Chief Stew Lara Rigby’s feudwith Chef Tzarina Mace-Ralph is front and center onBelow Deck Down Underafter Bosun Wihan Du Toit’s firing, but it seems like she could have been cast because she’s often unkind.Below Deck Down Underseason 3’s drama has been nearly constant, beginning withSous Chef Anthony Bird’s impromptu exit early in the season and culminating, thus far, with a double firing after Johnny Arvanitis punched a wall in the middle of the night.
Lara runs a tight ship, evident by her strict rules and controlling yet organized leadership style. While Stews Brianna Duffield and Marina Marcondes de Barros seemed fine with this early in the season, Marina has grown frustrated with being relegated to laundry, cabins, and cleaning. Meanwhile, Deckhand/Stew Adair Werley has tried to sabotage Lara at every turn, thinking she knows better than her boss. Lara’s attitude and style have made it increasingly clear that she could be a producer plant made to stir up drama.
Lara Is A Mean Girl
She Called Chef Tzarina Weird To Her Face
Lara has been exhibiting some cruel tendencies onBelow Deck Down Under, leading to the idea that she could be a producer plant meant to spur drama onboard the Katina. Chef Tzarina alluded to her personality early in the season, saying that she was the popular girl on their last charter. Lara made fun of Chef Tzarina in the most recent episode for being like the “weird"Brady Bunchsister, also comparing her to Weird Barbie from the 2023 Greta Gerwig film.
However, that’s not all. She also pulled new Sous Chef Alesia Harris aside to garner support in her burgeoning feud with Chef Tzarina against her boss, effectively trying to turn Alesia against her. Chef Tzarina has felt left out of the crew dynamics throughout the season, whereasLara has positioned herself as the cool girl. Despite not really doing anything wrong, Chef Tzarina has become the center of the drama because of Lara’s controlling nature.
Lara Talking Back To Captain Jason Doesn’t Make Sense
She’s Being Disrespectful
Lara has also been talking back to Captain Jason Chambers, which is surprising given her propensity towards rules. She might be in charge of the interior, but Captain Jason is the final authority aboard the Katina. He’s told Lara multiple times that she needs to put Marina on service so she can learn and grow.
It’s surprising that Lara won’t listen to Captain Jason because she’s such a rule follower.
Lara has chosen not to listen to Captain Jason, saying that she’ll always do what’s best for the guests. Despite Marina’s eagerness to improve and hardworking nature, Lara is unwilling to let her try out service. Given her success cleaning cabins and doing laundry, she’ll no doubt become an expert in service at no time. However, Lara’s too controlling to let that happen. The conflict, perhaps producer-induced, could cause some serious drama between Lara and Captain Jason.
Lara’s Drama Seems Fake
It’s Like She’s Purposefully Antagonizing Chef Tzarina
Overall, it seems like Lara could be a producer plant because her drama feels really fake. She’s antagonizing Chef Tzarina on purpose. Chef Tzarina is doing an excellent job as Chef and has been a better leader to Alesia as Sous Chef than she was for Anthony. Her food is always fabulous.Lara’s real issue was with Wihan, but now that he’s gone, she needs somebody else to fight with. While her mean girl antics were entertaining at first, it seems like she might be a producer plant onBelow Deck Down Underseason 3.
Below Deck Down Underseason 3 airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo and streams the next day on Peacock.
