and drama to come.
Robinson, who was born in Oxford, England, was already a major talent before Bravo came calling, of course, having studied under Italian master chefs in Florence and even apprenticing at three-time Michelin Star-winning restaurant The Fat Duck. He's worked as a head chef on yachts for over a decade, including on the largest sailing yacht in the world.
There's more to him than chopping and dicing, but Robinson's heart will always belong to food. This is the untold truth of Below Deck's inimitable Ben.
Ben from Below Deck walked away from the show to focus on his craft
Ben Robinson broke hearts across the seven seas and beyond when he departed Below Deck, whose cast has some pretty dark secrets, telling Bravo's The Daily Dish in February 2017, "I've decided to take a break... I will continue to focus on my career as a chef and holistic nutritionist, and I'll have a lot of exciting news on these fronts soon!" He did note, however, "The door is always open for Below Deck," which clearly came to fruition just a couple years later, but back then it seemed all hope was lost.
When it did come time to climb aboard the Bravo mega-yacht again, Ben from Below Deck opened up to People about why he really left in the first place. As he advised, on Below Deck, "I'm not obviously making the food that I would love to make, which I call 'intelligent food' or 'art food.' You just don't have time to do it. ... I'm really trying to push the envelope and make world-class food. I wasn't really getting that opportunity on yachts."
Ben from Below Deck could get his own spin-off some day
As a major fan favorite, Ben from Below Deck is well placed to branch out on his own — the demand is certainly there for a Ben-centric show. Although the world-renowned chef is more focused on making food than being a reality star, he did have a brief cooking show on YouTube with then-girlfriend Emily Warburton-Adams, suggesting that, if the opportunity presented itself, Ben Robinson might like to be a leading man in his own right.
As it turns out, producer Mark Cronin is interested, too. During a Reddit Ask Me Anything session, a fan suggested giving Robinson his own spin-off would be a genius idea, to which Cronin responded, "I agree! I would love to do a spin-off with Ben." However, he advised there was nothing in the works at the time, and, since a couple years have passed in the interim, it looks like our dreams of a spin-off will remain just that. Boo.
There's only one person who could make Ben from Below Deck return to the show full time
Captain Sandy Yawn is a legend of the sea and screen, as one of just a handful of women captaining luxury yachts in the world right now, and she's just as popular with her crew as she is with fans watching at home. Yawn is also the only person who could convince Ben from Below Deck to return to the show full time. As he told Entertainment Tonight in an interview, "Sandy is a great captain, I'd work for her any day of the week."
The British chef went on to admit he hasn't turned his back on the show entirely, and never would, because of her. "That's why I would never really close the door. If she called me tomorrow and said, 'Ben, we really need you,' I'd be on the next plane, probably," he admitted. Robinson has a ton of respect for the leader as "she has a lot of passion for her position."
Ben from Below Deck considers himself spiritually connected to this co-star
Ben Robinson butted heads with Kate Chastain throughout his time on Below Deck. As reported by Bravo's The Daily Dish, the chef was pleasantly surprised to learn Chastain had chosen him as her favorite crew member during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live. He admitted, "Kate and I, despite our ups and downs and our volatility, I do believe we are, for whatever reason, probably spiritually joined at the hip."
Ben from Below Deck went on to explain, "We're both Capricorns. We're both of a certain intelligence. We know how to piss each other off. We could be great friends one minute, then at each other's throats the next. It's healthy. It's a little volatile, but it's fun." The British chef even returned the sentiment that Chastain was his fave to work with, too.
Robinson now regrets how much they argued. As he sees it, "I started to grow very comfortable yelling at Kate, and it didn't really do anyone any favors." If Robinson could go back, he would control his temper a little better around the chief stew.
This nearly caused Ben from Below Deck to quit mid-charter
After returning to Below Deck, Ben Robinson almost quit midway through the charter due to a condition which was kept from the cameras and out of the season entirely. As he regaled Bravo's The Daily Dish, when he showed up to rejoin the crew on Season 4 of Below Deck Med, unbeknownst to everybody else, Robinson was struggling with a bad case of severe back pain, which caused him to limp aboard the Sirocco.
"I had this bloody sciatica, and I was really struggling to walk when I got on the boat, honestly. It was tough," Ben from Below Deck admitted. The chef was heavily medicated, revealing, "Without Ibuprofen, I almost had to quit. So I was eating about 4,000 milligrams of Ibuprofen a day just to get through it." Thankfully, he managed to muddle along, and weirdly the experience cured his pain. "The magical thing was when I got off the boat, I didn't have sciatica anymore. ... I actually walked off in better health, in better spirits than ever," he said.
Ben from Below Deck doesn't regret his infamous pants-less moment
Although Ben Robinson regrets fighting with Kate Chastain and going a bit hard on her in certain moments thanks to his quick temper, for the most part, the British chef looks back on his Below Deck time fondly. "I try not to live in regret," he told Bravo's The Daily Dish. Moreover, one of the seemingly most embarrassing, or maybe even just most memorable, moments of his run doesn't make him cringe one bit.
Of the infamous pants-less incident, which found him strolling down the dock during Season 4 with his lower half revealed, Robinson remains completely unashamed. "I loved that. I think it was about time. The timing was perfect. I think at that point I needed an a** cameo. ... I'm very butt proud," Ben from Below Deck explained. The chef doesn't see it as making him a sex symbol, however — in fact, he thinks quite the opposite, as he noted, "I find male nudity absolutely hysterical, including myself."
Ben from Below Deck's dream cast will surprise die-hard fans of the show
A successful yacht charter lives or dies on the strength of its crew. If it were up to Ben Robinson, he knows exactly who he'd choose to command the high seas with him on Below Deck. When questioned by Entertainment Tonight, Robinson acknowledged, "Obviously, there are some characters that are very close to my heart. Something happens when you're doing something for the first time."
If given the opportunity, Ben from Below Deck would choose Captain Sandy Yawn, of course; Kate Chastain as chief stew; and Eddie Lucas as bosun. He also named Kat Held, Kelley Johnson, C.J. LeBeau, Tiffany Copeland, Bryan Kattenburg, Bobby Giancola, and Captain Mark Howard as other crew members he'd gladly work with again, in conversation with Bravo's The Daily Dish.
As for his ex, Emily Warburton-Adams, Robinson told ET he wouldn't necessarily opt to work with her if they were still together but, either way, he feels, "We've kind of done that and we're both moving forward from there."
Being on TV isn't a big deal for Ben from Below Deck anymore
For most of us, the idea of seeing ourselves on TV some day is very exciting. Ben Robinson was no different, at least initially. He told Decider, "When you first start off on TV, it's amazing, like 'Oh my God, that's me on that bloody TV over there!'" The chef admitted that when he first appeared on Below Deck it was the biggest thing that had ever happened to him. Nowadays, he's more chill about seeing himself on-screen.
"It's just like, 'Yeah, it's just part of it, isn't it?' I take it in my stride," Ben from Below Deck shared, explaining, "It's just not a big deal anymore. ... I just feel like I'm getting a little older now and I'm a little more mature." Robinson also freely admitted that, as he approaches his 40s, the prospect of being on reality TV full-time no longer seems feasible. "I don't think Below Deck is very good for mature people. I think honestly it would be tough for me to do a whole season," he argued.
Ben from Below Deck's side hustle is thriving
He may not be up for the work hard, play hard antics of Below Deck anymore, but thankfully Ben Robinson doesn't need the show these days thanks to his successful business. As Ben from Below Deck explained to People, he "took a couple of years off and really built a career for myself on land, specifically a private catering business for private events."
The world-renowned chef caters exclusive parties all over the United States. He explained, "I've been running that successful company on land for many years now, so I've really been sinking my teeth into that business." He doesn't regret walking away from Below Deck when he did, either, telling People, "I've really tried to find myself as a chef outside of yachts. A chef should be working towards his own abilities and try to reach for the stars with his own food. I needed time for that. I was privileged to be able to go back and boost my prowess, which was dwindling."
Ben from Below Deck wouldn't say no to appearing on another Bravo reality show
Ben Robinson told People that he's getting a bit old to be running around with the Below Deck crew, working 18 hour days and then heading to the club at 4 a.m. He explained with more than a hint of self-deprecation, "I got into the industry when I was 22, I was a young buck. You can do anything when you're 22. Below Deck and Below Deck Mediterranean carried me through into my mid-30s. I don't know how Roger Federer does it, to be honest!"
However, if the opportunity to do another Bravo show, one built specifically around cooking, presented itself, Ben from Below Deck would be more than willing to participate. When asked whether he'd appear on Top Chef, the Brit opined, "I would definitely consider that! The door is definitely open. Tell whomever is in charge of that door, it is not closed. I try not to close any doors and remain open-minded."
Ben from Below Deck reckons this is "the hardest job there is" for a chef
It's unsurprising Ben Robinson thinks his days on Below Deck are over, considering, as far as he's concerned, it's the most demanding job in the world. "You've got to be pretty brave... It's the hardest job there is," he informed People. Elaborating on manning the kitchen aboard one of the show's luxury yachts, the British chef said, "You're on your own, you're in charge of provisioning, budgeting, it's a tiny little space, you have no help. ... a good chef will be able to rise above it, but it's tough, it's a tough gig."
In fact, Robinson admitted to Bravo's The Daily Dish that his current workload is nothing in comparison. "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," he revealed. It made him very nervous to return, all things considered, with Ben from Below Deck admitting, "I was obviously a little scared... Can I handle it? I knew I could mentally handle it, but physically — am I physically able?"
Ben from Below Deck remains close with ex Emily Warburton-Adams
Aside from making mouth-watering meals and tussling with his chief stew, Ben Robinson made an impression on Below Deck thanks to his sweet relationship with stewardess Emily Warburton-Adams. The two left the show with their new love blossoming, only for the chef to confirm back in October 2017 that they'd sadly called it quits. They frequently pop up on each other's social media feeds, however, leading many to speculate they'd rekindled things.
Ben from Below Deck set the record straight with People, explaining, "We're friends. Our romance ended, and on good terms. ... We've maintained a great friendship... She does fly out to see me and I saw her in London a few months ago — actually, on the tail end of my Below Deck Mediterranean trip." He's actively looking for love elsewhere, advising, "I've reached that age where I'm really trying to settle down now in terms of grounding myself with a land-based business. And in turn, I want to find a viable partner who I can maybe marry and have a kid and everything."
Ben from Below Deck's favorite season of the show makes a lot of sense
With six seasons behind him, it seems like it'd be tough for Ben Robinson to choose a favorite but, when Bravo's The Daily Dish put him on the spot, he was only too happy to divulge. "I love Greece. Greece was incredible. You know, coming from Europe, it was obviously a little bit more cultural for me. I liked that antiquity, the old buildings, all the rest of it. I liked the history. I liked the food culture. But it was just fun and fresh. Everyone just kind of really got on. It was a good team," he enthused, noting as an aside that Season 1 of Below Deck Med was the "most fun."
Likewise, the original season of Below Deck understandably holds special meaning for him, too. "Below Deck Season 1 was great, but it was also very nerve-racking because it was the first time I was on camera and all the rest of it," Ben from Below Deck admitted.
Ben from Below Deck has a cheeky nickname for fired chef Mila Kolomeitseva
Not just anybody can commandeer a busy kitchen aboard a luxury yacht, as Ben Robinson himself can attest. His surprise return to Below Deck Med was a major moment, but it also came in the wake of original chef Mila Kolomeitseva's firing. Speaking to Bravo's The Daily Dish, the Brit described the drama caused by Mila in the galley as "a bloody nightmare," suggesting she "was too young" and green to handle the demands of the job and "obviously screwed it all up" due to her lack of experience.
Pointing to his own impressive career trajectory, Ben from Below Deck explained, "I've done it before, you know, for six months, big charter seasons in the Med, and I struggled, you know, and I was ready. I'd been doing it for many years, and I found it brutal. So I think that she was pretty arrogant to think that she could just jump onto Below Deck and do that."
Kolomeitseva became known for relying on microwaving food during her time on the show, leading Robinson to christen her with a new nickname. "I call her 'Miele' because they actually manufacture microwaves," he joked.